I recently heard someone say that his employer does not like the
title "consultant". So if you are the same way, please consider it as
a label for "external resource" or whatever phrase you might prefer.
Let’s not let a word get in the way of our working together
From this perspective - someone from the outside with specific
expertise - I have worked with organizations in Canada and the United States,
always emphasizing the achievement of authentic results. What does this mean?
Excellence in both qualitative and quantitative terms. Most of my work has
focused on educational projects for the adult learner. Just to highlight a few
examples:
Universal Instructional Design, University of Guelph (Ontario)
- Funded
by the Ontario Government, I served as Project Manager for this 2-year
project. It began with articulating principles of universal design for
higher education and then applying the principles to selected courses within
the university. Working with a research assistant and through instruments
and methods that included surveys, interviews and focus groups, we
measured the impact of changes in course materials and presentation techniques.
- Due to
the tremendous interest in this work - especially among people working
with disabled students - I found myself traveling across North America
giving presentations and conducting practical workshops. The work now continues
in Barcelona, where materials have been translated into Spanish and are in
current use at colleges there.
4MAT (tm)
- This
learner-centric system emphasizes learner diversity and the application of
brain research to enhance student learning and success.
- I have
had extensive formal training in the use of this approach, and it guides
me in the design of learning activities and materials.
Quality Matters
- Working
with the Quality Matters standards and scoring system ("rubric")
at an institutional level, I launched an internal project to promote
quality standards within Distance Education courses.
Ontario Agricultural Training Institute (OATI)
- Working
together over a period of several years, we adapted face-to-face workshops
and professional development events to a web-based format.
- Though
OATI itself no longer exists, our work is in use by other offices of the
Ontario Government.