The use of instructional video in learning software is accelerating rapidly in design and interactive media disciplines. Instructional video can be used not only for teaching, but also for studying and learning in and outside the classroom.

Instructional video in particular is often attractive as a means to present direct instruction. Of all the technological components involved in the learning experience, it is often the most visible and the most resource intensive. It is easy then to assume that it will be the most impactful.

This project aims to develop a series of online instructional videos that can be used as an enhancement in communication design and interactive media courses for the learning of design software and physical computing. A group of four project assistances and four students will conduct in-depth studies of threshold concepts and troublesome knowledge in the area of learning digital visualisation and interactive programming. Participants’ knowledge and experience will then be used, organized and transformed to make relevant audio, visual, and textual materials in the form of online instructional video and exercise. All the educational material will be made available for all students and it will be integrated with other content that are rendered in LEARN@PolyU and able to operate on polyuedx.polyu.edu.hk. In Addition, a School of Design’s SPOC (SDx) will setup for hosting a series of videos and exercises in order to provide students with a more customized experience. Blended learning and flipped learning will be the guiding principles in the development of the project. The value of the project lies in its capacity to enhance design learning of all project participants, including Higher Diploma in Multimedia Design and Technology (HDMDT), BA Scheme in Design (BA Design) and BA Interactive media students (BAIM). Teaching staff will also benefit from the project in terms of better integration of software workshop with effective and efficient learning with instructional video.

By placing students in direct contact with using design software and physical computing, the project enables students to use a series of videos and exercises to learn in their own pace and focus on what interested them. With the help of the learning materials, students construct their experience and knowledge of design software and physical computing on their own. The materials produced will be rich in modes of communication and appeal to multiple senses in bringing out its contents. The project explores an alternative to teacher-centred presentation of teaching design software and interactive programming in the classroom. It is a step towards diversifying the teaching and leaning strategies in design learning.

The project creates an opportunity for senior design student participants to engage in an in-depth study of threshold concepts and troublesome knowledge in the area of digital visualisation and interactive programming. Through discussion with the project leader, project assistance and expertise in the field, students not only learn the ways to transform their experience in learning into video content but also gain the experience in creating exercise as a way to give knowledge transfer. All students of HDMDT, BA Design and BAIM programmes with an interest in physical computing and digital visualisation will be targeted for recruitment. The project will have an impact on participating students better learning performance and a higher level of learner satisfaction than those in other setting.

The video content will be open to all design major and elective students via the video portal, SDx. More than 300 students in HDMDT, BA Design and BA Interactive media programmes will be benefited from the project. All students taking the digital visualisation and interactive media courses will be subsequently benefited from the project through an improved understanding of video aided instruction approach in design learning.

This project has four Intended learning outcomes for students:

• Be able to apply technical skills in communication design and interactive media projects

• Able to deal with barriers and opportunities in the use of design software and physical computing

• Show how to use resources effectively and independently to find information and ideas

• Able to transfer knowledge in learning of design software and physical computing