Interventions
For the projects documented in this report, I chose to intervene specifically in the following systems:
The field of Organizational Learning & Development
The field of L&D has changed in profound ways over the last few years. Informal learning, social learning, and self-directed learning have become increasingly important parts of organizational learning strategies. Popular blogger/writer Jane Hart describes the emerging role of the ‘Workplace Learning Advisor’ — a person that helps to guide and coach others to develop their personal, self-directed learning practices. Wired Roots is positioned strategically on the leading edge of this space, and the Living & Learning by Design program is created to support self-directed learners in this way, to include 1-on-1 coaching sessions. I am very focused on growing into this role of ‘Learning Advisor/Coach’ myself, and creating products that support that role.
The field of Life-Long/Self-Directed Learner Development
The topic of ’Learning How to Learn’ (a recent and popular MOOC) has picked up a lot of steam as people are recognizing the empowering effects of improving how they learn on their own. Yet there is a surprising lack of quality courses on the subject, and none that I could find that includes any kind of real personalized support. I see this as a field still very much in its infancy, and is related to Organizational L&D but includes individuals learning on their own.
The Gaia University Organization and Learning Community
I documented two significant interventions in the Gaia U system in this report: the new website and the new free intro course. I made a proposal to build the website in a work-trade agreement based on the fact that our old website was very outdated and we needed a more modern presence to stay relevant in the fast-paced world of online learning. The field of online sustainability education, in particular, has really been transformed in the last few years. Where once Gaia U once stood largely alone as a pioneer in the space, there are now many offerings that are competing with us. I also made a proposal to make a shorter, more engaging free intro course to modernize our marketing approach.
Outcomes to the Field
Webinar / Interactive guide / Online Course on Wired Roots website:
- Dissemination of a unique approach to designing learning experiences guided by regenerative principles
- Development of learning designers who can create these types of experiences for themselves and others
- Cultivation of highly skilled living systems thinkers and regenerative design thinkers capable of making strategic interventions and creating meaningful change
- Development of leaders who can better support others to grow in their regenerative practice
Gaia University Website / Introductory Course:
- A more modern website to engage potential stakeholders and share our message
- A more integrated platform with main site and learning management system (elearning courses) on one site.
- A free introductory course that serves as a vehicle for sharing our message, while creating value for learners by teaching them about design, the role of learning communities, and regenerative livelihoods.
- Personalized support for learners through a free coaching session as a follow-up to intro course
- Helping learners and associates become more effective and more strategic in their work in ecosocial regeneration
Political/Patrix Effects
Wired Roots & Gaia U Content Development:
- Supporting others to break free from an educational system that extracts human capital from areas in need of it most (brain drain), and which is ultimately designed to produce obedient consumers void of the capacity to think critically and effectively challenge the status quo.
- Supporting leaders, organizations and communities to shift out of rigid hierarchical structures that suppress/oppress voices in decision making processes.
- Empowering people from all walks of life and in all geographical areas (with internet access) to take control of their own learning and development and to become better learners
- Helping shift the collective worldview out of the mechanistic paradigm, which promotes the ideas of separation and control (fundamental to racism, sexism, and classism), to a systems/ecological view that recognizes interconnectivity and values diversity.
- Cultivating designers, skilled in making effective systemic interventions and creating change.
Personal and Professional Outcomes
Un/learnings:
- Deepened knowledge in: instructional design/learning experience design, elearning, cognitive science, neuroscience, educational/evolutionary/ecological psychology, storytelling/narrative, behavior, communication, epistemology, regenerative development and design, living systems theory, systems thinking, design thinking, user experience design, website development theories, information design, leadership, writing, and media
- Increased experience and skills with the following technology: Adobe InDesign (interactive PDFs), Photoshop/Illustrator (images/graphics), AfterEffects (video/animation), building websites with Wordpress, LearnDash LMS, using FTP client to manage database, CSS, HTML5, Articulate Storyline 2 (interactive elearning authoring), Grassblade Learning Record Store (LRS), xAPI
- Increases in the following hard/soft skills: meeting facilitation, creating meeting agendas, coaching, interviewing, working on a virtual team, project design/management, web design, marketing (social media / content), accounting, reaching out to influencers, creating work-trade win-wins
Effects on personal/professional level:
- Increased confidence in my ability to create a successful business
- Decreased anxiety / worry about the future
- More sense of direction and purpose in my work
- Increased thought leadership in my niche
- Clear identification of target audience
- Expanded network / email list
- More positive energy
- A marketable product to offer on website
- A professional design portfolio for freelance work