Portfolio Project

EDUC 765: Trends and Issues in Instructional Design

By: Jessica Evans

Submitted 2/26/16

PROJECT PROPOSAL MODULE 2

Project Title
Open Water Scuba Diving Program

Sponsoring Organization
Mauka Divers
Project intended for:
Colorado Mesa University
Scuba Diving Program
The mission of Mauka Divers is to provide quality scuba diving training courses to the
students of Colorado Mesa University. Inspiring students to achieve certification through
engaging instruction, real life application of skills, and exploring local diving
opportunities. Each course is led by highly qualified and experienced instructors who
instill safe diving practices producing confident divers. All the while, growing and
expanding the diving community at Colorado Mesa University.

Project Description
Colorado Mesa University is an up-and-coming university on the Western Slopes of
Colorado. The University is growing rapidly, attracting students and staff from all around
the world. Having a high quality diving program would cater to the needs of the very
diverse University population. A scuba diving program would give students from various
backgrounds leisurely activities to participate in while building friendships and a strong
understanding of diving practices. This course would also serve as a prerequisite for
Western Colorado Community Colleges Public Safety Diving program. Producing very
capable divers with a strong foundation in basic all the way to advanced scuba diving
skills. Colorado is a very active state and having a dynamic scuba diving program available
to students and staff would be greatly benefit the growing University.

Aim
Promote safe and fun diving practices while growing the diving community with students
and staff at Colorado Mesa University.

Target Audience
-

Students at CMU
Staff at CMU
Individuals interested in Public Safety Diving
Community members of Grand Junction

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- Individuals interesting in careers that involve diving (biologists, forestry, environmental

scientists, leisure studies)

Delivery Options
This course will be delivered to the students and staff of Colorado Mesa University in a
blended form of face-to-face allowing for instruction and discussions of content, online
readings and quizzes to further students understanding and mastery of knowledge, and
pool/open water based activities with real diving scenarios where students must perform
all diving skills.

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FRONT-END ANALYSIS: INSTRUCTIONAL NEED MODULE 3

Instructional Need
At this time, the diving program at Colorado Mesa University is not meeting the needs and
expectations of the students and staff. Students currently enrolled and students who have
gone through the current course were surveyed and responded saying that they feel
unprepared to go diving on their own. They do not feel the course was organized to
benefit the students needs, and instructors were not accessible outside of class to assist
students in their learning or concerns. Student divers also express concerns about the
quality of diving equipment that is being used, saying it is old and broken. The current
diving course runs 8 weeks, and rarely has the same instructor from start to finish. There
is a high drop-out/incomplete rate in the current course. After observing a pool session of
the current course, it was discover that instructors were not following the PADI Diving
Standards. By not following the safety standards set forth by the certifying agency, this
creates a huge liability not only for the instructors but the university as well. With a
redesigned Open Water Scuba Diving course, all of these issues can be resolved. This
redesigned course provided by Mauka Divers will promote a safe and enjoyable course
that teaches fundamental diving practices that result in competent and confident divers.
Mauka Divers will provide professional instructors that will be consistent throughout the
course and will be available to meet students needs. All academic, pool, and open water
sessions will be aligned to PADI Diving Standards. Students will only earn a certification
after completing all aspects of the course with mastery. Opportunities and extra support
will be given to students who need extra time to complete the course. With these high
standards, the quality of the diving program will greatly increase. Resulting in divers who
will complete the course, grain experience and confidence in diving skills, and recruit
friends and family to take the course!

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FRONT-END ANALYSIS: LEARNER CHARACTERISTICS MODULE 3

Learner Analysis*
Primary Audience
Students enrolled at Colorado Mesa University
Faculty and staff working at Colorado Mesa University
Secondary Audience
Colorado Mesa University Alumni
Community members of Grand Junction, Colorado
General Learner Characteristics
Age: 18-65
Gender: 46% male, 54% female (Colorado Mesa, n.d.)
Education: undergraduate through doctorate degrees
Scuba experience: no experience to discover scuba introductory dive
Swimming abilities: low confidence to very competent swimmers
Physical strength: weak to very strong including disabilities
Entry Characteristics
Most individuals are comfortable in water and have basic swimming skills.
Majority of students are excited about learning to scuba dive.
Some students have very high anxiety and fears about the concepts and skills needed to
dive.
Many learners are motivated to learn a new hobby for the upcoming vacation.
High interest from students enrolled/wishing to enroll in the Public Safety Diver
Program.

Contextual Analysis
Orienting Context
Goals:
Learn a new hobby
Prerequisite for another program
Friends/family want them to learn
For exercise
Meet new friends, networking
Perceived Utility
Skills and knowledge will be useful when traveling or diving locally
Foundational skills gained will be important when studying other subjects/programs
Fun learning environment that encourages mastery of skills
Accountability
Mastery of all academic and physical skills
Demonstrate mastery by participating in 4 open water dives

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 Will gain a PADI Open Water Scuba Diver certificate that will be good for life and is
recognized around the world
Misconceptions
Passing the academic readings a quizzes alone results in certification
Individuals have to by olympic level swimmers
There is no diving in Colorado
Scuba diving is scary
Instructional Context
Scheduling: All academic lessons will be held in a conference room on campus. Pool
sessions will be held at the campus student center pool. Academic and pool seasons
will be held once a week Monday evenings for eight weeks. The ninth week will
consist of a weekend trip to Homestead Crater in Utah, to where students will
compete four open water dives to compete certification.
Lighting: Conference room has excellent lighting that can be dimmed or turned off.
Pool also has excellent lighting above and below water. Lighting in pool facility
cannot be adjusted.
Noise: Conference room has built-in sound system for presentations, and quality
acoustic paneling allowing individuals to easily hear presenter while also
eliminating outside noises. The pool setting does have the tendency to be a noisy
place. There is always music playing, swim teams practicing, and leisure swimmers
at the pool. Music can be turned down by the life guards if asked. Noise travels and
amplifies in the pool facility, the instructor must be prepared to speak loud while
presenting.
Temperature: The conference room is normally warm during the winter months
and cool during the summer months. Each conference room is equipped with an
adjustable thermostat that controls the temperature for that room. The pools
water temperature is a consistent ninety degrees. Because students will be in and
out of the water for over an hour, it is recommended that individuals wear a thin
wetsuit to keep warm.
Seating: The conference room is set up with chairs and tables, and can seat up to
forty people. However, class sizes will be kept at twenty or less students.
Accommodations: There will be a locker room available to students during the pool
sessions. During the weekend trip to Utah, hotel rooms will be offered to students
at a discounted price. Hotel will be located close to diving, food, and
entertainment.
Equipment: The conference room is equipped with projector, computer, and
speaker system. For pool session and open water dives students will have access to
all diving equipment provided by Mauka Divers. Mauka Divers will provide: tanks,
weights, BCDs, regulators, and dive computers. Students must rent or buy their
own mask, snorkel, and fins (special student priced packages available).
Transportation: Academic and pool sessions will be held on the Colorado Mesa
Universitys campus, so it is accessible for all learners. The weekend trip to Utah
there will be carpooling and/or vans available to students who do not wish to drive
themselves. Homestead Cater is two hundred sixty-eight miles from Grand
Junction, approximately four hours and fifteen minute driving time.

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Technology Inventory
Personal technologies; computers, tablets, phones
Internet
Campus technologies; computer labs, internet, and printers
Transfer Context
Information and skills new divers learn throughout the course are constantly building on
each other. A student first reads a chapter from the open water manual (book or online),
brings new knowledge to classroom session where an instructor leads learners in discussions
and real life diving scenarios. Students then take these diving concepts and applies them in a
controlled and safe pool environment. The culminating task is to take all concepts, skills,
and diving theories and demonstrate competency by completing four open water dives.
Mastery results in a life-long PADI Open Water Scuba Diver certification that is recognized
around the world.
PAID certifications are recognized around the world and certification is a
requirement when going on diving excursions, and renting gear.
There is a strong diving community in Colorado and many opportunities for high
altitude diving in many of Colorados mountain lakes.
The information and skilled gained during this course will help students pursuing
degrees and careers in Public Safety Diver, biologists, environmental studies, and
many more.
Open Water Scuba Diver is only the first certification that students can earn. This is
a stepping stone to the numerous continuing diver education courses that are
available.
After gaining a certification, students will have continued support from their
certifying instructor as well as unlimited support from the PADI organization. New
divers would also be welcomed into the local diving community where they will
have opportunities to gain further experience and knowledge from more
experienced divers.

* This front-end analysis was created using my personal experiences and knowledge
from years of teaching university level open water scuba diving courses.

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INSTRUCTIONAL IMPACT BASED UPON LEARNER CHARACTERISTICS

Application of Learning Theories
In this course instructors will focus on the following learning theories:
Cognitive Learning Theories:
Assimilate and accommodate new information about diving practices.
Throughout the course students will have to think critically, solve complex
problems, and learn and apply new language.
Social Learning Theory:
New divers will learn water skills by observing knowledgeable instructors.
Instructors will break each skill into specific steps and model each step correctly
for students to observe and immediately try.
New divers can learn diving styles and techniques by social interacts with
experienced divers.
Behavioral Learning Theory:
New divers practice the correct way of demonstrating skills.
Instructors will promptly correct students doing skills incorrectly, and give
students more opportunities to show gain mastery.
Students who show mastery with all skills and concepts will progress through the
course and gain certification.
Adult Learning Theories:
Self-Concept: teaching lessons to mature learners who are more self-directed
Readiness to Learn, Motivation to Learn, and Relevance: appealing to students
who have motivation to learn to scuba dive for personal reasons and interests

Application of Motivational Theories

Attention: To gain and maintain learners attention throughout the course, instructors will
use specific diving examples to engage learners and motivate them to learn more
about the wonderful world of diving. Examples may include pictures, stories,
videos, and local and worldwide diving opportunities. The course is designed
around learners active participation in learning activities in the academic
lessons, pool activities, and open water dives.
Relevance: To ensure the information the students are learning is relevant to diving, all of
the skills and concepts are modeled in real diving scenarios in the pool and in the
open water dives. During the course and after certification, students will
experience the value of the knowledge and certification gained during this
course. The certification is recognized around the world and never expires.

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Confidence: This scuba course is designed to build students confidence in diving safely by
providing challenging opportunities to apply knowledge and be successful. Each
skill and concept will grow the learners understanding of diving. Qualified
instructors will provide constructive feedback to students throughout the entire
process ensuring each student is successful in mastering all skills and concepts.
Satisfaction: Giving the opportunity to showcase all of the skills and concepts learned
during the course with a culminating open water dive will be a rewarding
accomplishment for the students. Opportunities throughout the course will allow
students to succeed, gain confidence, and foster interest in diving. The positive
and constructive feedback provided by the instructors will reinforce safe and fun
diving practices.

Impact of a Diverse Audience on Instruction

The beauty of scuba diving is that under the water we all can speak the same language!
Because of this scuba diving attracts a very diverse population. PADI is a world-wide diving
organization that recognizes the diversity of its learners, therefore the open water diver
manual is available in ten different languages (PADI eLearning, n.d.). Students are able
to access the information in a language they are familiar with, and then come to class
with a better base understanding when speaking with an instructor. Diving is also very
adaptable for individuals with physical disabilities as long as they are in good health.
Instructors trained as a Handicapped Diving Instructor can teach individuals with
disabilities how to dive, the Handicapped Scuba Association is dedicated to assuring that
people with disabilities are given the same opportunity to receive quality training,
certification and dive adventures as the able bodied population. (HSA Mission, n.d.).

Reflection Questions Module 4:

How will you apply adult learning theories to your portfolio project
For this course I would really focus on the readiness to learn of the individuals. This is a major driving
factor in wanting to learn to dive. If a student has the desire to learn, then an instructor can teach them.
Students will gain and grow from this course based off of what they put into it.
How will you apply motivational theories to your target audience?
Building confidence is one of the main goals of this course. By providing the students with a safe and
comfortable learning environment, their confidence in the skills and concepts of diving will increase
producing motivated and confident divers.
What learning theories do you subscribe to and why?
This course will use many different learning theories. Each theory is listed above with an
explanation of how that theory will be used during the course.
How do learner characteristics affect the learning theory employed, if at all?
Learner characteristics will always have an effect on the effectiveness of learning theories.
For this course the theories used will stay the same, however, there may just be more or less
emphasis on specific strategies used depending on the characteristics of a group of learners.

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TASK/GOAL/PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS MODULE 5

Goal Analysis
Instructional Need
At this time, the diving program at Colorado Mesa University is not meeting the needs and
expectations of the students and staff. Students currently enrolled and students who have gone
through the current course were surveyed and responded saying that they feel unprepared to go
diving on their own. They do not feel the course was organized to benefit the students needs, and
instructors were not accessible outside of class to assist students in their learning or concerns.
Student divers also express concerns about the quality of diving equipment that is being used,
saying it is old and broken. The current diving course runs 8 weeks, and rarely has the same
instructor from start to finish. There is a high drop-out/incomplete rate in the current course. After
observing a pool session of the current course, it was discover that instructors were not following
the PADI Diving Standards. By not following the safety standards set forth by the certifying agency,
this creates a huge liability not only for the instructors but the university as well. With a redesigned
Open Water Scuba Diving course, all of these issues can be resolved. This redesigned course
provided by Mauka Divers will promote a safe and enjoyable course that teaches fundamental
diving practices that result in competent and confident divers. Mauka Divers will provide
professional instructors that will be consistent throughout the course and will be available to meet
students needs. All academic, pool, and open water sessions will be aligned to PADI Diving
Standards. Students will only earn a certification after completing all aspects of the course with
mastery. Opportunities and extra support will be given to students who need extra time to complete
the course. With these high standards, the quality of the diving program will greatly increase.
Resulting in divers who will complete the course, grain experience and confidence in diving skills,
and recruit friends and family to take the course!

Aim
Promote safe and fun diving practices while growing the diving community with students and staff
at Colorado Mesa University.

Goal Analysis
Step 1 - Write down the goals.
Original goals:
After successfully completing the diving course at Colorado Mesa University,
students will have met the qualifications be certified as a PADI Open Water Scuba
Diver.

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Step 2 - Write down everything a learner would have to say or do for you to agree that the
learner has achieved the goal. This is not a list of what you will need to do as the
instructional designer or teacher.
-

Explain diving equipment

Describe diving health recommendations
Summarize how to adapt underwater
Practice problem management
Able to use dive tables to plan multiple dives safely
Understands diving terms/vocabulary
Able to assemble and disassemble scuba equipment independently
Meet water skills assessment requirements; 200 yard swim, and 10 minute tread water
Can identify each piece of equipment and explain or demonstrate its function
Complete confined water skills in dives 1-5 with mastery
Complete skills in open water dives 1-4 with mastery
Correctly records all training dives in diving log
Compete student forms; Liability Release and Assumption of Risk Agreement, Medical
Statement, Standard Safe Diving Practices Statement of Understanding, and student
information folder (PADI, 2016).
- Certifying instructor feels the student demonstrates all of the qualities necessary to be a
competent and confident independent diver.

Step 3 - Sort the items listed in step 2.

Content Knowledge:
-

Explain diving equipment

Describe diving health recommendations
Summarize how to adapt underwater
Practice problem management
Able to use dive tables to plan multiple dives safely
Understands diving terms/vocabulary

Measure of Success: Student will be able to demonstrate diving knowledge by passing reviews and
final exam with at least 75% accuracy.

Skills:

- Able to assemble and disassemble scuba equipment independently

- Meet water skills assessment requirements; 200 yard swim, and 10 minute tread water
- Can identify each piece of equipment and explain or demonstrate its function
- Complete confined water skills in dives 1-5 with mastery
- Complete skills in open water dives 1-4 with mastery

Measure of Success: Student will be able to demonstrate all skills with mastery. mastery is
defined as performing the skill so it meets the stated performance requirements in a
reasonably comfortable, fluid, repeatable manner as would be expected of a diver at that
certification level (PADI, 2016)
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Documentation Leading to Certification:

-

Correctly records all training dives in diving log

Compete student forms; Liability Release and Assumption of Risk Agreement, Medical
Statement, Standard Safe Diving Practices Statement of Understanding, and student
information folder (PADI, 2016).
Certifying instructor feels the student demonstrates all of the qualities necessary to be a
competent and confident independent diver.

Measure of Success: Students have met all of the certifying requirements and are successfully
certified as a PADI Open Water Scuba Diver.

Step 4 - Write a complete sentence to describe each of the items on your final list.
Content Knowledge: Students will be able to demonstrate a solid understanding of safe
diving practices by successfully passing knowledge reviews and a final exam.
Skills: Students will gain confidence in their abilities to preform skills necessary for safe
diving with comfort and ease.
Documentation: Students have met all of the certifying requirements and are successfully
certified as a PADI Open Water Scuba Diver.

Goal
Combine the statements into a goal statement (a very brief paragraph)
After successfully completing the Open Water Scuba Diving course at Colorado Mesa
University, students will be knowledgeable in important diving concepts and will be able to
confidently demonstrate skills necessary for certification as a PADI Open Water Scuba Diver.

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INSTRUCTIONAL OBJECTIVES MODULE 5

Project (Instructional) Goal
After successfully completing the Open Water Scuba Diving course at Colorado Mesa
University, students will be knowledgeable in important diving concepts and will be able
to confidently demonstrate skills necessary for certification as a PADI Open Water Scuba
Diver.

Terminal Objectives and Enabling Objectives

Students will be able to demonstrate their comprehension of basic scuba diving

concepts. - All Cognitive Domain
o Explain the purpose of each piece of diving equipment.
o Describe health recommendations to follow while diving.
o Summarize how to adapt to the underwater environment.
o Practice problem solving scenarios.
o Uses dive tables to safely plan multiple dives within recreational diving
limits.
o Uses scuba diving vocabulary and phrases appropriately.
o Explain safe diving protocols.

After the confined water sessions, students will have shown mastery of all basic
scuba diving skills in the controlled environment of the pool. - All Psychomotor
Domain
o Assemble and disassemble diving equipment independently.
o Demonstrate water skills by swimming 200 yards and treading water for 10
minutes unassisted.
o Perform confined water skills with mastery in a confident, controlled, and
repeatable manner.
Given real life diving scenarios during the open water dives, students will be able
to demonstrate all scuba diving skills with mastery. - All Psychomotor Domain
o Assemble and disassemble diving equipment independently.
o Preform open water skills with mastery in a confident, controlled, and
repeated manner.
o While on scuba, dive to a depth of 15 feet or greater and stay submerged for
at least 20 minutes.
o Demonstrate safe diving practices on all dives.
After completion of the course, student will be able demonstrate competency in all
aspects of diving necessary for certification as a PADI Open Water Scuba Diver.
o Document training dives correctly in student dive log. -Cognitive Domain
o Complete all required forms and documentation for certification. -Cognitive
Domain

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o Demonstrate safe attitudes, values, and emotions about diving practices to

certifying instructors. -Affective Domain

ENABLING OBJECTIVES MATRIX & SUPPORTING CONTENT MODULE 6

Title of the unit/module: Academic Portion of Open Water Scuba Course
Terminal Objective: Students will be able to demonstrate their comprehension of basic scuba
diving concepts.
Pre-instructional Strategy: Objectives: inform students what they will be able to do

Enabling Objective

Uses scuba diving

vocabulary and
phrases
appropriately.

Explain the purpose

of each piece of
diving equipment.

Describe health
recommendations to
follow while diving.

Summarize how to
adapt to the
underwater
environment.

Level on
Blooms
Taxonomy*

Remembering

Understanding

Remembering

Understanding

Fact, concept,
principle, rule,
procedure,
interpersonal,
or attitude?

Learner Activity
(What would
learners do to
master this
objective?)

Delivery Method
(Group presentation/
lecture, self-paced, or
small group)

Concepts

Participate in
discussions,
identify gear,
and describe
diving concepts.

Concepts

Examine
pictures and real
Classroom, handsequipment and
on, pool, videos,
then label
and readings.
equipment
diagram.

Concepts

Match correct
definition to
heath concern,
verbalize
recommendation
s.

Readings,
classroom
instruction, case
studies, and videos.

Principles

Multiple choice
questions,
matching terms,
and discussions.

Readings,
classroom
discussions, case
studies, and videos.

Classroom, pool,
and open water
discussions, and
readings.

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Explain safe diving

protocols.

Practice problem
management
scenarios.

Uses dive tables to

safely plan multiple
dives within
recreational diving
limits.

Understanding

Apply

Apply

Principles
& Rules

Discuss dive
plan, follow
plan, and review
details.

Classroom, pool,
and open water
discussions.
Readings, logbooks,
diagrams.

Procedures

Follow correct
order of steps in
a given scenario,
demonstrate
steps.

Readings,
classroom and open
water discussions,
videos, case studies,
and role playing.

Procedures

Solving
examples in
workbook,
examples
provided by
instructor, and
planning open
water dives.

Self-paced, followed
by classroom
instruction. Plan
open water dives.

Supporting Content: The supporting content is a short video created using Camtasia
and Keynote. The video is a basic introduction to students who are first learning about
planning dives. This is the first step towards using the dive tables to safely plan
multiple dives within recreational diving limits. To see video follow the link: https://
youtu.be/OEsC_mToleg The video can also be found on my ePortfolio site!

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REFERENCES
Reference one Please replace this text with the text of the first reference that use
outside of our course textbook.
Colorado Mesa University. (n.d.). Retrieved January 24, 2016, from http://
www.forbes.com/colleges/colorado-mesa-university/
HSA Mission Statement. (n.d.). Retrieved January 24, 2016, from https://
www.hsascuba.com/body/mission.php
PADI eLearning. (n.d.). Retrieved January 24, 2016, from http://www.padi.com/scubadiving/about-padi/contact-us/faq/padi-elearning/
PADI Instructor Manual (2016). Available from https://www.padi.com/mypadi/
uploadedFiles/24_Training_Essentials/247_Downloadable_DIM/English/
79173_IM_2016_Web.pdf

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FINAL PROJECT RUBRIC

Please see the final project rubric at: http://www2.uwstout.edu/content/profdev/idtrends/PortfolioRubric.pdf and the reflection paper rubric at: http://www2.uwstout.edu/content/profdev/idtrends/PortfolioRubricReflection.doc

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