Ideas to Impact

My Innovation Project: From Ideas to Impact

Seeing the Big Picture

When I first started this program, I didn’t fully realize how all the pieces would eventually come together. Each course felt important, but separate. Blended learning helped tremendously in how I structured my content delivery.  Students can partially control the pace of their education while enhancing their engagement, an approach supported by research on online and blended learning effectiveness (Means et al., 2013).  The integrated approach of online and in-person learning ensures cohesive learning.  Learning design principles strengthened the alignment between objectives, activities, and outcomes. This reflects a backward design approach, where outcomes drive instructional decisions (Wiggins & McTighe, 2005).  The hierarchy of learning helped me understand learning outcomes, from simple to complex.  Now, looking back, I clearly see how everything I’ve learned has contributed to one cohesive innovation project.

My project represents more than just one assignment or one class, it is the integration of blended learning, instructional design, digital tools, and reflective practice. Each course acted as a building block, helping me develop a Heme/Onc faculty development course focused on micro-teaching, feedback, and educational leadership. Digital tools and engagement strategies are meant to show better retention and interaction.  To be effective, focus must be placed on creating personalized experiences, particularly for adult learners, who benefit from relevant, self-directed learning (Knowles et al., 2015). The reflection and ePortfolio development serve as a bridge between experiences and learning outcomes, integrating academic, co-curricular and professional milestones to show personal and highly trained development over time.  

Blended learning played a huge role in how I structured my project. As I wrote about previously in Creating Significant Learning Environments for the Next Generation of Heme/Onc Fellows, I wanted learners to have some control over their pace while still staying engaged. Combining online and in-person learning allowed me to create a more flexible and realistic educational experience. At the same time, learning design principles helped me align my objectives, activities, and outcomes in a way that makes sense in practice, not just on paper.

My ePortfolio has become the home base for all this work. It’s not just a place to store assignments, it shows my growth, my thinking, and how everything connects. It reflects an evolving process, not just a finished product.

Where I Am Now

At this point, my innovation project is nearly complete in both design and structure.

I have:

• Built a full 5-week course with clear goals, objectives, and activities
• Developed teaching tools, including micro-teaching strategies, feedback frameworks, and teaching pearls
• Created a cohesive ePortfolio structure that ties everything together

Right now, I’m focused on:

• Refining visual design and imagery
• Improving navigation and flow within my site
• Polishing materials for real-world use

My goal is to complete these final touches shortly, so I can move from design to  implementation, including possible pilot testing in a clinical setting.  I understand the importance of alignment between goals, activities, and assessments, as well as how feedback can significantly influence learning outcomes (Hattie, 2009).

How My Thinking Has Changed

One of the biggest shifts for me was moving from a content-focused mindset to a learner-centered approach.

Early on, I was thinking:

“What should I teach?”

Now, I think:

“What should I teach, that will actually work in real life?”

That shift changed everything.

Instead of focusing only on ideas and content, I started thinking about:

• Time constraints in clinics
• Real clinical workflows
• What faculty will realistically use

This made my project more practical, more focused, and honestly, more useful.

Now, I also understand the importance of:

• Alignment between goals, activities, and assessments
• Designing with the end user in mind
• Making small, consistent changes that lead to meaningful impact

Learning is deeper when paired with intentional reflection, and educational experiences are most effective when they are cohesive and aligned (Fink, 2013).

What Worked Well

Each course was like a building block, each one making contributions to my project.  Having the ePortfolio helped me keep everything focused, in one place for easy access.  Several parts of my process were especially effective:

• Integration across courses – Each class contributed directly to my project
• ePortfolio organization – Having everything in one place kept me focused and on track
• Reflection – Helped me continuously refine my work and clarify my goals
• Practical design approach – I constantly asked, “Would this actually work in clinic?”

Having my website as a central hub made it much easier to see how everything connected into a bigger strategy.  I could reflect on my work as I made progress, continually clarifying my goals, while staying on track, making sure my plan was useful and relevant.  As I wrote about in my paper, Fostering Excellence in Heme/Onc Fellowship, the metacognitive approach does foster a growth mindset, self-awareness, and deeper understanding.  These benefits really kept me on schedule.  With every experience I’ve had while designing this plan, good or bad, hopefully turned into meaningful knowledge!  I feel I’ve grown into a more confident person who has learned to view things from different perspectives and uses alternative approaches while building new skills.  As a student that’s about to graduate, I understand that learning is a continuous process, not just a destination.  Growth of knowledge requires stepping out of comfort zones and taking failure as a learning tool.  This course has taught me more than I thought possible.  I can’t and I won’t be afraid to try, as I want to be the best I can be at everything and anything I attempt! 

What I Would Do Better

Looking back, there are things I would change.

• I would seek feedback earlier and more consistently
• I spent too much time trying to make things perfect before sharing
• I would think about user experience earlier in the process

These are areas I now recognize as essential, and I plan to improve on them moving forward.

Lessons I’ve Learned

This project taught me a great deal, but a few lessons really stand out:

• Keep it simple – Complex doesn’t mean better
• Design for reality – Practicality matters in real-world settings
• Alignment is everything – Objectives, activities, and outcomes must connect
• Iteration matters – Progress is better than perfection
• Reflection deepens learning -Connecting new information to existing understanding

I also learned that reflection bridges the gap between doing and understanding, enabling critical analysis, emotional intelligence, and improving future performance. Effective reflection must involve questioning, analyzing, and applying insights.

 How I Plan to Use and Share This Project

This project isn’t just something I want to complete—it’s something I want to use.

My plan is to:

• Share the course with Heme/Onc faculty and leadership
• Use my ePortfolio as a central access point
• Introduce components during faculty development sessions
• Pilot the course in a clinical setting
• Gather feedback and continue refining

The goal is to create something that is not only well-designed but applied and valued in practice.

What I Would Do Differently (Knowing What I Know Now)

If I could start over, I would:

• Involve stakeholders earlier
• Focus on usability from the beginning
• Share drafts sooner instead of waiting for perfection
• Build feedback into every stage

These changes would have made my process more efficient and likely even stronger.

Moving Forward

This experience has completely changed how I approach teaching, learning, and project design.

For future projects, I will:

• Start with a learner-centered mindset from day one
• Design for real-world application
• Build in continuous feedback and iteration
• Focus on sustainability and scalability

Final Thoughts

This project represents more than just an assignment, it reflects my growth as a learner, educator, and professional.

I’ve become more confident, more adaptable, and more intentional in how I approach challenges. Most importantly, I now understand that:

Learning is not a destination; it’s a continuous process.

Every step of this sometimes-bittersweet journey has contributed to something meaningful. And for the first time, I can truly see how everything I’ve learned comes together to create something that can make a real impact.

References

Fink, L. D. (2013). Creating significant learning experiences: An integrated approach to designing college courses (2nd ed.). Jossey-Bass.

Hattie, J. (2009). Visible learning: A synthesis of over 800 meta-analyses relating to achievement. Routledge.

Knowles, M. S., Holton, E. F., & Swanson, R. A. (2015). The adult learner: The definitive classic in adult education and human resource development (8th ed.). Routledge.

Means, B., Toyama, Y., Murphy, R., & Baki, M. (2013). The effectiveness of online and blended learning: A meta-analysis of the empirical literature. Teachers College Record, 115(3), 1–47.

Wiggins, G., & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by design (Expanded 2nd ed.). ASCD.