Captstone Project | Liela Shadmani

Capstone Project

IDE 737

Narrative: This wasn’t built in theory. It was built for Soldier, by a Soldier, who knows what it means to train with purpose. My capstone project for IDE 737 wasn’t just an exercise in design. It was a deliberate response to a real-world gap in ACFT readiness: improving the 2-mile run with methods that actually work.

This unit equips U.S. Army Soldiers with the skills to design their own personalized 30-day running plans, grounded in performance metrics, heart rate training zones, and National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) training residuals. The structure is tight: 2 hours, instructor-led, and 100% interactive. Before showing up, Soldiers watch a 10-minute primer on pacing, progression, and heart rate science, and they’re expected to bring in a draft of their own plan. Because learning doesn’t start in the classroom, it starts in context.

What unfolds next is not a lecture. It’s a working session, sharp, peer-driven, and grounded in feedback. Soldiers review each other’s programs, apply a structured rubric, and revise based on real performance goals. They design for each other. They get feedback. They reflect. They walk away not just with a plan, but with a method they can use again, in any unit, with any group, under any pressure.

This capstone was my proof of concept: that instructional design doesn’t have to be abstract to be transformative. It just has to be relevant, precise, and rooted in what the learner actually needs to perform.

Content Hierarchy

Content hierarchy isn’t just about putting information in order, it’s about building logic into how people learn. It’s the backbone of any solid instructional design: start with what’s essential, then layer in the complexity. If learners can’t grasp the basics, the advanced stuff doesn’t stand a chance. A strong content hierarchy breaks the material down in a way that actually makes sense to the brain, foundations first, then deeper dives. It’s the structure that lets knowledge stick and gives learners a roadmap they can actually follow.

Flow Chart

A flow chart is the blueprint of your instructional unit. It’s the visual answer to “what happens when?” a step-by-step map of how learners move through the content. It lays out the big moments, the decision points, and the order of operations, so nothing’s left to guesswork. This isn’t filler. It’s how you make sure the instruction actually works: by showing the flow, not just talking about it.

Story Board

The storyboard is where it all comes together. It’s not just slides and notes, it’s the full playbook. Every piece of the unit is mapped out visually and narratively: the events, the content, the logic behind the structure. It turns a great idea into something that’s ready to build. This is where design stops being abstract and starts getting real. If the storyboard doesn’t make sense, nothing else will.

Facilitator Guide

This is the how-to manual for whoever’s leading the instruction. Not fluff. Not guesswork. Just a clear, step-by-step breakdown of what to do, what to say, what to watch for, and how to keep the session on track. If the facilitator guide isn’t solid, the instruction falls apart—because good design only works if it’s delivered well.

Learner Guide

This is the learner’s map through the experience. It walks them through each part of the unit, spells out what’s expected, and gives them the tools to actually succeed. No academic jargon, no guess-and-check, just straightforward guidance that makes sure they’re not just showing up, but showing up prepared to learn and apply.

Instructional Material

Description

Student Handout Infographic

Student Summary Sheet

Student Briefing Format

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Demo Video Demonstration

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Practice Scernio Assessment Rubric

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Student Peer Assessment Form

Capstone Project Guidelines and Properties Critique Form

This form kept the theory from floating off into space. It grounded my design in Merrill’s five principles, task-centered, activate, demonstrate, apply, integrate, and made sure every part of the unit had a job to do. It wasn’t about just checking boxes. It was about making the instruction mean something. Following this checklist made sure what I built wasn’t just well-organized, it was intentional. Every choice had a purpose. Every piece worked to pull the learner in and help them actually get it, and keep it.

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Instructional Unit Critique Packet

This packet is more than a checklist, it’s my anchor. It kept me focused through every phase of the design process. When the details started stacking up, this is what kept it all aligned. It gave me a way to step back, call my own work out, and tighten the weak spots before anyone else could. Every section pushed me to aim higher, not just to meet expectations, but to beat them. If this unit holds up, it’s because this guide held me to the standard.

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Reflection Journal

This journal isn’t just a checklist of what I did, it’s a real-time record of how the unit came to life. It captures the work, the decisions, the second-guessing, and the small wins. It tracks how the design evolved, where I pivoted, and why. It also documents the back-and-forth with peers and outside voices, their feedback, the pushback, and the insights that made the work stronger. What you’ll find here isn’t just process. It’s reflection with teeth. Because good design doesn’t happen in isolation, and this journal shows how mine didn’t.

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