multimedia collaboration

Interactive elements

Click on the image to view the interactive map

​This is the most recent project I collaborated on with Andrew Tobin (Multimedia Developer), Colleen Darnell (Subject Matter Expert), and Kimberly Blanchet (Assistant Academic Program Manager). As I was reviewing content and checking for alignment between the learning objectives and course outcomes in World Civilizations I, I stopped when I got to the following course outcome:

• ...awareness of the geography of the globe and the spread of civilization on a worldwide basis

I started thinking about HOW we could do this and make a meaningful learning experience for students. I came up with the idea of linking to a map in each unit that students could interact with in order to visualize where the civilizations were and to learn more about each of them. I proposed the idea to Andrew and he mocked up a sample that we both presented to the SME and AAPM. With some minor tweaking based on a collaborative effort we came up with this interactive map.

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Videos

As part of the design of the courses at Post University, we incorporate brief videos that enable students to get an overview or introduction to what they will be learning in the course. The video, included on the right, is an example of a special introductory video that was created for College Writing, one of the first five courses students take when starting an academic degree program at Post University. We began by collaborating with Kristin Santa Maria, our Subject Matter Expert, to create, edit, and revise a script. Then, sent the script off to the multimedia team The animation of the tree at the beginning of the video was created and produced by Geoff Smith (Multimedia Developer) using feedback provided by instructional design team members and administration at Post University. The specific course information section of the video was produced by Jessy Miele (Multimedia Developer) and the voice-over was recorded by Madelaine Smith (Instructional Design Assistant).

assessment collaboration

Assignments

Click on the image to view this assessment example.

The assessment example to the left was created in collaboration with Dennis Sciarrino (SME & AAPM) for a project management course titled Working in Teams. In this scenario-based activity, learners needed to analyze the stages of group development. Through this assessment, students were able to evaluate team performance by:

• explaining how to motivate and lead others,
• experimenting in dealing with conflict productively, and
• demonstrating effective problem solving.

By presenting a situation that learners may have experienced, they were able to make a personal connection to the learning and application of concepts covered in the course.

​Here is a second assessment example, located on the right, that was created for Persuasion- an upper level undergraduate communication and media course, in collaboration with Margaret DiMauro (SME). The purpose of this assessment was to allow students the opportunity to demonstrate their ability to:

• apply both classical and contemporary theories of persuasion,
• examine the key components of Aristotle's Persuasive Proofs, and
• formulate their own arguments based on learned theories during the term.

​Students completed this assessment in a way that was meaningful and engaging and allowed them to create a professional portfolio item.

Click on the image to view this assessment example

Discussions

As part of the assessment segment of course development, I guide SMEs through sculpting questions for discussion among students. These questions are thought provoking and engage learners to use critical thinking skills by applying what they have learned, and incorporating personal experience that is relevant to the conversation. Below are examples of discussion questions created for undergraduate and graduate courses.

• Equine Care and Management- Discuss from your own experience, how horses and other equines interact differently with humans than they do with others of their own species. Then, explain the way the equine’s natural instincts have evolved to make them work so well with humans.
• Compensation and Benefits- Compensation refers to all forms of financial returns and tangible services and benefits employees receive as part of an employment relationship. Employees often perceive their compensation in different ways - as a return in exchange for their labors, as an entitlement, or as a reward.  In what way do you perceive compensation and how did your perspective on compensation develop?
• Effective Communication for Criminal Justice Professionals- Scenario: You have just finished your police report, handed the case to the District Attorney for prosecution. After reviewing your files, you see that you omitted something that is not crucial to the case. You have done this before and although not happy, the DA was not concerned, but did mention this to your supervisor. Discuss what you would do in this situation and explain your decision to share or not share the omitted information with the District Attorney.
• ​Innovative Leadership & Management- Think about a time that you had a good idea but did not share it with others. Explain your reasoning for not sharing your good ideas with others. Then, describe under what circumstances you would have been willing to share your good idea with others and what you did or could have done to set the stage to share your good idea.

usability Testing

Part of my job as an instructional designer is testing the conditions and environments under which students might access their learning materials. Recently, we implemented a new course design template for our onboarding courses, the first courses that students take when they begin their academic degree program at Post University, to provide an engaging look and feel for the learners. This new look is featured in fig. 1 below. When creating each content item for this design, the title color was changed to white so it would not display since a color banner title was created using html code; however, screen readers still "see" this text.

fig. 1: Course Landing Page in Blackboard Web Version

When checking this course through the Blackboard mobile application, I noticed that the white content titles were also visible in the display (see fig. 3), unlike in the web version of the Blackboard course seen in fig. 1 above. Therefore, I went into the content items and changed the titles to match the sections. This is reflected in fig. 4, on the far right below. Now, the titles make sense in the mobile application as well as when they are read by a screen reader in the web version of the Blackboard course.

fig. 2: Blackboard Mobile Application Course Landing Page

fig. 3: Unit 2 Landing Page with Template Titles

fig. 4: Unit 2 Landing Page with Revised Titles

More Portfolio Examples