Master’s program introduces a love for e-Learning

Before completing his master’s degree at Bloomsburg University, Michael Zielinskie had very concrete future goals: go sky diving, drive across the country and buying his dream car. Afterwards, his goals became much more abstract: strive for greatness every day and take time for self-evaluation.

During his time in the Master of Science in Instructional Technology program Zielinskie worked as a graduate assistant for the IIT department where he developed instructional materials, helped analyze data, and designed online courses for other departments on campus. Through this experience Zielinskie quickly learned he had a passion for e-Learning.

As part of its curriculum, the IT master’s program requires students to complete an internship. To help students land these opportunities the department hosts the Corporate Advisory Council event. This three-day event creates dynamic networking. Zielinskie was able to land an internship with E-PAGA, a small growing company with a vision to become a top-tier professional services firm.

As an intern Zielinksie created assessment items for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) courses that help train emergency management personnel.

“The Instructional design classes gave me everything I needed to take on the unfamiliar content of the emergency management assessment questions,” Zielinskie said. “When creating questions, you need to beware of the language you use and how to ensure the learner ‘knows what they say they know.’ My classes at Bloomsburg taught me how to think of wording in assessments in a way that can check for understanding instead of memorization.”

Zielinskie added the internship allowed him to work with professionals in the field.

“Seeing how next-level professionals interact with interns, staff, and higher-level management is a great way to see what the industry requires of those positions,” Zielinskie said. “Team interaction is a constant in this field and knowing how successful teams interact will take you far. I don’t know what I will achieve in five years or what I want my professional title to be. I do know, however, I will make self-improvements each day, no matter how small, and I have the instructional technology department to thank for that.”