Student Projects & Assignments

Instructional PowerPoint & Presentation: (worth 160 points total; 100 for the PowerPoint and 60 for presentation of the project).
Instructional PowerPoint: For this assignment, students will be able to demonstrate their knowledge and application of learning theories by creating an instructional presentation using Microsoft PowerPoint. The student will present this project to the instructor during the final class, December 11th, from 3-5pm. Exceptional projects may be presented to the Merck Senior Leadership Team at a later date (tentatively scheduled for the afternoon of December 12th).
I will be flexible with the direction you would like to take this project; I would like it to be the most useful and applicable for you as possible while still satisfying the general objectives of the assignment. Below I have outlined some possible options. Please discuss with me your chosen topic and rough plan, and feel free to suggest other options if you think you have an idea that would suit.
You are to apply learning and instructional theory, as well as aligned instructional strategies, to:

1.      One specific training problem at Merck. This could be explanatory, in which you describe appropriate application of learning and instructional principles, or it could be the prototype of a lesson you could actually deliver in a Merck training session.This option requires a greater depth of understanding into a single problem, the relevant theories, and the appropriate instructional solution.

2.      Multiple Merck training scenarios. This would be explanatory, in which you describe (or demonstrate in your presentation) various examples of how you might use learning and instructional theory, as well as specific strategies, as applied to multiple case studies at Merck.This option requires a greater breadth of knowledge into instructional theory and strategies that could be applied to multiple workplace scenarios.

Regardless of the option you choose, your presentation should include: 1) learning objectives, 2) a definition of their selected learning and instructional theory,, 3) examples and explanations of the theory, 4) ways in which the theory could be applied at Merck 5) and a way to evaluate learner performance after a training session (i.e description of of an activity requiring demonstration of the knowledge or skill, a quiz, etc.). Students should use at least two sources other than the text to provide support for their chosen methods. In addition to content, the presentation will be assessed on its use of instructional design principles (i.e. Contrast, Repetition, Alignment, and Proximity) and relevant multimedia (i.e. YouTube videos, graphs, images). The goal of this assignment is for students to create an engaging and informative presentation that stimulates learning and application of theory to HRD practice at Merck.
Presentation of Instrcutional PowerPoint: You will present your PowerPoint project to the Instructor and your peers during our final class meeting. Since effective application of learning theories and reliance upon their principles while teaching is valuable to your roles at Merck, you will be expected to clearly present the content of your project in a way that is meaningful and effective in facilitating adult learning. Application of learning theories to your chosen topic is one was to assess the learning you have gained during this course, but it is equally important to demonstrate your competence in putting these principles into practice in the workplace.

The most important aspect of this project is that you are successful in satisfying the criteria outlined in the assignment rubric. I would estimate that your presentations should last between 15-30 minutes. The amount of time you spend presenting the project is also dependent on how much detail you deem relevant to share in order to demonstrate your application of learning and instructional theory.