PROFESSIONAL INTRODUCTION -- INST 5131 My name is James L. De Lane, but I prefer to be called Jim. I have a BA in Sociology from St.

Marys University in San Antonio, and an MBA from Florida Tech in Melbourne, FL. I retired from the U.S. Army in 1996, after a 21 year career. During my career, I had multiple assignments as a training officer with various units within the Armys Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC). Since 1996, I have worked as a human resources and business leader in a variety of industries, and in a variety of roles. I currently own an HR consulting business, providing full employment cycle HR services to small and midsized businesses. I believe my professional strengths are problem analysis and collaboration. Throughout my career, I have been very successful at situational assessment; quickly understanding the contexts involved, and identifying the key goals or objectives which will drive learning and change. I also thrive in a team environment. The ideas of others help me to quickly recognize and focus on solutions. Using these skills, I have led a number of projects, helping respective organizations grow and evolve through periods of change, by creating a group sense of ownership. Claiming to be an expert in any area would probably be presumptuous on my part. But I can say with honesty that I feel very comfortable assessing situations, identifying solutions, and making recommendations for improvement or remediation. In my various professional roles, I have had the opportunity to do this with frequency, and at every organizational level, from operational to strategic. I am looking forward to this course to begin establishing my foundational knowledge base, so I have a solid footing for the rest of the program. I am extremely interested in learning, and in instructional design, as it pertains to Human Performance Technology. I want to use what I learn in this program, to expand my consulting capabilities to include services in instructional design, employee and organizational development, and change management. I have no questions regarding the course syllabus or course structure. This is my first semester of enrollment in the program, but I feel reasonably comfortable with the course requirements and structure as I currently understand them. That may change as we progress, as I have not been in a formal academic program in over 20 years. However, I am not afraid to ask questions, or ask for help. I look forward to meeting everyone, online.