Embedded Files
I have already discussed a range of different types of study material I have created in section 1a, 1b, 2a and 3a. This includes interactive e-learning, Moodle text resources including embedded media, Moodle forums and activities, and audio Powerpoints as e-learning presentations.
In this section I have chosen to focus on the Sustainable Urban Design series, which is an example of interactive content developed in Articulate Storyline for the Online Academy.
I have chosen this series because it illustrates the range of skills I have needed to use: design, research, video and audio editing, Storyline development, quiz creation and VLE publication. This is not unusual for course development for the Online Academy - I have attached my job description detailing responsibilities.
Perhaps the biggest benefit from one person having this range of skills is that it is more efficient to develop a course this way if one person has the skills to produce it from start to finish. There is no need (or, a limited need) for other designers and developers. Of course, material still needs to go through the usual editorial and quality checking processes.
Job description - ID LMS Administrator.pdfPoundbury: Sustainable Urban Design series
Poundbury: Sustainable Urban Design series
I am currently developing a series of short modules on sustainable development for the Prince’s Foundation, using the Poundbury urban extension project in Dorset, UK as a case study. Modules are produced in Storyline with an emphasis on interactivity, video, and audio. The second in the series, 'Sustainable Planning Principles', is due to be published in February 2018. The remaining modules will follow in the coming months.
Each module is free for learners, and counts as two hours of CPD as independent study. I did not work on the first module but have done the majority of the research, writing and development work on the second module and this will continue for the remaining modules in the series. I am working on the series with the instructional designer who worked on the first module, Damien Turner, but due to time constraints there has been little SME input.
The Prince's Foundation and partner organisation Duchy of Cornwall supplied us with suggested module titles and some indicative source material. This included about twenty hours of recorded presentations on DVD filmed in 2007-2009 which covered the sustainable development principles of the Foundation, some printed reports, and interviews with senior staff.
As I started watching the DVDs, I realised that rather than watching one at a time, it would be more efficient to take notes on all of them; I could then use the notes to map out a rough plan for each of the remaining modules, and share my background knowledge with Damien. I uploaded my notes to Yammer.
Poundbury Yammer group
For the second module, I worked with Damien to establish the learning aims and write the quiz.
The first module had a four-question quiz with highly complex questions written by the tutor who originally wanted learners to submit an essay. I feel self-study CPD like this should not have unnecessarily complex computer-marked assessment, so I argued successfully that we rework the quiz in the first module to match those in later modules. These quizzes still cover a range of knowledge but are appropriately difficult for the mode of study.
Poundbury module 2 learning aims
The rough structure of each module is fixed:
- a set of old videos introducing the subject;
- reading material enhanced by interactivity, with links to articles where relevant;
- a new video providing an update on the project and reflections on what has been learned;
- and a final quiz to test the learner's knowledge on what they have watched, read and done.
The reading portion contains a mixture of material Damien and I have written, and links to relevant documents such as factsheets and planning frameworks.
I included a reflective activity at the end of this task for learners to write their opinions on what they have learned. For example, how do they feel about the concepts they have covered? How might these concepts apply to their own professional practice?
Reading task in Poundbury module 2
As a significant portion of each module needs to be in video form, I edit the relevant content from the Foundation's DVDs into highlight reels. This is to stop learners losing interest and to make sure we cover only the material that is relevant for the learning aims of the module.
Near the end of each module is an edited interview with a planner, project manager or other senior member of staff involved with the Poundbury project. Our interviews have been quite wide-ranging, so I have made sure only the most relevant parts are used for each module.
Original video highlight reels
I have done all my own video editing in Premiere Pro and After Effects. This has needed an eye for storytelling, an appreciation of the ethics of editing, and an understanding of how to keep viewers engaged. I have found courses like Lynda.com's The Art of Editing useful for this.
If I have still needed to ask any technical questions (for example, how to create animated introductions) then I have been able to ask our in-house video editor.
I have also edited the audio to reduce sudden noises in videos like coughs, and to cover joins where two clips are stitched together.
Editing a Poundbury video in Premiere Pro
The Sustainable Urban Design series is an example of my theory-based approach to creating learning materials as discussed in section 2a. I have tried to make this a more active form of learning. Interactive elements allow for quick comparisons between ideas, allowing learners to build a mental map of the content; in addition there are activities to research something or reflect on what has been learned.
As each module consists of interactive multimedia, Richard Meyer's principles are relevant. Human voices improve the immediacy of the content. The tasks are chunked into small pieces.
Chunked reading activities
Chunked course structure
As video-heavy e-learning, there was a danger that the series could have been designed around the bells and whistles, and been no better than a study paper at teaching the necessary concepts.
If that had been the case, we would have done the following:
- failed to research the subject matter properly, resulting in content that may not have been relevant;
- left out recent developments, so learners had to guess how the principles covered have worked in practice;
- disengaged the learners by merely spoon-feeding them information, rather than requiring them to do something.
From the beginning I have been clear that each module should be a piece of genuine learning material. Preliminary feedback from the Prince's Foundation has been good, and I believe it will be well received by students.
In section 2a I included a testimonial from UCEM's Media Production Manager which covers my work on this project (see the last two paragraphs) - please see this as supporting evidence.
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