Design Revamp: Social Media Marketing 101 Evaluation

Nov 20 / Monica Hill

The Social Media Marketing 101 course was created using Articulate 360 Storyline and Ai. As I  continuously learn and grow in the field of Learning and Development, this website serves as a platform to showcase the evolution of my skills in building effective ai-assisted e-learning offerings, including the evaluation of a free introductory course designed to provide a foundational understanding of social media marketing. This evaluation will delve into its five modules, key takeaways, interactive elements, and the overall design and functionality, all with the goal of enhancing the learning experience and informing the development of the second part in this series.

Social Media Marketing 101 Evaluation

This report features a menu of evaluation criteria that serves to apply key
e-learning theories and principles to objectively determine the effectiveness of the course's current design. Each area of evaluation criteria will identify specific points for improvement supported by evidence from learning material presented in Georgia Southern University - Principles of E-Learning class (ITEC-3131). 

Functionality

Scale: The LMS (Learnworlds) accomadates a discussion area that correlates to the class where learners can interact. However, this course lacks encouragement for more interactive activities to utilize the discussion forum area on the platform. 
Ease of Use: Due to this course being created with Articulate 360 and embedded as a SCORM file on the LMS, there are two distinct navigation menus. One menu navigates the course modules within the course and the other navigates to the learning path and discussion area. This can be confusing for the learner. 
Tech Support / Help Availability: There isn't a direct source for tech support or help within the learning environment. Hence, the learners would need to contact the course admin for assistance with any tech related issues. 
Hypermediality: Each module effectively uses a variety of media to create a dynamic learning experience. The tool's functionality successfully supports the teacher and student in a flexible, non-linear manner that is well suited for an asynchronous learning environment. 

Accessibility

Accessibility Standards: This course doesn't fully adhere to the best practices for accessible e-learning, as it doesn't include features that support students with disabilities like alt text.  
User-Focused Participation: The course is user focused as it includes digestible segments of information, simplified language and concise content. 
Required Equipment: The e-learning experience is accessible via WiFi and designated URL domain where student profile/learning path is accessed with login.
Cost of Use: The platform and course itself is free of cost, there are no further cost for course materials. 

Technical

Integration/Embedding within a Learning Management System (LMS): The course was exported as a SCORM file with Articulate 360, the standard way to package learning content that is compatible with integration for LMS. 
Desktop/Laptop Operating Systems and Browser: The e-course functions on desktop/laptop and any standard browser as ensured by the capabilities of the LMS (Learnworlds). 
Additional Downloads: The e-learning tool itself doesn't require additional downloads as it operates directly from the URL. 

Mobile Design

Access: If the course is accessed from a mobile device through a browser the course will function as it does online from a desktop/laptop.  
Functionality: Functions remain the same despite the device that accesses the course. 
Offline Access: Currently, the course doesn't offer an offline mode. 

Privacy, Data Protection, and Rights

Sign Up / Sign In: The learning tool requires student to create an account to access the course contents. 
Data, Privacy, and Ownership: Learnworlds is a "data-privacy compliant" LMS that provides admins with features that are compliant with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Some of the features include setting up popups for students to accept or opt-out cookies, limit email marketing, and/or facilitating student data deletion request. 
Archiving, Saving, and Exporting Data: The tool does not have exporting or archiving capabilities outside of the browser. 

Social Presence

Collaboration: With the lack of prompts for discussion about course material, there isn't an opportunity for peer-to-peer knowledge sharing.  
User Accountability: This course could incorporate instructor feedback to help students stay on track, and provide a supportive e-learning experience.  
Diffusion: The seamless access from login to course onboarding allows for student participation without being distracted by external content on the platform. 

Teaching Presence

Facilitation: Course should incorporate assignments and collaborative discussions to enhance the facilitation of the learning experience. 
Customization: The e-learning experience should add applied projects that use technologies and platforms that further students to apply their knowledge to real-world scenarios. 
Learning Analytics: Being there aren't any graded evaluations within the course, learning analytics beyond completion rate cannot be defined by the tool. Hence, the course needs added student performance content to be evaluated, such as assignments and quizzes.  

Cognitive Presence

Enhancement of Cognitive Task(s): The course should present material challenges that encourage learning objectives beyond recall. 
Higher-Order Thinking: If the course provided opportunities for higher-thinking to solve a complex problem, it would enhance the learning by supporting the student inquiry more meaningfully for the retainment of knowledge and higher engagement with the material. 
Metacognitive Engagement: Though the course's learning objectives are clear, the absence of clearly defined content for engagement with the material limits a student's ability to reflect in personal practices and applied knowledge. 

Overall, the Social Media Marketing 101 e-course has a strong foundation for building on learning objectives. However, incorporating more interactive activities, enhancing accessibility features, and integrating learning analytics will significantly improve the e-learning experience and ensure a supportive learning environment for successful student progress and cognitive development. This evaluation highlighted the need for a defined learning outcome for the course, and serves an effective way to inform the development of the second part in the Social Media Marketing course series. 

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