Static Multimedia Tutorial

This week in EDTECH 513 – Multimedia, we were tasked with creating a static multimedia tutorial on the topic of our choosing. What is a static multimedia tutorial? Doesn’t multimedia mean sound and movement? I am glad you asked! A static multimedia tutorial is a tutorial that incorporates multimedia principles such as the use of images along with text designed in compliance with research-based design standards such as the contiguity principle. The contiguity principle states that words should be aligned with corresponding graphics. Legends that sit off to the side, away from associated graphics, for example, should not be used. Here is a great article from Moreno and Mayer about the contiguity principle (PDF).

I am an academic librarian, so the static multimedia tutorial I chose to create was library related. We receive lots of questions from new students on how to use the library. Many students come to college having used a high school library that was not supported by a modern library management system (LMS) or a public library system that was both organized using the Dewey Decimal System (we use Library of Congress) and a different LMS geared more towards public libraries. In the interest of serving the students better, I decided a basic, introductory tutorial of just seven steps would be useful. The learning objective for the tutorial is straightforward: “After following the steps in this tutorial, learners will be able to construct a search for book records in the library catalog and analyze the search results to determine a book’s owning library, format, location, availability, and call number.“

I used Clarify-it to grab the screenshots and create the step-by-step instructions. The process I followed was the same one I have used to create static tutorials in the past. First, I determined the learning outcome for the tutorial. Second, I worked through the steps and documented each one. Third, I wrote down instructions for each step. Then I opened Clarify-it, formatted the pages, and started harvesting and adding screenshots. After adding the screenshots, I added strategically placed call-out boxes and arrows to draw attention to important sections of the screen. I kept instructional text close to the images (within the call-out boxes and near or connected to arrows pointing to targeted text and webpage icons).  Due to page layout, I had to place call-out boxes further from the targeted sections than I would have liked, but the design made sense given the constraints of the source material. The process was similar to using the screenshot function in Jing, SnagIt, or other screengrabbing software. I have used static tutorials in the past for library instruction, but moved away from them in favor of screencasts. I can understand the appeal of a static multimedia tutorial (no need to pause a video and continue, for example) and think I will make more of them to place on our library’s libguides for students and faculty.

Clarify-it was easy to use and had a decent set of features. I would use it again. Unfortunately, the developers of Clarify-it have decided to sunset the product in favor of pursuing other opportunities. I will need to find another application to use for creating static tutorials. I really do not want to go back to using Word or PowerPoint.

The creation of this artifact meets AECT standards 1.2 – Message Design, 1.3 – Instructional Strategies, and 2.3 – Computer-based Technologies. First, as to Standard 1.2, I followed a systematized method for creating a static multimedia tutorial artifact that can and will be used by students in learning how to successfully use the library catalog. The message was designed in accordance with the contiguity principle, which is a research-based multimedia design principle. Second, as to Standard 1.3, I utilized appropriate instructional multimedia design principles, most notably the contiguity principle and chunking principle. Third, as to Standard 2.3, I used Clarify-it, a web-based software application to create the tutorial and convert it to a PDF. I then uploaded the PDF to a shared Google Drive, set the sharing option to “Anyone with link can view”, and grabbed the embed code to make it accessible via my WordPress blog. The tutorial is ready for incorporation on the library libguides and for formal instruction with students.

Thanks for reading!

Best,
Lance