COSMIC XP
Quantum Instructional Design
LDT 300X
Instructional Design Digital Media, New Tools
and Technology
Week 1 - Evaluating Open Educational Resources
Week 2 - Digital Document and Related Review
Week 3 - Digital Images, Document and Related Review
Week 3 Summary
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This week I chose to create a marketing brochure for the eLearning class, which is my final project in this program. The ideas I had for the digital design:
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Use two complimentary fonts, one serif and one sans serif, for visual interest. Use the fonts to convey the magnitude of the message to “sell” the course. Use a “hook” that defines a solution to a problem adults may have when struggling with Self-Regulation in the workplace. My class is called Emotional Intelligence: Self-Regulation. I must admit I was inspired by another image I found while googling posters.
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Use a color family that complements the color scheme found in the photo. That was relatively easy, once I selected the photo, finding the color scheme was as easy as using the color-dropper.
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Give the target audience two reasons they should use to decide whether or not to register for this class.
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Apply color blocking techniques to create visual interest and contrast between the photo and text “hook,” and the course details.
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Add site logo and URL and CC license info.
The attribution-free image I used from Pexel.com (image source: https://www.pexels.com/photo/thoughtful-young-woman-preparing-for-exam-at-home-6588936/), depicts a woman calmly writing. I modified the image using Adobe Photoshop. Having never used Photoshop before, it took a little bit of time to learn how to do what I wanted to do to the image. I wanted to use the image as a backdrop behind text with a smudged-fade-out, so I used the brush tool, with some adjustments to brush size, opacity, and smoothing. Once I achieved the appropriate fade I was looking for, I then saved the image using Adobe’s compression feature.
I then found a vector image of a woman meditating on Vecteezy (image source: https://www.vecteezy.com/vector-art/2143313-young-happy-woman-in-yoga-lotus-pose-girl-meditation-and-mindfulness-practice-spiritual-discipline-flat-cartoon-vector-illustration), which I have a pro account with, so no attribution required for that image either. I also compressed this image at imagecompressor.com. It conveniently compressed the image by 67%!
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Then, I came to my portfolio site and snipped an image of my “logo,” which is just a text logo. It’s clean and simple, which is the design-sense I’d like my logo to portray.
Finally, I included the creative commons license on the brochure, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
Week 4 - Educational Video and Review
This video supports closed captioning. If the subtitles do not show, click the CC button to see closed captioning.
Week 4 Summary
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In this week’s assignment, I created an educational video, which will be included in the final class content. It is a 10-minute video, so I cut it short for this assignment and labeled it a “teaser” video to promote the upcoming class when it becomes available.
I first used Peek 360 from the Articulate software suite to screencast the PowerPoint, which used images from Unsplash and do not require attribution. Upon watching the video, I realized my laptop mic had not recorded the sound consistently, so I pulled the video into Replay 360 (same software suite) and tried to rerecord a separate audio file while watching the original screencast. This also proved frustrating because the mic continued to fade in and out with muddy-sound. I eventually used my iPhone to record the audio using the Voice Memo app and uploaded the video into Replay and manually synced the two files until I had what I wanted. This took a long time, and highlighted the importance of proper tools before creating videos.
I then saved that file for later use. And created the teaser video by cutting off the video at about 3 minutes and stitching in another separate audio file wrapping up the teaser. I then uploaded the video to YouTube and generated subtitles automatically and then editing the subtitles for a perfect fit. Finally, I included my logo and the creative commons license on the last slide image, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
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This is my first time creating a video for YouTube. I have created screencasts for content I have created for work, but I did not have to do that with accessibility requirements, which was a very useful learning experience. My main takeaways from this assignment is that video creation requires proper tools, more editing time than expected, and subtitle creation time for a polished and professional product.
Week 5 - Animation Video and Review
This video does not contain closed-captioning because the text is viewable on the screen.
Transcript available when viewed on YouTube.
Week 5 Summary
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In this week’s assignment, I created an animation video using Doodly and People Builder. This product also works with Toonly, but I didn’t have time to learn this tool in time for this assignment.
Doodly is a drawing animation tool I’ve been using for my current position with ACCGov. It is a simple animation tool. I like this tool because you can create easy animations for visual interest without imposing cognitive overload on viewers, and you can also put text on the screen, which is why I did NOT include closed-captioning in the video.
The instructional goal for this animated video was to highlight the differences between the two response systems in your nervous system. The official learning goal is:
Once you complete this section, you will be able to communicate the difference between the parasympathetic and sympathetic responses and the physiological information contained in each response.
This video is part of a lesson in an Emotional Intelligence course I am currently authoring. This information is then followed up by a knowledge check, so the learner can demonstrate that they know the difference between the two oddly-named response systems. The video does not contain closed captioning because the script shows up in the video for accessibility.
One thing I learned for this assignment is that creating animation videos is very time intensive. It took two days to create this 2.5 minute short.
Week 6 - Audio File and Review
Play Audio File
Week 6 Summary
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In this week’s assignment, I created an audio file for a reflection activity, which contains inquiry prompts for learner reflection and journaling. The questions are contained within the eLearning module I am currently authoring.
The learning objective for the learner is to learn to learn to induce a parasympathetic state through breathing and physiological mindfulness. The purpose for this learning objective is so that the learner knows what his/her/their baseline feels like compared to an emotionally triggered state, which will come later in the course.
The transcript for this 55-second audio file is this:
Once you have completed the body scan meditation, take a moment to reflect on what you noticed. Take a moment to reflect on and write your answers these questions, pressing pause between each question to write down some of your reflections.
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How did you feel during the meditation practice?
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How do you feel now?
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Which part of your body seemed to command the most attention from you?
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What "story" does your mind associate with that bodily sensation?
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What did you notice most about the state of being calm?
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How often would you like to perform this practice?
Week 7 - eLearning Lesson and Review
Week 7 Summary
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In this week’s assignment, I created an eLearning module using Articulate Rise 360, which is a tool I am already familiar with and use in my current role. In my experience, the navigation for learners in a Rise-authored class is simply managed using the left navigation menu. The course contains a START COURSE button to open the module.
The lesson is part of a larger course entitled “Emotional Intelligence: Self Regulation”.
The module contains all of the following lessons:
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Course Learning Objectives (for the course in its entirety, which isn’t complete)
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What is Self-Regulation
SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION TO THE SYMPATHETIC AND PARASYMPATHETIC NERVOUS SYSTEMS
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Introduction to the Vagus Nerve
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Perform a Body Scan
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Section 1 Summary and Knowledge Check
COURSE REFERENCES
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Section 1 Bibliography
SECTIONS 2 and 3 will be added later in the capstone class (400X).
I was careful to write out instructions for each of the activities. There is a drag-and-drop matching activity and a drag-and-drop sorting activity knowledge check at the end of the module. The final quiz will be at the end of the whole course, so there is no quiz in this module, per se. I chose these drag-and-drop activities because they are easily completed, and similar in action but they appear differently and offer a bit more interest than a standard quiz-like question.
The course also contains the following elements:
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A 10-minute body scan meditation video (which you can skip), without closed captioning. I will add them at a later date.
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An animated video lesson
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3 Audio files
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2 knowledge checks
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1 reflection activity
The copyright is stated at the bottom of the course description and clearly states:
© Copyright 2022 by CosmicXP. May be used for educational purposes without written permission but with a citation to this source.
Week 8 - Signature Assignment
Learning Gap
Many people do not naturally know how to effectively process information that comes in from their senses. Through no fault of their own, they were likely not exposed to the habit of body mindfulness. When people are not successful in processing physiological information, they are more likely to struggle with self-regulation and will have trouble figuring out what will help them remain calm when they become upset.
They have a hard time being flexible when things change and might react with frustrated outbursts. An adult with poor self-regulation skills may also lack self-confidence and self-esteem and have trouble handling stress and frustration in everyday living. Often, this is expressed as anger or anxiety, and to the detriment of their relationships. They usually blame others for how they've made them feel. This is a societal failure to educate adults on the empowering nature of self-regulation.
Many adults go through their day without taking notice of the messages their body is trying to communicate about its current state. Often the condition of one’s body state is directly related to one’s mood and affective behaviors. Body scanning is an effective way to notice any changes or disruptions in your physical body. The aim of this exercise is to bring awareness to the physical sensations in different parts of your body.
The first learning gap that most learners have in successfully attaining homeostatic self-regulatory states is the inability, or lack of practice, to perform a body scan and become more sensationally aware.
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