Progress Report

It’s been three weeks since I put my self-regulated learning in the workplace assessment in motion. My shortcoming is in the help-seeking area. One week after this self-assessment, I landed a new job at a  private school. My first week on the job included fast-track training and the first big event the school has held since COVID—it didn’t scare me off.

I used every one of the recommended help-seeking strategies suggested in the first week of this course.

1. 1. Ask someone if you can reach out to them for help—before you need it. As I had just fallen off the turnip truck, I found myself constantly relying on new coworkers to help me navigate several unfamiliar software systems and job duties.

1. 1. Write down one resource you will use if you get stuck. By the end of the week, I noted four human resources and consulted them daily.

1. 1. Keep the contact information for your helper visible when you are learning. I took this a step further and kept my helper(s) physically visible and in my office.

1. 1. Start each learning session by reminding yourself to seek help. I am nearing the second week of my job and I do this every day.

The other techniques I use have been with me since grade school. When I take notes, I use a highlighter. I literally draw a key in the margin beside important passages. These days, I add screenshots to my typewritten notes.

We have had three lengthy LinkedIn video tutorials to complete for this digital literacies course. There are two more before the end of the semester. LinkedIn offers transcripts with those videos, which is very helpful for my notetaking. I often return to these notes because I remember my annotations.

But often, notes aren’t enough. Because of the added job responsibilities, decreased hours available for studying, and the sheer amount of new material to learn between work and school, I found myself having something very much like writer’s block. I was drawing a complete blank on how to perform some of the MadCap Flare procedures I had learned the previous week. So I enlisted the help of my teammate, Amy, who was extremely helpful. When the software was glitchy or wasn’t cooperating with the prescribed steps, my instructor, Dr. Kim, helped me out.

Help-seeking progress report

• • SUCCESS: I regularly sought assistance in a new job and on a difficult team project and it wasn’t as painful as I expected.

• • CHALLENGE: I’ve had to absorb an enormous amount of new material and software to learn in my professional AND student life in the past two weeks. It’s been mentally and physically draining.

• • FOCUS AREA: Because seeking help is the only area my assessment tagged as a deficiency, I will continue to use the methods in the four steps above.

• • IMPROVEMENT STRATEGY: The upcoming modules in this course involve screencasting, storyboards, scripts, and post-production video editing. I am thankful to know several broadcast and audio professionals who will be invaluable in this area.