One of the assessments for my Graduate Certificate in Education (Innovative Learning Design) studies was a response to a mock Request for Proposal from the eSafety Commissioner, which asks for a course aimed at parents of teens starting high school who feel unequipped to talk to their children about staying safe online.
As part of this major assignment, I created the ‘Having the hard conversations: Cyberbullying’ branching scenario as an example of Case-Based Learning (CBL). In the course, this activity is preceded by instruction on understanding online risks and behaviours, recognising changes in their child’s behaviour, strategies and approaches for opening the lines of communication and building trust and collaboration with their child.
My role on this project: Learning designer, developer, animator, editor, and scriptwriter.
Problem addressed: Many parents feel uncertain about how to discuss sensitive online issues with their children. The branching scenario immerses them in realistic decision-making and allows them to practice supportive conversations in a safe, simulated environment.
Note: A 20-minute video presentation located at the bottom of this page provides a detailed theoretical justification for this activity and outlines its integration within the proposed course.
Learning objective: By the end of this activity, learners will feel equipped to approach and have supportive conversations with their child if they suspect online bullying, and through this, they will also practice how to approach broader conversations about their child’s online presence. They will be equipped to raise sensitive issues, listen actively, and create an open, trusting dialogue, helping their child feel heard and supported.
Key features:
- Interactive video-driven branching scenario simulating a real-life situation.
- Learners assume the role of a parent and make decisions at critical moments, receiving feedback based on their choices.
- Reflective prompts encourage critical thinking and self-assessment.
- Immediate feedback shows the consequences of the learner’s decisions, with opportunities to course-correct in most cases.
- Scaffolded scenarios, arranged by difficulty, allow learners to build their skills progressively.
- Empathy-building elements with relatable characters and storytelling that enhance emotional engagement.
Technical implementation:
- The ‘fellow parent’ character introducing the activity was animated using Adobe Character Animator and voiced with TTSMaker.
- Developed in Articulate Storyline 360, which was chosen due to its versatility and ability to create the most visually engaging design.
- SCORM-compliant for seamless integration with Moodle LMS, allowing for detailed learner tracking and reporting.
- Accessibility features and mobile-responsive design to ensure the activity meets WCAG 2.0 AA standards.
Results:
- Provides parents with practical tools to open supportive dialogues with their children.
- Improves learner engagement through immersive, decision-based storytelling.
- Reinforced learning with reflective decision points and structured feedback loops.
Challenges and learning:
- Since the activity is intended to be part of the Australian government’s online ecosystem, it must meet the WCAG 2.0 AA standard. Storyline’s accessibility limitations required creative workarounds to ensure the project complies with this mandate.
- Balancing decision-based exploration with structured feedback to minimise cognitive overload.
Note: This activity was built as a low-production value example of how the final product would look. The final project would be of much higher quality, though it’s worth noting that flashy production isn’t required for an activity like this to be effective.
Presentation
The following video presentation was a requirement of the assessment for which I completed this project. Note that it covers both the activity above and my ‘Understanding Instagram’ activity.
The first ~10 minutes are intended as a presentation to my hypothetical manager, justifying my choice of learning theory, approach, and tools, and explaining how they align with the learning goal and the hypothetical Request for Proposal. It also discusses the strengths and weaknesses of my approach and how I intended to measure its impact and effectiveness.
The remainder of the video is a pitch to the hypothetical client where I highlight the benefits of working with me, explain my chosen activities and discuss their impact.