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Conceptual mini-course built using Articulate Rise360, GenAI, Unsplash, and Google Cloud
Using backward design principles to identify key learning objectives, "Creating a Garden for Pollinators" is a conceptual 3-lesson mini-course created for a local nature preserve to educate the general public about creating a pollinator habitat in their own yards or gardens.
Using backward design principles to identify key learning objectives, "Creating a Garden for Pollinators" is a conceptual 3-lesson mini-course created for a local nature preserve to educate the general public about creating a pollinator habitat in their own yards or gardens.
Tools and web resources used:
Articulate Rise360
Unsplash (for royalty-free photos)
ChatGPT (OpenAI)
Google Cloud (for course hosting)
Challenge: To create a playful and engaging minicourse for a broad audience using Rise360. The project also provided an opportunity explore the use of ChatGPT as a meaningful instructional design partner and to utilize low-budget resources, like photos from Unsplash, in creative and impactful ways.
Process: Because this project was of my own conception, I was able to follow a fairly linear and clear process from design to development.
- Research: I am myself an avid gardener, so much of the information contained in the minicourse was information I already "owned." The challenge was knowing too much. Using ChatGPT, I was able to refine and limit the scope and to identify the key learning objectives around which the course would be built. This enabled the content of the course to be focused, brief, and foundational.
- Content Planning: The goal of the planning was to keep the course simple, focused, and engaging. Divided across three lessons and a "wrap up," the course design was scaffolded around three main learning objectives. This pointed focus allows learners to immediately implement new knowledge and skills in their own lives. Additionally, it was important for the course to be visually engaging (this is, after all, a gardening course) and so clearly identifying, sourcing, and including accurate, visually-informative images was paramount.
- Content Development: As mentioned previously, my own knowledge of eco-friendly gardening made the development of the content fast and easy. I was also able to move more quickly because of the preparation and planning I'd done to lay out the course and its objectives. It was an important reminder that this pre-work is worth the additional time it might take. It also reinforced my belief that providing a clear roadmap for vendors and SME/authors demonstrably accelerates content development.
- Digital Development: Using Articulate Rise360, I was able to quickly build out the course using the web-based app's templates and design blocks. While there are some features in Rise that I think are questionably accessible (ex. the use of light green checks and Xs to indicate right and wrong), I implemented WCAG-approved accessibility best practices wherever possible, including the authoring of copious alt-text (remember all the images!). This project provided a good opportunity to explore web-based hosting options for the course, beyond Articulate's own Reach360 platform. Google Cloud storage buckets provided a value option for hosting and displaying my course.
Use of AI: ChatGPT was used as a learning design partner in this project.
How AI Helped: Partnered in identifying learning objectives and architecture for the course; Collaborated on scope and breadth of content; Generated early drafts of quiz questions and reflection prompts; Summarized content for clarity; Assisted with tone-matching and structural planning.
My Role as Designer-Partner: Directed all prompts with clear instructional goals; Reviewed and revised all AI-generated content; Ensured alignment with pedagogy, voice, and learner needs. AI served as a creative assistant, not a replacement for expertise. Every decision was grounded in intentional, human-centered design.
Conclusion: AI is a particularly good partner in the area of "What am I missing? What am I overlooking?" Unlike a human colleague, Chat isn't particularly worried about feelings and can be brutal in its ability to expose gaps in planning or design assumptions. Given the ecological focus of the course and the desire to inspire, it seemed foolish to use artificial images so AI was intentionally not used in this way.
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