Design an eight-week, asynchronous, instructor-led online course introducing foundational business and technical communication skills for apprenticeship cohorts. The course supported a partnership between participating unions and Ivy Tech Community College, enabling apprentices to earn an associate degree through additional college-level coursework, including this communication module.

Analysis: Reviewed current course offerings in business communication at Ivy Tech and similar programs nationally, consulted with union apprenticeship program contacts, and with apprentice learners with the aim of clarifying what tasks these skilled tradespeople would actually encounter in the workplace and what communication tools and apps they needed to be able to use with confidence.

Design and Development:  Using the Canvas structure of modules/assignments/pages and the Canvas design tools, I created 8 modules that lead students from simple digital communication in a professional manner through more complex tools such as creating and delivering a set of instructions, a poster, a simple business proposal, a website with a social media element, and a digital portfolio. I created additional design assets with Canva and PPT.

Implementation and Assessment: I have led this course multiple times for several different trade apprentice programs, refining assignments based on student feedback for clarity and the speed of evolution in the digital environment. 

Students consistently report that they were proud of their accomplishments with tools and apps they had not known about and had been afraid they could not use.  They report that they were glad to learn better communication habits for email, texts, and other messaging apps.