Personal Learning Plan
Welcome to my personal learning plan, for my MDes Inclusive Design degree.
On this blog platform, I will share my goals, planned activities, itineraries and updates on my progress towards this educational achievement.
My central goal is as follows:
Finish my Master’s degree with a plan in place for the next step(s) in my career and life
There are many important components to this overall goal, and a need to be flexible, as not every educational and personal goal can be achieved in a pre-planned, precise or timely fashion. The most important part is to have an overall picture of what is happening, where things are going, and why.
It’s important to be ambitious and willing to strive for the maximum achievement possible, so I will aim for great ambitions, but prioritize them based on a combination of importance, achievability and time required, with the option to reconsider goals with these factors in mind at any time. All of that said, here is how things currently stand:
Goals
Planned Activities
- Participate in and Contribute to Perceptual Artifacts Lab
- Find Employment as a Teaching Assistant
- Find Employment as a Research Assistant
- Meet With Instructors and TAs From Courses Regularly
- Practice Technical Design Skills
- Practice Communication Design Skills
- Practice Skills & Develop Theoretical Knowledge of Data Representation Strategies
- Mentor Peers and Students on Writing Skills
- Find and Produce Summaries of Readings on Theoretical Design Knowledge
- Find and Produce Summaries of Readings on Practical Design & Tech Knowledge
- Plan Research Design for MRP and Seek Feedback
- Contact CNIB and Other Recommended Organizations and Discuss MRP Project
- Work With Peers to Develop Appropriate Learning Network Approach
Failure
Considering the nature of these goals and action, and the amount of time and effort it will take to achieve them as I have planned thus far, it is sensible to anticipate failure, to a degree. What failure is helpful for is to highlight when something I have planned is not working as intended, or that my effort level has not met the challenge appropriately. It may mean that I need to step up my efforts, or it may mean that I am pushing myself too hard.
While it is not listed among my goals, I intend to keep my stress level and mental health in check, and making mistakes or failing to achieve a goal as planned are indications that I may be facing these types of risks. If I stress myself too much, I will not be in the physical or mental condition necessary to perform at my best when this is most crucial. Thus, if it becomes necessary to acknowledge difficulties in achieving any of my goals, I will consider my options for making changes to this plan – being hard on myself for not meeting my every ambition at this early stage must be avoided, as it is an unnecessary strain on my mental health.
Learning Plan Process – Network Interconnectivity Map
This image highlights my process for devising this networked approach to my personal learning plan. I created this map prior to any of the content in this network.