Interactive eLearning: Designing the Immersive Course-Integrated Online Library Orientation

Abstract

This chapter addresses the creation of an online learning object built to engage and orient students to library resources, spaces, and support services. Developed in Articulate Storyline, the orientation follows two student characters as they navigate a virtual library environment. As students progress through three nonlinear modules, they are immersed in a variety of interactive learning activities where they must click, hover, drag, drop, and explore to proceed. They learn by listening, reading, and interacting with the content through scenario-based activities. Through collaboration with faculty and administration, and the employment of instructional design practices using the ADDIE (analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation) model, we ensured that the learning object was student-friendly and clearly aligned with course objectives. Now integrated as a mandatory component of our First-Year Experience seminar, assessment data demonstrates that students are truly engaged throughout the learning experience and have developed a more nuanced understanding of the role of libraries and librarians.