LDTC 650

Interactive activities like breakout rooms can improve student engagement (Hollister et al., 2022). This assignment presents a detailed scenario analysis of a synchronous online course facing breakout-room chaos caused by technical issues, student confusion, and a teacher lacking tech proficiency. Ensuring that technology works smoothly is critical to student engagement in online courses (Yang et al., 2018). The analysis identifies three engagement barriers (technical problems, student frustration, and instructor IT capacity). Strategies to remedy the issues include ensuring reliable technology tools, training teachers, and providing scaffolding (cheat sheets, tutorials, practice sessions). The reflection connects these strategies to broader instructional design goals, advocating for proactive technology selection, staff development, and learner support to sustain engagement in online learning.

This assignment outlines an accessibility plan for an online module titled “Coaching Job Hunters,” which is designed to train life coaches in aiding clients with resume improvement, job-hunting strategies, and interview preparation. The plan emphasizes accessibility by incorporating features like video transcripts and captions, audio versions of text, and alt text for images, making the module accessible to diverse learners, including those with vision or hearing issues. It also highlights the importance of high-contrast fonts for readability, following Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) (World Wide Web Consortium, 2025). The plan integrates Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles by providing multiple ways to perceive and illustrate information using various media formats (CAST Inc., n.d.). Additionally, it details improvements to the module's layout and navigation within the Academy LMS platform to enhance user experience.

For this assignment, a comprehensive course module on interview preparation was developed. The module was designed to be accessible, including alt text for images and MP3 audio versions of all text lessons, in accordance with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) (World Wide Web Consortium, 2025). Generative AI was leveraged to create accessible audios via text-to-speech technology. Low-stakes opportunities for learners to practice and improve their skills are offered, including discussion forums for peer support, following best practices for engagement (Bedi, 2023). The module was deployed on the Canvas Learning Management System (LMS), with an interactive "Structure Strip" embedded via H5P as a scaffolding tool (Otacke, 2022).

Video Overview

The following overview provides a brief demonstration of the course module in Canvas.

Bedi, A. (2023). Keep learning: Student engagement in an online environment. Online Learning, 27(2). https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v27i2.3287

CAST Inc. (n.d.). Support multiple ways to perceive information. Retrieved September 5, 2025, from https://udlguidelines.cast.org/representation/perception/ways-perceive-information/ 

Hollister, B., Nair, P., Hill-Lindsay, S., & Chukoskie, L. (2022). Engagement in online learning: Student attitudes and behavior during COVID-19. Frontiers in Education, 7. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2022.851019

Otacke. (2022, March 3). Structure strip. H5P. https://h5p.org/content-types/structure-strip

World Wide Web Consortium. (2025, June 27). Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1. W3C. https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG21/

Yang, D., Lavonen, M. J., & Niemi, H. (2018). Online learning engagement: Critical factors and research evidence from literature. Themes in eLearning, 11(1), pp. 1–18). https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1204753.pdf

AI Usage: AI was used to summarize lesson contents.