Evidence of Competency: ICD Project

During my last semester, I was fortunate enough to be able to take Curriculum in Higher

Education. I can honestly say that it was one of my most memorable classes throughout my graduate

experience simply for the way that I was able to be taught creative way in which teaching can be taught.

It was an opportunity to see creative ideas cater to various learning styles. Even though Jennifer was

unable to teach the class it was still fruitful.

For the duration of the course, each student was charged with determining a course or program

that to design or redesign a curriculum by using Fink’s Model of Integrated Course Design (ICD) as our

foundation. For my topic, I chose to design a vocation and discernment seminar. My decision in

selecting that topic was in response to the spirituality class I was able to take the semester prior. I was

able to witness first-hand how importance of following one’s own passion and dreams. There was

multiple ways to tackle this seminar but I was decided to create a semester long seminar for students to

engage in. After reviewing my completed assignment, I realized that it illustrates competencies in three

of the anticipated learning outcomes of the M.Ed. program: reflective leadership, analytical inquiry and

communication skills.

As a result of reflecting on the areas of growth that I saw that students were in need of space to

truly combine their role with their soul. I was able to look at that set up of Jennifer’s spirituality class

and the work she has done with EVOKE to provide some perimeters of how the structure of the seminar

could possibly be. Implementing some of the key components into the ICD project was essential and was

able to serve as a foundation for the facilitators. In thinking of analytical inquiry, once again I was

brought to think of my initial reasoning for choosing to design a vocation and discernment seminar: to

reflect on various other models that was deemed effective at other school. I was able to dedicate time

to designing a seminar in order to clearly articulate how this seminar would serve students. By providing

learning outcomes and reasoning, I was able to analyze issues that may present itself as a barrier for this

program if implemented.

When I was compiling my ICD project, I was able to clearly articulate the purpose for the topic

that I chose, the anticipated learning outcomes of the seminar program, and my hopes for the seminar

program grounded by Fink’s Model of ICD. Throughout the semester as I completed the assignment, I

consulted with various other staff members of the Division of Student Development, mainly those who

would potentially work and collaborate in order to hear their feedback for the possible implementation

of this seminar I was proposing. I demonstrated my professional interpersonal skills and ability to work

collegially with others. Aside from producing a final product in written form, I also exercised my oral

communication skills by presenting my ICD to other students in the Curriculum course. The work that I

completed for the ICD project for the Curriculum course serves as evidence that I effectively practiced

competencies in the areas of reflective leadership, analytical inquiry, and communication skills.