Vocal Health Storyline Project
with Storyboard
My Role: Instructional Designer, eLearning Developer, SME
Tools Used for Project: Articulate Storyline, Camtasia, Canva, Genially, Google Slides, Ocenaudio, paint.net, VideoAsk
Challenge: Many professionals who lead meetings or give presentations do not have formal vocal training. As such, many use their voices inappropriately or inefficiently which leads to vocal health issues such as sore throat, voice loss, vocal nodes, and other ailments.
Solution: In utilizing the Backward Design Model, the learning outcome of this asynchronous 6-lesson course was to have learners use proper breath support and vocal placement during ILT and other presentations in order to preserve a healthy voice. As such, the objectives within each lesson build on skills that the learner will utilize in the final assessment. The final assessment is a video-recorded demonstration of these skills in practice.
Learning Materials: The course contains multiple edited videos and images, audio examples, various knowledge-based assessments (multiple choice, drag & drop, matching questions, etc.), and a summative skills-based assessment (through VideoAsk).
Story, Engagement, and Interactivity: The course is in a story structure where the learner follows a character, Blake, as he goes through the process of improving his voice. As Blake is on this journey, the learner is prompted to participate in the same activities that are introduced to Blake. Activities include (but are not limited to) learning about the Human Respiratory System through an interactive chart, video tutorials that has the learner participate in the moment, and a final assessment that puts the learner as a character in the story who has to show their cumulative knowledge of the course by introducing Blake before a presentation.
Results: After working through this course, learners are able to use their voices more efficiently and healthily. However, as a skill, it needs continued practice, reflection, and review to keep the benefits consistent. As such, the course can be revisited at anytime.
Google Calendar Course
My Role: Instructional Designer
Client: The Music Center of North Haven, LLC.
Tools Used for Project: Rise 360, Canva, Camtasia
Challenge: The organization wanted to move their attendance system from paper to digital. In order to do this, a new system was developed using Google Calendar to keep track of teachers' music lessons. "Front-end" employees needed to learn how to use Google Calendar to organize schedules for multiple teachers.
Solution: The objectives that this course addressed were to have learners:
Create, edit, and delete music lessons from the Music Center's Google Calendar.
Add important information to lessons (such as times and links).
Set up recurring lessons so that they appear on the Google Calendar every week.
Learning Materials: The course contains an edited screencast video, an infographic, a skills-based assessment, and a knowledge-based assessment.
Results: "Front-end" employees were able to gain the skills needed to seamlessly transition from one system to the other.
Needs Analysis -
Level Of Engagement In Learners
My Role: Consulting Analyst and Researcher
Client: University of Massachusetts - Amherst
Collaborators: Kevin Dolfin and Joseph Ricker
Tools Used for Project: Tableau, Google Docs
Challenge: The level of disengagement from learners in an undergraduate Music Appreciation course seemed to be increasing.
Solution: My colleagues and I conducted a needs analysis where we observed four class sessions and collected quantitative and qualitative data. We measured the amount of on-task vs off-task activity that was done by the learners during a class session. We created follow-up solutions according to the data.
Results: The data revealed that the average level of engagement from learners was 68%. The goal would be to get 90% engagement in the next semester. In supporting this goal, suggestions were made to help increase learner engagement with the addition of learner-centric instruction models such as Flipped Classroom.
