Creating a Interactive Learning Tutorial on a Budget

1. Phase 1: Writing a Script • Develop a topic • Discuss what to write • Create Learning Objectives • Begin writing script • Starting Your Research (02:52) • Background Reading (03:42) • Forming a Search Statement (04:27) • Database Selection (01:26) • Database Searching (04:00) • Article Selection (01:36) • Article Access and Evaluation (04:10) • Internet Resources and Evaluation (01:32) • Citation and Plagiarism (02:00) • Conclusion (02:39) Phase 2: Developing a Product • Create slides while the script is being revised • Pre-made images save time and money. • Images for the tutorial included: • Microsoft Office Clipart • Clipart acquired via University licensing agreements • Text was added to highlight the concept being taught. • Create games (we used Macromedia Flash as it is licensed by the University) Using Adobe Captivate and Flash, clipart graphics, and library staff members to “voice” the characters, the story unfolds as Quentin works with “Mike,” the librarian, moving through the research process. Learning is reinforced through interactive learning activities and a final assessment quiz based on the learning outcomes is also included. Course instructors who insert this tutorial into their WebTycho online classrooms can have the final assessment quiz scores automatically emailed to them. Writing a Script Module Element Quiz Engine Game Element Review Lessons Learned Integration / Approval • Be Flexible, especially with the timeline, the script, staff change and the technology. There are always alternatives. • Be Selective – It is impossible to create a product that everyone likes. • Be Patient – Some steps may take longer than other, particularly when you need to involve other departments. • Plan for maintenance – it will be ongoing and time consuming, chiefly when using database screenshots and searches • Make sure you work with the “right” departments. At our university, web materials policies and standards are more important than instructional design. Phase 3: Testing and Receiving Feedback Completion and Roll-out • Present tutorial and solicit feedback (our groups included library staff and the School of Undergraduate Studies) • Resolve any issues, such as production mistakes, timing and explanation of the concepts. • Test functionality of the games and the quiz. • Work out technology bugs (Technology details had to be worked out to ensure all the students took the tutorial before leaving UMUC and their scores were sent to their instructors to get credit.) Creating a Interactive Learning Tutorial on a Budget Megan A. Davis & Kee-Young Moon • What you need • Hardware : Librarians (technical knowledge helpful) • Software : Adobe Captivate (main), Macromedia Flash (optional) Overview To address different learning styles and to meet the needs of our distance education learners, Information and Library Services at UMUC created Secrets of My Research Success, a self-paced interactive tutorial with game-like qualities to teach students information literacy concepts. This tutorial, a cross-team initiative created entirely in-house, models the research process via a story. Watch the tutorial at http://www.umuc.edu/library/tutorials/RPT/rpt.shtml • Utilize other scripting languages such as Perl and Java, if you can do it. Otherwise, games and quizzes can also be created using Adobe Captivate. • Recruit actors and record script • Continue revising script • Utilize library liaisons to get your tutorial “out” .(We were able to get the quiz embedded in several online classrooms, including the entry level graduate management classes.) • Make it visible on the website. Tutorial Module1 Game1 Module2 … Game2 Quiz • Insert games between modules to make the learning process engaging. • Include an assessment device (A quiz with 15 questions, randomly generated from a pool of 40 questions, is presented at the end of the tutorial) Conclusion University of Maryland University College, Information and Library Services www.umuc.edu/library