In conjunction with several members of the GU School of Medicine (SOM) faculty, the Dahlgren Memorial Library (DML) Instructional Technology Design and Development (ITDD) division investigated using Adobe Captivate elearning authoring tool to develop interactive learning content for selfdirected learning (SDL) in SOM courses. ITDD identified and outlined three e-learning components—multimedia, interactivity, and quizzes with feedback—and through this ITEL project developed several elearning design prototypes with those components.
Applying the elearning design prototypes, the faculty members created selfdirected learning modules with Adobe Captivate as the primary authoring tool. The SDL modules and the e-learning design prototypes were then evaluated to determine if the authoring tool can create interactive learning content that can be effectively applied to the learning objectives of the SOM courses. ITDD determined that the modules were simple enough to be created without acquiring programming skills and flexible enough to be adapted for a variety of learning goals and learning content.
SOM faculty and instructors offered positive feedback on the elearning prototypes, showing their applicability to many courses. Faculty members who taught courses with these modules plan to continue to use or further develop these elearning components in the future, both in these courses and in others. The students' evaluations of the online learning modules and the instructors' reviews in developing the interactive SDL modules provided valuable information for the design and development of SDL modules for future courses.
