MOOCS
During my tenure at the International Monetary Fund, I had the opportunity to work as an Instructional Designer developing Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) for the edX platform. edX is a MOOC consortium conformed by high-level universities like Harvard and MIT. MOOCs are online courses that attack thousands of participants worldwide and are entirely accessible to the public or for a small fee.
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In this capacity, I collaborated with multiple subject-matter experts from different internal departments. In my role as an Instructional Designer, I have to capture the subject-matter knowledge and create a meaningful learning experience for a global audience. I also closely collaborated with content designers, videographers, and video editors to develop each MOOC.
MOOCs rely heavily on multimedia content. Each module included a number of content pieces, including text, interactive blocks, activities, knowledge checks, cases, and videos. Depending on the content, I suggested different video formats, from animated videos to talking-head videos. Considering the vast knowledge expertise of IMF's economists, it was critical to let the experts talk and explain each concept.
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This collaboration required a strong partnership with multiple shareholders and hours of negotiation. As part of the Instructional Designer team, I used a streamlined process to efficiently capture the information, enrich the content from a pedagogical perspective, and develop all the content pieces. However, condensing the content and applying Instructional Design principles was challenging.
The development of these courses allowed me to work with multiple stakeholders with different interests and agendas. I practiced active listening and tried to understand the team's needs without losing track of the project plan and the deliverables. I collaborated with subject-matter experts and video editors, this required diplomatic skills and clearly explained how to implement Instructional Design principles.
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During this experience, I learned a lot about video productions. I spent countless hours working with the IMF studio's video scripters, videographers, and video editors. Working with economics allowed me to finally understand some macro and microeconomy principles and theories (e.g., inflation, taxation, policies, etc.).
My experience working on this project allowed me to strengthen my collaboration and negotiation skills with colleagues with different backgrounds and areas of expertise. Each MOOC required close collaboration with subject-matter experts and content producers in order to ensure the best quality for IMF stakeholders.
Working with the IMF made me realize that every organization can take advantage of online and digital content strategies. Thousands of people could access the IMF's knowledge for free, a big leap ahead to democratize knowledge. I was so happy to be part of that impact!
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All the images and videos are property of the IMF and are publicly available.