Category: Substantive post

Featured Image By: Markus Winkler on Unsplash

An open educational resource that I found impactful was Coursera. It’s an open educational platform that offers both free and paid courses from different universities and organizations. Most of the courses are free and allow for others to reuse and redistribute the material, which makes it easy for people to access quality learning materials without barriers. I find it impactful because it uses different types of multimedia and interactive materials that ensures the learners are engaged and proactive about their learning journey.

The platform starts the learners with what they know already before going into demonstrations through videos and/or real world examples. For instance, the instructors start with short review quizzes or reflection questions to recall any prior knowledge before introducing new material and then proceeding to show video demonstrations or case studies. They begin with active learning to see what the learners knows, however this may vary depending what course the learner chose. Thus learners apply what they learned through the practice exercises by discussing their new skills in forums or quizzes. As shown on Figure 1., there is a cycle of activating, then demonstrating, applying, and integrating what the learner gained throughout the course. Likewise, it also mimics the ICAP framework where deeper engagement happens when learners transition from passive learning to interactive learning (Chi & Wylie, 2014). Coursera offers feedback, forums, and group projects as part of their interactive learning. As for the accessibility, Coursera follows the UDL principles through having transcripts, captions, adjustable playback speed, and mobile accessibility for a diverse range of learners. 

Overall, the platform continues to be a great resource for education for any learner wanting to delve into new material and have the same opportunity without any barriers.

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References

Chi, M. T., & Wylie, R. (2014). The ICAP framework: Linking cognitive engagement to active learning outcomes. Educational psychologist, 49(4), 219-243.

Discover Learning Designs. (2021, June). How to apply Merrill’s instructional design principles. https://discoverlearning.com.au/2021/06/how-to-apply-merrills-instructional-design-principles/

Merrill, M. D. (2002). First principles of instruction. Educational Technology Research and Development, 50(3), 43-59. SpringerLink+2ERIC+2

Merrill, M. D. (2007). First principles of instruction: A synthesis. In R. A. Reiser & J. V. Dempsey (Eds.), Trends and issues in instructional design and technology (2nd ed., Vol.2, pp. 62-71). Merrill/Prentice Hall.

Featured Photo By: Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

Design Process

A design process is a sequence of actions that the creator/developer or anyone uses to create, test, and refine a product or learning material in order to result in an outcome or a goal in mind (Jonassen, 2008). It usually is an interactive process where it is similar to design thinking which includes empathy, defining, ideate, prototype, and testing a product (Shé et al., 2022). Much like the divergent and convergent thinking, the design process involves planning, prototyping, testing, feedback, and revision. Convergent and divergent thinking creates an opportunity to be creative and brainstorm, and then narrowing them down into concrete choices and decisions that helps the individual one step closer to their project’s goals (Wigert et al., 2022). In learning design, it also connects to backward design where you start with what you want your audience to understand and do, and then plan backwards to make sure that every step has a clear purpose and outcome (Reynolds &Kearns, 2017).

Challenge A

With that being said, my process in Challenge A: Comics was to create something that showed passion, hard work, and whimsy while keeping in mind “Why I was making this? Who I was making it for”, and “What did I want my audience to learn?” During the process, however, I found that exercising iteration such as reading the comic over a period of a few days and reviewing it with a fresh mind allowed for more ideas of improvements in which I could incorporate more multimedia design principles and/or drive my goal of wanting a fun and educational comic. In hindsight, I could have shown the dish’s progression better by gradually darkening the pot or background. The arrows felt unclear, and I struggled to make the panels flow intuitively without relying solely on them.

Challenge B

For Challenge B, I applied the backward design from the start where I identified the goal: teaching kids to exercise healthy habits from handwashing and then shaping the narration and visuals around the topic and my audience. I kept the educational and fun theme but added more energy through narration, which let me emphasize tone and apply multimedia principles like captions and sound effects. The kid-friendly narration and simple visuals make the video engaging and easy to follow for children learning about handwashing, which supports my goal and gives rise to the theories learned in class. Overall, I enjoy the design process and feedback because it allows me to be engaged with an audience while delivering the information I’m trying to convey, which makes the final product more thoughtful and effective.

Related Resource

Below is a great podcast and quote about design for learning and how educators can create more engaging learning experiences! Click here or the link below to explore the episode and read the full transcript.

“Good design shouldn’t have to be explained.” – Bonni Stachowiak [00:11:47]

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References

Jonassen, D. H. (2008). Instructional design as design problem solving: An iterative process. Educational Technology, 21-26.

Reynolds, H. L., & Kearns, K. D. (2017). A planning tool for incorporating backward design, active learning, and authentic assessment in the college classroom. College Teaching, 65(1), 17-27.

Shé, C. N., Farrell, O., Brunton, J., & Costello, E. (2022). Integrating design thinking into instructional design: The# OpenTeach case study. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 38(1), 33-52.

Stachowiak, B. (Host). (2023, October 5). Design for learning (Episode 486) [Audio podcast episode]. In Teaching in Higher Ed. https://teachinginhighered.com/podcast/design-for-learning/

Wigert, B. G., Murugavel, V. R., & Reiter-Palmon, R. (2022). The utility of divergent and convergent thinking in the problem construction processes during creative problem-solving. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts.

Featured Image By: David Matos on Unsplash

Overview of the Documentary

In this week’s substantive post, I watched a NOVA PBS Documentary on “Your Brain: Who’s in Control?” The documentary delves into how much of our behaviour such as actions and decisions is controlled by our subconscious brain processes. The video shows the brain activity and actions of patients who sleepwalk, have undergone split-brain surgery, and how people experience and react to emotions and trauma. The video goes into how much of ourselves is truly governed by “us” or our brain. I thought that this was impactful because it challenges our perception of free will and control. By showing our actions can be driven by automatic functions of the brain rather than voluntary choice, the documentary sparks a curiosity within the viewer of what it means to make decisions and how to form or change habits.

Use of Multimedia Design

The documentary is a clear example of how to combine modalities for deeper learning where the video shows both narration and interviews with visuals such as brain scans, animations, and behavioural experiments. It allows for the views to process the content in dual channels: auditory and visual channels, evidently reducing cognitive overload and reinforcing meaning. Likewise, the video shows animations of neurons firing or brain regions lighting up, while the narrator describes what’s happening rather than repeating text and paragraphs. This helped make a clearer mental model of how the brain works and reinforced the idea of dual channels. Lastly, the video used chapters and segmented each topic (sleepwalking, emotion, trauma) through visual cues so that the viewer can follow the flow and slowly unravel more information. Through the use of this coherence and signaling, the content is focused on key findings and observations. 

Overall, the documentary educates the viewers about the brain’s complex processes, but also demonstrates how effective multimedia design can help difficult concepts be more engaging and memorable.

Related Resource

Figure 1. Illustration of Roger Sperry’s split-brain experiments in humans, monkeys, and cats (1959–1968). Note. Adapted from “Roger Sperry’s Split Brain Experiments (1959–1968),” by S. Walls, 2022, Embryo Project Encyclopedia. Arizona State University. https://embryo.asu.edu/pages/roger-sperrys-split-brain-experiments-1959-1968-0

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References

Lienhard, D. A. (2017, December 27). Roger Sperry’s split brain experiments (1959–1968). Embryo Project Encyclopedia. Arizona State University. https://embryo.asu.edu/pages/roger-sperrys-split-brain-experiments-1959-1968-0

Your Brain: Who’s in Control? (NOVA | PBS) [Video]. (2023). YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQ6VOOd73MA

Featured Photo By: Dr. Richard Scholz in WifOR Institute

When I think about my favourite social media platform, which is Instagram, it’s clear how it heavily relies on the combination of image (and videos) and text to keep users like me engaged. It’s so easy for me to lose track or time because it’s so easy to grab my attention when their reels page, where videos are paired with text, are quick, emotional, and instantly processed. Their caption and the comment section allows for the platform to add more explanation to the videos and sometimes humour, which is what mainly keeps me engaged. The short videos allow for the user’s attention to be grabbed immediately and ensure that you are consistently stimulated from the videos/images and text. When combined, these two reinforce the Dual Coding Theory where the visuals have immediate recognition and the text adds more context (Paivio & Clark, 2006). I think the impact of an image and text can influence the way people think and behave. For instance, there are some infographics and posters that are showing animal abuse with gore-y images and intimidating words. The image impacts the person’s emotions because it’s shocking and makes them pause to think, whether about their food choices or just stopping to reflect. I think that reaction alone shows the power of the poster of the infographic.

How do you think images and text tell a story, raise awareness or garner attention and/or a reaction from you?

Below is a poster I found in the article, “Zoo Teams Up to Highlight Animal Mistreatment at Shows“, that discusses how animals are mistreated all for the sake of animal performances and our entertainment.

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References

New York Times. (2014, April 3). Zoo teams up to highlight animal mistreatment at shows. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://archive.nytimes.com/sinosphere.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/04/03/zoo-teams-up-to-highlight-animal-mistreatment-at-shows/

Paivio, A., & Clark, J. M. (2006). Dual coding theory and education. Pathways to literacy achievement for high poverty children, 1, 149-210.

Featured Photo By: Sorter

Out of all the principles of Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning, the Cognitive Load Theory resonated with me because I find that guided information that’s broken down in a step-by-step instruction helps me understand the content more. Depending on the learning material, I think that each principle can be applied. However, I find that the Cognitive Load Theory is the most intuitive as a university because most of what I learn can feel complex and layered, especially at first. When professors divide the courses into smaller chunks that are more familiar, I am able to process it more efficiently without feeling overwhelmed (Thalmann et al., 2019). The principle that surprised me the most was the redundancy principle because I always thought that reinforcing images with text would allow for learners to retain the material, but it often leads to an overload (Wang et al., 2024).

In regards to my project, I plan on creating a 12-20 comic panel that aims towards high school students at a beginner level where it is simple, focused, and easy to follow while ensuring that important information is being delivered clearly to the learners. This may seem easy, however sometimes keeping things simple for me can be difficult at times. If I were to choose a comic panel teaching learners philosophical theories that might be nuanced and abstract, it would be difficult to condense these concepts (though not impossible). Additionally, I want to make sure every panel is used efficiently, where each panel offers new information and builds on the previous one, while still maintaining a chunking/sectioning approach to support learning.

Overall, I think that the Cognitive Load Theory and applying this to my comic project will help create a better learning experience for me and the learners. I will learn how to keep a concept simple while maintaining efficiency, while students can (hopefully) understand potentially complex ideas that feel easy to follow.

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References

Thalmann, M., Souza, A. S., & Oberauer, K. (2019). How does chunking help working memory?. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 45(1), 37.

Wang, L., Che, G., Hu, J., & Chen, L. (2024). Online review helpfulness and information overload: the roles of text, image, and video elements. Journal of Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce Research, 19(2), 1243-1266.