International Journal of Open Educational Resources Volume 2, Issue 1, Fall 2019/Winter 2020 | Page 98

International Journal of Open Educational Resources
aesthetic: in order for ideas to be clearly
understood, it is important that related
concepts be visualized in consistent
ways, following recommendations in
the literature (Plumb, 2010).
For example, one module about
the rights afforded to copyright holders
used 10 different symbols to represent
those rights, and a learner’s ability
to “mentally group” these rights was
judged to be negatively impacted when
a draft version of the visuals used a mix
of black-and-white line drawings and
photographic elements to represent all
10 rights on the same screen. To support
visual coherence, designers chose
an internally consistent set of images or
icons for key concepts and then styled
the rest of the visual presentation to
match those choices. Moreover, the
same icon or image was then used to
represent the same concept across all of
the modules developed for the project.
In general, more flexibility was
afforded when central concepts or
terms were represented with basic
black-and-white icons; however, the
lack of available and openly-licensed
material appropriate for these purposes
occasionally created dissonance
between an envisioned module design
and its practical implementation.
Although the wide variety of openly
licensed content in the Commons is
notable, the desire to create a consistent
look and feel within and across
modules, without investing extensive
time and effort in the customization of
openly licensed material, occasionally
limited material selection.
Balancing Precision and
Engagement
A narrative-based approach to instruction
has been shown to foster engagement
and understanding of instructional
material (Laurillard, 1998). Wherever
possible, the project team framed each
module from the perspective of a central
character (often a proxy for one of
the module’s primary audience members)
and used this frame to guide a
story-based narrative. The team found
that some topics lent themselves to this
storytelling approach better than others.
Modules associated with important
court cases in Canada provided a good
fit for narrative, since the presentation
could trace the origins of the court case,
key arguments made during trial, and
details of the decision and (if present)
subsequent appeals. Less suitable for
narrative fit but still manageable were
modules that provided guidance on
working with copyright-protected materials.
In these situations, the team
could focus on the experiences of a
content creator or user as they navigate
the complexities of copyright jurisprudence.
In some other situations—such
as modules dedicated to the meaning
and interpretation of specific sections
of the Copyright Act—crafting a narrative
is much more difficult, and designers
would either invent a scenario to explain
the section, discuss the origin of
the section, or frame the discussion in
terms of related court cases, judgments,
or Copyright Board of Canada rulings.
The narrative focus of the OER
modules creates tension between precision
and engagement. For example,
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