Using Animation to Get Learners on the Same Page

Streamed Session

Session Materials

Brief Abstract

How can you provide foundational information while engaging learners? Animations built with storytelling in mind! After viewing an explainer animation created to teach junior faculty about promotion and tenure, and discussing decisions made during their production, attendees will begin planning their own animated stories for learning.

Presenters

Lead Presenter: Dina Kurzweil, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences

Dr. Kurzweil is the Director of the ETI and has worked at USU since 2006. In this capacity, she provides strategic direction for the ETI, instructional and educational technology support for faculty, supervision of ETI personnel, and management of the ETI office. Prior to that, she worked at the National Defense University providing direction and vision of the instructional team supporting the Center for Educational Technology. She also is a faculty member in the Health Professions Education program at USU. She has served on numerous committees and task forces examining a wide range of topics including educational technologies, inter-professional education, professional development for K12 and higher education faculty, learning management systems, program assessment and evaluation, instructional design, and teaching/faculty support paradigms. Dr. Kurzweil has presented at international, national, and regional conferences, including American Educational Research Association (AERA), multiple conferences offered by the Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education, The Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation & Education Conference (I/ITSEC), the Open Apereo (Sakai) Conference and AAMC.

Co-presenter: Lynette Hamlin, Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences

Co-presenter: Simone Fary, Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences

Simone Fary, MA is an instructional designer/media producer with the Henry M. Jackson Foundation in support of the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences Education & Technology Innovation (ETI) Support Office. She has over 30 years of experience developing educational media such as online learning, websites, instructional videos, webinars, eBooks, and other digital media. She has created assorted training products on a range of topics including nursing education, refugee resettlement, adult learning theory and practice, behavioral health, substance abuse. She is also an award-winning documentary film producer/director.

Co-presenter: Karen Marcellas, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences

Dr. Marcellas has more than fifteen years of experience in designing instruction for classroom-based, DL and blended learning environments. Her main role at the ETI is ensuring that the team understands faculty members’ needs, and that the team designs and develops products that meet those needs. Her work at the ETI has included front-end analysis, content design, course evaluation, and conducting research on instructional interventions. She has led professional development sessions at USU on topics including the development of effective learning objectives, the use of Bloom’s Taxonomy to guide assessment, and techniques for creating an effective learning environment. Dr. Marcellas has been involved with many instructional and educational technology initiatives at National Defense University (NDU) as well as USUHS. Dr. Marcellas is the co-author of "Instructional Designers and Learning Engineers", a chapter in the book "Modernizing Learning: Building the Future Learning Ecosystem." She has made presentations at numerous national and international conferences, including the American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, the Association of American Medical Colleges Annual Meeting, the Online Learning Consortium Accelerate Conference, the Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation, and Education Conference, the Open Apereo (Sakai) Conference, Educause, the IC Industry Consortium on Learning Engineering Conference (ICICLE), and the Association for Advancement of Computing in Education's E-Learn and EdMedia Conferences.

Co-presenter: Linda Macaulay, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences

Dr. Linda Macaulay is an instructional designer with HJF in support of the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences (Bethesda, MD). She has over 15 years of experience teaching in online, blended, and traditional higher education programs. Before coming to the university, she was an Assistant Director of Instructional Technology, she taught graduate and undergraduate educational technology courses and was also an elementary teacher for eleven years. Her background in leadership for change, technology, and learning theory provides a broad base of knowledge to support faculty as they work to enhance their face-to-face, blended, and online courses with innovative teaching strategies and technology. She states that she is a "teacher first, techie second" because it is good teaching and course design that makes all the difference for student success. She lives in Landisville, PA with her son and pets and enjoys listening to Kenny Roger's music and spending time with her family to unplug and recharge. Look for her around the OLC Conference buzzing about in her red mobility scooter!

Extended Abstract

Are you one of the many people who find using video to be an effective and engaging way to learn new skills and deepen knowledge? Educators at all levels have observed how audio-visual content is gaining popularity in the dissemination and acquisition of knowledge (Schneiders, 2020). Videos are increasingly used both as sources of information and as learning tools (Kramer & Bohrs, 2016). Explainer videos in particular have been shown to improve the knowledge level of viewers (Kramer & Bohrs, 2016). They can increase learning by combining storytelling with the presentation of facts (Schorn, 2022). A compelling narrative engages and activates the learners’ brains (Kramer & Bohrs, 2016).

This presentation will introduce the audience to some of the factors to consider when developing videos for educational purposes, with a focus on animated explainer videos. Animations can be particularly effective in providing a visual way to simplify complex concepts and processes (Williamson and Abraham as cited in F. Learning Studio, 2021). They excel at capturing attention and engaging learners (Neelakandan, 2020).  They can illustrate phenomena that the human eye can not process (F. Learning Studio, 2021). Adding animations to your curriculum can also provide welcome variety for your learners.

In this interactive session participants will:

  • Examine considerations for making explainer animations.
  • Discuss ways to identify  the kinds of topics that might be suitable for animated explainer videos. 
  • Explore different types of stories that can be told.
  • Make design decisions about hypothetical animated explainer videos.
  • Begin planning their own animated explainer video.

You will hear from a team of instructional designers and media developers along with faculty who have partnered with the team to develop animations. We will screen an animation created to teach junior faculty about promotion and tenure, and we will elaborate on key considerations during the production process, from conception to implementation. Attendees will engage in dialogue on topics important to their  institutions that might make suitable subjects for animated explainer videos.

Attendees will get some practice making design decisions. First they will explore different approaches to style and tone by examining and classify samples provided. Then they will learn about different types of story formats and determine their suitability for specific projects. Finally, they will participate in a discussion about how to apply the principles they used in making these decisions to their own educational content. 

References

Animation Vs Live Action: Which One Is For Your Project? - F. Learning Studio. (2021, November 17). F. Learning Studio. Retrieved April 18, 2023. https://flearningstudio.com/animation-vs-live-action-videos/ 

Champoux, J. E. (2001). Animated Films as a Teaching Resource. Journal of Management Education, 25(1), 79–100. https://doi.org/10.1177/105256290102500108 - abstract is here: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/105256290102500108?journalCode=jmed 

F. Learning Studio, (2021, June 25) How to Use Animation in eLearning - F. Learning Studio. https://flearningstudio.com/use-animation-in-elearning/

Kayler, L. K., Dolph, B., Seibert, R., Keller, M., Cadzow, R., & Feeley, T. H. (2020). Development of the living donation and kidney transplantation information made easy (KidneyTIME) educational animations. Clinical Transplantation, 34(4), e13830.

Abstract and link to article are found here - https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/ctr.13830 

Krämer, A., & Böhrs, S. (2016, December 8). How do consumers evaluate explainer videos? an empirical study on the effectiveness and efficiency of different explainer video formats. Journal of Education and Learning. Retrieved April 12, 2023, from https://www.ccsenet.org/journal/index.php/jel/article/view/64096

Lucas, T., & Abd Rahim, R. (2017). The Similarities and Nuances of Explicit Design Characteristics of Well-Received Online Instructional Animations. Animation, 12(1), 80–99. https://doi.org/10.1177/1746847717690671
Abstract for this article - https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1746847717690671?journalCode=anma

Neelakandan, N. (2020, October 9). How Animation-Based Learning Can Improve Your Online Courses. What Are the Benefits of Animation-Based Learning? - eLearning Industry. https://elearningindustry.com/how-animation-based-learning-can-benefit-online-courses

Schorn A (2022) Online explainer videos: Features, benefits, and effects.Front. Commun. 7:1034199.doi: 10.3389/fcomm.2022.1034199.

Schneiders. (2020). What Remains in Mind? Effectiveness and Efficiency of Explainers at Conveying Information. Media and Communication, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.17645/mac.v8i1.2507

Smith, D., McLaughlin, T. & Brown, I. (2012). 3-D Computer Animation vs. Live-Action Video: Differences in Viewers’ Response to Instructional Vignettes. Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 12(1), 41-54. Waynesville, NC USA: Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education. Retrieved April 13, 2023 from https://www.learntechlib.org/primary/p/37618/.