Share your final reflections about the program planning process you’ve just engaged in. What did you learn? What surprised you? What challenges did you encounter?

            What surprised me was the time it takes to design and plan a program professionally. I have planned a wedding, family reunion, and golf tournament but the process to plan an eight-week elective at College is overwhelming. I chose one of eight units in my course to analyze, and I have over 6,000 words as of today. The college elective I am designing is for its fun and more of a hobby rather than for me seeking employment. I completed one unit, and that may be the one and only.

            Education for adultsshould be designed carefully and well. But what counts as good design? I am pleased Dr. Kop introduced me to Caffarella’s Interactive Model of Program Planning which combines the classic and the practical approaches to program design. The program is thorough but easy to follow, and I am pleased with the results. I loved the checklists.

            I took the transfer of learning for granted before taking this course. It was partly due to assuming my learners grasped the knowledge and somewhat due to wanting to get through all the information in the allotted time.

            I see how essential rubrics are in assessments. Much of the guesswork is removed, and the final results are defendable by the learner and educator.