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Unpacking the S.W.E.A.T. Pledge - Work Ethic Training

  • Instructional Design

  • Curriculum Development 

  • Visual Design

  • SME Collaboration

Tools:

Project Attributes:

  • Adobe Photoshop

  • Adobe Illustrator

  • Microsoft PowerPoint

Project Overview

While working as a freelance Instructional Designer, I joined the design and development team for Unpacking the Sweat Pledge, a training initiative developed by Mike Rowe Foundation in collaboration with WSU Tech, the Charles Koch Foundation, and Koch Industries. 

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The curriculum consists of 12 lessons, each centered around a video produced by the Mike Rowe Foundation. Each lesson includes three primary instructional resources:

  • Instructor Guide

  • Participant Workbook

  • PowerPoint Presentation

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The Challenge

WSU Tech had an established curriculum, instructional videos, activities, instructor materials, and participant resources, but needed the materials enhanced and unified into a cohesive instructional experience.

The project also required alignment with the mikeroweWORKS and Koch Foundation branding standards while balancing instructional pedagogy, visual design, facilitator usability, and learner engagement—all within a 30-day, 100-hour development timeline.

My Role

The curriculum had already been developed. My role was to transform the existing content and instructional materials into a cohesive, engaging, and professionally designed learning package that could support consistent delivery across the 12 lessons.

 

As the Instructional Designer, I:

  • Reviewed the existing curriculum, instructor guide, instructional videos, activities, and participant materials.

  • Analyzed the mikeroweWORKS and Koch Foundation branding requirements.

  • Developed two prototype lesson designs using the first two S.W.E.A.T. Pledge topics to establish the instructional and visual direction.

  • Collaborated with WSU Tech stakeholders and project partners to gather feedback and refine the design.

  • Designed all 12 lesson presentations around the existing curriculum and video content.

  • Redesigned and enhanced the instructor's guide to support consistent facilitation of the lessons.

  • Developed the participant workbook to provide learners with a structured companion resource.

  • Applied consistent visual, instructional, and branding standards across the complete learning package.

  • Incorporated stakeholder feedback through multiple review and revision cycles while working within an accelerated project schedule.

Design Process

01 - Review & Analyze

I began by reviewing the existing curriculum, instructor guide, activities, and 12 instructional videos. I also reviewed the mikeroweWORKS and Koch Foundation brand standards to understand the visual requirements and project expectations.

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02 - Prototype

Rather than immediately developing all 12 lessons, I created two different lesson design concepts using the first two S.W.E.A.T. Pledge topics.

 

These prototypes allowed stakeholders to compare different approaches to the visual presentation, organization, and instructional layout before selecting a direction for the remaining lessons.

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03 - Design & Develop

After the design direction was selected, I applied the established design across the remaining lessons. The development process was completed in stages—Pledges 1–4, 5–8, and 9–12—to allow for ongoing stakeholder review and feedback.

 

In parallel, I enhanced the instructor guide and developed the participant workbook to create a cohesive experience for both facilitators and learners.

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04 - Review & Refine

Throughout the project, I submitted materials for stakeholder review, participated in Zoom meetings to address questions and clarify requirements, and incorporated feedback into subsequent versions.

 

The final materials were reviewed and refined before project completion.

Deliverables and Learning Material Samples:

The training includes 12 sessions. Sample pieces were selected from each training document to showcase the work.

Instructor Guide:
An enhanced facilitator resource designed to support consistent implementation of the 12 lessons.

Participant Workbook:
A learner-facing companion resource supporting engagement with the lesson content and activities.

12 Lesson Presentations
A cohesive set of presentation-based lessons aligned with the existing instructional videos and curriculum.

Outcome

The project transformed an existing 12-part curriculum into a cohesive instructional package consisting of lesson presentations, an enhanced instructor guide, and a participant workbook.

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The work contributed to the broader development and implementation of the MRW Work Ethic Certification, which WSU Tech began piloting in Fall 2019 as part of its collaboration with the mikeroweWORKS Foundation and other partners.

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