Join Our ISSA Campfire Party this Sunday, Nov. 10th

Hello dear IS students and faculty, make plans to attend the ISSA campfire at the KOA Campground this Sunday, Nov. 10 at 5 pm (no school or class in observance of Veterans Day on Monday). We call it "Post-Prelim ... Pre-Veterans Day ... Campfire with S'Mores ... ISSA Party"! Please bring $5 to cover the cost of the facility and campfire and your favorite snack to share. Come one, come all! See the flyer below for more details. Look forward to seeing you there!

The ladies @ the campfire party, 2012

Upcoming IS Events

Friday, Sept. 27

Encore presentation of "The PhD Movie"

Whether you're a PhD or MS student, this is a must-see movie. Follow the lives of students conducting research - there are lots of funny moments in the film. Note: Running time is slightly over an hour.

Friday, Oct. 11

Alumni Spotlight Seminar

Please join IS alumni Alison Moore in person, and via Skype Gwynn Grandy, Chris Keeney, and David Levels as they discuss their positions at AT&T and what they're doing with their IS degrees. Gwynn and David started out as interns while completing their MS degrees and Alison was an intern this past Summer.

Friday, Oct. 25

AECT Showcase

Thanks to those that have responded, and we would like to hear from others planning to present at AECT the following weekend. If you are interested in briefly showcasing your presentations, please contact me to be scheduled.

Friday, Nov. 15

Alumni Spotlight Seminar

IS PhD alumni E Shen, Tami Im, and Jean-Marc Wise of the Office of Distance Learning will share how they their IS degrees are utilized in an academic setting.

And please mark Friday, Dec. 6 12p-1p on your calendars for our annual End-of-Semester get-together and Yankee Swap. Details will provided as the date approaches.

Dean's Symposium on Online Learning

Come support your IS faculty and students who will be presenting posters during the lunch hour! 7th Annual Dean's Symposium on Monday, October 7th Register Now   "Ensuring Quality, Charting New  Directions in Online Learning" This year's 7th annual Dean's Symposium will focus on ensuring quality in online learning. While online learning has been a part of educational landscape for over a decade, critical issues are emerging around how to the ensure that our online learning opportunities are of high quality and prepare students for a world that demands new levels of knowledge and skills. Join state policy-makers, school administrators, teachers, agency officials, Florida State faculty and students as we discuss the future of online learning across K-12 and postsecondary settings. Featured speakers include Dr. Deb Adair, Managing Director and Chief Planning Officer of Quality Matters and Andrew NG, Co-CEO and Co-Founder of Coursera. Monday, October 7th, 2013 Augustus B. Turnbull III Florida State Conference Center  Room 208  8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. For more information visit www.coe.fsu.edu/symposium2013

Fall 2013 IS Research Mixer - Come Join Us!

September Mixer location: STB Room 3303 (just turn right at the top of the stairs)
See you at 3pm!

Fall 2013 Picnic!

Our ISSA-sponsored Fall picnic will be held on Saturday, September 7 from 11-2 at Tom Brown Park. 

The picnic is pot luck, so bring your favorite dish to share. ISSA will supply drinks, ice, and paper goods.

The picnic is always fun, and this year there will be a geocaching* activity after lunch. You won't want to miss it!



*Did you know that Tallahassee has a number of geocaching spots?

Let the 2013-2014 school year begin!

This space has been quiet for a while, but with the new school year beginning expect more activity.

We're very excited to be welcoming new students into all of our programs this fall:

• MS in Instructional Systems, Open & Distance Learning, and Performance Improvement
• PhD in Instructional Systems

Yesterday was the new student department/program orientation. One of the ways we helped orient our new students was via a technology-based scavenger hunt game:

In this photo, a group of new students are scanning a QR Code to learn more about this location and get their next clue.

This game was co-developed by faculty member Vanessa Dennen and PhD students Shuang Hao, Sungwoong Lee, and Taehyeong Lim. The first version of the game was done during the 2012 orientation, and was presented at the 2013 Emerging Learning Design Conference. 

The new school year will hold many more fun activities and events, so keep an eye on this space, the Twitter feed (https://twitter.com/is_fsu), and the listserv for more details and recaps.

And, if there's anything IS-related you would like to see us sharing in this space, leave a comment and we'll do our best to accommodate!

FSU ISD Alumni Mentorship Program

The FSU Instructional Systems program has a rich, proven history and the distinction of being on the initiating end of establishing this discipline. Alumni who have graduated from this stellar program over the years and moved into prominent careers in all fields carry with them a wealth of knowledge and experience of which current students could benefit.

 Our Alumni Council is currently providing the Master’s Mentorship program, but a mentorship program is in the works for ISD Ph.D. students as well. It is slated to start in Fall 2013. Here’s information on both of these programs.

Master’s Mentorship Program

The FSU ISD Alumni Council has endeavored to harness this knowledge and experience and make it available to current students through our Master’s Mentorship program that occurs, each semester, near the end of the final semester for interested graduating students.

Since the program began in Fall 2011, volunteer alumni mentors have provided enormous support to over 25 graduating Master’s students so far who have been willing to take mentors up on their offer to support them. Examples of the kinds of support students have received include:

·         Employment and career guidance

·         Gaining insights on networking, resume building, career fields, and professional situations

·         Receiving portfolio assistance

·         Gaining a deeper understanding of instructional design

In fact, where the stars aligned, a couple of mentors hired their mentees after developing relationships with them!

While being hired by a mentor is not the goal, this overview highlights the tremendous value that can be received through the FSU ISD Alumni Master’s Mentorship.

Current FSU ISD Master Students are encouraged to contact Dr. Sue Ebbers for more information about this opportunity at: ebbers@changebydesign.us or 850.445.6303

 Ph.D. Mentorship Program

 Late in 2012, our Alumni Council reached out to FSU ISD Ph.D. students, asking them to provide input on what would be helpful to them in terms of a mentorship program. The results indicated differing needs over the life of their doctoral program, and three insertion points were identified for mentors to be paired with mentees:

·         Beginning: Before being accepted through Year 1 of the Ph.D. program.

·         Middle: Year 2 of the program through completion of Prelims, including discussions focused on such topics as research, writing papers, publishing, presenting at conferences, and identifying a major professor.

·         End: Dissertation, defense, considering post-graduate professional options, CV development & evaluation, and supporting job hunting efforts.

While planning has not yet been completed, our Alumni Council are working towards implementation of a pilot Ph.D. mentorship program in the fall, 2013. Watch for messages about this during the summer 2013!