Throughout this eportfolio, I will be referring to elements of the program competencies of the MEd program and how each of these competencies relates to what I have learned in each artefact presented.

There are 6 main competency areas:

  1. Problem Solving, Analysis, & Reflective Decision-Making
  2. Instructional Design & Development
  3. Communication Technologies and Networking
  4. Communication & Interpersonal Skills
  5. Research
  6. Management, Organization and Leadership

1. Problem Solving, Analysis, & Reflective Decision Making

These competencies involve providing creative solutions to emerging problems in the field of open and digital education now and in the future. Examples of these competencies are listed below.

  • 1.1. Recognize problems
  • 1.2. Define the aspects of problems
  • 1.3. Formulate questions
  • 1.4. Find and access information
  • 1.5. Critically reflect on the value and applicability of information
  • 1.6. Compare alternatives using critical analysis
  • 1.7. Make reasoned arguments using critical reflection, leading to rational solutions.
  • 1.8. Justify these solutions in context
  • 1.9. Recognize the wider implications of specific knowledge
  • 1.10. Reflectively adapt solutions to suit varied situations
  • 1.11. Select and reflectively curate artefacts that demonstrate learning
  • 1.12. Reflectively analyze and apply learning experiences to current and future situations
  • 1.13. Reflectively transfer formal learning to professional/workplace/personal contexts.

2. Instructional Design & Development for Equity

These competencies involve applying instructional design models, concepts and skills to solve instructional problems in open and digital education. Examples of these competencies are listed below.

  • 2.1. Critically analyze and discuss the implications of personal perspectives and epistemological orientations for the teaching-learning process
  • 2.2. Appropriately apply systems theory and systems analysis techniques to instructional design situations in distance education
  • 2.3. Describe and appropriately apply a range of learning and motivational theories to instructional design situations in distance education
  • 2.4. Describe the activities of the instructional design process and the advantages and disadvantages of using them in distance education contexts
  • 2.5. Develop instructional products or learning objects in distance education     
  • 2.6. Reflectively and appropriately apply universal design for learning principles
  • 2.7. Critically analyze and discuss the common criticisms and controversies relating to the use of traditional and emerging instructional design models in open and digital education
  • 2.8. Apply instructional design principles and models in open, digital, and distance education, in your workplace, or in other instructional contexts
  • 2.9 Understand and appropriately apply copyright, fair dealing, open licenses and public domain (e.g. Creative Commons).

3. Communication Technologies and Networking

These competencies involve the critical analysis and the appropriate application of communications technologies and networking in open and digital education. These technologies might include: asynchronous technologies, synchronous technologies, social software, mobile technologies, and computer-assisted instruction. Examples of these competencies are listed below.

  • 3.1. Use a variety of communication and document-sharing tools to create, collaborate, reflect, and communicate with others
  • 3.2. Compare and evaluate media appropriate for communication in a range of contexts
  • 3.3. Analyze and evaluate the various ethical applications and implications of these and emerging technologies 
  • 3.4. Justify the applications of these technologies in real-life contexts on the basis of theory and research
  • 3.5. Compare and evaluate the relative advantages and disadvantages of these technologies in various distance education contexts
  • 3.6. Apply these technologies in online and digital education and in real or workplace instructional contexts.

4. Communication & Interpersonal Skills

These competencies involve demonstrating your ability to communicate, interact, give and receive feedback, and collaborate effectively and appropriately in various contexts. Examples of these competencies are listed below.

  • 4.1. Write clearly and in a style appropriate to purpose (e.g. assignments, reflective essays or journals, published documents, blog posts, eportfolios, and theses)
  • 4.2. Construct coherent arguments and articulate ideas clearly to a range of audiences, formally and informally, through a variety of techniques and media
  • 4.3. Justify and defend your ideas orally and in writing in meetings, forums, seminars, exams, and other contexts
  • 4.4. Support the learning of others when involved in teaching, mentoring, moderating, collaboration or demonstration activities
  • 4.5. Provide critically constructive and meaningful peer feedback
  • 4.6. Participate and contribute effectively in collaborative group activities
  • 4.7. Demonstrate effective design, delivery and critical evaluation of presentations, online forums, webinars, or seminars
  • 4.8. Work cooperatively with diverse groups and individuals both within the university and/or in the workplace
  • 4.9. Organize, and convey your ideas effectively through a range of communication skills and work collaboratively and in teams.

5. Research

These competencies involve applying effective research knowledge, and skills in order to understand and analyze instructional contexts, problems and issues in open, digital and distance education, its role in the broader educational context, and to synthesize and critically evaluate these. Examples of these competencies are listed below.  

  • 5.1. Identify what constitutes authentic, evidence-based research, for, and by whom
  • 5.2 Frame effective and meaningful research questions
  • 5.2. Identify, discuss and apply theoretical considerations to proposed research
  • 5.3. Access and critically evaluate sources and content for quality, applicability and relevance
  • 5.4. Formulate effective/appropriate search terms in library searches
  • 5.5. Critically review literature both broadly and in-depth
  • 5.6. Formulate questions and reasoned arguments, leading to rational conclusions
  • 5.7. Summarize and synthesize information with a view to pursuing deeper understanding
  • 5.8. Effectively communicate information, arguments, and analyses in the discipline of open and digital education, in a variety of forms, to suit different contexts and audiences
  • 5.9. Critically analyze the issues and discuss the wider implications affecting the use of information  
  • 5.10. Conduct effective interviews and other data collection strategies for research purposes  
  • 5.11. Demonstrate the use of communications and other technology-based research tools
  • 5.12. Describe and adhere to ethical practices and institutional policies throughout the research process.

6. Management, Organization and Leadership

These competencies involve knowledge, understanding and skills pertaining to the inclusive management and leadership of organizations with regard to open, digital and distance education considerations. Examples of these competencies are listed below.  

  • 6.1. Analyze the current and future climate of open, digital and distance education, and formulate strategies to respond to that climate
  • 6.2. Identify and describe the range of leadership roles and models, with consideration of current leadership theory, required to shape and innovate current education structures and processes
  • 6.3. Describe and analyze the business and administrative functions in open and digital education organizations and critically discuss how business decisions affect financial and non-financial work results
  • 6.4. Make considered recommendations regarding the selection of appropriate learning technologies and assure that these selections meet organizational and ethical needs
  • 6.5. Outline and critically compare the relative costs of appropriate technology-based communications methods in open and digital education and ensure that the organization is receiving a good return on investment
  • 6.6. Manage workload, other commitments, and information needs within time and structural constraints (in both personal and team management situations).