Instructional Design
Science Please! Educational Game
Client: National Film Board of Canada
Dates: Nov. 2004 – June 2012
Challenge:
- Teach abstract science concepts to elementary school students, ages 9-12.
- Help promote the NFB animated series “Science Please!” with target audience of elementary school students and teachers.
Concepts and Methods:
- Workshop concept: a quiz-style audience participation “serious game”, inspired by children’s quiz shows on TV. Blend of moderated questions, team-based challenges, also featuring clips from the “Science Please!” animated series.
- Design: Development of two different workshop frameworks, from the same quiz game premise: teams competing for points. Creation of quiz questions by category. Design of team-work science experiments, centred on the demonstration of key concepts from natural science.
- Prototype: Testing of two different frameworks with test groups, in French and English. Re-calibration of difficulty level of quiz questions. Redesign of four scheduled “experiments” during game. Addition of live camera feed, for entertainment value, and “live TV” feel. Testing of activity in two different workshop space, with facilities. Creation of workshop logistic framework, and design of facilitator’s manual.
Outcomes:
Science Please! educational workshop, official launch in spring 2005 at the NFB Montreal CinéRobothèque. The workshop was successfully delivered to over 75 visiting groups during the period of 2005-2012.
Sample: workshop facilitator’s manual.
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Open in new tab Stop Frame Educational Workshop
Client: National Film Board of Canada
Date: Oct 2009 – June 2012
Challenge:
- Provide film criticism tools to high school and college-level students.
- Teach media literacy skills from the standpoint of real-world film production constraints and challenges.
Concepts and Methods:
- Workshop concept: reverse-engineer a finished film, working in small groups as different roles of a film crew: producer, director, editor, marketing… and film critics!
- Design : design a workshop framework as a toolkit of activities aligned with learning outcomes. Template based group work, with activity instructions. “Group findings” presentations for the final part of the workshop. Support for both introverts and extrovert personalities in both (team-work and group presentation) parts of the workshop.
- Prototype : develop workshop format with practical constraints of visiting groups and workshop delivery resources in mind. Revise workshop templates and activity instructions for better UX. Work with NFB marketing to better hone messaging and key vocabulary for target audience.
Outcomes:
Stop Frame! Educational Workshop for high school and college-level groups. Over two dozen groups attended this workshop at the Montreal CinéRobotheque between fall 2010 and spring 2012.
N.B. Sample activity templates available in French only.
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