Authentic real-world learning course design

Construct was tasked by the University of Alabama (UA) with building a series of courses on Opioid Use Disorder for an audience of health practitioners. The course objectives were designed around solving the real-world issues that highly experienced social workers, who were the subject matter experts for the course, had identified as areas that needed to be improved in order to make an impact.

The Challenge
  • Social workers provided a scenario that explained the challenge:

    We see the following often: Someone walks into an emergency room, looking for support around opioid use. The triage nurse on duty is not as familiar with how to handle this situation and after a series of questions, identifies the patient as low risk. They often send them to the waiting room. After a waiting for a while, the patient changes their mind abour receiving help and leaves. We believe that in this scenario the healthcare system has lost a valuable opportunity to have a significant impact due to a lack of awareness about how to deal with the patient”

The Solution
  • Construct designed and developed the courses using a person-first approach.
  • To do this we used a few creative learning design techniques to ensure the content was immersive, authentic and could deliver real-world learning.
The Result
  1. Real-world conversational scenarios
    • Construct designed VR-like simulations to create authentic scenarios that learners would encounter in the real world.
  2. Tools to increase learner engagement and improve course retention
    • Construct built-in regular opportunities for learners to apply what they have learned by offering them response choices either via branching scenarios as part of the simulations or accordion-style Q&A.
  3. Increasing course credibility with subject matter expert course introductions
    • Each course includes a video from subject matter experts who designed the course, allowing learners to hear the course overview from someone who is an expert in real life sets the tone for an authentic experience.
The University of Alabama
About UA

The University of Alabama, part of The University of Alabama System, is the state’s flagship university. UA shapes a better world through its teaching, research and service. With a global reputation for excellence, UA provides an inclusive, forward-thinking environment and nearly 200 degree programs on a beautiful, student-centered campus. 

A leader in cutting-edge research, UA advances discovery, creative inquiry and knowledge through more than 30 research centers. As the state’s largest higher education institution, UA drives economic growth in Alabama and beyond.

How we used simulations to create authentic scenarios
An example of a scenario branching option
Branching scenario options
How can Construct help you?

Our experience gained from delivering thousands of online courses since 2013 has led us to be able to efficiently scaffold courses through tried and tested processes, enabling Construct and any new partner to focus on creativity, innovation, and quality.

Our services include:

  • Course design & development
  • Program / course migration
  • Learning strategy consultation
  • Instructional design
  • Media production
  • Student support
  • Course maintenance

What is your challenge? We're here to help.



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