For this project, I trained learners to write effective college application essays. I designed the instructional program for an online workshop as part of a graduate course. I then adapted the instruction for a face-to-face workshop, which I led in summer 2022.

  • Audience: College applicants, including both new clients and existing To The Top customers

  • Responsibilities: Instructional design, development, and delivery; graphic design

  • Tools used: Microsoft Powerpoint, Google Docs, Canva

College Application Essay Workshop

Problem

To The Top offers a variety of services and products to help clients write effective college application essays. However, the existing options did not suit every client’s needs. We had nothing to offer learners who wanted to learn how to write a college essay but didn’t need—or couldn’t afford—a full-service essay coaching program.

Solution

I designed an online essay workshop that walks learners through process of writing the main college application essay.

My supervisor then requested that I lead an in-person workshop. I adapted the online workshop for face-to-face instruction. I personally led the first workshop in summer 2022.

Process

Front-End Analysis

As always, I began by assessing whether an instructional need existed. I found that the need for instruction was apparent in the quality of college application essays presented by our past college counseling clients, yet TTT’s one-on-one counseling services are costly for clients and time-intensive for our employees. Instruction was justified given the fact that an instructional gap existed among potential customers who were not well served by our existing instructional options.

I also needed to understand the context and goals of instruction, so I performed a lean version of the front-end analysis process I used for my software training, which included:

  • Needs (or gap) analysis

  • Learner analysis

  • Contextual analysis

  • Goal & task analysis

Objectives

With my front-end analysis complete, I drafted learning objectives according to Robert F. Mager’s guidelines.

Activity Planning

For each sub-objective, I specified a form of assessment and at least one Absorb, Do, and Connect activity as defined by William Horton. I also explained how instruction would meet Universal Design for Learning guidelines.

Sample Activity 1: Slide Deck

I developed a slide deck that would be used within an online presentation on the stages of revision. A presentation is an Absorb activity, which William Horton defines as a physically passive yet mentally active activity in which the learner absorbs some of the information presented. Absorb activities like this one often prepare learners for future Do and Connect activities.

Sample Activity 2: Worksheet

I developed worksheet on the revision process that was intended to be used in several ways. First, students would use their new knowledge of the overall revision process to complete the empty cells on the table. This is a Do activity because it provides students with an opportunity to practice recalling information they previously absorbed.

Second, the worksheet would be used as an assessment. Each text entry must meet the criteria specified by the rubric before the student will be permitted to continue to the next activity.

Finally, students would use their completed and approved worksheets as job aids by using them as checklists and quick reference materials. Horton associates job aids with Connect activities because they “prepare and encourage learners to apply learning on the job” and thus connect the instruction with the learners’ own lives and experiences. Also, completing the table entries requires students to imagine real situations they might face, thus serving as a Connect activity.

Additional Analysis

After I designed and developed these activities for my certificate program, I proposed adapting the online workshop into a face-to-face workshop for To The Top. To prepare, I participated in a train-the-trainer workshop and consulted with an external subject-matter expert.

Collaborative Worksheet & Workshop

My greatest challenge was designing a face-to-face workshop that would allow for the following:

  • Collaboration between learners

  • Synchronous and asynchronous instructor feedback

  • Independent completion of learning tasks

  • Unobtrusive, efficient learning assessment

My solution was simple. I created a Google Doc template that served as a lecture outline, syllabus, lesson plan, and guided notes all in one. This format allowed for seamless collaboration, assessment, and feedback without requiring participants to learn a new platform.

To improve retention, I lectured as seldomly as possible, and I used a whiteboard rather than slides. As the workshop progressed, the learners filled out their worksheets with notes, planning activities, and more, which I reviewed in nearly real time.

When the workshop ended, the learners left with a substantial college essay draft and a detailed, 35-page “guidebook” that they helped create.