Not Another PDF, please: Using ThingLink scenarios and Camtasia to build engaging virtual learning objects

Abstract

In this resource showcase, I presented ‘Refine Your Writing: Better Proofreading,’ a multimedia digital learning sequence I created as a Writing Skills Officer in the Academic Skills Service of the University of Southampton. This learning object sprang from my (and colleagues’) dissatisfaction with existing resources about proofreading: these largely elevate the ‘what’ over the ‘how,’ comprising little more than checklists of potential errors to look out for. I set out to create a resource that went beyond cataloguing to instead equip students with active strategies to interact with and enhance their texts.

In developing this resource, I followed best practices conveyed via the Learning Object Review Instrument (LORI), as well as Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles (Leacock and Nesbit, 2007; CAST, 2018). My presentation outlined how the ThingLink ‘Scenarios’ feature can be used to build inclusive virtual objects through which learners advance at their own pace. Incorporating original videos edited in Camtasia, the result was a resource that was not only accessible, but more likely than a text-based webpage or narrated PowerPoint webinar to sustain learners’ interest. Indeed, I argued that aesthetics and delivery energy must be prioritised in the creation of digital objects whose use is suggested to, but not required of, university learners (i.e., resources maintained by academic skills services, writing centres, and so on).

Although the primary focus was on inclusive virtual objects, my presentation was of interest to conference attendees looking to expand their knowledge of the IT skills, software, and platforms underpinning their resource designs. To support this, I shared my ‘lessons learned’ after diving into ThingLink and Camtasis with this project.