Designing the Future of Surgical Technology Education

A Journey as a Digital Learner and Leader

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Preparing the next generation of surgical technologists requires educators who are not only clinically skilled but also equipped with the leadership, instructional design, and digital learning knowledge necessary to guide modern healthcare education. As healthcare systems continue to evolve, the expectations placed on allied health educators have expanded beyond clinical expertise alone. Program directors and instructors must now navigate accreditation standards, instructional design frameworks, digital learning environments, and institutional leadership responsibilities while simultaneously supporting student success and workforce readiness.

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For many educators within surgical technology and other allied health disciplines, the transition into education occurs directly from clinical practice with little formal preparation in teaching or educational leadership. This challenge became increasingly visible throughout my professional career as a surgical technologist, educator, and program director. While mentoring new program directors and working alongside colleagues across the country, I repeatedly encountered educators who felt overwhelmed by the complexity of their roles and uncertain about how to successfully lead their programs. These experiences ultimately shaped the foundation of my innovation work and the development of the Surgical Technology Educators Program (STEP) Innovation Plan, which serves as the central focus of this ePortfolio.

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My journey through the Master of Education in Applied Digital Learning and Leading (ADL) program at Lamar University provided the theoretical foundation, instructional design frameworks, and leadership strategies necessary to transform this idea into a structured innovation initiative. Throughout the program, each course contributed a critical piece to the development of this work. Rather than producing isolated assignments, the program encouraged the creation of authentic artifacts that addressed real challenges within professional practice. These artifacts, reflections, and research contributions are organized throughout this ePortfolio and collectively represent the evolution of my thinking as a digital learner and leader.

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The purpose of this synthesis is to examine how the key concepts of the ADL program—including learner agency, instructional design, organizational change, digital learning environments, research development, and professional leadership—contributed to the development of the STEP initiative and to my growth as an educational leader. The journey documented throughout this ePortfolio demonstrates how each stage of the program built upon the previous one, ultimately shaping a comprehensive vision for supporting surgical technology educators and strengthening healthcare education.

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Establishing the Foundation: Purpose, Ownership, and Learner Agency

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The early stages of the ADL program challenged traditional assumptions about how learning occurs and who holds responsibility for the learning process. The concept of learner ownership became a central theme through the COVA learning framework—Choice, Ownership, Voice, and Authentic learning—which emphasizes that meaningful learning experiences occur when learners take active ownership of their work and pursue authentic problems that extend beyond the classroom (Harapnuik et al., 2018).

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My initial exploration of these ideas is documented in The Purpose of My ePortfolio and the COVA Reflection & Application. These early reflections established the foundation for understanding that the work completed throughout the program would not simply serve as academic assignments but would instead contribute to the development of a meaningful professional initiative. Through the COVA framework, I began to recognize that the innovation project could serve as a vehicle for addressing real challenges within surgical technology education while simultaneously allowing me to develop new leadership and instructional design skills.

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This shift in perspective required a transition from a traditional student mindset to one of professional ownership and responsibility. Rather than focusing solely on course requirements, the ADL program encouraged learners to design work that addressed authentic challenges within their professional environments. As a result, each assignment throughout the program contributed to the development of the STEP initiative and to the broader goal of strengthening leadership development within surgical technology education.

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Leadership and Organizational Change

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Educational innovation cannot occur without an understanding of leadership and the complex systems within which educational programs operate. The course Leading Organizational Change introduced several frameworks that helped clarify how innovation initiatives can be implemented effectively within institutional environments.

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Key leadership strategies explored throughout this course are represented in the artifacts 4DX Strategy, Influencer Strategy and Matrix, and the Six Sources of Influence Matrix. These frameworks provided practical models for understanding how change occurs within organizations and how leaders can influence behavior and institutional culture. The Four Disciplines of Execution model emphasizes the importance of focusing on clear goals, identifying lead measures, maintaining visible progress tracking, and creating accountability structures that support long-term change (McChesney et al., 2012).

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Similarly, the Influencer framework emphasizes that sustainable change requires attention to multiple sources of influence, including personal motivation, social support, and structural systems (Grenny et al., 2013). Applying these models to the development of the STEP initiative helped shape strategies for gaining stakeholder support, developing implementation timelines, and identifying measurable indicators of success.

Leadership development also requires self-awareness and strong interpersonal communication skills. These ideas are explored in The Role of Emotional Intelligence in Leadership and Its Impact on Faculty and Staff Satisfaction, where I examine how emotional intelligence influences leadership effectiveness within educational environments. Complementing this work is The Role of Feedforward in Leadership: A Personal Reflection and the Feedforward Blog, which examine how forward-focused communication strategies can support professional growth and constructive feedback within organizations.

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These leadership concepts reinforced the understanding that implementing innovation requires more than a well-designed idea; it requires the ability to engage others, build trust, and create an environment that supports change.

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Developing a Growth Mindset

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Another influential concept introduced during the program was the importance of cultivating a growth mindset within leadership and learning environments. Carol Dweck’s research on mindset emphasizes that individuals who believe their abilities can be developed through effort and learning are more likely to embrace challenges and persist in the face of obstacles (Dweck, 2006).

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My exploration of this concept is reflected in Embracing a Growth Mindset in Leadership and the Growth Mindset Infographic, which examine how leaders can foster resilience, adaptability, and continuous improvement within educational environments. These ideas proved particularly relevant when considering the challenges faced by new surgical technology educators who must quickly develop expertise in areas such as accreditation compliance, curriculum development, and student assessment.

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By integrating growth mindset principles into leadership development, educators can create supportive learning environments that encourage experimentation, reflection, and professional growth.

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The Turning Point: Identifying the Innovation

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Despite the valuable insights gained during the early stages of the program, there was a point in the journey when the direction of my innovation work remained unclear. My initial exploration focused on the role of blended learning in healthcare education, which is documented in Blended Learning Innovative Health Care Education. While blended learning offers many advantages for instructional flexibility and student engagement, it did not fully address the deeper challenges I had observed within surgical technology education.

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The turning point came after stepping away briefly from coursework due to personal and family responsibilities. During this time, conversations with fellow surgical technology program directors revealed a common and persistent challenge: many educators enter academic leadership roles directly from clinical practice without formal preparation in teaching, instructional design, or program administration.

This realization led to the development of the Innovation Proposal – Surgical Technology Educators Program (STEP). The purpose of STEP is to provide structured onboarding and professional development for surgical technology educators transitioning from the operating room into educational leadership roles.

 

The proposal builds upon earlier leadership reflections and professional experiences mentoring new program directors, many of whom struggled to navigate the complex responsibilities associated with program administration.

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Supporting this initiative is A Guide for Transitioning into Leadership Roles as a Surgical Technologist, which explores the challenges faced by new program directors and highlights the need for structured professional development pathways.

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Designing Instructional Experiences for Educator Development

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Once the direction of the STEP initiative became clear, the next phase of the journey involved translating the concept into a structured learning experience. The ADL program emphasized that innovation in education requires more than identifying a problem; it requires intentionally designing learning environments that support meaningful and measurable growth.

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The course Creating Significant Learning Environments introduced instructional design frameworks that emphasize alignment between learning outcomes, instructional activities, and assessment strategies. One of the most influential models explored during this process was Fink’s integrated course design model, which highlights the importance of aligning significant learning goals with learning activities and assessment methods to create meaningful educational experiences (Fink, 2013).

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Applying this model led to the development of the STEP Program Director Leadership Training Three-Column Table, which outlines how leadership development modules within the STEP program align learning objectives, instructional activities, and evaluation strategies. This artifact represents one of the first concrete steps in transforming the STEP concept into a structured professional development curriculum.

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Complementing this work is STEP Significant Learning Goals, which identifies the broader competencies that surgical technology educators must develop to successfully transition into leadership roles. These goals emphasize not only technical knowledge related to accreditation and program management but also leadership skills such as communication, mentorship, and strategic decision-making.

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Together, these artifacts demonstrate how instructional design principles can be applied to professional development within healthcare education. By intentionally designing learning experiences that support leadership development, STEP aims to provide new educators with the knowledge and confidence needed to navigate the complex responsibilities of program administration.

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From Concept to Implementation

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Designing an innovation initiative is only the first step in creating meaningful change. Successful implementation requires strategic planning, stakeholder engagement, and realistic timelines that account for institutional constraints and resource availability.

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The development of the STEP initiative is further detailed in the STEP Innovation Plan Implementation Outline, Implementation Plan Outline, and Implementation Timeline. These artifacts outline the phased approach for introducing STEP within surgical technology education, including pilot testing, stakeholder engagement, resource development, and evaluation strategies.

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Implementation planning required careful consideration of several key factors, including accessibility, scalability, and sustainability. Because surgical technology programs exist in diverse educational environments—including community colleges, universities, and hospital-based programs—STEP must be designed in a way that allows educators to access resources regardless of their geographic location or institutional structure.

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For this reason, many components of the program are designed to be delivered through flexible digital learning environments that allow educators to engage with materials asynchronously while maintaining structured evaluation and mentorship opportunities. This approach aligns with research emphasizing the importance of accessible professional development opportunities for educators working in geographically dispersed environments (Bates, 2015).

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By integrating both digital learning strategies and mentorship support, STEP aims to provide educators with a comprehensive learning experience that balances flexibility with accountability.

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Evaluating Innovation Through Usability and Assessment

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An essential component of any innovation initiative is the ability to evaluate whether the design effectively supports learning outcomes. The ADL program emphasized the importance of incorporating evaluation strategies early in the design process to ensure that instructional innovations are both usable and effective.

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This principle guided the usability testing conducted as part of the Usability Testing Reflection, Usability Video Script, and Medical Terminology Usability Survey. These artifacts demonstrate how usability testing can be used to identify potential barriers to learning within digital environments and improve the design of instructional resources.

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The usability study involved collecting feedback from students enrolled in the medical terminology course to evaluate the clarity, organization, and effectiveness of digital learning materials. Data collected through the HITT 1305 Usability Survey provided insights into how students interacted with course materials and helped identify opportunities for improving navigation, accessibility, and overall learning experience.

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Complementing this work is the Course Evaluation, which further examines how students perceive the effectiveness of course design and instructional strategies. These evaluation tools demonstrate how systematic feedback can inform continuous improvement within digital learning environments.

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The emphasis on usability testing reinforced an important lesson from the ADL program: educational innovation must remain responsive to the experiences of learners. Effective digital learning environments require ongoing evaluation and refinement to ensure that they support both accessibility and meaningful engagement.

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Building a Research Foundation

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In addition to instructional design and implementation planning, the ADL program emphasized the importance of grounding innovation initiatives in research and evidence-based practice. This phase of the journey involved examining existing literature related to educator preparation, professional development, and digital learning environments.

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The research supporting the STEP initiative is explored in the Literature Review, which examines scholarly work related to leadership development, educator training, and instructional design in healthcare education. This research highlights the need for structured professional development programs that support educators transitioning from clinical practice into academic leadership roles.

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The development of this research foundation also led to the creation of the Action Research Design Outline, which outlines a strategy for evaluating the impact of the STEP initiative through systematic inquiry. Action research provides educators with a framework for examining how innovations influence teaching practices, learner outcomes, and institutional effectiveness (Mertler, 2020).

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Additional evaluation frameworks explored during this process include the Adaptation of Kirkpatrick’s Four-Level Model of Training Criteria and related research examining the relationship between feedback, assessment strategies, and student satisfaction in higher education. These studies emphasize the importance of evaluating not only participant satisfaction but also learning outcomes and long-term behavioral change resulting from training initiatives.

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By integrating research-based evaluation models into the STEP initiative, the program aims to generate meaningful evidence regarding the effectiveness of structured educator development programs.

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Technology, Innovation, and the Future of Healthcare Education

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Another important dimension of the ADL program involved exploring the role of technology in shaping the future of education. As digital tools continue to evolve, educators must consider how emerging technologies can enhance learning experiences while maintaining instructional integrity.

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This exploration is documented in Integrating Technology in the Classroom for the Digital Age, Technology and Leadership in the Digital Age, and The Application of AI in Surgical Technology Education. These artifacts examine how digital tools, artificial intelligence, and emerging technologies may support new forms of learning and professional development within healthcare education.

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While technology can offer powerful opportunities for expanding access to education, the ADL program emphasized that technology should serve as a tool to support learning rather than an end in itself. Effective digital learning environments require thoughtful instructional design, clear learning objectives, and ongoing evaluation of learner engagement.

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The exploration of artificial intelligence in particular highlights how future educational innovations may support adaptive learning systems, personalized instruction, and expanded access to educational resources for healthcare professionals.

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Contributing to the Learning Community

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One of the most valuable aspects of the ADL program was the opportunity to engage with a community of learners who were also exploring innovation within their respective fields. Collaborative discussions, peer feedback, and shared reflections created a learning environment that encouraged both critical thinking and professional growth.

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My contributions to this community are documented in Contribution to Your Learning and the Learning Community, where I reflect on the role that collaboration played in shaping my understanding of digital learning and leadership. Through these interactions, I was able to share insights from surgical technology education while also learning from colleagues working in other educational contexts.

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This collaborative environment reinforced the idea that educational innovation is rarely achieved in isolation. Instead, meaningful change emerges through dialogue, shared experiences, and the willingness to learn from others.

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Reflection on the ADL Journey

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Looking back on the journey through the ADL program, it is clear that the most meaningful growth occurred through the integration of multiple learning experiences rather than any single course or assignment. Each artifact included within this ePortfolio represents a step in the development of a broader vision for supporting surgical technology educators and improving healthcare education.

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The concepts of learner agency, instructional design, organizational change, research development, and digital innovation are interconnected themes that collectively shaped the development of the STEP initiative. Through the COVA framework, I learned to take ownership of my learning and pursue authentic challenges within my professional environment (Harapnuik et al., 2018). Through instructional design frameworks such as Fink’s integrated course design model and Understanding by Design, I gained the tools necessary to translate ideas into structured learning experiences (Fink, 2013; Wiggins & McTighe, 2005). Leadership and organizational change theories further provided strategies for implementing innovation within complex institutional systems.

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Perhaps most importantly, the program reinforced the idea that professional growth is an ongoing process. Leadership development does not end with the completion of a degree; instead, it continues through reflection, collaboration, and the pursuit of new opportunities to support learners and educators alike.

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Looking Forward: Expanding the Vision of STEP

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While the work presented in this ePortfolio represents the culmination of my graduate studies, it also marks the beginning of the next phase of my professional journey. The STEP initiative was originally designed to address the challenges faced by surgical technology educators transitioning into leadership roles. However, the need for structured educator preparation extends far beyond a single discipline.

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Across allied health education—including fields such as radiologic technology, emergency medical services, sonography, and pharmacy technology—many educators face similar challenges when transitioning from clinical practice into academic leadership. Expanding the STEP framework to support educators across multiple allied health disciplines represents a potential opportunity for broader impact within healthcare education.

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By providing structured professional development resources, mentorship opportunities, and research-informed instructional design strategies, STEP has the potential to strengthen educator preparation and support the development of sustainable healthcare education programs.

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Ultimately, the goal of this work is not simply to improve individual programs but to contribute to the broader advancement of healthcare education. Preparing the next generation of healthcare professionals requires educators who are equipped with both clinical expertise and the pedagogical knowledge necessary to guide meaningful learning experiences.

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The journey documented throughout this ePortfolio reflects the evolution of my thinking as a digital learner and leader. Through the integration of leadership theory, instructional design frameworks, research development, and technological innovation, the ADL program provided the foundation for developing an initiative that seeks to support educators and strengthen the future of surgical technology education.

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References

Bates, A. W. (2015). Teaching in a digital age: Guidelines for designing teaching and learning. BCcampus.

Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset: The new psychology of success. Random House.

Fink, L. D. (2013). Creating significant learning experiences: An integrated approach to designing college           courses. Jossey-Bass.

Grenny, J., Patterson, K., Maxfield, D., McMillan, R., & Switzler, A. (2013). Influencer: The new science of                   leading change. McGraw-Hill.

Harapnuik, D., Thibodeaux, T., Cummings, C., & Parr, W. (2018). COVA: Choice, ownership, voice, and                    authentic learning. Pressbooks.

McChesney, C., Covey, S., & Huling, J. (2012). The four disciplines of execution. Free Press.

Mertler, C. (2020). Action research: Improving schools and empowering educators. Sage.

Wiggins, G., & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by design. ASCD.