Hello! And welcome to my first blog post! My name is Lauren Stalford. I am currently working on my M.S. Ed. in learning design and technology at Purdue University. I am starting this blog as a place to discuss thoughts, lessons, and questions on learning design and human performance technology. I would love for this to be a place to have meaningful discussions on how to use instructional design skills to better support the larger human performance needs in the workforce. I am excited to tackle some of the complexities of human performance technology (HPT) in industry and see how my thoughts change and grow over the course of developing this blog. This post focuses on my professional background and interests and gives a brief snapshot of my life. Future posts will discuss the areas, needs, and ideas of human performance in the workplace, as well as, how instructional design can support this area. Thanks for coming along as I journey into better understanding and applying instructional design to industry needs!
"I knew I wanted to do something that focused on helping people reach their goals."
My Background
I started my career in educational non-profit work. From my time in education, it was clear that I loved all things related to learning and watching students grow towards their personal and life goals. Despite knowing my interests, I had no idea what to do with them. I knew I wanted to do something that focused on helping people reach their goals. I looked into several fields of study and even got a health coaching certification along the way. It took a long time for me to hone in on instructional design. I actually had not heard of the field until a friend of mine transferred into an ID role at her company. I remember her talking about her work and being fascinated that this was a job. I looked into it more and more and felt that instructional design had a little bit of everything that I was interested in: learning, technology, growth, professional development, and creativity. Throughout my time studying instructional design, my interest in this field has only grown. I love the problem-solving and creativity that goes into analyzing a learning or performance need and crafting individual solutions for growth. This field ultimately focuses on people and how to better understand people and help them grow towards a goal, which is a huge motivation for me.
A Few of My Favorite Things
Outside of school and career transitioning, I love living and pursuing creative interests. I love exploring my local community and vacillate between trying to find the best coffee or the best margarita in Dallas. I also enjoy reading, writing, hiking, traveling, and being active. I am involved in my personal Christian faith and cautiously consider how to engage in local church communities. I do enjoy partnering with local non-profits, particularly those focused on educational needs to help support the needs of students and families in the public schools. I love exploring new creative areas (I'd love to try out painting next) and I feel I will always need to be creating something! Having space in my life to rest, be around my friends and family, and take care of my dog babies (Boomer and Thor) brings me a lot of joy. As a new IDer, I want to advocate for careers and professional performance growth to be a healthy part of life, rather than all of it because there is so much life outside of a company or a career. I'll post a few photos of some of my favorite places and moments. Thanks for coming around!
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