Category: Substantive reply

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Simon

Challenge C: Substantive Post #2

“Hello Simon, I liked reading about this blog post. I thought it was a cool addition to have supporting evidence when talking about what it means to have tools that allow further accessibility to better suit people’s needs. I think that you could’ve taken it a bit further when you discussed creating a learning environment towards the end. You introduced a great idea about accessibility and how it shapes clarity, choice, and control of the learner, but maybe expanding on how these principles influence learning environments would make your reflection even stronger. However, the examples you provided showed how these ideas connect to UDL designs and inclusivity. I think the examples you provided made the concepts practical and relatable. You did a great job overall though”

Evelyn

Substantive post #2 (Challenge C)

“Hey Evelyn, I liked how you said that everyone needs an equal opportunity for education and address the gaps in differences in order to accommodate the students. Great addition of introducing what UDL was and where it came from and what we’ve discussed so far in class. Moreover, it was a good idea to mention how multimedia theories aren’t always about text or caption, but it is about recognizing and giving representation for people who need that support. You mentioned learner agency but didn’t explain what this was in the paragraph. I think adding definition and an example of this could make your argument much stronger. Additionally, I thought that the Venn Diagram you provided explained and supported your blog post. However, adding a clear title, a short caption, and a citation would strengthen it even more. These elements would help readers quickly understand the purpose of the diagram, how it connects to your reflection, and where it comes from. This small addition would make the visual feel more complete and academically grounded. Overall, great job!”

Roman

Challenge C: Substantive Post #2

“Hey Roman, my first impression was that I think you could’ve divided up the single paragraph into smaller chunks for clarity and helps organize your thoughts. Also, I noticed there a few small typos: (1) impliment should be implement, (2) retation should be retention, (3) infomraiton should be information. There are some helpful online tools that can check for these, and I believe the website we’re using also performs spell-check.

I thought that your reflection’s focus on the tools rather than the holistic side as to why we are putting these implementations and strategies in place such as supporting diverse learners, reducing barriers or creating a more inclusive learning environment would have added more depth in your reflection. On the positive side, I thought it was well written regarding the tools and examples of what educators can use when it comes to supporting a diverse learning community to accommodate a person’s needs and preferences. Likewise, I thought circling back and connecting your own projects and reflecting on what you did and how the theories we’ve learned in class can be applied was well done and a nice addition to support your reflection. I thought your point on how giving learners control with chapters, pause replay, and clear segments applies to pacing and having their own way to access and absorb information. I really liked how this was written and worded. The insight you gave about the tools to support learning communities raised exactly your point as to why it is important. Good job!”

Emily

Challenge C Substantive Post 2

“Hey Emily, I thought this was well written. I think you totally understood why accessibility and supporting people who might need or want tools to help their learning is important in terms of diversity, equity, and representation. When you mentioned how people “live with undiagnosed disabilities” cements the importance of putting these tools and strategies in place to support everyone. Moreover, I thought you mentioning access to technology was very good observation and prevalent because not everyone grew up with technology and even for the people who did, not everyone’s digital literacy skills are refined. You’re definitely right on having missed learning opportunities and I’ll expand and say how they are being prevented from being included in those conversations and spaces. I think this was really well worded, I enjoyed reading your thoughts on the matter. A few small improvements might be adding a peer review journal to support your claims or adding an image that sums up your idea or gives the reader to identify the linkages to the concepts you discussed. Great job!”

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Bashar

Substantive Post: Open Educational Resource (Challenge C #1)

“Hey Bashar, I thought this was a nice read about OERs and what resource you’ve found. What made you choose Athabasca University website for an OER? I know that University of Victoria also has a range of materials available for students. I think that the open-access textbook you chose sounds like a great resource for beginners, especially with how it combines theory with practice. I think that the hand-on approach definitely supports the ICAP framework and might promote the learner’s problem-solving skills and/or creativity skills through the hands-on projects. Overall, this was a great read and I found it fascinating that even I could access the book you shared. I think it really shows how accessible these platforms and resources really are.”

Nico

Challenge C Substantive Post 1

“Hey Nico, I really enjoyed reading your post about PhET. I like how you shared your personal experience and how the visuals and simulations helped you better understand complex topics, especially when it comes to doing work around math and other complex concepts. I’ve also experience times when I needed a visual walkthrough of how to use some type of software or any new thing. I think you did a great job connecting your experience with the website to Merrill’s principles too where the whole basis of interactivity and how it can be used a learning tool can make a big difference! Overall, I thought this was a great read and a nice example of how OERs can make learning more engaging and accessible.”

Hanna

Challenge C: Substantive Post

“Hey Hanna, I enjoyed reading about your post about Khan Academy! I also used it back in high school for math and I totally get what you mean about how their use of a whiteboard made things easier to understand. It felt like he was a teacher explaining things to me in a visual way. I thought that you explained how accessible the website is and how breaking things down concept by concept can make difficult concepts easier to understand. Moreover, I think that you’re definitely right about how the website can be used to explain these concepts in a clearer way. Overall, this was a relatable post and a great choice for an OER.”

Emma

Challenge C – Substantive Contribution #1

“Hey Emma, I loved reading your post about the Open Music Theory OER! I think it’s such a cool resource and it was so easy to access each section, especially with how it supports both creativity and learning at the same time. I can see how it connects to the ICAP framework because it definitely makes a lot of sense how a learner can digest material from just reading about theory to actually applying it in their own composition writing. I used to play the bass and ,like Isaac, I also wish I knew about this when I was younger. Moreover, I think that it’s great that you pointed out how the material can be used by different types of learners and adapt to different teaching styles. Overall, this was a really unique website and I’m glad I read your post about it so even curious people like, can look through it!”

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Kate

Substantive Post #2: Reflection on the Design Process

“Hey! I really liked reading your reflection on the design process. I thought it was really creative how you described it as a loop instead of a straight line. It makes a lot of sense how you connected the Double Diamond model with Backward Design since both focus on exploring ideas first and then narrowing them down with a clear purpose in mind. I liked how you mentioned that design isn’t just about getting to a perfect endpoint but about learning and improving through feedback.

Your Challenge A reflection was really meaningful, especially how you used your comic to help children with developmental disabilities understand and express emotions. Simplifying your panels and focusing on empathy over detail showed a strong understanding of clarity and connection with your audience.

For Challenge B, I liked how you applied what you learned from Challenge A and used it to design mindfulness videos. It’s great how you’re combining creativity with practical skills like editing and file management. You could maybe expand a bit on how feedback shaped your revisions, but overall, your reflection showed a strong sense of growth and purpose. I can tell you’re really developing your design voice and confidence!”

Bashar

Substantive Post (Challenge B #2)

“Hey! I really enjoyed reading your reflection on the design process because it was clear and structured, and even provided a picture that breaks down the stages from defining the problem to implementing the final product. I thought it was cool how you described moving from a sequential process to an interactive one by revisiting your prototype after peer feedback, showing a strong understanding of how design is about refining ideas rather than completing them in a single go.

Your reflection on teamwork was also thoughtful because you recognized that each member in your learning pod had both strengths and weaknesses, suggesting a better way to divide work for future projects (Challenge C). In the early stages, our team used divergent thinking by exploring different aspects like visuals and text for the prototype, and now you are aiming for a more convergent approach that brings those ideas together into a cohesive final product.

If you wanted to expand your post, you could connect your design choices to backward design by considering your target audience and how you planned each step to reach that goal. I think you also improved a lot from your last post by adding more multimedia, pictures, and content. I am also really happy to be in your learning pod because you, me, and Raj collaborated well and met all deadlines.”

Brian

Challenge B substantive post 2 – Design and Improvements

“Hey! I like that you’re focusing more on iteration and teamwork this time. It’s great that you’re using feedback throughout the process instead of just at the end. You could even connect this idea to backward design which thinks about your goal from the start and checks if each version supports it. I also thought it was really honest and reflective how you mentioned working in a silo during Challenge A. Noticing that limited feedback led to higher cognitive load shows a good awareness of how important collaboration and user perspective are.

Overall, your post shows a lot of growth and understanding of how design is a continuous learning process.”

Kushank

Challenge B : Substantive Post 2

“Hey! I thought your Challenge A reflection was great because you chose a character-driven story to explain dispersion instead of just using diagrams was a smart move. It made your idea more engaging and easier to understand. I also liked how you used peer feedback to make your comic more dynamic, like splitting the color reveal into multiple panels. For Challenge B, it’s awesome how you’re applying the same process with your group. Testing scripts and aligning visuals with narration sounds like a solid plan, and it’s great that you’re building on what you learned from Challenge A. The way you connected everything to the Double Diamond model tied your reflection together really well. Overall, your post showed creativity, growth, and a strong grasp of how good design takes time and iteration!”

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Bashar

Substantive Post (Challenge B #1)

“Hi Bashar! It was fascinating reading your blog post. I’ve never heard of Arduino before. I thought you did a great job with talking about the hardware components and breaking it down, then showing how they all work together. I think that concrete scenario really supports your point about reducing intrinsic load because it simplifies a really abstract system. I thought that when you connected segmentation and reducing extraneous load was strong because the information was broken into smaller and logically ordered segments. However, I worry that the post only highlights the benefits of Arduino and doesn’t consider or mention some potential challenges learners might face. For example, are there situations where the hardware setup might become overwhelming for beginners even with the segmentation in the video? I think adding a bit of warning or note about this could make your post even more applicable and informative.

Overall, I think your post was very well-organized and demonstrated a clear connection between the video and the multimedia learning principles we learned!”

Yiran

Challenge B – Substantive Post 1

“Thanks for your blog post Yiran! I thought you did a great job showing how the video had different types of multimedia learning principles such as coherence and signaling. I especially liked how you pointed out the 6 functions of dreams and how the video segments them into clear and more digestible parts, which I thought made this complex topic much easier to follow. I thought that your observation regarding visual cues such as highlighted text and arrows helped direct the viewer’s attention to the key terms, thereby helping the viewer’s learning experience. As for the criticism, I wonder if you could maybe acknowledge and clarify that these theories are still being debated within neuroscience and psychology. I think that the video demonstrates multimedia learning principles clearly, however by addressing these debates and uncertainty regarding dreams can help make a deeper discussion about how learners can see information.

Overall, I think your post demonstrated how good multimedia design can really help a learner’s learning experience and help them digest potentially abstract theories and ideas into something that is less intimidating, and more approachable and engaging.”

Devin

Substantive Post #1

“I thought your blog post was relatable and insightful with how connected your own experience of feeling lost with investing and the way this video simplified a seemingly daunting topic. I think that the personal connection you made resulted in your reflection in your blog post feeling more authentic and helped me see why the video resonated with you. I think the choice of video and the length itself was great, especially if the viewers such as yourself wanted something that discusses the basics of investing in the stock market before deciding which stock to invest in. I thought your analysis of Mayer’s principles was also strong. I enjoyed reading how the video talks about the Craigslist analogy and how it shows how personalization and relatability can help address the gaps between difficult theories or concepts and practical understanding. That example I think helped show how multimedia can reduce intrinsic cognitive load as well!

As for the criticism, I think supporting the theories you suggested with a peer-reviewed journal article would strengthen your claims even further. It would not only solidify your points in what you’ve learned about the multimedia learning principles and theories, but it would also show how the video aligns with existing studies on multimedia learning. I think it would add an extra layer of depth to an already engaging blog post.

Overall, you did an excellent job at discussing the topic and how the video demonstrates the theories we’ve learned in class. Thanks for a nice read Devin!”

Simon

Challenge B: Video: Substantive Post #1

“Hey Simon! Thanks for sharing your substantive post. Upon first reading your topic, I immediately thought of Warhammer. Have you ever heard of that game? I know a few who play this and the lore of the game reminds me of this topic regarding wars between different civilizations, or in their case, factions amongst monsters. Likewise, it also touches on politics, technological advancements, and war like you mentioned. If you haven’t heard of the game, it could be something you might be interested in! In regards to the video, I thought it was very cool that they included aliens and monsters to convey the characters and who may/may not be involved in these wars. In your reflection about Mayer’s principles, I thought you had a great point about how the video uses segmenting and breaking down such an overwhelming concept and compared Earth-like weapons to a galaxy-scale scenario. I think that people who are not familiar with sci-fi and fantasy will have a better understanding of this through relating sci-fi elements into our everyday lives.

As for the criticism, I wonder if you could also consider the potential risk of the video’s oversimplification of the concept. While the video uses colorful animation and humor throughout, some of the viewers might take the content more literally than intended. I think addressing that balance could strengthen your analysis!

Overall, I thought it was a really engaging post. I enjoyed watching the video as well and how in-depth they discussed such an imaginative topic.”

Neeraj

Challenge B: Substantive Post #1

“Hey Neeraj! I liked reading your post about the TED-Ed video about “How Stress Affects Your Brain” You did a great job explaining how Mayer’s multimedia principles apply to the video. I like how you connected the modality and coherence principle to specific examples like the release of cortisol and avoiding any distracting text. Personally, I thought it made your analysis accurate and easier to follow. I found it interesting how you highlighted the personalization principle in the ending section and linked the content to everyday life, which made your reflection more engaging and relatable.

I think that some sentences could be improved for your analysis so that it’s stronger. For example, you could expand a bit more about how coherence and modality principles improve learner comprehension, rather than saying that they’re being used. I think you could add a short anecdote (if you’re comfortable) about your own learning experience while watching the video. For example, saying what helped you understand stress and why. I think this could strengthen the personal connection to the theories and content in your post.

Great post overall.”

Hailey

Challenge B: Substantive Post

“Hey Hailey, your post stood out because of how clearly you explained pretraining, segmenting, and the modality principles within the context of the video. I especially liked how you connected the pertaining principle to the introduction of colour terminology. I thought that this explanation made the concept easy to visualize and helped me see how foundational knowledge reduces cognitive load. I liked that your writing was organized into short and focused sections that mirror the segmentation principle itself. It makes your analysis easy to follow and reinforces the exact principles you were talking about.

I wonder if you could explain further on why these design choices make learning more effective for viewers such as how pairing narration and visuals together can help learners process abstract film concepts or how segmentation might support long-term retention. I think everything was pretty well written and I love the pictures you’ve added to support each heading to solidify its importance and relevance.

Overall, your analysis was thoughtful and interesting to look at and read.”

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– No one replied to my post –

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Bashar

Substantive Post

“Hi Bashar! I thought it was cool of you to break down the 3 types of cognitive load and connect them directly to how you’ll design your comic. I was wondering how you’ll plan on using one or all of three types in your comic panel? For example, would you use font sizes, layouts, more anime-style or have both image AND text in your panels? I think using these different designs might further demonstrate how poor or strong a design can be when it comes to the reader’s understanding of the content material. Additionally, you mentioned how segmenting information can help manage the reader’s load. Do you think that can also help with the pacing and information load on each panel? I, myself, am having the same problem with how I will layout my comic and how much information I should put per panel.

Overall, your post showed a very good summary of our readings! Looking forward to reading more of your posts for the next few challenges.”

Neeraj

How Multimedia Learning theories can positively influence my comic

“Hey Neeraj! I thought it was pretty cool you used to read a lot of Marvel comics and you tied it into Mayer’s Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning (CTML). I think you will absolutely have an advantage when making these comics considering how familiar you are with the layout and how much content and image will be more pleasant and easy to follow for the readers. I especially appreciated the way you explained dual coding and how it pairs so well with comic strips having both visual and text aspects to support learning (or entertainment).

One suggestion for your comic panel I think is maybe using your point in signaling and how arrows can highlight a specific panel to guide the reader’s attention. I remember reading Japanese Novels (manga) for the first time and was very confused which panel to read after. I also found out that the books start from the back, whereas in the west we usually start on the front.

Do you think that segmenting panels into smaller chunks might help the suspense and make the comic be both fun and engaging without too many details?

Thanks for your post! It was a good read.”

Isaac

“Hey Isaac! I liked how you connected your personal experience with teaching and how Mayer’s principles tied in with this. I think that the examples you discussed regarding your Grade 2 measurement lesson and your science slides making students feel disengaged can be related for many people, such as myself when I present. I also found that when my slides were filled with text, I saw my peers look over the slide then go on their phone. However, when I added more images with one or two bullet points with little text I found that they stared at the slides much longer than the slides that’s filled with text. I think your experience definitely demonstrated how intrinsic and extraneous loads can affect learning and may even resonate with lots of other students in their learning/teaching journey.

I think that it’s great that you’ll be using chunking and images for clarity for your comic panel. Do you think that the strategies you’ve used in your classroom such as chucking information and simplifying visuals could be used for your comic design?

I’m looking forward to seeing your comic! I wish you luck in your teaching journey.”