Educational App & Online Course for Podcasting

Timeline 

The process of Developing the eLearning Course

I first came up with the concept idea of the course and presented it to the team as a solution to our issue of user engagement. I organized a roadmap for the project and then proceeded to do learner research. During this step, I organized surveys and focus groups to research learners' needs and expectations, and aligned those with the company's goals. After that, I started working on establishing course objectives based on learner research and Peerpod's needs.

Action Map

I worked with a Subject Matter Expert (SME) and together we defined the main goal for this eLearning course, and developed an action map. We established an indicator of success by tracking the learner’s engagement and UGC on the app.  We also defined and prioritized the key actions needed to help teachers and schools create and share educational podcasts and increase users’ engagement and content creation on the platform. 

I interviewed and surveyed various educators, and decided that the best way to deliver the content would be to use a bite-sized learning strategy, as well as a responsive eLearning platform that would allow learners to access the content from different devices. Once the actions were approved, I proceeded to create a text-based storyboard.

Storyboard

Action mapping helped us recognize the key tasks and actions, which I then utilized to create a text-based storyboard to use as an outline for the final course. As the storyboard progressed I also added graphics, multimedia links, and extra details where needed.

The course requires learners to acquire a lot of new information, in order to make sure learners do not feel overwhelmed, I decided to use a bite-sized learning strategy, as well as add gamified elements and feedback like scenarios, visual design, and rewards to maximize the user experience and motivate learners during the course. Another element I added was a character mentor to accompany the learner during their instruction journey. All of these elements help to support learners' retention, as well as to engage and motivate them and make an individual learning experience feel less isolating. Finally, I proposed a forum section on Peerpod’s web app where learners could share the final activities completed during the course (a podcast script, and an evaluation rubric) with each other, this allows learners to give peer feedback, and start establishing relationships for possible future podcasts collaborations between schools.

Visual Design

The development of the eLearning course followed the design guidelines that I created for Peerpod’s brand. While not explained in this portfolio, another role I fulfilled for Peerpod is UX/UI design of the website and app. That means I was in charge of creating the design of the web app and designing and developing the website. The format of the course had to follow the visual guidelines already established across platforms. Creating a professional and visually pleasing brand is essential in order to make a lasting impression on the audience, and to create an eLearning project that stands out in a crowded market.

I explored the fundamentals of how to create a brand, including choosing colors, logos, fonts, and imagery, and used my knowledge of UX/UI applied to eLearning. I also took into account the importance of consistency, and how to create an engaging and memorable user experience across platforms. My main goal was to create a cohesive style that is instantly recognizable and memorable, and that gives users a positive perception of the project, its mission, and values.

One change I did make in the course compared to the website was adding more real-life characters, instead of only cartoon ones. Peerpod's brand uses cartoon-style characters on the website and social media to show that it is a school/family-friendly digital space. But the eLearning course is only targeted to adults. When showed the first visual design concepts for the course to the team and potential users, they showed a preference for a slightly more mature style, which was achieved by deleting a few cartoon characters and elements, and replacing them with a real-life mentor character that accompanies the learner throughout the course. They responded very positively to this new style.

Development

The eLearning course for podcasting has a lot of content, so it was important to mix it with different media, resources, and strategies to keep learners engaged and motivated. Our target learners also expressed the importance of being able to access the course from different devices, since many of them used the time between activities to further their teaching education. For this reason, I decided to organize the content in small bite-size sections and used Rise 360. This tool might not allow as much personalization as Storyline 360, but it is more user-friendly, responsive, and intuitive for learners, it’s also the best tool for longer courses with more text-based content.

Job Aid

I also designed a downloadable job aid for the course learners, which can be downloaded once the learners finish the course. This job aid consists of summarized step-by-step instructions on the podcasting process, as well as checklists, worksheets, and reference guides that educators can print and use in their classrooms with their students.

Other Key Tasks

Working in a startup I had to wear multiple hats, working on the UX/UI and brand design, developing the web and eLearning course, managing the team, organizing the budget, communicating with stakeholders, setting deadlines, and making sure we meet those deadlines. I was also the spokesperson of the project, presenting it to multiple competitions that also provided free education in project and startup management. I personally presented and won the 1st prize in 2 out of the 3 competitions where I presented the project in front of juries of business experts and live audiences. The project was also awarded a 3-month Startup Management course by Babson College.

Course Outcomes and Recognition

• 2× 1st Prize Winner in international EdTech startup competitions

• Awarded a full-tuition scholarship from Babson College to complete a program in Business and Startup Management

• Featured in major national press outlets: La Vanguardia, Magisnet, Hechos de Hoy, University of Barcelona, Open University of Catalonia, etc.

• Improved engagement and retention metrics after platform migration and UX adjustments

Press Recognition

Here are a few national newspapers and magazines in Spanish that featured the project:

Key Takeaways

When I started this project my goal was to get more hands-on practice experience with different eLearning software tools and put my extensive knowledge of Educational Technology and eLearning into a practical project.  I'm a highly disciplined and motivated individual, so I was proud to see the project grow, gain interest and international recognition, and attract a small talented team to bring it to life.  I achieved my professional objectives with this project, becoming more skilled in a wide variety of designing tools for eLearning and UX/UI design, as well as the different processes of eLearning Design and Development (UX and UI design, user research, action mapping, storyboarding, prototyping, etc).

The most lengthy part of the project was the different research: users, market, UX/UI design applied to both the app and the course, etc. This process can be extensive and not fun at times, but it is of utmost importance to understand what needs to be done and delivered through the eLearning project. It also minimizes risks of potential failure and big changes, saving time and money in the future. Seeking constructive feedback and adjusting as I advanced was important to ensure the maximum quality of the project. For this reason, it's crucial to develop proper ways to collect and analyze user feedback.

I wish I could have worked more with Storyline 360 or Adobe, but I'm already working on improving my skills with these technologies with other projects, which will be soon available in my portfolio.  In the following projects, I hope to expand my experience with software tools, as well as work with more animation and characters.