I
am currently a student in the Master of Arts program in Information
and Learning Technologies with emphasis in Instructional Design and Adult
Learning at University of Colorado Denver. I am pursuing this opportunity for
professional growth because it will provide a theoretical framework and
direction for teaching and curriculum development practice that I have gained
over the last eight years.
Currently, I hold a Bachelor of Arts in both Spanish and Anthropology, with a focus on Linguistics from the University of Minnesota. During my time at the U of M, I developed an appreciation for the influence of language on culture and decided to pursue a Master of Arts in Linguistic Anthropology at Iowa State University to explore the topic further. Though I was unable to complete my studies at Iowa State, it was there, as a Graduate Teaching Assistant, that I recognized I wanted a career in teaching.
In the classroom, I was fascinated by the spark in my students’ eyes when they understood a theory in its application. I valued my students’ ability to learn from one another’s experiences, as well as their own. I also welcomed the challenge, as an instructor, to explain, demonstrate or map out information in a new way to accommodate each student’s learning style. It was the first time I recognized that not all students learn the same, especially adults. I believe that as teachers, we should adapt to students’ learning styles instead of students adapting to our teaching styles.
I pursued a teaching position at Mi Casa Resource Center, which is the largest Latino-serving non-profit organization in Denver, where I could gain more experience in an adult classroom. My career opportunity at Mi Casa afforded me the luxury of combining two of my passions for nearly three years: teaching and working in the Latino community.
During my time at Mi Casa, I oversaw four in-house workforce development training programs for the Career Development department, which prepared low-income adults to enter the workforce in high-demand, high-growth industries. In my role as Assistant Program Manager, my primary responsibility was to design, write, implement and modify training curricula. I developed curricula for adult audiences in the areas of soft skills, vocational English language learning, job search workshops, financial literacy seminars, self-directed career exploration modules and technical training in construction, finance, customer service and healthcare. At Mi Casa, I produced workbooks, manuals, tests, presentations and instructor manuals. In addition, I trained instructional staff on the implementation of new and existing curricula and provided them with on-the-job support and technical assistance.
Through my work with Mi Casa, I also had the pleasure of collaborating on a federal grant with Colorado State University and USAID to implement a Green Jobs Training Program in Tijuana, Mexico. The project required me to design and develop a workbook and instructor manual for a soft skills course in Spanish that was culturally relevant to at-risk males ages 18-21 in Tijuana. I was also required to travel to Tijuana to conduct a train-the-trainer session with the Mexican instructors who would teach the course.
I recently made a career transition, leaving the world of traditional non-profit and moving to Denver Health. I am currently working for the SBIRT (Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment) Program at Denver Health as a Health Education Specialist. In this position, I screen at-risk patients for substance use disorders and provide them with education, resources and referrals, as necessary. I also work with providers and nursing staff to train them on brief intervention and motivational interviewing strategies that encourage behavior change in at-risk patients. Though I continue to use my skills as a bilingual educator serving the community in this position, I view my move to Denver Health as a strategic one. After completing my degree in the ILT program, I anticipate transferring to the Instructional Design team at the hospital to gain relevant experience, while applying skills that I learned at CU Denver.
Currently, as a small business owner, I help professionals
meet their career and business goals by learning and applying Spanish language
skills. In my courses, I use a custom curriculum which incorporates adult
learning theory, which I have designed and adapted over the past eight years.
The entire curriculum rests within a framework that promotes cultural
competency and diversity awareness in the workplace. I also work with students
individually to develop on-the-job aides that support them in reaching their
specific career or business-oriented goals.
My experience as a small business owner the past two years has
given me an outlet for my passion of language and culture, as well as my desire
to teach. I have also had the opportunity to explore social media as a tool for
marketing and communication through efforts to grow my business and incorporate
technology in my classroom. Above all, this experience has served to further
fuel my pursuit of a future in adult education.
I recognize the potential career and small business growth that I stand to gain by fusing my experience, knowledge and passion with a theoretical understanding of adult learning that incorporates e-learning strategies and promotes innovation. Like any adult learner, I want to take my skills to the next level by learning new formats and pathways to apply what I have learned through my experience. I want to have a contextual and theoretical understanding of adult learning theory to relate to the experience and skills that I’ve picked up along the way.
In summary, I intend to use this degree to obtain a career as an Instructional Designer in a corporate setting that will challenge me to merge my experiences in curriculum development and workforce training with information technology. As a small business owner, I am anxious to investigate e-learning and distance learning models and apply them to principles of second language acquisition.
I have chosen this program for two reasons. Primarily, because I believe CU Denver supports the professional development of individuals with a career by offering Online Degree Programs that are flexible and allow you to pursue education without giving up your family, career or small business. The second reason I am choosing CU Denver is because the courses are 100% online and will allow me to experience what ILT feels and looks like. I appreciate the “practice what we preach” approach that the program takes, as opposed to the “those who can’t, teach” approach that other classroom-based instructional design programs offer.
Currently, I hold a Bachelor of Arts in both Spanish and Anthropology, with a focus on Linguistics from the University of Minnesota. During my time at the U of M, I developed an appreciation for the influence of language on culture and decided to pursue a Master of Arts in Linguistic Anthropology at Iowa State University to explore the topic further. Though I was unable to complete my studies at Iowa State, it was there, as a Graduate Teaching Assistant, that I recognized I wanted a career in teaching.
In the classroom, I was fascinated by the spark in my students’ eyes when they understood a theory in its application. I valued my students’ ability to learn from one another’s experiences, as well as their own. I also welcomed the challenge, as an instructor, to explain, demonstrate or map out information in a new way to accommodate each student’s learning style. It was the first time I recognized that not all students learn the same, especially adults. I believe that as teachers, we should adapt to students’ learning styles instead of students adapting to our teaching styles.
I pursued a teaching position at Mi Casa Resource Center, which is the largest Latino-serving non-profit organization in Denver, where I could gain more experience in an adult classroom. My career opportunity at Mi Casa afforded me the luxury of combining two of my passions for nearly three years: teaching and working in the Latino community.
During my time at Mi Casa, I oversaw four in-house workforce development training programs for the Career Development department, which prepared low-income adults to enter the workforce in high-demand, high-growth industries. In my role as Assistant Program Manager, my primary responsibility was to design, write, implement and modify training curricula. I developed curricula for adult audiences in the areas of soft skills, vocational English language learning, job search workshops, financial literacy seminars, self-directed career exploration modules and technical training in construction, finance, customer service and healthcare. At Mi Casa, I produced workbooks, manuals, tests, presentations and instructor manuals. In addition, I trained instructional staff on the implementation of new and existing curricula and provided them with on-the-job support and technical assistance.
Through my work with Mi Casa, I also had the pleasure of collaborating on a federal grant with Colorado State University and USAID to implement a Green Jobs Training Program in Tijuana, Mexico. The project required me to design and develop a workbook and instructor manual for a soft skills course in Spanish that was culturally relevant to at-risk males ages 18-21 in Tijuana. I was also required to travel to Tijuana to conduct a train-the-trainer session with the Mexican instructors who would teach the course.
I recently made a career transition, leaving the world of traditional non-profit and moving to Denver Health. I am currently working for the SBIRT (Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment) Program at Denver Health as a Health Education Specialist. In this position, I screen at-risk patients for substance use disorders and provide them with education, resources and referrals, as necessary. I also work with providers and nursing staff to train them on brief intervention and motivational interviewing strategies that encourage behavior change in at-risk patients. Though I continue to use my skills as a bilingual educator serving the community in this position, I view my move to Denver Health as a strategic one. After completing my degree in the ILT program, I anticipate transferring to the Instructional Design team at the hospital to gain relevant experience, while applying skills that I learned at CU Denver.
Currently, as a small business owner, I help professionals
meet their career and business goals by learning and applying Spanish language
skills. In my courses, I use a custom curriculum which incorporates adult
learning theory, which I have designed and adapted over the past eight years.
The entire curriculum rests within a framework that promotes cultural
competency and diversity awareness in the workplace. I also work with students
individually to develop on-the-job aides that support them in reaching their
specific career or business-oriented goals.I recognize the potential career and small business growth that I stand to gain by fusing my experience, knowledge and passion with a theoretical understanding of adult learning that incorporates e-learning strategies and promotes innovation. Like any adult learner, I want to take my skills to the next level by learning new formats and pathways to apply what I have learned through my experience. I want to have a contextual and theoretical understanding of adult learning theory to relate to the experience and skills that I’ve picked up along the way.
In summary, I intend to use this degree to obtain a career as an Instructional Designer in a corporate setting that will challenge me to merge my experiences in curriculum development and workforce training with information technology. As a small business owner, I am anxious to investigate e-learning and distance learning models and apply them to principles of second language acquisition.
I have chosen this program for two reasons. Primarily, because I believe CU Denver supports the professional development of individuals with a career by offering Online Degree Programs that are flexible and allow you to pursue education without giving up your family, career or small business. The second reason I am choosing CU Denver is because the courses are 100% online and will allow me to experience what ILT feels and looks like. I appreciate the “practice what we preach” approach that the program takes, as opposed to the “those who can’t, teach” approach that other classroom-based instructional design programs offer.
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