Edufolio Media Tutorials
 

REFLECTIVE STATEMENT
Describe: These tutorials for students were developed for the rollout of a new course management system, Edufolio, in the fall of 2004. As the instructional designer, I needed to find a way to introduce the student body to a new system being phased into the curriculum. Along with written (pdf) instructions for basic tasks such as how to log in, retrieve password, change password, and upload files, I created and narrated short movies of each of these tasks. I used Camtasia to capture screen action and narration of the above mentioned tasks, and rendered the movies in Flash, QuickTime and Windows Media Player, giving the student four options, including the pdf documents, with which to access, view, and read the tutorials.

As part of the Edufolio rollout campaign each student received information in various forms about the course management system and was directed to the online tutorials for reference. Marketing efforts of the tutorials consisted of postal mail, email, and on-campus marketing with flyers and easy reference bookmarks containing the tutorials' URL.

Currently, the tutorials exist on the web site as a reference for current students, faculty and staff. They are used extensively during each quarter’s orientation session for new students.

Analyze: I included this artifact in my portfolio because it demonstrates my development and implementation of a technology-enriched learning environment in the form of online reference tutorials. It also demonstrates my ability to choose appropriate technology for the purpose of introducing and referencing basic Edufolio tasks in an online environment. The slight variety of tutorial format ensures that all students have an opportunity to get the information in their preferred media format. This artifact also relates to theEdufolio content management system artifact.

Appraise: Effectiveness of the online tutorials is indicated in part by the absence of help desk requests for the topics covered by the tutorials. Web site usage statistics also indicate that the tutorials are being accessed, most noticeably during the first part of each new quarter which coincides with a new incoming class. Over a six month period of time I have informally surveyed incoming students on their usage and satisfaction of the tutorials. I asked students to comment on Edufolio, as well as the tutorials, in an online forum within the structure of Edufolio. Due to the comments which indicate high levels of satisfaction, I believe these tutorials are effective for the purpose intended.

The greatest strength of this artifact is that the media tutorials were quick, specific to the task at hand, and easily accessible. Another strength was ensuring that students would be able to view, listen and/or read the tutorials in their preferred format. I believe that the quality of the artifact was enhanced because I accomplished these goals.

I found that using Camtasia to record the tutorial once, and then rendering it in various formats was very simple, and I will use this application again because it offers such a variety of media formats from which to choose.

Transform: Introducing a new system and teaching tool into the instructional process is always challenging, and this was no exception. Being a one-person department, there was no feasible way to hold physical workshops for 500 students, even over a period of time to introduce them to this new application, so I decided to create the tutorials and phase in the learning curve over time. A year and a half later, I am happy with that decision and the subsequent outcome.

Having taught Edufolio workshops to faculty for instructor-side skills for months prior to creating these tutorials gave me an appreciation for learning the basics of Edufolio through the eyes of a student. As instructional designer, I am in charge of both sides of the course management system, so it was imperative that I learned the system from the student end-user side.

I also developed a greater appreciation for scripting narration prior to recording tutorials! Even if you know your subject well, it doesn’t hurt to have it scripted for reference. I learned the power of Camtasia, and look forward to utilizing it more in the future. I’m satisfied with my decision to include the tutorials in four formats, and Camtasia was the reason I was able to create three of those formats with ease.

While the tutorials were initially designed for student usage, I found that faculty and staff, who had the benefit of being introduced to Edufolio in workshops, were also utilizing the media tutorials on the web site. This has proven helpful as new faculty and staff are hired; after completing the new hire workshops, I can direct them to the online tutorials for reference.

As Edufolio releases new features for instructor and student, I hope to record more streaming media tutorials to expand the Edufolio online tutorial library.