Designing Instructional Interventions

Criteria: Evidence of utilizing the best instructional strategies (scaffolding, modeling, cooperative learning, case studies, service learning, etc.) based on the instructional goals and learning outcomes of a project.

Artifact: Course Design Document

Reflection

For the competency “Identify instructional strategies that align with instructional goals and anticipated learning outcomes,” I am using a course design document that I originally created for a class and later applied in a real-world training program. I am using a course design document that I originally created for a class, but renamed to be used in a real-world training program. This course design document provides background information on a course I created while serving as a training manager for the Navy. The main objective of this artifact was to give an overview of the course I was proposing to create.

I chose this artifact because it illustrates the different aspects of how I reached conclusions about a training program for the Maritime Operations Center Training Officer. While preparing this document, I developed learning outcomes and learning objectives. I also explained the learning level I believed this course was at. Additionally, I provided details on course delivery and the assessment materials. All of these elements offer a clear explanation of how this course would be conducted.

The course combined various training methods. The prerequisite was a two-week interactive web-based course that combined online instructor-led sessions with interactive e-learning modules. The main course was a two-week, instructor-led program concluding with a scenario-based exercise. To graduate, students had to attend the entire two weeks and pass the final scenario.

When I created this course design document, it was originally for an assignment. As I continued developing it, I identified a potential use for the actual MOC officer. I ultimately briefed my supervisors on this idea, and they approved it. The fact that an assignment became a training program indicates that this document was written with the intention that my supervisors would use it as an actual course.

This experience with this artifact did two things for me. From an instructional design perspective, it taught me how to use learning methods to develop an instructional strategy for a real-world setting. This artifact was also the first time I fully understood the importance of an instructional design background when developing a course. The one thing I would have done differently was to actually pilot the course. I built this course and, due to operational constraints, we launched it rather than conduct a pilot. I was fixing things while the course was going, and usually a pilot gives you that grace period.

Criteria: Evidence of implementing interactional pieces of design (user experience, design and balance, efficiency, and understanding the interface) in the development of instructional materials.

Artifact: Lynn Dixion Case Study and link to interactive draft

Reflection

For the competency of “applying appropriate interaction design and interactive learning principles,” I used my reflective case analysis of the Lynn Dixon wetlands kiosk project as the artifacts. The artifact included the report and a link to a draft of the interactive training.

I chose these artifacts because they prompted me to consider how interaction design affects user experience, learning outcomes, and accessibility for a diverse audience at The Aquarium in Cairns. The project required balancing stakeholders’ desire for engaging multimedia with constraints such as budget, time, and technology, which shifted my focus toward creating meaningful, learner-centered interactions rather than just decorative features.

In these artifacts, I explained how I would organize the kiosk interactions around simple, modular pathways designed for different user groups, such as children, seniors, experts, and international visitors, to support efficient navigation and minimize cognitive overload. I suggested features such as large touch targets, high-contrast visuals, and clear entry points for each audience segment, demonstrating attention to accessibility, interface clarity, and the physical limitations of a public exhibit space. I also stressed the importance of aligning interactivity with the content hierarchy—focusing on core wetlands concepts and meaningful stories rather than optional animations or “special effects”—to keep a balance between engagement and educational focus.

The artifact also demonstrates my ability to incorporate user experience considerations into the overall instructional design process by proposing an iterative stakeholder feedback loop using early prototypes and sample interactions. By encouraging cycles of testing and review with SMEs, clients, and representative users, I demonstrate an understanding of how usability testing, feedback on interface clarity, and observing user behavior can improve both the efficiency and effectiveness of kiosk design.

This experience strengthened my understanding that interaction design is inseparable from context, content scope, and stakeholder communication. I saw how content overload, misaligned expectations, and limited budgets can easily lead to cluttered, confusing interfaces if interaction design is not deliberately constrained and negotiated. If I were to revise or extend this artifact, I would develop more concrete examples of screen flows and interaction patterns, such as specific menu structures or scaffolded exploration paths, and explicitly map them to user groups and learning objectives.

Link to interactive artifact draft: https://view.genially.com/6925e4caeb4fe7034fd2799d/guide-cairns-aquarium