Creating a narrative: using Adobe Spark (now CCE Express) to present material

In an online learning environment, it is more important than ever to upload supporting materials on the course Blackboard page (videos, lecture slides, readings, coursework…). While all materials can be uploaded on the Blackboard page, students have a hard time navigating the Blackboard site as they do not know where to start. All the supporting materials may even create anxiety to students when they think they have to go through everything (while some may be optional or recommended readings or videos).

In this video, Ron Chan shows how to use Adobe Spark Page to present lecture materials.

Evaluation / Student Feedback

Students really enjoyed the learning experience in semester one. One student quoted:

“When I entered the Blackboard page I instantly know what I am supposed to do. Everything was organised on a Spark page so I do not have to open multiple windows and think about where I should start first. It is very well organised.”

Benefits

Straightforward way to organise materials
Mobile friendly flow and responsive resizing
Linear presentation so students know the flow on how to learn the materials effectively

Top Tips

Create one (or multiple) Spark pages for each lecture (or learning activity) and you can embed these page(s) in Blackboard.
It is important to state at the top of the page, the learning objectives, so that students understand why they are reading the page (and they can go back if they are stuck).
You can include a recap of the previous lecture (and a preview of an upcoming lecture) to create a logical flow between all Spark pages.
Include as much as interactive elements (i.e., signposting them to the discussion board or quizzes) as you can. You can also add link to Blackboard quizzes or other interactive tools on Spark.