Tools: Articulate Rise, PowerPoint (for storyboard), Canva

My Role: eLearning Developer, Researcher, Instructional Designer

Time in Development: 3 weeks

Potential Client: A Local Animal Rescue/Shelter

Collaborators: Veterinarian, Local Animal Shelter Staff/Director

Problem: I designed and developed this project because I had been noticing for years that many people who were new to owning a cat did not know how to care for them properly.  Growing up in my uncle's veterinarian clinic taught me many things about cat health and behavior that many people do not know and drove my passion for caring for animals. I wanted to create a way to train people, new to owning a cat, how to care for their new pet, and how to recognize and respond to different behaviors.

Solution:  I chose to create a Rise course because it was the most interactive, yet simple way to instruct learners on how to care for their new cat.  I considered an instructional video but discarded that consideration because I determined that the video would be too long and would not hold the learner's attention like a Rise course could.  I also chose the Rise course option because I could not know the ages and learning levels of all learners who may take the course, as adoptive pet parents come in all ages and learning levels.

My Process: I researched many different facts about cat health and behavior, and decided to divide the course into four lessons, and order them in a way that would make sense to the learner.  I designed the course in a logical order with some behavioral and health facts, and progressed through before, during and after bringing the new cat into the new owner's home.  I provided interactive and downloadable deliverables to walk the learner through the steps that must be taken during their preparation.  I gained feedback from members of my learning community and reiterated based on the feedback I received.  One suggestion was to add one word describing what the learner would be reading on the back of the flip cards, to prevent any confusion on what the images represented, and it made a huge difference in time saved and cognitive load for the learner.

Results:  I have provided my course to various individuals in my social network circles, both online and in person, and most of them gained information that they did not know about when caring for a cat.  Most were cat owners, and had been cat owners for years, so the course made a difference in their pet's care.  A key takeaway for me is that this is a necessary course, and it does benefit both new and current cat owners; I did not expect to find out that even cat owners who had been diligent with their pet's care for years, could learn more about their animal, and thereby, provide them with the best care. I would measure the success of this course by creating a survey, sent to adoptive cat owners one month after their adoption, to check in with the new cat owners, and develop questions that directly relate back to the objectives of the course.