Microlearning Project

Tool introduction

The tool I decided to showcase for this project is Adobe Illustrator which is a vector graphics tool that is part of the Adobe Creative Cloud suite of creative software. This tool used is used by graphic artists to create vector based assets for many different kinds of applications ranging from mobile app, websites, games, etc.

I used this tool to make a few vector-based graphic assets that I later saved as SVG or lossy image formats in my portfolio page as seen below. To learn more about Adobe Illustrator and Creative Cloud, check out the following address: http://www.adobe.com/hk_en/products/illustrator.html.

The End Product

The end product I will showcase for this micro-learning project is this simple asset that I made using Adobe Illustrator:

This asset represents a profile picture, and is used to illustrate the mini-profile preview section on the front page of the portfolio. It is published in SVG format which allows it to scale regardless of resolution or zoom level while keeping the file size down to a minimum. Exporting to SVG is one of the many features of Adobe Illustrator.

Reflection

I started using the tool as a trial to test what the tool could do. It is not my first time using a graphic editing tool since I am already familiar with other similar tools that I have used previously.

Instead of jumping into using the tool without any training, I knew that I would end up getting frustrated and waste time unless I spent time learning from tutorials. Luckily, Adobe Creative Cloud provides lots of short tutorials that can get anyone started in little time. The tutorials can be found online at http://www.adobe.com/hk_en/products/illustrator.html.

From a learner’s perspective, the main learning theory that applies at this point is andragogy. The assumption here is that I am self-directed, motivated, and ready to learn. I am looking for information or learning experiences relevant to my life that can be used and applied immediately. Also, the decision to consume this learning experience suggests a problem-solving approach since I need to learn to use the tool in order to use it for a project (Esthermsmth, 2017).¹

If the training had been part of a university or professional training course, a constructivist approach combined with a project based learning model could have been used by letting learners identify the problem and research solutions, and build their final products until they bumped into hurdles requiring more research. The tutorial would have been one of the resources the learners would have used to build their product and move forward. And learners would have helped each other fill knowledge gaps using their own prior learning skills or mentor their peers in the zone of proximal development as is the case with constructivism. After starting the first tutorial, I realized that it was going to be Just as I expected: A video-based bite-sized chunk of information, introducing me to features and concepts of the tool without wasting my precious time. The tutorial also provided micro projects for students to complete as they go. This trend of adding micro-projects to micro-learning courses for learners to apply the skills they have learned is quickly becoming ubiquitous in the industry since it can help learners retain more information (Gallagher, 2019).²

One thing made popular in eLearning which was missing from the course was gamification and badges which I found did not make a different for me since I am self-motivated and since learners looking for such an experience would be unlikely to consider a vendor-specific software tutorial worthy enough. This could be addressed by repackaging the course into units, sharing the courses on an independent planform and adding larger portfolio projects with authentic assessment. As I proceeded with the video-based tutorials, I found that they represented a perfect example of cognitivism at play since they respected Mayers’ principles of cognitive load and multimedia principles in several ways (Mindtools, 2014):³

• Coherence principle since the tutorial was free of extraneous information
• Voice and Redundancy principles since the video was human narrated and relevant to what happened on-screen.
• Segmenting principle since the tutorials were broken down into small learner-paced chunks

After taking a few tutorials, I finally started building the assets for my portfolio. However, I eventually got stuck either because the tool responded in an unexpected way (shortcuts), or because I had forgotten how to use a given feature. In that case I would either go back to review a given tutorial, or I would search online to find a solution from other learners (a concept that plays a prominent role in social constructivism and connectivism). Overall the cognitive aspect of the videos was probably the biggest factor in my learning experience since it helped me understand exactly what I needed to do in a clear and concise manner.

To close my reflections, I am certain that learning from these real-life examples and experiences was very helpful and will inform how I design eLearning courses in the future.

1. Esthermsmth (2017). Andragogy — Adult Learning Theory (Knowles). Learning Theories, Retrieved September 30, 2017, from https://www.learning-theories.com/andragogy-adult-learning-theory-knowles.html.[↩]
2. Gallagher, S. (2017, November 6). As Corporate World Moves Toward Curated ‘Microlearning,’ Higher Ed Must Adapt. EdSurge. https://www.edsurge.com/news/2017-11-06-as-corporate-world-moves-toward-curated-microlearning-higher-ed-must-adapt[↩]
3. MindTools. (2014). Cognitive Load Theory: Making Learning More Effective. MindTools.com. http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/cognitive-load-theory.htm[↩]