To say this class has broadened my technology and learning scope is a

definite understatement, I am thoroughly impressed by the personal and

professional gains I have made in my journey in EDUC 767 Before taking this
class I had little to no experience with the creation, development and
implementation of Computer Based Training or the authoring tools; except
for PowerPoint. This is one of the main reasons I chose Articulate Storyline for
my RLO. I also liked some of the opportunities available to me to create my
Knowledge Checks. To be honest I did not know where this class would lead
me and I was a bit intimidated, however; after eight weeks of intense study
along with a somewhat steep learning curve I made it and have expanded
my toolbox. I am no longer as intimidated, but intrigued to delve deeper
and cannot wait to use the skills I learned here in my future career.
The RLO I developed for this course was a continuation of the topic,
The Low Level English Literacy Interview Workshop in EDUC 765. At the
completion of the last class I had some idea of how I could adapt a smaller
piece of the content and create a fully functioning and interactive RLO that
would allow learners the opportunity to learn about two of the most
important players of an interview: interviewers and interviewees, before
setting foot in the real thing. I was excited!
When deciding what content to include and the time the learners
would spend in the course, I was mindful of my target audience who are low
level literacy learners who have had limited experience operating a

computer. As I continued in the development process I was unsure how or

what I wanted to include in the branching component of the RLO. I knew I
needed to keep in mind that some of the learners would have background
knowledge about the 2 major players of an Interview, while others would be
experiencing it for the first time. Therefore, I created a branching scenario,
which provided basic definitions, history, information and reflection questions
for learners who needed more background before going to the main course in
the RLO. The final RLO allows the information learned about interviewers
and interviewees to be applied to the individual players, the process, and
real life.
In the same way I needed to be aware of the background knowledge
and skills of my target audience for the branching scenario and when it came
to assessments. Repetition, ample feedback and practice is good for any
learner, but especially for those with low-literacy skills. Therefore when
designing the Knowledge Checks for the RLO, I deliberately placed a
knowledge check where content chunking made sense. This will help to
decrease learners overload and increase their confidence that will have a
positive effect on the RLO experience. My assessments or Knowledge
Checks are very interactive and contain simple, straight forward language
and instructions. Learners must get all of the Knowledge Checks correct
before they are allowed to move forward. This ensures that they master the
material before they can move on. The final Knowledge Check makes sure
that the learners can effectively apply what they have learned to real life.

Flow charting and storyboarding were two new, but very effective tools
that this class brought to the forefront for me. Doing the flowchart allowed
me to begin to visualize what the RLO would look like and what it would do.
It allowed me to start thinking more seriously about how I would organize the
content and graphics. This lead itself very nicely into the concept of
storyboarding. I felt very invigorated when completing my storyboard. I was
able to explore and express my creativity by developing a storyboard, while
also keeping in mind the needs of my target audience and stay organized
personally as the developer of ID!
Developing the story board allowed me to look at the navigation both
overall and within individual components of the RLO. I decided to give the
learner the ability to go forward and back by including a previous and next
button. This allows learners to review or revisit content as they feel is
needed. For the Knowledge Checks learners must hit the submit button. In
order to move forward learners must complete them with 100% accuracy.
This ensures that learners truly master the material before moving on.
In EDUC 766, I was intrigued when I got my feet wet with ALT tags and
audio; two elements related to accessibility and Universal Design. I was
excited for the opportunity to take it one step further in this class. I was
pleasantly surprised at how user friendly Articulate Storyline when it came to
implanting these elements. I had to update my audio using a headset to
increase the clarity of my speech, watch tutorials, and talk to my partner
about adding ALT tags to images, but these very important elements were

easy for me as the ID and developer to include. I look forward to learn more
about more accessibility features in the future.
Like anything there is always room for improvement and that included
the RLO. A usability test or set of standard questions is given to potential
users to clear up areas of confusion and technical difficulties before the RLO
is ready for production. My partner and instructor both provided useful
feedback by way of my usability test. One specific piece of feedback I
implemented was to include audio within Knowledge Check directions. This
will not only benefit the learners, but it keeps the RLO consistent. Another
piece of feedback I implemented was hiding and adding more feedback
slides to the menu. This will benefit the learners experience all around.
This course again proved that ID and development can be both
creative and systematic. If I end up working in a smaller company who views
me as the ID, CBT Developer and Project Manager, this class has shown me
that although it is a challenging balancing act, I can do it! I can now create
a flowchart, develop a storyboard, write a usability test and create a SCORM
Compliant RLO. I cannot wait to learn and use more authoring tools,
accessibility features and experience a project management team! I believe
all of these skills will make me a very effective future ID professional!