Reflection Letter

To the Educational Technology Faculty,

My name is Fessehaye Yehdego, and I am pursuing a Master of Education in Educational Technology at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV). This reflection letter represents my current professional growth at this stage of the program. Because I am still progressing through the program, this page is designed as a living reflection that will continue to expand as I complete additional coursework, projects, artifacts, and field-based learning experiences.

My professional interests connect healthcare imaging, web development, digital design, instructional design, and community-based education. Through this program, I am learning how to combine these areas into purposeful learning experiences that are clear, accessible, interactive, and connected to real performance needs.

Program Reflection Update: This reflection letter is currently structured around the four required areas: experience before the program, experience during the program, lessons learned, and future goals. Each section includes my current reflections and will be expanded throughout the Educational Technology program.

1. Experience Before the Program

Before entering the Educational Technology program, my experience already included several areas that shaped the way I think about learning and communication. In healthcare imaging, especially in mobile and clinical x-ray environments, I learned the importance of clear procedures, safety, accuracy, and timely communication. In that setting, instruction is not just about presenting information; it is about helping people perform tasks correctly, safely, and confidently. For example, when working with imaging procedures, the technologist must understand patient positioning, radiation safety, communication with patients, and the correct use of equipment. These experiences helped me appreciate the value of step-by-step learning and performance-based instruction.

I also had a background in website development, digital design, and community communication. Through web design and multimedia work, I learned how visual layout, navigation, color, and organization can affect how people understand information. However, before this program, much of my design knowledge was based on practice, creativity, and problem-solving rather than formal instructional design theory. I could create websites, graphics, and learning materials, but I wanted a stronger foundation in how people learn and how technology can be used intentionally to improve learning outcomes.

Update Note: This section will continue to grow as I connect more of my prior professional experiences to educational technology concepts and instructional design frameworks.

2. Experience During the Program

During the Educational Technology program, I have begun to understand instructional design as a structured and intentional process. My coursework has helped me connect theory with practice, especially through multimedia learning, learner-centered design, accessibility, usability, assessment, and feedback. One of the most meaningful experiences so far has been developing my e-Portfolio itself. Building this portfolio required me to organize course projects, create navigation structures, design course pages, and present artifacts in a way that is useful for faculty reviewers, classmates, and future professional audiences.

A major artifact I developed is my Hand Hygiene Reusable Learning Object (RLO). This project helped me apply several educational technology principles in a practical healthcare training context. The module includes audio narration, images, video, learner reflection, drag-and-drop sequencing, quiz questions, feedback, learner tracking, and certificate logic. While developing this artifact, I had to think carefully about segmenting the content into manageable steps, supporting learners with transcripts for accessibility, and balancing learner control with required practice. For example, learners can move through the module at their own pace, replay audio, and review visual information, but they are also required to complete the reflection activity before moving forward. This helped me understand how structured support and learner control can work together.

Another important experience has been creating and revising course artifacts connected to student-centered learning, multimedia instruction, and web-based presentation. These projects helped me think beyond simply “making content” and instead consider how learners interact with content. I began asking questions such as: Is the instruction clear? Is the learner supported? Is the interface easy to use? Does the activity measure understanding? Is the content accessible to different learners? These questions have changed how I approach both design and teaching.

My web development background has also helped me during the program because I can create functional online learning spaces using HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP, and embedded media. At the same time, the program has helped me move from technical production toward instructional purpose. I am learning that technology should not be added only because it is available; it should support a specific learning goal.

Update Note: This section will continue to be expanded as I complete additional EDTC courses and add more artifacts to the Matrix and Courses Taken pages.

3. Lessons Learned and Advice

One lesson I have learned so far is that effective instructional design requires both creativity and structure. Before the program, I often focused on making digital materials visually appealing and technically functional. Now I am learning to ask whether each design choice supports learning. A strong learning experience should reduce unnecessary confusion, guide attention, and help learners apply knowledge. This lesson became clear while developing the Hand Hygiene RLO because every feature needed a purpose. The audio narration supported modality, the images supported visual understanding, the video reflection supported active processing, and the quiz feedback supported correction and reinforcement.

I have also learned that accessibility is not an extra feature; it is part of good instructional design. Adding transcripts to audio sections, using clear navigation, writing meaningful alt text, and making activities usable on mobile devices all help more learners access the same content. This is especially important in healthcare and workplace training, where learners may have different levels of experience, language background, technical comfort, or accessibility needs.

Another lesson is that feedback matters. Learners need to know not only whether they are correct or incorrect, but why. In my RLO, I included immediate feedback after the reflection and quiz sections. This helped me understand feedback as a form of coaching. It can guide learners without removing their independence. If I were giving advice to myself and others, I would say: do not wait until the end of a project to test usability. Small design issues, such as button visibility, mobile drag-and-drop behavior, or image size, can affect the learning experience. Testing early and revising often are essential parts of instructional design.

I have also learned that educational technology is not only about tools. It is about thoughtful decisions. A tool becomes valuable when it helps learners understand, practice, reflect, or perform better. As I continue in the program, I want to keep improving my ability to connect instructional theory, design decisions, learner needs, and real-world application.

Update Note: This section will continue to develop as I synthesize lessons from future courses, peer feedback, faculty feedback, and completed artifacts.

4. Future Goals and Vision in Educational Technology

My future goal is to continue developing as an instructional designer, educator, and technology-supported learning professional. I want to create learning experiences that are practical, accessible, and connected to real professional needs. Because of my healthcare background, I am especially interested in designing training for healthcare workers, medical imaging professionals, students, and community learners. I see strong potential for educational technology in clinical training, patient safety education, professional development, and skills-based learning.

I also want to continue using my web development and multimedia skills to create online learning environments that are engaging and easy to navigate. My vision is to design learning materials that combine strong instructional planning with clean interface design, multimedia support, accessibility, and meaningful assessment. In the future, I hope to use these skills in instructional design, online learning development, healthcare training, and possibly teaching or training roles.

As I continue through the Educational Technology program, I plan to strengthen my understanding of instructional design models, research-based learning principles, evaluation methods, technology leadership, and online course development. I also want to keep building my e-Portfolio as evidence of my growth. By the end of the program, I hope this reflection letter will show not only what I completed, but how my thinking changed as a designer, educator, and lifelong learner.

Update Note: This section will be revised as my professional goals become more specific and as I complete additional program experiences.

Closing Reflection

At this stage, I see Educational Technology as a bridge between knowledge, design, technology, and human learning. My journey is still developing, but I already see how the program is helping me become more intentional in the way I design instruction. I am learning to think not only about what information should be presented, but how learners experience it, practice it, and apply it. I look forward to continuing this reflection as I move through the program and add more evidence of my professional growth.

Sincerely,
Fessehaye Yehdego

Reflection Status: Version 2 – Working Draft. This page will continue to be updated throughout the Educational Technology program.