Instructional Design Process in Storyline 360

Instructional Design of E-learning Activity in Storyline 360

I frequently teach an online college course in sustainable development. The capstone assignment of the course is a project, which students work on throughout the term. In previous terms, I have noticed some common areas of confusion and misunderstanding. Rather than addressing these only through post-grading feedback, I decided to build some pre-project resources to head off problems.

The project presents three possible topics for students to use. One of the first hurdles students face in the project is to understand the assignment. This entails understanding the project structure, reading the three scenario options, and choosing one to work on for the term. If students do not read the instructions before starting, they may not complete the project properly, causing frustration and necessitating rewrites.

To alleviate pre-project confusion and help set students on a pathway to success, I used Articulate Storyline 360 to develop a project scenario introduction activity. Here is how I designed and built this e-learning activity.

You can try it here: Project Scenario Chooser Activity

Backward Design Process in Instructional Design

1. I started the design process by defining the desired results first. In this case, I needed students to be familiar with the project instructions and background information so they would be ready to begin working. This was a very short learning activity with a specific objective. At the end of this activity, students would understand the general project timeline and choose one scenario to work on.

2. The next step was to determine how I would measure progress toward that result. I decided to build in some interactive elements that students would be required to view and/or read before advancing. After completing the interactive instructional elements, I would have students send me an email from within the activity. The email would be the deliverable evidence that the module had been completed.

3. Finally, I planned the learning experiences and activities. I developed a presentation sequence to provide students with the most important information for the project. To keep the activity from becoming too text-heavy, I built multimedia elements using photos and videos to help illustrate the project. I wrote scripts reinforcing the main ideas from each project scenario and recorded voiceovers to enhance the instructional videos. I added a few formative assessment questions to reinforce learning along the way and built an email trigger using some javascript for the final deliverable.

Iterative Development, Testing, and Deployment

While I worked on the activity, I tested it frequently to make sure the elements functioned as expected. I added graphics and some emphasis animations to provide moments of fun. I adjusted spacing, sizing, colors, and other design characteristics to make the activity informative and attractive.

Once I had the activity ready for a test, I asked a fellow educator to give it a try. Using her feedback, I made some adjustments to improve the interactions and triggers. After another round of testing, I shared the resource with my colleagues who teach the same course at the university.

Continuing Improvements

This activity is still a living project, which I will continue to improve and update. I have invited my colleagues to use it and report any problems, errors, or suggestions for improvement. Hopefully, this will help reduce confusion and frustration, and make the learning experience more positive for our students and instructors!