ABOUT THE PROJECT: I used Articulate 360 to create this module: Police Response to a Domestic Violence Call. The content of the modules comes from my own research and feedback from a couple police officers I know.
View module: The Most Dangerous Call; Police Response to a Domestic Violence Call.
THE DESIGN: I was very interested in trying a “comic book” style. The Articulate community had included this idea in one of their amazing weekly challenges and I wanted to try it. I wanted to create a scenario-based learning situation, so that the learner had to make decisions in the heat of danger and conflict. The “training” would be embedded within the narrative, which would include branching. Not every learner will see the same scenes, but what they do see depends on how they answer the scenario questions. If they make a decision the narrative follows the consequences of that decision. We learn from mistakes in real life and eLearning can afford the same experience – except that in a game no one dies as a result of somebody’s poor decision.
FEATURES: This module includes: Narrative technique used to tell a story. Comic book theme, alternative-branching scenarios, interactive quizzes built into the narrative. Four decision/question scenes, each at a critical point in the narrative. However, only one decision scene is available for this online preview.
THE DESIGN PROCESS: I researched the topic and wrote all the copy for the module. I shot original photography of houses and various scenes when I couldn’t find stock photos to suit my purpose. I designed all the graphics and artwork using Adobe Photoshop. I am pleased with how my title screen turned out. It sets the right mood. I built the interactions in Articulate 360.
RESEARCH for Style: I had read Scott McCloud’s Understanding Comics, The Invisible Art. For this project I read from his book, Making Comics, Storytelling Secrets of Comics, Manga and Graphic Novels. I also read The DC Comics Guide to Creating Comics, Inside the Art of Visual Storytelling, by Carl Potts. It is clear to me that instructional designers who want to improve their craft can learn a lot from studying comic book artists and writers.
RESEARCH of Topic: I researched the topic online. There are many good articles on this topic. Much of the subject matter content for this module came from the Newsletter of the Police Executive Research Forum, Vol. 29, No 1, January/February 2015.
TOOLS USED: Articulate 360, Adobe Photoshop.
People on Linkedin.com game me some helpful and positive feedback on this module.
