eLearning Modules for Agape Animal Rescue & Training Center
TL/DR:
This eLearning module was created for Agape Animal Rescue and Training Center's new foster dog-parent onboarding program.
In creating this module, I used ADDIE and backwards design to create a tabbed interaction with life-like scenarios to prepare foster parents for socializing their foster dog.
The software/tools involved in this project included Google Docs, Slides, and Meet, Articulate Storyline, Review 360, and FreePik for images.
The full process:
This is the first module that I worked on for Agape Animal Rescue and Training Center. They are creating an 11-module eLearning course for new foster dog-parents to help streamline the onboarding process. There are five instructional designers working on separate modules, and we conference via Google Meet once a week to speak to our SMEs (at Agape), provide status updates on our modules, and problem solve.
To create my module, I was initially provided a Google Doc with paragraphs of information about how to socialize dogs with new people, other pets, and different places; this document also included scenarios that had been created by a former ID working on the project. Everything was in paragraph form, so I needed to chunk the information down into the most relevant content for the learner.
I began by creating a text-based storyboard for the project on Google Slides. I knew I wanted to use a templated tab interaction from the style guide to present the main criteria for proper socialization within the three categories (people, pets, places). I then moved into the scenarios, where I revised the previously written content by telling a story; I created a foster dog named Lucy and painted the various interactions she and her foster parent navigated.
I then moved into rapid development of the module within Articulate Storyline. I used the detailed style guide to create the first slides, pulling custom slides from the Slide Master and incorporating chosen fonts, colors, button states, and spacing into my module, As I shared my information on Review 360, I was able to get immediate feedback from the lead ID to begin making revisions. Working off of that feedback, I created a carousel for the information on the tabbed interaction to break up the text and allow room for an image to accompany the written content.
To go along with the scenarios, I utilized a character from within Articulate's software and a dog previously used in another module. Using mad skills with the "curved line" in Google Slides, I created a harness and leash to demonstrate proper outdoor behaviors for a dog and its owner (I am very proud of my efforts here). I included a variety of background images from Articulate and FreePik to set the stage for each scenario.
An additional element to the scenarios is the mentor character, Evangeline. She introduces the scenarios, and then she hides in the bottom-right corner, but with one click, she will pop back into view with information to guide the learner throughout the scenario and in picking the best answer choice. Combining the mentor character with detailed feedback on each answer choice helps reinforce the guidelines for socialization to better prepare the learner for real-life situations with their foster dog.
Special Note:
So far, Agape's owners are excited with the modules as they come together. This eLearning is an active work in progress, and our team's hope is to have it wrapped up by the end of June 2023. As onboarding foster-parents begin to view the modules, we will seek their feedback for suggested improvements and act accordingly.
TL/DR:
This eLearning module was also created for Agape Animal Rescue and Training Center.
To design this module, I took more of a SAM approach, moving quickly to drafting in Articulate Storyline; I also leaned heavily into scenario-based learning to help the user walk through the adoption process by making decisions as the foster parent of a dog up for adoption.
The software/tools involved in this project included Google Docs, Slides, and Meet, Articulate Storyline, Review 360, and FreePik and Adobe Illustrator for the images.
The full process:
This is my second module for Agape's eLearning to onboard new foster-dog parents. I was again provided with a Google Doc with information outlining the four steps of the adoption process from our SME's (at Agape). For this project, I needed to create the scenarios to accompany the core information, so that's where I started.
I gave my foster dog a name, Piper, and a future dog-mom, Jill. From there, I built each scenario around Jill asking her colleague (the foster-parent) about the process to adopt Piper. After I drafted my scenarios, questions, answer choices, and responses, I shared the Google Doc with the SME's at Agape to get their input on what I had drafted. After their seal of approval, I completed my text-based storyboard then went into Articulate.
I really leaned in to animation within Articulate, having the four-steps of adoption time in, and then time out to my mentor character answering FAQs about the adoption process. I wanted to present the information as conversationally as possible. After the FAQs, the user moves right into the scenarios.
Again, my goal with the scenario-based learning was to have the user learn by doing; one must make the best choices for how to respond as the foster-dog parent during the process. A wrong answer is accompanied by a realistic consequence and redirects the user back to the scenario to pick a better option, and at any point, the user may click the mentor character's image at the bottom-right of the screen to get some guidelines.
Again, posting my iteration of this project on Review 360 allowed me to receive immediate feedback from the lead ID so I could work on revisions as I continued development. One thing she requested was that I change the icons from the Four Steps slide from black to the brown color of our style guide. Enter Adobe Illustrator.
This was my first experience working with Adobe Illustrator, but I learned my way around utilizing it to edit my graphics downloaded from FreePik. First, I used it to alter Piper's facial expressions in various stances so I could vary the images on each screen. Then, after watching some videos on altering icon color, I was able to change the icons to match the Style Guide. See the video below to watch that learning process.
As previously mentioned, I really leaned into Storyline's animation features in this project, and incorporated the motion-path animation for the speech bubbles to mimic the words coming out of the mentor's mouth. I also incorporated media into this project, using two sounds bites at the end to have the user "take a picture" of Piper on her adoption day, and on the following slide, the picture "prints" as if it were a polaroid. Overall, I was really proud of the creative aspects that I incorporated into this module.
A Course Within Articulate Rise
The Process:
I wanted/needed to create a course on Articulate Rise, so I chose a prompt from The Book of Briefs and gave it a go! The prompt in particular was about creating a knowledge check using multiple choice and/or multiple response, so I took it a step further by creating the content and the knowledge check.
The Book of Briefs provided the content, but I used my knowledge of Rise's "blocks" to chunk the content into bite-size sections for the learner. Like my previous Storyline project, I storyboarded my ideas in a Google Doc. Since the goal of this training is to educate onboarding employees, and they must score 85% or above on a knowledge check, I created the questions first and then worked backwards from there to fill in all of the knowledge blocks.
I love the variety of interactive ways in which we can import information in Articulate Rise. I created flashcards for Health and Hygiene, a tabbed interaction for Food Preparation and Storage, a sorting activity for allergenic foods, and easily plugged in the knowledge check questions and answers. I stayed on theme by incorporating stock images of cupcakes from the same contributor on Unsplash. I felt that using the same set of professional images contributed to making this training more realistic.
Once all of the content was in place, I edited the themes and colors to make the training user-friendly and accessible. This training was then added to my Talent LMS account and extracted to a web-friendly version for this portfolio website.
