# The Portfolio Sprint This sprint walks you through building three instructional design portfolio artifacts in a single weekend using your own real teaching experience. Most people finish in six to eight hours spread across Saturday and Sunday. You end with three ready-to-show pieces and a short case study for each. --- ## Honesty and Privacy Note Every artifact in this sprint must be built from your real work. Never invent metrics, outcomes, or student results you cannot defend in a live conversation. If you use sample numbers to illustrate a design, label them clearly as samples. Before you reuse any classroom material, strip all student names and any information that could identify a student. This is a FERPA requirement and a basic professional standard. If a piece of work is not yours to share, do not use it. --- ## Step 0: Pick Your Target and Your Three Artifacts Before you open a prompt, make two decisions. **Decision 1:** Choose one target role. Examples: instructional designer, learning experience designer, training specialist, curriculum developer. Pick the role you are actually pursuing. This keeps all three artifacts aligned. **Decision 2:** Choose three artifact types from this list: - A converted training module (takes a real lesson and reframes it for a workplace audience) - A short e-learning storyboard (slide-by-slide blueprint for a five to ten minute course) - A job aid (a one-page reference card a learner can use on the job) - A facilitator guide (a script and notes that let someone else run your training) A common combination: converted training module, e-learning storyboard, and a job aid or facilitator guide. That is what the steps below assume. Swap in your own choices as needed. Write your answers down before moving on: - Target role: ___ - Artifact 1: ___ - Artifact 2: ___ - Artifact 3: ___ --- ## Step 1: Artifact One. Convert a Real Lesson into a Corporate Training Module Choose one lesson you have already taught. It should have a clear learning objective and real outcomes you can speak to. Then run this prompt. ``` I am building an instructional design portfolio for [TARGET ROLE] roles. Here is a lesson I taught: [PASTE YOUR LESSON PLAN, MATERIALS, OR A DETAILED DESCRIPTION]. The original audience was [DESCRIBE YOUR STUDENTS: grade level, subject, context]. I want to convert this into a corporate training module for [DESCRIBE WORKPLACE AUDIENCE: role, industry, experience level]. Please produce: 1. A revised learning objective written in workplace language (use a measurable action verb). 2. A module outline with section titles, estimated time per section, and one sentence describing what happens in each section. 3. A brief facilitator note for each section explaining the instructional strategy and why it fits this audience. 4. One assessment question that checks whether the learner can apply the skill on the job. Keep the language direct and professional. Do not invent outcomes. If you need information I have not provided, ask me before filling it in. ``` After you get the output, review it against your original lesson. Correct anything that misrepresents what you actually did. Add any context the model missed. --- ## Step 2: Artifact Two. Build a Short E-Learning Storyboard Choose a topic you know well. It should be teachable in five to ten minutes. This artifact shows you can design for self-paced digital delivery. ``` I am creating an e-learning storyboard for my instructional design portfolio. Topic: [YOUR TOPIC] Target learner: [DESCRIBE THE LEARNER: role, prior knowledge, context where they will use this skill] Learning objective: [ONE MEASURABLE OBJECTIVE] Estimated length: [5 or 10 minutes] Please produce a slide-by-slide storyboard with the following columns for each slide: - Slide number - Screen title - On-screen text (concise, no more than 40 words per slide) - Visual or interaction description (what the learner sees or does) - Narrator script or caption text - Instructional note (why this slide is here and what it accomplishes) Include an introduction slide, at least one knowledge check, and a summary slide. Do not add slides just to add slides. Every slide should earn its place. If you use any example scenarios or sample data, label them clearly as examples. ``` Review the output. Cut any slide that does not serve the objective. Rewrite narrator text in your own voice. This storyboard should sound like something you wrote, not a template. --- ## Step 3: Artifact Three. Build a Job Aid or Facilitator Guide Choose one of the two options below based on what your target roles need most. **Option A: Job Aid** ``` I need a one-page job aid for my instructional design portfolio. Task the learner needs to perform: [DESCRIBE THE TASK] Audience: [ROLE AND CONTEXT] When they will use this: [ON THE JOB SITUATION] Please produce: - A title that names the task directly - A step-by-step checklist or numbered process (maximum 10 steps) - A short troubleshooting section for the two most common errors - Any critical warnings or must-know notes in a visually distinct block (label it NOTE or CAUTION) Format for print or PDF. Keep the total word count under 300 words. Every step must be actionable. ``` **Option B: Facilitator Guide** ``` I need a facilitator guide for my instructional design portfolio. Training topic: [TOPIC] Session length: [TIME] Audience: [ROLE AND CONTEXT] Learning objective: [ONE MEASURABLE OBJECTIVE] Please produce a facilitator guide with: - Session overview (objective, materials needed, room setup notes) - Timed agenda (list each segment with start time and duration) - Facilitator script or talking points for each segment - Debrief questions for any activity or discussion - Common participant questions and suggested responses - Closing and next-steps section Write the script in second person ("You will ask..."). Keep instructions specific enough that a facilitator who did not design this session could run it well. ``` Edit the output to match what you would actually say and do. Replace any generic filler with specifics from your real teaching practice. --- ## Step 4: Case Studies and Verification Pass Write a short case study for each artifact. Then run a final check before you publish anything. **Case study prompt (run once per artifact):** ``` I need a short portfolio case study for an instructional design artifact I created. Artifact: [NAME AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION] Original context: [WHERE THIS CAME FROM IN MY TEACHING OR TRAINING WORK] Please write a case study with these four sections: 1. Problem. What learning or performance gap did this address? 2. Audience. Who was this designed for and what did they already know? 3. Design choices. What instructional strategies did I use and why? 4. What I would measure. If this ran with a real audience, what data would I collect to know if it worked? Keep each section to two to four sentences. Write in first person. Do not add claims I have not given you. If a section needs more information from me, ask. ``` **Verification pass. Check every artifact before you consider the sprint done.** Go through each piece and confirm: - Every metric or outcome is real, or is clearly labeled as a sample or example. - No student names, initials, or identifying information appear anywhere. - No school names or identifiable classroom details appear unless you have permission to use them. - Every design decision mentioned in the case study is one you can explain out loud in a conversation. - The learning objective uses a measurable verb and matches what the artifact actually teaches. - The artifact looks like something you made, not something you generated and did not review. If any answer is no, fix it before you share the piece. --- Part of The Teacher Transition Library at vetslearn.com/libraries/teacher