Saillant Language Consulting

Challenge

An unexpected facility closure, brought on by the national response to the global coronavirus pandemic, necessitated a mid-semester transition in Saillant Language Consulting's delivery model for its 40-hr Certified Healthcare Interpreter Training course. Because of its nonaffiliated status, Saillant Language Consulting was unable to benefit from the same technological support afforded to college-affiliated programs, and thus required independent technological support to successfully convert its face-to-face curriculum to one appropriate for online learning.

Solution

To receive support, I was contracted to be the sole learning designer responsible for assisting Saillant Language Consulting in transitioning to online learning. My first objective was to gauge the students' and instructor's familiarity and comfort with online learning and online technologies in order to determine which technologies could most seamlessly be integrated into the preexisting learning environment. A survey of the students indicated that the G Suite for Education would be the best ecosystem to build-upon because of its familiar aesthetic and benign learning curve. Additionally, Zoom was recommended to allow continued opportunities for students to learn and collaborate in a synchronous fashion.

After advising Saillant Language Consulting on which technologies to use, I attended each class session to provide live assistance with the technology, created and proctored the course's many online assignments, and designed the course's completion certificate, allowing the instructor to focus exclusively on teaching. I also provided ongoing technological support to the instructor by hosting info sessions and creating various text and video tutorials.

Outcome

Saillant Language Consulting was tremendously satisfied with the successful conclusion to the semester and requested that I assist in redeveloping the course for an exclusively online delivery model. Accordingly, I authored a next steps and recommendations guide before officially beginning to redevelop the course. Ultimately, the redeveloped course prioritized information processing as a means by which students learn online, and thus was designed to maximize usability, utility, and rehearsal, while reducing extraneous cognitive load.

In the redeveloped course, I kept Zoom as a means to facilitate synchronous learning opportunities and added LearnDash LMS as a means to better organize and streamline the learning process. I additionally consulted extant course material, and worked with the instructor, to design a course companion site, allowing students to first encounter, and rehearse, course material independently, before later having it reinforced in class. For the site, I designed original graphics, quizzes, diagrams, audio recordings, and videos using H5P, PowerPoint, Audacity, Photoshop, and myriad other software.

Freedom Air Heating and Air Conditioning

Challenge

Since November 2018, Freedom Air Heating and Air Conditioning in Hampton, SC has freely offered its Learn to Earn training program, preparing prospective HVAC technicians with the prerequisites required to earn their EPA certifications. To further expand its efforts, and to secure well-needed funding, Freedom Air partnered with the NCGrowth/Smartup program at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill to become a state accredited training program.

Solution

Upon being advised on Freedom Air's decision to pursue state accreditation, I was assigned by my supervisor to oversee the project. Initially, I composed a resource guide, documenting and outlining various standards and prerequisites to accreditation, as well as the various points of contact necessary to begin the process. With that process complete, I acted as a liaison between Freedom Air and the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce.

Outcome

Following several consultations, Freedom Air was successfully registered as an accredited training program on South Carolina's Eligible Training Provider and Registered Apprenticeship lists.

Additional Work

A secondary project that I worked on with Freedom Air was on rebranding and redeveloping their learning management system (Moodle). There, I integrated H5P into the platform, allowing for more interactive learning opportunities for students. I also used software such as Photoshop, Dreamweaver, and GIMP to redesign the platform's online appearance and functionality

Soomo Learning

Challenge

Soomo Learning is an independent publisher of digital courseware located in Asheville, North Carolina. In the spring of 2020, the company wanted to revamp its current offerings of college composition, and reached out to me in order to have their upcoming texts reviewed.

Solution

Upon being granted reviewer status, I independently reviewed Soomo Learning's four college composition etextbooks, compiling all of my notes into a Google Sheet and reporting out to the CEO and lead development editor. I also created several mock revisions to demonstrate how the e-textbooks could be improved from a content and accessibility standpoint.

Outcome

Soomo intends to use the notes that I provided to further refine its texts before they are officially published. Additionally, further conversations have been planned between the e-textbooks' lead development editor and myself to discuss how said etextbooks can better embrace a more culturally responsive pedagogy.