Student Story: Ivona Funaru

Ivona has over eighteen years of professional experience in learning and development, working as an independent consultant for a variety of businesses in Romania. Her position has been fulfilling, allowing her to engage with a diverse spectrum of corporate entities and public institutions. Despite the success of her work, Ivona faced certain challenges.  Her freelancing employment required her to constantly adjust to her clients' changing needs, necessitating a dynamic and versatile approach to her assignments. 

The global pandemic was a turning point in her career. The abrupt shift from in-person to virtual learning environments revealed a huge gap in her skill set. Despite her efforts at self-directed learning, the intricacies and evolving demands of digital education exceeded her past experiences, which were mostly based on face-to-face instruction. 

In response to these issues, Ivona completed our Professional Diploma in Digital Learning Design. Ivona chose the Digital Learning Institute because of our comprehensive programme, which met her requirement to improve her digital training abilities. Our course stood out not only for its relevant material, but also for its accreditation by Glasgow Caledonian University, which ensured Ivona that she was receiving a high-quality educational experience and professional recognition. 

Throughout the Diploma, Ivona benefited from a disciplined but flexible learning environment. The course provided a combination of academic knowledge and practical application, assisted by a variety of learning resources such as video content and external references. Perhaps most importantly, the collaborative learning model which entailed working in small groups and facilitated a lively exchange of ideas and experiences between peers. This peer interaction helped her increase her understanding and application of digital learning approaches. 

Ivona's professional career has entered a new phase with the completion of the diploma. With improved digital learning skills, she has seen a clear improvement in the quality of her training programmes. This development has not only boosted the value she provides to her clients, but it has also enhanced her participants' learning experiences. Ivona now understands how to better personalise educational content to her audience's different demands. 

Looking ahead, Ivona believes that the good response from her improved training programmes will spark new chances for professional development and collaboration. The diploma not only improved her previous skills, but also provided her with a new perspective on the potential of digital education. Ivona's experience through the Digital Learning Institute's diploma programme has unquestionably placed her at the forefront of her industry, ready to meet the changing demands of learning and development in the digital era.