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Multimedia Challenge

23 February 2026 / / 0 Comments

Updated: Feb, 23 2026
Authors: Chai Him Chu

The life of a butterfly

Introduction

In this model, I will use a story about a butterfly’s lifecycle to help students understand how butterflies have a positive impact on the environment.

I think this topic is interesting and can help students learn more about the environment and how butterflies are connected to it. This is an interesting topic because people usually think of a butterfly as an insect that symbolizes beauty. People often overlook how butterflies have a positive impact on the environment and contribute so much to the ecosystem.

I think this model can help students easily understand things around them and inspire them to see that every animal or insect has value and a reason for being part of the ecosystem. It will help students understand that sometimes we should not only focus on appearance, but on value as well.

THE PROCESS OF THIS MODEL

Understand (Discover, Interpret, Specify)

Help children to know more about butterflies rather just how it looks, teach them how butterflies will impact and connect on the ecosystem.

CONTEXT AND AUDIENCE:

In this educational model, the primary audience is Grades 2–4, which means ages around 6–10. Instead of teaching them textbook knowledge, we should inspire them to learn more about things they might see daily.

To support children in early education, we should encourage them to think more and observe the world around them. Using things that are familiar to them can help them understand more easily and increase motivation and curiosity.

Moreover, because the audience is mainly children in early education, when designing the learning path, we need to be aware of the workload and overall learning design. By using comics and minimizing extraneous cognitive load, simple panel layouts and imagery will help students maintain focus. Therefore, I broke the lifecycle and the ecosystem impact into one stage per comic box.

In order to support students with different needs, I included simple text and images in the comic to help students understand better. Furthermore, considering that Grades 2–4 students can only maintain focus for a short time, the comic was created to be simpler, which can give students a big picture of the ecosystem.

POV STATEMENT:

Primary school students need to learn about the life cycle of butterflies and their contribution to the ecosystem. Therefore, the design of learning objectives and tasks should be low in difficulty, easy to understand, interesting, easy to master, and able to stimulate students’ interest in learning.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

Primary Objective:

Students will have a better understanding of each stage of the butterfly lifecycle after reading an educational comic.

Sub-objectives:

Students will have a better understanding of how butterflies contribute to the ecosystem after reading an educational comic.

Students will have a better understanding of why butterflies play an important role in the ecosystem after reading an educational comic.

Students will be able to share their thoughts and ideas with their group after reading an educational comic.

Plan (Ideate, Sketch, Elaborate)

IDEATION:

In order to draft my own comic idea, I made two comics about the butterfly’s lifecycle and how butterflies contribute to the ecosystem. I made the text very simple and easy to understand. Because the model targets students in early education, the content has to be designed more creatively, provide the basic idea, and avoid cognitively overloading students. This model will help students see the big picture of the butterfly’s lifecycle and how it changes at each stage. After gaining knowledge of the butterfly’s lifecycle, the next component I included shows how butterflies contribute to the ecosystem, which can help students learn about biodiversity and how things are connected. Therefore, I created two different comics that can help students learn and have a better learning experience.

To avoid a heavy workload and difficulty in understanding, I included only simple and easy text in each comic box. This can help students get a better picture of how the early stages of a butterfly change into an adult butterfly. After helping students develop a better understanding of the butterfly’s lifecycle, the next step is to help students understand how an adult butterfly contributes to the ecosystem. Because each step in the learning process is well designed and connected, this will help students develop a different understanding of this species and learn step by step.

Structure
Butterfly’s lifecycle: Egg > Larva (Caterpillar) > Pupa (Chrysalis) > Adult Butterfly

Butterfly impacts the ecosystem: An adult butterfly visits a flower > Butterfly spreads pollen > Flowers become food due to pollen > Animals get food > Nature stays healthy ecosystem cycle > More plants & animals

STORYBOARD OR SCRIPT

Butterfly’s lifecycle

How Butterfly impacts the ecosystem

THEORY APPLIED:

Universal Design for Learning (UDL): Employ a variety of representational methods (visual and textual), stimulate engagement (relatable things that students may see in daily life), and support expressive methods (students can be inspired to learn more deeply step by step).

Multimedia Learning Principles (Mayer): It reduces cognitive load and supports dual encoding by combining text and images.

Accessible Multimedia: I included images and simple text to ensure students can receive the knowledge even if they have different needs.

Cognitive Load Theory: Since the target audience is children in early education, I included only simple text and created images that can help students learn. The model provides a big picture of the butterfly lifecycle and how it impacts the ecosystem. This can help connect the knowledge to their real life.

Merrill’s Principles of Instruction: Throughout the learning process, students may learn about things they often see in real life, but may not have realized the knowledge or value behind them. Therefore, through this model, the new knowledge is incorporated into learners’ world when they reflect on aspects of the butterfly that they admire or respect and share their findings with peers.

PEER FEEDBACK:

The thing that came up the most in terms of strengths was that my comic and model are well designed and age-appropriate for Grades 2–4. In the model, I use simple text and clean panels. I made two different comics: one shows the butterfly’s life cycle, and the other shows how butterflies have a positive impact on the ecosystem. This reduces overwhelm and matches Cognitive Load Theory. In the visual design, I use a consistent layout and uncluttered panels, which help readers keep their attention on the main idea. In the project, I connected well to learning theories such as Multimedia Learning, Accessible Multimedia, UDL, and Merrill’s real-world learning. Students may apply their knowledge and understanding of butterflies and pollination to nature. The second comic adds depth by showing cause and effect. It goes beyond “butterflies are pretty” to “butterflies matter.”

The biggest area for improvement that both peers pointed out was that I could create stronger connections between the two comics. Moreover, they also noted that I could make the butterfly in the comic more beautiful, which could help students have a better learning experience. Therefore, I made some changes in my final design. I recreated the comic to be more interesting and added stronger connections between the two comics. I believe these changes will help students learn and focus on the message that I would like to highlight.

Reflect and Refine
REFLECTION:

The things that worked best in the prototype were that I used simple and clean text, since extra material adds extraneous cognitive load and should be removed (Mayer, 2009). Both peers confirmed this. However, they also thought that I should add stronger connections between Comics 1 and 3 and create more beautiful and interesting images to help students stay focused on the model. This would better support the coherence principle.

Therefore, based on the feedback, I made several revisions. In the first comic, I used four panels to introduce the butterfly’s life cycle. This provides students with a basic understanding of how the butterfly changes shape at each stage. In the second comic, I used a more interesting style to help students understand what has changed in the butterfly and to strengthen the connection between Comics 1 and 3. In the last comic, I recreated the images to make the butterfly more visually appealing and to help students focus on the positive impact butterflies have on the ecosystem.

In this learning format, I designed the comics to support dual coding by combining clean images with simple text. This allows readers to learn through both visual and verbal channels (Paivio, 1986). The model structure also follows the segmenting principle by presenting the message across different panels and different comics (Mayer, 2009). This helps readers learn step by step through the model. Overall, I think the peer feedback provided really useful suggestions. There were points I overlooked, such as the connections between different comics. The peer feedback helped me recreate my comic and learning model to give students a better learning experience.

Final Comic

References

AI-Generated Picture References:

All prompts using: ChatGPT and Canva AI
Butterfly’s lifecycle: Egg > Larva (Caterpillar) > Pupa (Chrysalis) > Adult Butterfly

Butterfly impacts the ecosystem: An adult butterfly visits a flower > Butterfly spreads pollen > Flowers become food due to pollen > Animals get food > Nature stays healthy ecosystem cycle > More diverse ecosystem = more plants & animals


Granchelli, A. (2025, November 2). Accessible Multimedia. University of Victoria: Educational Technology. https://edtechuvic.ca/edci337/2025/11/02/accessible-multimedia/

Granchelli, A. (2025, October 19). Models of Active Learning. University of Victoria: Educational Technology. https://edtechuvic.ca/edci337/2025/10/19/models-of-active-learning/

Granchelli, A. (2025, September 14). Storytelling. University of Victoria: Educational Technology. https://edtechuvic.ca/edci337/2025/09/14/storytelling/

Granchelli, A. (2025, September 5). Theories of Multimedia Learning. University of Victoria: Educational Technology. https://edtechuvic.ca/edci337/2025/09/05/theories-of-multimedia-learning/

Multimedia Critique

6 February 2026 / / 0 Comments

In this assignment, the goal is to evaluate the quality of educational multimedia resources by using a theory assessment rubric. The rubric is well designed to evaluate different qualities to examine how design choices impact learning. By using the key element of multimedia learning theory, active learning, and accessibility and Universal Design for Learning, this will help evaluate different qualities of educational resources

Multimedia Educational Resource Assessment Rubric

Criteria 0-2
Need Additional work		3
Marginally Meet Expectation		4
Fully Meet Expectation		5
Exceeds Expectation
Theories of Multimedia Critique Multimedia elements have little connection to CTML principles. Key principles are violated, increasing cognitive load. Design issues cause overload or confusionMultimedia elements are present, but some principles are missing or may be inconsistently appliedMultimedia design accurately and intentionally employs various CTML principles to support learning. Visual and auditory elements complement each other, reducing factors that hinder learningMultimedia elements have a strong connection to CTML principles. Key principles are not violated. Well-designed materials that help maximize understanding through the purposeful integration of media
Active Learning and Cognitive EngagementLearners are in a passive state, with little practice and feedback. There is a lack of opportunities for interaction, communication, or applicationLearners are in a passive position or have limited opportunities to participate. The learning path includes some opportunities for interaction, communication, or application, but these are very few.Clear positive learning elements. The learning path is well-structured with scaffolding and extension challenges, and provides opportunities for interaction, communication, and application, but there is still room for improvement.Learners are actively engaged in the learning process. The learning path offers well-developed, tiered instruction and extended challenges, and includes opportunities for interaction, communication, and application.
Accessibility and Universal Design for Learning Accessibility features are missing or minimal, subtitles are lacking or navigation is poor, resulting in a poor learning experience.The system has very few auxiliary functions, the subtitles do not match the content, and the learner’s needs are not being met.Meet key accessibility requirements and provide accessible navigation to support most types of learners. Clear structure and conforms to UDL principles.Strong inclusive design and provide accessible navigation to support all types of learners. Clear structure and conforms to UDL principles.
Clarity of Instruction and Instructional IntentThe purpose and learning goal are unclear. The contents are confusing and disconnectedThe purpose and learning goal are implied but need more scaffolding. The contents cause some confusion and disconnectedThe learning objectives are clear but not specific enough. Appropriate guidance is needed to help learners understand them.The learning objectives are clear and specific. Strong guidance helps learners understand the objectives and promotes concept development.

Located Educational Resources

Resource 1: Poor Quality
  • Format: Recorded lecture
  • Visuals: Mostly instructional visuals
  • Interaction: Low since viewers mainly watch or listen
  • Presentation Style: Moves through definitions with slides that include a few images but a lot of text and number
  • Audience Engagement: Lengthy lecture format and limited interaction
Justification: Here is one bad example showing that students may be distracted by different colours. Moreover, there is too much text and too many numbers with no images, which is not accessible for all types of learners. Therefore, students might have confusion or questions during the learning process, but there is no platform for them to ask questions. There will be no active learning or cognitive engagement in this learning process. The curriculum should be redesigned to make the teaching method clearer by including images and captions that can help all kinds of learners learn. Last but not least, even though the goal is to help students gain a better understanding of economic concepts and how to solve problems involving different numbers, the design of the PowerPoint is not organized. Thus, it might make students even more confused, and it will be hard for them to follow the lesson.
Criteria 0-2
Need Additional work		3
Marginally Meet Expectation		4
Fully Meet Expectation		5
Exceeds Expectation
Theories of Multimedia Critique This resource relies almost entirely on text and numbers. There are only a few images, but heavy text, particularly for abstract mathematical ideas.Multimedia elements are present, but some principles are missing or may be inconsistently appliedMultimedia design accurately and intentionally employs various CTML principles to support learning. Visual and auditory elements complement each other, reducing factors that hinder learningMultimedia elements have a strong connection to CTML principles. Key principles are not violated. Well-designed materials that help maximize understanding through the purposeful integration of media
Active Learning and Cognitive EngagementLearners are in a passive state, since the speaker only moves point to point. Question by question There is no active learning and cognitive engagement Learners are in a passive position or have limited opportunities to participate. The learning path includes some opportunities for interaction, communication, or application, but these are very few.Clear positive learning elements. The learning path is well-structured with scaffolding and extension challenges, and provides opportunities for interaction, communication, and application, but there is still room for improvement.Learners are actively engaged in the learning process. The learning path offers well-developed, tiered instruction and extended challenges, and includes opportunities for interaction, communication, and application.
Accessibility and Universal Design for Learning There are only texts and numbers in the whole learning process. The system has very few auxiliary functions, the subtitles do not match the content, and the learner’s needs are not being met.Meet key accessibility requirements and provide accessible navigation to support most types of learners. Clear structure and conforms to UDL principles.Strong inclusive design and provide accessible navigation to support all types of learners. Clear structure and conforms to UDL principles.
Clarity of Instruction and Instructional IntentThe purpose and learning goal are unclear. The contents are confusing and disconnectedThe purpose and learning goal are help student have a better understand in Economic concept but is hard for student to follow since the information are too heavyThe learning objectives are clear but not specific enough. Appropriate guidance is needed to help learners understand them.The learning objectives are clear and specific. Strong guidance helps learners understand the objectives and promotes concept development.

Overall Evaluation/justification:

Overall, this method of teaching is a bad example in Multimedia Educational Resource. The lecture video explains what poverty is and the problems that poverty causes. The speaker moves from point to point and explains the content using slides and text. This is a passive learning style in which students are only able to listen or watch. When they have questions, there is no platform for them to ask, which is not beneficial for students. Moreover, the video is too long and has too many texts and numbers. Moreover, due to a lack of images and a lack of animation, it will reduce accessibility. Therefore, this method of learning is mostly passive viewing rather than active learning.

Resource 2: Okay Quality

https://www.federalreserveeducation.org/teaching-resources/economics/series/economic-lowdown-video-series

  • Format: Design in different short videos (around 15mins), each video focuses on one concept only. Help the learner to focus on one thing at a time.
  • Visuals: on-screen text, diagrams and animations.
  • Interaction: There will be a Q&A section, and people can ask questions.
  • Presentation Style: Design in different short videos with captions
  • Audience Engagement: The videos are short, therefore learner to focus on the lesson itself. There are some quizes for learners to participate in different sections
The transcript under the video can help students with different need able to receive the same information
Criteria 0-2
Need Additional work		3
Marginally Meet Expectation		4
Fully Meet Expectation		5
Exceeds Expectation
Theories of Multimedia Critique Multimedia elements have little connection to CTML principles. Key principles are violated, increasing cognitive load. Design issues cause overload or confusionMultimedia elements are present, but some principles are missing or may be inconsistently appliedText, images, and videos are combined in this resource, and the content is organized into different topics. This structure helps learners quickly understand the purpose of the resources and their starting point, thereby reducing confusion and unnecessary cognitive burden.Multimedia elements have a strong connection to CTML principles. Key principles are not violated. Well-designed materials that help maximize understanding through the purposeful integration of media
Active Learning and Cognitive EngagementLearners are in a passive state, with little practice and feedback. There is a lack of opportunities for interaction, communication, or applicationLearners go through a clear sequence of watching, trying, and receiving feedback, and the complexity of the task increases over time.Clear positive learning elements. The learning path is well-structured with scaffolding and extension challenges, and provides opportunities for interaction, communication, and application, but there is still room for improvement.Learners are actively engaged in the learning process. The learning path offers well-developed, tiered instruction and extended challenges, and includes opportunities for interaction, communication, and application.
Accessibility and Universal Design for Learning Accessibility features are missing or minimal, subtitles are lacking or navigation is poor, resulting in a poor learning experience.The system has very few auxiliary functions, the subtitles do not match the content, and the learner’s needs are not being met.There are images with texts, and the video also includes the transcript below, which provides help for different students with different needs. Strong inclusive design and provide accessible navigation to support all types of learners. Clear structure and conforms to UDL principles.
Clarity of Instruction and Instructional IntentThe purpose and learning goal are unclear. The contents are confusing and disconnectedThe purpose and learning goal are implied but need more scaffolding. The contents cause some confusion and disconnectedThe learning objectives are clear but not specific enough. Appropriate guidance is needed to help learners understand them.The learning objectives are clear, and the learning is progressive. Students can learn one different concept at a time.

Overall Evaluation/justification:

This educational resource has a clear structure, which is easy for teachers to use. It provides thorough explanations. The multimedia supports most types of learners since it includes short videos with transcripts. Overall, I would say this is a great resource for students. Using short videos (around 10–15 minutes) that focus on one topic helps students stay focused. Moreover, the videos include some animation and captions, which can help students understand better. However, the interactive learning section is mostly limited to multiple-choice questions and lacks in-depth interactive or constructive tasks. Therefore in the Active Learning and Cognitive Engagement section, there will be some improvement for this resource.

Resource 3 Excellent Quality Resource

https://mru.org/courses/principles-economics-macroeconomics/gdp-per-capita-purchasing-power-parity-example

Format: Design in different short videos (around 10-15 mins), each video focuses on one concept, after each video, there will be a game to text leaner knowledge

Visuals: on-screen text, simple diagrams and funny animations.

Interaction: There will be Q&A and games sections, and learners can ask questions after each section.

Presentation Style: Design in different short videos with captions and animations

Audience Engagement: The videos are short, therefore learner to focus on the lesson itself. There are some games for learners to participate in different sections

There will be some educational videos for learners to learn for the knowledge
After you have learn from the video, there will be some games for you to text your knowledge
The goal is make your Bank Balance higher by answering those questions right.
After each section, there will be a quiz for you to test your understanding of the topic
Criteria 0-2
Need Additional work		3
Marginally Meet Expectation		4
Fully Meet Expectation		5
Exceeds Expectation
Theories of Multimedia Critique Multimedia elements have little connection to CTML principles. Key principles are violated, increasing cognitive load. Design issues cause overload or confusionMultimedia elements are present, but some principles are missing or may be inconsistently appliedMultimedia design accurately and intentionally employs various CTML principles to support learning. Visual and auditory elements complement each other, reducing factors that hinder learningText, images, videos and animation are combined in this educational resource, and the content is organized into different topics. This structure helps learners quickly understand the purpose of the resources and their starting point, thereby reducing confusion and unnecessary cognitive burden.
Active Learning and Cognitive EngagementLearners are in a passive state, with little practice and feedback. There is a lack of opportunities for interaction, communication, or applicationLearners are in a passive position or have limited opportunities to participate. The learning path includes some opportunities for interaction, communication, or application, but these are very few.Clear positive learning elements. The learning path is well-structured with scaffolding and extension challenges, and provides opportunities for interaction, communication, and application, but there is still room for improvement.There are different sections, which include the game model, quiz, video induction, and images. Those can help students to be more active in learning and improve the cognitive engagement.
Accessibility and Universal Design for Learning Accessibility features are missing or minimal, subtitles are lacking or navigation is poor, resulting in a poor learning experience.The system has very few auxiliary functions, the subtitles do not match the content, and the learner’s needs are not being met.Meet key accessibility requirements and provide accessible navigation to support most types of learners. Clear structure and conforms to UDL principles.There are images and animations with texts, and the video also includes the transcript below, which provides help for different students with different needs.
Clarity of Instruction and Instructional IntentThe purpose and learning goal are unclear. The contents are confusing and disconnectedThe purpose and learning goal are implied but need more scaffolding. The contents cause some confusion and disconnectedThe learning objectives are clear but not specific enough. Appropriate guidance is needed to help learners understand them.The learning objectives are strong and clear, and the learning is progressive. Students can learn one different concept at a time.

Overall Evaluation/justification:

This is a great example of educational resources. I have given 20 out of 20 for this resource. First, it has a clear goal and well-designed structures. It will be beneficial for all kinds of learners since it has well designed and accessible. Since there is a clear and simple image, text, animation and number, which can met leaner with different needs. The goal of the educational resource is clear and easy to understand, which can help learners have a better understand in Economic concepts. From the evidence, we can see that the learning process is very diversified, including image, video, text, game, and quiz. Therefore, it will help students in active learning and have a better cognitive engagement. It supports teachers and learners, and it includes great in-depth interactive or constructive tasks. Students are able to ask questions after each section, and there will be a section for testing learner learning outcomes, and it will show the result to the teacher. Therefore, this will maximize the learning effectiveness and experience.

Resources:

BurkeyAcademy. (n.d.). Poverty: Measurements, meaning, and alleviation (Updated) [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeH1N1UfvFc

Federal Reserve Education. (n.d.). Economic Lowdown video series. Retrieved February 5, 2026, from https://www.federalreserveeducation.org/teaching-resources/economics/series/economic-lowdown-video-series

Marginal Revolution University. (n.d.). Basic facts of wealth. Retrieved February 5, 2026, from https://mru.org/courses/principles-economics-macroeconomics/gdp-per-capita-purchasing-power-parity-example

Post 4 – Designing for Interaction

15 June 2025 / / 0 Comments

1.How does the creator of the video naturally prompt students to pause, react, or check their understanding, and how does it nudge them to do so?

In this video, the creator presents several examples of how stress, significant events, and profound contemplation can disrupt sleep. The creator uses an opening hook of rhetorical question to prompt viewers to reflect on their own reasons. Then the creator adopts a constructivist approach, building on those questions to explain why people experience insomnia.

I also noticed that “pause” is used frequently after an opening hook of a rhetorical question in the video. This is an effective technique because it encourages viewer engagement, prompting self-reflection and inspiring deeper thought. It serves as a form of user-generated interaction. This method of showing the video to the viewer can nudge them to reflect and have a better understanding of the topic.

2.What follow-up task would you propose? Specify the concept or skill or task that would help develop?

Since the video is well designed for educational purposes, the teacher could pause at the opening rhetorical questions. The teacher could use these questions to have students discuss in groups and list their answers. This approach encourages greater class participation. Giving students time to discuss allows them to reflect more deeply on the reasons and build stronger critical-thinking skills. After that, the teacher can play the rest of the video and let the students see the differences between their answers and the explanations the video provides.

After playing the video, the teacher can provide a concise summary of the insomnia and facilitate a discussion with the students regarding to their answers. As a result, students not only improve their understanding of insomnia but also learn how to enhance their sleep quality based on what they have learned.

3. How much work would this activity cause for the teacher? Could the activity be scaled for larger numbers of students?

In this activity, the teacher will alternate between being a participant and a moderator. At the beginning and end of the activity, the teacher will act as the moderator, and during the discussion phase the teacher will join different groups as a participant. Therefore, the workload will not be heavy and will be worthwhile to carry out in class.

However, this activity cannot be conducted on a large scale because it has certain limitations. The activity emphasizes interactivity, so having fewer participants increases both engagement and participation. For example, groups of three to five students—forming roughly three to five groups in total—would optimize learning efficiency for this activity.

4. How could the video have been designed to generate more or better activity from viewers or students?

Overall, I think this video is well designed for educational purposes. The only suggestion I have is that, since the target viewers might be younger students, the video should pause longer on the open questions so viewers have more time to think. Furthermore, I believe the video plays a supporting role and helps teachers; thus, it doesn’t have to provide absolutely complete answers, leaving room for teachers to address students’ questions.

Reference

TED-Ed channel on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5Sl8LyI7k8

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