The Conscious Crabs

A web-based eLearning experience designed with adult and informal learning theories in mind

Audience

Adult learners with an interest in the astrological and in how it may help people process trauma

Tools

Wix, Chat GPT, Adobe Firefly, Shutterstock, Adobe Photoshop, Facebook, Instagram, Blog

Role

Apart from approximately six images and two blog posts, I developed the entirety of this page, sourced the content, and created the learning activities.

I started with an idea I was interested in (trauma and healing) and joined forces with a colleague who is vested in the astrological.

This was completed as an artifact for a course project in my doctoral program in learning sciences at the University of Miami.

The Problem

Creating an informal learning experience that not only captures the interest of an adult learner but is able to sustain interest and motivation to learn.

Ensuring the learning experience appeals to a wide range of skill levels, prior knowledge levels, and those who want and need autonomy without isolating those who prefer a more involved and "present" learning experience.

Analysis

Since I did not know precisely who my learners would be in this instance, the analysis I did was on the content and potential interest in it.

I utilized SEO and marketing features of Wix to determine how often key terms are searched for and if my site would have an audience. This helped me develop SEO terms for my site and tailor the content to meet the interests (and search terms) of potential learners.

The Solution

Ensuring that the website creates a mini learning ecology for those who visit. This provides them a well rounded experience and offers motivation to stay or revisit the site.

Creating leveled entry points so that the site offers something to both the novice and the advanced learner and allows learners to move autonomously through the levels and materials.

Lastly, creating a blog and social space to help move novices from the periphery to the center of this particular community of practice.

Design Process

This process looked only slightly different than more formal learning experiences.

It was revised multiple times and went through focus group testing so there was a waterfall element to this design.

An area of interest was identified, and then my colleague and I got together and utilized backward design to determine who we wanted to "reach" with this site, what it is we are "offering" them, and what might make them want to stay and engage.

There are no traditional assessments as this is an entirely informal learning environment. The end was still kept in mind after goal development and each piece of content and activity was carefully curated to help learners identify and meet their own goals.

Design Process

As with all of my design projects, I strongly rely on principles of backward design and UDL when creating learning experiences for adults.

In this case, I also incorporated as many of Knowles' six principles of adult learning (andragogy) as possible. Notable reference points are the amount of autonomy a learner is given on this site (self-concept), as well as addressing the "why" to using astrology to heal (see: FAQ page) and relying on sharing our and encouraging learners to share their experiences.

Lastly, this experience was very heavily influenced by Jean Lave and Wenger's work on creating Communities of Practice, Brigid Barron's ideas surrounding learning ecologies, and Saul Carliner's work on informal learning.

Next Steps

The site is still a work in process. Next steps are to revamp the blog page, adjust how blogs display on our landing, and add a readspeaker option to the page to make it accessible to those with different vision abilities.

We are also considering how we can account for evolution. We would like to ensure there is a way advanced learners can or would want to continue to learn "with" us on our site and social channels.

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Contact

I'm always looking for new and exciting opportunities. Let's connect.

rachel@RMlearningdesigns.com