A Canvas Course on
2U's Learning Experience Framework
Context
In R541, a course on instructional development and production that I took in the spring of 2021, students were asked to design and develop an instructional intervention focusing on a few targeted production tools. I chose to familiarize myself with certain tools that my company had recently started using to create online learning experiences, including Panopto, H5P, Articulate Storyline, and Canvas. I decided to create a course that would help new hires understand and apply 2U's Learning Experience Framework (LXF).
Summary
As part of this project, I thought through the problem, audience, objectives, and context in a proposal; created a prototype; conducted user testing in a trial run; and revised the prototype based on feedback. Alongside the project, I completed tutorials on how to use some of the tools I would be using.
The course shell I created contained four modules: an overview module followed by one module for each of the three principles in the "Feel" category of the LXF. Modules contained a combination of text pages, discussion forums, videos, assignments, embedded files, linked resources, quizzes, and Storyline activities.
As part of the user testing, I had two learners engage with the course and provide feedback, which helped me identify areas for improvement in navigation, content, and functionality that I incorporated into the revised prototype.
Reflection
As a leader, it is very easy to become disconnected from the work that your team is doing, which can cause several issues. First, your strategies and directions may be built on misconceptions and not grounded in the reality of the design and development process. Second, you can lose the trust and respect of your team. While I don't think you need to design and develop everyday, I do think it is valuable to learn about the new tools that your team will be working with and get your hands dirty enough to be able to provide thought partnership and guidance, and to make sure that the big picture is connected to the concrete details.
I found it incredibly useful to learn the ins and outs of Canvas. It enabled me to guide my team as we began to build learning experiences in the Canvas environment. Understanding how H5P, Panopto, and Articulate Storyline work allowed me to have a perspective on what is possible and to have informed conversations with my team about how to use these tools in our work. Additionally, going through the process of prototyping and getting user feedback made me realize how essential that step is to the process, and allowed me to push for it to be included in our design and development process broadly.
Key Takeaways
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Instructional design: Creating this course gave me additional practice in designing an instructional intervention, considering the learners, context, and objectives. As the leader of a design team, it's essential that I keep these skills sharp.
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Content development: Creating the content for this course and building it in Canvas gave me hands-on experience with tools that my team used, allowing me to be a better coach and team leader.
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Iteration: Going through the process of gathering feedback on an early prototype and making revisions reminded me how much you can learn from the process, allowing me to advocate for broader systemic changes to incorporate feedback and iteration prior to initial launch.