ID Brief for Final Project IST 526 V4

Title or Topic of Module/Lesson: Southern Sea Otters

Date this Design Created/Modified: 4/01/2016
Designers Name: Dana Payne
Time: 8-10 minutes

General Overview/Need:
Southern Sea Otters are a keystone species. A keystone species has a more profound impact on
the local ecosystem than all other species within their environment. The southern sea otters
steady diet of undersea creatures prevents those creatures from wiping out the kelp forest, an
essential source of food and cover for marine animals near the coast. Hunted to presumed
extinction for their dense fur by the early 1900s, approximately 50 sea otters were discovered off
the coast of Big Sur in the 1930s. Since then, the California Sea otter population has
experienced a slow and steady climb. Sea Otters are on the endangered species list. Adults and
children of all ages need to know what to do and not do when coming in close proximity to a sea
otter. For the otter, it could be a matter of life or death. For the human, it is simply the matter of
knowing what the right thing to do and doing it, or risk running afoul of the law.

Why a computer should teach it:

Interactive e-Learning is an excellent method to provide information by the computer and mobile
device such as a tablet or cell phone. Information by the internet is essentially free, fast, and
inexpensive to disseminate as compared to printed pamphlets and tourist brochures.

Target Audience/Learners:
The Southern Sea Otter interactive e-Learning lesson is created for children and adults. The
Monterey Bay Area is a popular tourist destination including visitors from all over the world,
athletes, nature lovers, photographers and students.

Technical:
Access to the Internet is necessary. The Sea Otter interactive e-Learning lesson is designed to be
viewed by the computer and mobile devices including tablets and cell phones. A synopsis of key
points from this e-Learning module (along with a web-link to the module) could, however, be
printed in the local newspapers such as the Carmel Pinecone and the Monterey Weekly.

Conditions of Instruction:
There are no special considerations for learners. The training will take place on a computer or
mobile device in just about any setting with an internet connection.

Learning Objectives:
At the end of this interactive e-Learning lesson of the Sea Otter, the learners will be able to
1. Identify several of the Southern Sea Otters unique characteristics.
2. Recognize how the Sea Otters diet is vital for the local ecosystem.

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 3. Gain an appreciation for the history of the Southern Sea Otter as an endangered species.
4. Take appropriate steps to safeguard Sea Otters on or near the coast as well as offshore.
5. Call for assistance when encountering a distressed Sea Otter, including an orphaned pup.
6. Observe Sea Otters in action on one or more live Otter Cams.

Assessment Instruments:
This eLearning is not a requirement or mandated training. Because of this and the informal
nature of the content, assessment will also be informal to allow learners to assess whether or not
they have achieved the objectives. Feedback will be provided where assessment interactions are
used, but the learner will not be scored for pass or fail.

Instructional Strategies:
The e-learning lesson is created with the ADDIE model (Analyze, Design, Develop, Implement,
Evaluate) in mind.
The goal of effective instruction is not only to present information but also to encourage the
learner to engage in appropriate cognitive processing during learning (Clark & Mayer, 2011).
The e-Learning experience is carefully planned and designed to insure the learner receives the
correct amount and type information. From the results concluded from research on Cognitive
Theory, it is recommended that e-Learning courses include words and graphics. The learner will
retain more information when the correct graphic is accompanied by text in the lesson. The
Instructional Designer (ID) plans for and uses the graphics to promote effective
instruction. Graphics are not used just for aesthetics. Graphics are carefully selected to
complement the text in the lesson.
Another important goal of the ID is to avoid learner frustration by gradually introducing new
information vs overloading them with too much information too quickly. As an analogy, one can
compare e-Learning to building with blocks. When building with blocks, strong foundation is
made first, then built upon - one block at a time. The goal of effective instruction is not only to
present information but also to encourage the learner to engage in appropriate cognitive
processing during learning (Clark & Mayer, 2011).
Segmenting and using the pertaining principle is claimed to prevent learners from becoming
overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information on a given subject matter. When Mayer and
Chandler conducted the lightning lesson, they found that students who received segmented
presentations performed better on transfer tests than the learner who reviewed the entire
presentation, without breaks.
Clark & Mayer developed a listing of the five types of content: fact, concept, process, procedure,
and principle. This e-Learning model is primarily concerned with presentation of (sea otter
related) facts.

Instructional Resources:
(Sea Otter Background information)

Santa Cruz Sentinel. Environment Section. Elkhorn Slough is booming with baby otters.
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By Bethany Augliere. Posted 02/19/16. http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/environment-and-
nature/20160219/elkhorn-slough-is-booming-with-baby-otters

Domoic Acid Toxicity. Marine mammals Center diagnosed the first case of domoic acid
toxicosis in marine animals.
http://www.marinemammalcenter.org/science/top-research-projects/domoic-acid-
toxicity.html?referrer=https://www.google.com/

Friends of the Sea Otter
http://www.seaotters.org/checkoff/

Monterey Bay Aquarium: Saving Sea Otters.
http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/conservation/research/saving-sea-otters

Elkhorn Slough Foundation-Nonprofit Organization. Facebook Page
https://www.facebook.com/elkhornslough/

Elkhorn Slough
http://www.elkhornslough.org/sloughlife/mammals/sea_otter.htm

Otter 501. True story of an orphaned baby otter.
http://otter501.com/

Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve. http://www.elkhornslough.org/esnerr/

California Department of Fish and Wildlife. https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/