The year was 1989, I was turning 14, and all I wanted for my birthday was an Apple Macintosh. Nothing else mattered. Why? Because I grew up with a best friend whose dad was an engineer, and they introduced me to technology at an early age. From that point on, I’ve always wanted to be the first person to try the newest and most innovative technology. It was never about status or showing off, it was about curiosity. I wanted to see whether the technology truly lived up to the hype. Given my personality and lifelong fascination with new innovations, I would place myself on Rogers’ Diffusion of Innovation scale as either an Innovator or at least an Early Adopter .  Now, let’s fast forward to my career at American Express. As a 175-year-old company, we have sometimes faced system challenges in embracing new technology for various reasons. Whenever I’ve had the opportunity to be part of a development team implementing new technology into our processes, I’ve always welcomed the challenge...

Impression I always knew there were certain accommodations made for people with disabilities when it came to learning and the use of technology, but it wasn’t until I started this program that I truly began to consider things from their perspective. This course took me from a basic understanding of accessibility and inclusive design—whether in website design or any type of content development for eLearning—to a much deeper appreciation of these principles. My main goal in LDT 508 was to become a voice for change within my organization. What I have learned is that accessibility and inclusive design are essential for developing eLearning, ensuring compliance and removing specific barriers, while also fostering a welcoming and equitable digital environment for everyone. Design When I think about the biggest design challenge I faced in the development of my website, which I called “Beyond the Screen: A Look into Crafting Inclusive Digital Learning with Multimedia,” it was creating transcr...

The year 2035 may seem distant, but time moves quickly, and the future of online and blended learning will take many different forms. Its evolution will depend on several key factors, including the specific learning environment—whether K-12 education, higher education, or the corporate sector. Each setting presents unique challenges and opportunities that will shape the future of digital learning. From a global perspective, as seen in the challenges faced by Makerere University in Uganda (NTVUganda, 2022), the adoption of online and blended learning varies based on technological accessibility and government support. Additionally, the readiness of an organization or institution plays a crucial role. At its core, online and blended learning require a financial investment, which must be carefully considered when determining if it is the right direction (Simonson & Zvacek, 2019). Given my experience in the financial industry within the corporate sector, I will focus on how online and b...

  If we look back in time—specifically to February 2020—it might not seem that long ago, but it feels like a lifetime has passed since then. At that time, many people didn’t fully understand what online learning was, and terms like 'blended learning' were unfamiliar to most. Then March 2020 arrived, and the world changed drastically. The pandemic placed a spotlight on online learning as much of the world transitioned to working from home. Schools closed, sending children home, and suddenly, we faced the challenge of teaching our children, training new employees, and helping existing employees adapt to an entirely new work environment. While teachers and companies did their best to provide the necessary training, the experience revealed significant flaws in the current system of online learning. One of my own learning experiences with online education—both from a parent's perspective with my children and as an employee—was that while the topics often sounded interesting, the...

As I reviewed the various case scenarios to develop my eLearning module, I was excited about the unknown that lay ahead. I decided to choose a topic familiar to me—working with teenagers and my love for cooking, especially pizza. From the start, I knew I wanted the learner, whom I referred to as the 'Chef' throughout the training, not only to learn about making pizza but to have an interactive experience as well.  As I mentioned earlier in this course, I lived by the motto 'create and design as you go.' Being introduced to the concept of storyboard writing and creating a wireframe for the entire training module using Twine was both challenging and rewarding. It helped bring structure to my design. Based on the wireframe I developed, I knew what I wanted the 'chef' to learn and how I wanted the training to flow. I think the most difficult part of developing the training module was bringing it to life, especially since this was my first time using Storyline. While...