Assignment 3: Formats and Micro Design and Development

Date 23/03/23

Magdalena Barrett

Click on the '+read more' button below to access the instructional design plan for the proposed screencast video, including scoping analysis, wireframe, storyboard and script.

Instructional Design Plan

0''-8''

Screencast Video Prototype

0''-8''

Comments & Recommendations

0''-8''

Assignment 3

Formats and Micro Design and Development

+ read more

+ watch

+ read more

Professional Diploma in Digital Learning Design

Click on the '+watch' button below to watch the prototype of the proposed screencast video recorded and edited with ScreenPal

Click on the '+read more' button below to read a short commentary on the design and development processes.

Bibliography

LOREM IPSUM DOLOR SIT AMET In mel saperet expetendis. Vitae urbanitas sadipscing nec ut, at vim quis lorem labitur. Exerci electram has et, vidit solet tincidunt quo ad, moderatius contentiones nec no. Nam et puto abhorreant scripserit, et cum inimicus accusamus. -Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit, sed diam nonummy nibh euismod tincidunt ut laoreet dolore magna aliquam erat volutpat. Ut wisi enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exerci tation ullamcorper suscipit lobortis nisl ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. - Duis autem vel eum iriure dolor in hendrerit in vulputate velit esse molestie consequat, vel illum dolore eu feugiat nulla facilisis at vero eros et accumsan et iusto odio dignissim qui blandit praesent luptatum zzril delenit augue duis dolore te feugait nulla facilisi. Est ei erat mucius quaeque. Ei his quas phaedrum, efficiantur mediocritatem ne sed, hinc oratio blandit ei sed. Blandit gloriatur eam et. Brute noluisse per et, verear disputando neglegentur at quo. Sea quem legere ei, unum soluta ne duo. Ludus complectitur quo te, ut vide autem homero pro. -Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit, sed diam nonummy nibh euismod tincidunt ut laoreet dolore magna aliquam erat volutpat. Ut wisi enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exerci tation ullamcorper suscipit lobortis nisl ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. - Eam ex integre quaeque bonorum, ea assum solet scriptorem pri, et usu nonummy accusata interpretaris. Debitis necessitatibus est no. Eu probo graeco eum, at eius choro sit, possit recusabo corrumpit vim ne. Noster diceret delicata vel id. Has maiorum habemus detraxit at. Timeam fabulas splendide et his. Facilisi aliquando sea ad, vel ne consetetur adversarium. Integre admodum et his, nominavi urbanitas et per, alii reprehendunt et qui. His ei meis legere nostro, eu kasd fabellas definiebas mei, in sea augue iriure.

INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN PLAN

Click on the buttons below to access information about the following components of the instructional design plan for the proposed video resource

planning

script

storyboard

wireframe

scoping

PLANNING CONSIDERATIONS Screen-recording software: ScreenPal Video editing software: ScreenPal Equipment: Headset with microphone Voice narration: Deputy Global Head of English Curriculum OR Global Head of English Curriculum Logistics: Selecting appropriate day and time for recording (i.e. time when it will be operationally feasible to switch MS Teams and other instant messaging software off ); selecting appropriate space for recording (one where chances of noise disruptions likely to be picked up by the microphone can be kept to the minimum). Overall budget requirements: minimal; use of in-company resources only (licence for ScreenPal in place since 2022; equipment already in use for teaching and video conferencing), time remissions for recording and editing.

SCOPING

Click on the buttons below to read about the different stages of the scoping process for the proposed video resource.

Target Audience

Learning Objective

Type & Number of Videos

Content Outline

back to instructional design plan

The "WHO of learning" analysis (captured in the learning personas here) revealed a large proportion of learners with a strong preference for visual learning, with some specifically naming videos as a preferred method of instruction. The analysis has also revealed learners are unlikely to have ever used the insendi platform before and will thus require explicit assistance with/training on the use of the platform's different functionalities. Asynchronous training on the technical aspects of publishing a newsfeed post on insendi will, therefore, be best delivered via a screencast video. This format aligns itself not only with the participants' learning preferences, but also with the wide range of technical skills and confidence levels among the target learners. Those with more digital learning experience will be able to play the video at a higher speed or fast forward to the specific parts of interest, while those who are less confident/have lower digital skills will be able to pause the video as required, and re-watch specific parts of it as much or as often as they need in order to replicate the showcased process in their own practice. The analysis of the learning personas has also brought into focus an important accessibility consideration that needs to be factored into the development process; namely, the need to include captions for any videos produced. This is important not only for those with hearing loss (a fairly common complaint among teaching professionals according to Martins et al. (2007), and illustrated by the 'Ellen' persona) and various forms of neurodivergence (Sanders, 2022; illustrated by the 'Syed' persona), but also those who - like Ellen - may be accessing learning at unsociable times when the full use of audio is not feasible/advisable.

This video will help to address the underlined part of the hollistic course learning outcome 4 (C-LO4): Upon the successful completion of this training module, participants will be able to:

employ strategies for building a strong online teaching presence through the effective use of feedback tools and communication mechanisms available on the platform.

The video will sit within Session 3, Lesson 1 and help address the following session learning outcome: By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

write, format, and post effective newsfeed messages that inform, guide and motivate students.

The specific learning objective for the video resource itself is: By the end of this video, you will be able to successfully post, format, and schedule the release of your newsfeed messages.

video prototype

Comments & recommendations

Click on the buttons below to access comments on the design and development process, as well as a summary of recommendations.

design commentary

development commentary

recommendations summary

DESIGN COMMENTARY While arguably not as interactive, innovative, or even as visually engaging as other video formats, screencasts are a powerful instructional tool in delivering asynchronous training on technical tasks and processes. They allow learners to observe the step-by-step completion of a relevant task in real-time, and within an authentic software/platform environment, thus enabling viewers to apply the knowledge learnt from the video to their practical on-the-job activities in a quicker, more accurate, and precise manner (MacLeod et al., 2017). It made perfect sense for me, therefore, to choose a screencast video as the medium of instruction for showing learners how to use insendi platform’s newsfeed functionality within the wider lesson on effective newsfeed communication. The screencast works brilliantly to balance and complement other formats used with the lesson, and helps take the already established learning (purpose, content, and tone of newsfeed communication) to its natural completion (posting a well-formatted message). Learning persona analysis has further confirmed the appropriacy of this format, as it aligns itself not only with the participants' learning preferences, but also with the wide range of technical skills and confidence levels among the target learners. The ability to seek, pause, replay, fast forward, and control the speed of instruction delivered via a screencast allow for embedding a degree of differentiation, and allows for greater learner autonomy (MacLeod et al., 2017). I used Gagne’s Nine Events of Instruction (Northern Illinois University Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning, 2020) as a framework for designing my screencast. The following table provides a brief commentary on each step. Implementing Gagne’s Nine Events of Instruction Step/Event Comment 1. Gain attention of the students The hook, clearly communicated in the screencast’s intro, is a strong ‘What’s in it for me’ message for learners: effective newsfeed communication=improved asynchronous student engagement + good student-tutor rapport (both of which make it easier for tutors to deliver digital courses). 2. Inform students of the objectives This is communicated at the very beginning of the video in broad terms, and reiterated - this time in the form of specific learnings to be coved in the video - right after the hook. 3.Stimulate recall of prior learning The voice narration will enable learners to situate the video within the wider context of the lesson, reminding them of the learning they’ve already completed on the topic. 4. Present the content The core of the video focuses on step-by-step demonstration of the stages involved in initialising the posting process, formatting the message and scheduling its release. All this will be done using the example of a “welcome message” - the first newsfeed message all tutors have to post for their groups at the beginning of the teaching term. This makes the learning more immediate and, above all, relevant to the viewers. 5.Provide learning guidance In the outro section, the screencast will navigate to the training course, showing learners where to find supporting information. 6.Elicit performance (practice) The outro section of the screencast will direct learners to an on-platform task, where they’ll be able to put their learning to practice. 7.Provide feedback Steps 7-9 will take place outside of the screencast, within the on-platform lesson on effective newsfeed communication. Learners will engage with further practice, get exemplars and peer feedback on their performance and will then proceed to completing on-the-job tasks. 8. Assess performance 9. Enhance retention and transfer Another useful resource I have referred to throughout the process was the work of Van Der Meij and Hopfner (2022), in which they set out clear and specific guidelines for the design of instructional videos. While these guidelines largely align with Gagne’s Nine Events of Instruction as presented above, they focus specifically on the software training videos, and provide a more detailed and, above all, practical framework for the design of this type of instructional resource. It is worth noting that while I tried to follow the guidelines as closely as possible in my design, not all of them were relevant and feasible for my screencast (e.g. use of music, or - due to timing restrictions and low level of complexity - reference to pre-requisites, or information on unwanted states), highlighting once again the need to approach any frameworks and theoretical/academic instructions with a degree of flexibility to ensure appropriacy for one’s own professional and technical context. Source:Van Der Meij and Hopfner(2022)

COMMENTS & REFLECTIONS ON THE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS One of the key advantages of screencast videos is that they are very time- and cost-effective. The English Curriculum Team have already had an institutional licence for ScreenPal (formerly known as screencast-o-matic), so no additional budget was required for the recording and editing software. Similarly, as we have felt quite strongly about the video having a personal feel for the course participants, we have decided it would be best voiced by someone learners will have regular contact with throughout their employment, i.e. a member of the Curriculum Team. As such, no additional cost needed to be incurred for hiring voiceover artists or implementing AI narration. Below are a few general reflections on the development process:

Getting the timing right was one of the most difficult aspects of the process, and also one that I felt was imperative to get right, given the average person’s attention span (Van Der Meij and Hopfner, 2022) and the fact my target audience is time-poor (refer to the learning persona analysis for more details). Recording off a pre-written script proved ineffective, so I flipped the process - recorded an unscripted dry run to a strict time limit and then generated a transcript using otter.ai. I made tweaks to the transcript to eliminate intrusive fillers and ensure all required elements were signposted. The edited transcript was used as a script for the actual recording. This process not only helped to get the timing right but also helped keep the narration more natural.
While it is true that screencasts do not need to be recorded in a studio or a paid-for location, a lot of thought still needs to be given to the time and place of recording, to avoid intrusive background noise (cars, bin collectors, doorbells, etc.) and work-related disruptions. In the end, nightime proved to be the optimal time for recording. This is fine for a one-off screencast, but is not sustainable in the long-term.

ScreenPal is an excellent screen recording tool, but the basic version of the video editor (i.e. the one my company has an institutional licence for) has limited functionality and can, at times, be a little clunky. This may be due to the lack of experience on my part, but it may still be worth exploring other video editing tools for future developments.

I found it difficult to decide how much OST is appropriate for a video of this kind. In the end, I erred on the side of caution and used it sparingly (mainly to signpost different video sections, and highlight previous learning and learning objectives for the video), relying instead on the highlighted cursor functionality within ScreenPal.

SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS

Hosting - while at the moment none of our English tutors are located in mainland China, this is likely to change with the opening of our second Global Learning Hub in January 2024. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that all videos are hosted on a server accessible from mainland China (e.g. panopto, dacast) and periodic audits are completed to monitor off-shore accessibility
Video longevity - periodic reviews of the screencast videos should be carried out to ensure any changes to the platform interface do not affect learning; even if the changes are purely aesthetic, screencasts should be updated at regular intervals to avoid confusing learners and ensure the resource is fully up-to-date.
Universal Design for Learning - Even though the learning personas analysis showed our target learners to express strong preference for video learning, information presented in the screencast should also be offered in an alternative format (e.g. static pdf document with written instructions and annotated screenshots) to optimise autonomy in line with key UDL principles.
Captions - captions and transcript should be provided for any videos produced. This is important not only for those who have a hearing impairment or are neurodivergent, but also those who may be accessing learning at unsociable times when the full use of audio is not feasible/advisable.
Video editing software - explore alternatives to ScreenPal and prepare a business case to present to the Senior Leadership Team to request necessary budget, if appropriate.

Bibliography

Digital Learning Institute. (2022). Professional Diploma in Digital Learning Design. [e-learning] https://courses.digitallearninginstitute.com/.MacLeod, L., Bergen, A., & Storey, M. (2017). Documenting and sharing software knowledge using screencasts. Empirical Software Engineering, 22(3), 1478–1507. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10664-017-9501-9. Martins, R. H. G., Tavares, E. L. M., Neto, A. C. L., & Fioravanti, M. (2007). Occupational hearing loss in teachers: a probable diagnosis. Brazilian Journal of Otorhinolaryngology, 73(2), 239–244. https://doi.org/10.1016/s1808-8694(15)31072-7. Northern Illinois University Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning. (2020). Gagne’s Nine Events of Instruction | Instructional guide for university faculty and teaching assistants. Retrieved March 17, 2023, from https://www.niu.edu/citl/resources/guides/instructional-guide/gagnes-nine-events-of-instruction.shtml. Sanders, M. (2022). Creating Inclusive and Engaging Online Courses: A Teaching Guide. Edward Elgar Publishing. Van Der Meij, H., & Hopfner, C. (2022). Eleven Guidelines for the Design of Instructional Videos for Software Training. Technical Communication, 69(3), 5–23. https://doi.org/10.55177/tc786532.

Assignment 3: Formats and Micro Design and Development

More creations to inspire you

SITTING BULL

10 SIGNS A CHILD IS BEING BULLIED

BEYONCÉ

ALEX MORGAN

ZODIAC SUN SIGNS AND WHAT THEY MEAN

GOOGLE - SEARCH TIPS

OSCAR WILDE

Transcript