Surviving to Thriving
A fully-developed Storyline eLearning on accommodations for employees with mental illnesses.
Problem and Solution
For Americans with mental health diagnoses, their awareness of the support available to them in the workplace is vital. Employment can benefit mental health by offering structure, external motivation, and purpose, but the workplace can exacerbate mental illness symptoms if suitable accommodations are not in place. Workers can only take advantage of workplace accommodations if they initiate the process of requesting them from their employer. This requires awareness of what is expected of them and their employer by law.
Through a business lens, supporting mental health is in the employer's best interest. It's estimated that $1.15 trillion in output is lost globally each year due to depression and anxiety disorders. Working with employees with mental health disorders on accommodations can prevent burnout, decrease turnover, and increase worker productivity. Not only is it a legal requirement, it's also good for business.
This learning solution is a brief eLearning course on the accommodation rights of workers with diagnosed anxiety and depression. Since learning must occur at the workplace or home, the course was made available online at any time. The user interface allows for self-pacing, and the learning environment uses scenarios to mirror a workplace environment.
My Process
Design
The eLearning course was segmented into three sections:
1. I'd begin by teaching the learner relevant information about the eligibility requirements for reasonable accommodations in the workplace. The term "reasonable accommodation" is defined and explained so that the learner can determine their chance of a successful request before revealing their personal health information to their employer.
2. Next, the learner would be presented with the relevant legal requirements of their employer. By the end of this section, the learner will be able to judge the employer's reactions for any violations of ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) law throughout the request process. They'll also know what to do if they suspect their rights are violated.
3. Finally, the learner will go through a simulated experience of requesting reasonable accommodations from an employer. They’ll interact with an HR professional and assess the process for legal issues.
Development
Development took place over two weeks, authored in Articulate Storyline.
I created templates for consistency between modules and quicker development time. Due to the fast turnaround for this project, I chose a minimalistic style and accented using a muted color palette. I intentionally chose these colors due to their calming psychological characteristics since the target audience for this learning solution is individuals with mental illnesses.
I added interactions to the content delivery portions of the modules to increase engagement, in addition to knowledge check quizzes and simulated interaction with HR.
Implementation & Evaluation
While implementing the course with testers, I conducted a formative evaluation using two strategies:
The single-user review focused on navigation and technical aspects, leading to adjustments in design and functionality.
The small group evaluation delved into content, highlighting positive feedback on visual design and narration.
Despite minor issues being addressed promptly, two long-term suggestions emerged: immediate feedback for assessment questions and improvements to drag-and-drop activities. While some changes were made easily, constraints in the authoring program limit certain modifications. The evaluations revealed the need for ongoing refinement.
Takeaways
This course was personally significant to me, and the experience of creating something with broad-reaching benefits was particularly enjoyable. Integrating instructional strategies, theoretical knowledge, and skills acquired throughout the UTRGV EdTech program allowed me to develop a comprehensive and well-designed final product efficiently. Leveraging my expertise with instructional design programs expedited the creation process compared to previous projects.
Collaborating with a voice actor added a new and rewarding dimension to the project. Importantly, this experience served as a reminder of the crucial role that evaluation plays in the ADDIE (Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, Evaluation) instructional design framework, reinforcing my commitment to advocating for this process in my career.