In EDCI 339, I think this is a very interesting class because it teaches us how to create different tools and websites with various skills and redesign methods to help people with different needs learn. Before I took this class, I had never thought about how people learn effectively or how difficult learning can be for some groups of people with special needs. I had overlooked those people’s needs, the importance of designing a learning model, and the value of a teacher’s instruction.

After completing different tasks in this course, I now have a better understanding of how to design and create accessible tools for all kinds of people, even those with special needs. Another thing I would like to highlight is that I used AI quite often in this course, which helped me learn how to use AI in the right way and how to use AI to create tools more effectively and make them more beneficial for the audience.

At the end of this course, I have learned a lot about multimedia learning and built my own website and comic. Since my major is Economics and my minor is Business, most of my courses involve a lot of papers and exams, which is unlike this class. In this course, I could focus on my interests and apply knowledge in the way I wanted to present it to others. There was a lot of freedom and room for creativity throughout this course. I enjoyed applying that knowledge in a creative way rather than only through papers or exams. Therefore, I am very proud that I created my own website and comic and worked with my groupmate. It was a lot of fun, and throughout the learning process, there were many things that I explored. I also learned many useful skills, such as how to create a website, design a comic, and build a learning model.

I think the biggest takeaway from this class is Mayer’s Principles, and this theory is made up of three core principles. By understanding this theory, it can help me study more effectively and more easily. First, it is important to understand the concept of cognitive load. It is important to break the whole concept up and understand it step by step in small pieces. It would be difficult if you tried to understand everything at once and within a limited amount of time. For example, when I have to prepare for a final exam, I make sure I have notes for my course and write down the key ideas from each chapter in point form. Then I go through my notes step by step on different days. Therefore, it is important not to study at the last minute and to manage my time before the final exam.

Secondly, there is Dual Coding Theory. As an Economics major at the University of Victoria, I have found that drawing graphs with simple text can help me study more effectively, and this theory relates to the idea that some people may find learning from images easier than learning only from text-based notes. Therefore, I usually make my notes include both text and graphs to help myself learn more effectively and more easily.

The last concept is active processing. I think this step is the most important part of learning because actively thinking by connecting different knowledge that you have learned may give you a better picture of what something is about, and it can help me remember it for longer. Eventually, I can apply my knowledge to a different field, such as the stock market.

The biggest challenge in this class was the last project, since one group member never showed up. This increased the workload for me and my other group member a lot. Luckily, we divided the work and checked in regularly to make sure everything stayed on track. I think this was a great experience for me because when unexpected things happen in life, it is important to plan ahead and seek help when it is needed.

In the future, I think I will apply the knowledge and group project experience that I learned from this class in my workplace. Since I am working at BC Children’s Hospital, I think all of this experience and knowledge will help me deal with unexpected situations and apply Mayer’s Principles when I am learning the workflow and new things in my workplace. I will share those skills with my colleague, and I think this can help us work more effectively in the future.