E-Learning Authoring Software Selection: How Do Instructional Designers Gain Competency Using and Selecting Appropriate Digital Media Development Tools?

Given the recent rapid innovation of e-learning authoring tools, academic programs responsible for preparing future training practitioners are faced with the difficult task of deciding how best to design curriculum for e-learning production skills for aspiring instructional designers and multimedia developers. To be able to appropriately design curriculum in academic programs, it would be valuable to know what tools experienced e-learning designers and developers frequently learn to use and how they select specific tools. This is important because, although many authoring tools advertise similar functionality, experienced instructional designers (IDs) and multimedia developers understand that there are subtle differences that need to be considered for novice and experienced users when thinking about the needs for a specific project. The motivation behind this pilot study is from students in a graduate e-learning certificate and master\u27s degree programs consistently asking professors for support to learn how to use and select multimedia-authoring tools. We turned to the literature to gain insight on evidence-based practices to help meet this need; however, the research in this area is currently barren

Brainbook: An Impact Study of a Statewide Concussion Awareness Training for High-School Athletes

With so much recent attention given to the diagnosis of, treatment of, and recovery from brain injuries, the sports world is now recognizing concussions as a major public health concern. This paper examines the impact of an e-learning course designed to improve student engagement by replicating popular social network features such as blog posts, videos, and the like. Also, this paper outlines the program overview, evaluation procedures, results, implications of the resulting data, and recommendations for further action. Evidence shows that learning took place as a result of taking the Brainbook course. Furthermore, it was found that high-school students had an incomplete understanding about concussions, which could influence their behaviors when it comes to correctly recognizing, preventing, and caring for head injuries. The conclusion was that the integration of social media-like features in the course as a whole was effective for increasing students’ understanding of the causes and effects of concussions and their personal impact

The Social Media Instructional Design Model: A New Tool for Designing Instruction Using Social Media

Social media is a pervasive force in the lives of 21st century learners. Social media offers a user experience that encourages students to create and share new content while enabling communication unlike any other learning technology. In this paper, we explore how learning with social media could be more effective by leveraging appropriate learning theory and instructional design. We begin with examples of how social media is currently being used in educational contexts, and then review the available research that investigates the connections between social media and education. To understand how social media may be better utilized for learning, we also identify social media’s unique learning affordances and established learning theories that complement those affordances. Finally, we present a preliminary model for designing learning using social media

The Flipped Training Model: Six Steps for Getting Employees to Flip Out Over Training

One of the latest trends in education is ‘flipping’ the classroom. The premise behind this form of blended learning is to reframe the role of the teacher in the classroom, to shift the focus towards the student as the constructor rather than receptor of information. As such, a stepwise framework for flipping the classroom is presented in this paper, serving as a starting point for training practitioners interested in how to flip the corporate classroom

An Augmented Reality Basketball Game for the Environment

The purpose of this presentation is to share a fun and interactive game designed to encourage users to properly dispose of their waste, even those users who might not be particularly interested or passionate about the health of the environment. Using augmented reality technology with mobile devices, the application will be based on the game of trash can basketball where the user is rewarded for properly disposing of different types of waste a basket. The game will automatically record the throw and it will keep track of the times they successfully ‘throw’ the trash in the basket versus when they miss. This is in the hopes of awakening the competitive spirit among players, giving them a stronger purpose to keep disposing of waste in a more frequent manner while still having fun. While simple, this project is important because it offers users entertainment and satisfaction of contributing in a positive way to society. Finally, this project will offer me the opportunity to improve my expertise to take on bigger, more influential developer projects in the future

The Flipped Training Model: Six Steps for Getting Employees to Flip Out Over Training

One of the latest trends in education is “flipping” the classroom. The premise behind this form of blended learning is to reframe the role of the teacher in the classroom, to shift the focus towards the student as the constructor rather than receptor of information. As such, a stepwise framework for flipping the classroom is presented in this article, serving as a starting point for training practitioners interested in how to flip the corporate classroom

Usability Study for Designing Efficient Blackboard Course Sites

Across the Boise State University (BSU) campus, instructors from all disciplines struggle with creating an efficient Blackboard design for their courses so that students can direct their focus on learning the content and not the tools. The purpose of this study was to investigate how to help design learning experiences using Blackboard, the predominant learning management system at BSU. Using high-fidelity biometric sensors that record where users\u27 eyes are focused and the emotions they experience, this study examined college students’ behaviors completing standard learning tasks in Blackboard such as uploading assignments and contributing to class discussions. This study employed a qualitative research design in order to organize data into categories, and identify patterns and relationships among the categories. The biometric data was triangulated with surveys and checklists. This research is important because by understanding how students navigate and operate in Blackboard, instructors can gain a better understanding of how to design their courses toward a more positive learning experience. This study is still in progress, therefore, the major findings and conclusions will be presented during the poster presentation

Examining Course Layouts in Blackboard: Using Eye-Tracking to Evaluate Usability in a Learning Management System

This paper describes an exploratory usability study designed to investigate how college students locate information in a Learning Management System and to establish a set of guidelines for creating the best course layouts that can increase the student’s learning experience. Using observations, perception survey data, and a high-fidelity eye-tracker that recorded where participants’ eyes focus, this study analyzed college students’ (n = 28) behavior and perceptions toward two different types of course layouts in Blackboard: functional and chronological. Students in the Functional group completed a set of typical instructional activities slightly faster overall than participants in the Chronological group. However, students in the Chronological group reported a higher ease of use and needed less help completing the activities. The implications from this study suggest the ideal course layout is a balance of both functional and chronological elements, as presented in this paper as a set of practical guidelines

Case Study: What Gets Students in an Online Program to Flip Out Over Learning?

The authors will present their findings from an exploratory case study currently in progress designed to examine the effectiveness of the Flipped Classroom Model as an instructional strategy in an online graduate program. The purpose of the study is to investigate the correlation between the instructional strategies associated with the flipped model and how they help the transfer of knowledge and skills for students. The session benefits instructional designers, corporate trainers, and other training professionals

Creating Participatory Online Learning Environments: A Social Learning Approach Revisited

Online learning has never been more popular than it is today. Due to the rapid growth of online instruction at colleges and universities, questions about the effectiveness of online courses have been raised. In this paper, we suggest guidelines for the selection and application of social media tools. In addition to describing the potential implications of social media integrated into online learning environments (OLEs), this paper also presents new and established best practices to stimulate meaningful social interactions in OLEs. We propose five essential instructional approaches used in combination with social media tools for creating participatory OLEs. Drawing from the relevant literature in this area, we suggest a new framework that includes planned social interactions, collaborative activities, authentic learning, self-regulation, and assessment of participation to create a successful online learning experience for students