Final Portfolio
Outcome 1: Contextualize how learning informs interactive and multimedia experiences.
For my final multimedia story project, I applied Cognitive Load Theory and Mayer’s Principles of Multimedia Learning from Theories of multimedia learning to balance cultural explanation with personal storytelling. I used the Coherence Principle by keeping language simple and focused on meaningful details, the Signaling Principle by structuring the narrative with clear headings (Road Trip, Yellow Chrysanthemums, Joss Paper and Offerings, Post-Ceremony), and the Contiguity Principle by placing photos and videos directly beside the text they illustrated. For the Modality Principle, I integrated visuals with written reflections, choosing text over audio narration because I felt the emotions and cultural explanations came across more clearly in writing. A key challenge in my draft was not giving enough cultural context to educate readers about the ceremony’s significance, but thanks to peer feedback I revised by adding photo descriptions, expanding explanations of traditions such as yellow chrysanthemums and joss paper, and weaving in personal details to make the story more accessible. These revisions helped me create a multimedia narrative that honors a Vietnamese death anniversary while also educating readers about its cultural meaning and preserving the intimacy of personal memory.
Outcome 2: Apply multimedia design principles in planning your educational resources.
In applying multimedia design principles from Text and image, I explored how text and image interact in educational contexts. For example, in my multimedia story project, I paired photos and written reflections to ensure coherence and contiguity, placing visuals directly beside the text they illustrated. In daily creates, I experimented with GIFs and meme creation, testing how humor and immediacy can enhance or distract from learning depending on alignment with the message. I also created drawings paired with text, which helped me see how visual context can either clarify or overload the learner depending on placement and design.
Through these projects, I applied specific principles: the Redundancy Principle, which cautions that if learners already have strong prior knowledge, presenting both text and image can create extraneous cognitive load; and the Coherence and Contiguity Principles, which emphasize that if text and visuals are separated by too much time or distance, learners struggle to connect them meaningfully. A challenge I faced was assuming that adding visuals always improves comprehension. By revising my work to avoid redundancy and maintain coherence, I demonstrated how multimedia design principles guide effective planning of educational resources, ensuring that learners engage meaningfully with both text and visuals.
Outcome 3: Engage in design thinking to create multimedia learning projects.
In this course, I worked with the design thinking process from Design process, which emphasizes trying ideas, revising them, and shifting between broad brainstorming and focused refinement. My multimedia story project shows how I applied this process. First, I clarified the problem: how to share a Vietnamese death anniversary in a way that was both personal and educational. I asked what readers would need to know and how to balance emotion with cultural explanation. Next, I planned by sketching a four-part structure and gathering photos and written reflections. I then tried out the draft by combining text and visuals, and peer feedback helped me see that I needed more cultural context. Finally, I reflected on what worked and revised by adding photo descriptions and expanding explanations of rituals, which made the story clearer and more meaningful.
A challenge I faced was learning to iterate effectively. At first, I treated drafts as finished, but I came to understand that design is not linear. Each attempt revealed gaps or new possibilities, and revisiting earlier steps improved the outcome. Peer feedback was especially important, since it pushed me to rethink how much context readers needed. I also connected this process to Backward Design, starting with the end goal, helping readers understand the cultural meaning of the ceremony, and then working backward to design the activities and resources that supported that goal.
Through these experiences, I showed how design thinking guided my projects: brainstorming widely, refining carefully, revising often, and keeping the learner’s experience at the center.
4) Apply storytelling principles in creating effective learning opportunities.
Storytelling was a thread running through nearly all of my work in this course, from daily creates to my larger multimedia story project. Each artifact carried a short but meaningful narrative that gave context and helped others understand why the media mattered. For example, in a daily create audio piece, I explained why I liked a certain song and how I discovered it, keeping the story simple and focused. In a video daily create, I shared footage of birds in my backyard, adding just enough context to make the scene relatable without overwhelming viewers with unnecessary detail. For images of plants, I connected the story to my dad’s love for them and how they gave us something to talk about, showing how even small personal details can create emotional resonance.
In my multimedia story, I strengthened this approach by weaving in personal moments, like the hammock, the puppy, and the mangoes, alongside family rituals. These details made the narrative relatable and engaging, while the inclusion of family laughter in the background reinforced the idea that remembrance is not only about mourning but also about joy and connection.
A challenge I faced was learning to make stories short but understandable. At first, I included too many details, which risked distracting from the core message. Through practice and peer feedback, I learned to strip away what wasn’t essential and focus on the key narrative elements that carried meaning. This helped me create stories that were clear, emotionally resonant, and educational.
By applying storytelling principles across different media formats, I turned simple creations into learning opportunities. Each artifact became more than just an image, video, or audio clip; it became a story that taught, connected, and engaged.
5) Describe and apply principles of effective interactive multimedia design.
I applied principles of effective interactive multimedia design from Accessible multimedia by intentionally structuring my work around Mayer’s principles in both my multimedia draft and final. For example, I used the coherence principle to reduce extraneous details and the modality principle to combine visuals with narration, ensuring learners could process information more effectively. In class, during Breakout Discussion 2, I experienced firsthand how context shapes memory: our group was given sentences about flying a kite, and having that context made it easier to reconstruct meaning even when I only remembered fragments. This activity reinforced the contiguity principle, showing that when words and visuals (or context) are presented together, comprehension and recall improve.
At the same time, I reflected on the Overview from the accessibility module, which emphasizes that multimedia design must also be effective, engaging, and accessible to a wide range of learners. This pushed me to consider inclusive design principles and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) alongside Mayer’s framework. For instance, adding captions, transcripts, and alt text not only removes barriers but also creates multiple pathways for learners to engage with content. The kite‑sentence activity connected directly to UDL’s principle of providing multiple means of representation, showing how context and accessibility improve recall and understanding. By combining Mayer’s principles with accessibility and UDL guidelines, I ensured my multimedia resources were not only pedagogically sound but also inclusive and equitable.
6) Generate a variety of prototype artifacts including: comics, videos, and web pages.
I met the outcome of generating a variety of prototype artifacts by creating GIFs, videos, drawings, music, audio clips, images, and texts as part of my daily create activities. Each artifact was tagged with @creating @daily.ds106.us, and I replied directly to the DS106 Daily Create prompts, which made the process interactive rather than one‑sided. By engaging with the prompts and contributing my own responses, I was participating in a shared creative space where interaction itself became part of the learning design. This process reflects the design principle that teaching materials are not static products but evolving prototypes, and it helped me explore how different media formats can each communicate meaning in unique and engaging ways.
7) Use GenAI appropriately as a tool to support creative activities. (NOTE: ‘Appropriate GenAI use’ might be refusing to use GenAI.)
I used GenAI for only one Daily Create: Text activity, where the challenge was to create a new longest word in my language. I used AI to help brainstorm and refine ideas for this creative prompt. For all of my other activities and creative work, I chose not to use GenAI, preferring to develop the ideas and content independently so they reflected my own creativity and personal expression.
This course has equipped me with skills that extend beyond the classroom. In my future career, I can apply multimedia design principles to create engaging training modules. In further studies, I’ll use storytelling and design thinking to structure research presentations. Personally, I’ve gained confidence in balancing creativity with accessibility, ensuring that my multimedia projects are both innovative and inclusive.
References
EDCI 337. Theories of multimedia learning. EdTech UVic. Retrieved from https://edtechuvic.ca/edci337/2025/09/05/theories-of-multimedia-learning/
EDCI 337. Text and image: The sum is greater than its parts. EdTech UVic. Retrieved from https://edtechuvic.ca/edci337/2025/09/11/text-and-image-the-sum-is-greater-than-its-parts/
EDCI 337. Design process. EdTech UVic. Retrieved from https://edtechuvic.ca/edci337/2025/10/06/design-process/
EDCI 337. Storytelling. EdTech UVic. Retrieved from https://edtechuvic.ca/edci337/2025/09/14/storytelling/
EDCI 337. Accessible multimedia. EdTech UVic. Retrieved from https://edtechuvic.ca/edci337/2026/05/06/accessible-multimedia/