Suggestion: Welcome video tutorial
5yr
Stella Fiorello
If someone has already brought this up, or if maybe this feature already exists, I apologize, this is just what I found after doing the course for a little while. I have been working on the portrait drawing course, and I think for new students, a step by step tutorial on exactly how to take the classes, how long to spend on each module, and all the features available would be very helpful.
For example, right now, you watch the video and then have to scroll down and click on another tab to access the assignments. I got several videos in before I even realized there were assignments on this course. I didn’t have this problem with the figure drawing and anatomy courseS in the past, because I think the assignments are talked about each video.
I’ve been an online student with the Academy of Art University, and one struggle I’ve seen MANY students there face is navigating the online interface. First-time students would often not realize there were assignment videos or accidentally skip over lecture material because there was a learning curve on navigating the site.
I think something like a quick welcome video for anyone making an account that goes over all the features of Proko 2.0 would be very beneficial.
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5yr
Thank you for the suggestion. As we roll out this site to the public, I definitely want to make some kind of help videos for the ones that like learning how to use a site with instruction rather than from using it.
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5yr
@Stella Fiorello I like the idea of a non-intrusive intro video for those that want it tucked away in a users profile. We might include something like that after beta testing if we feel the site doesn't do a good enough job directing new users to spots they want to travel to.
As for assignments, since the default for each lesson page is the discussion tab and not lesson notes, I can see how a student could possibly miss assignment instructions. The portrait course is unique because it was Stan's first course and he was still trying to figure out the format for teaching online (hence why he doesn't mention assignments in the videos). A possible solution I can talk with him about is to include a tab for assignments that's hidden completely on other videos that don't have one.
Wanted to add something to this thread because I have an experience I believe is less common and thus I should probably share it.
I have nothing against welcome videos per se but every time I join a new site and it tries to give me a tutorial or makes me watch something, I feel really uncomfortable and have a very hard time focusing. If the video or tutorial is long, it can be enough to make me leave the site because I don't feel like the struggle to focus is worth a site I haven't invested anything into yet.
I feel a lot better when I can just dive in a new site and learn as I go. From experimentation, basically. I like it when the interface itself teaches me how to use it. I guess you would call it intuitive?
But I'm ADHD and my experience might not be typical. Some people might hate this approach and much prefer having everything explicitly pointed out. Even I like this a little bit if I've already had some time to develop familiarity with an interface and the site just gives me little suggestions here and there for things I might not have tried yet.
So all I'm saying is, if you have a tutorial or welcome video, please make it either super short or optional. And make the interface as self-explanatory as possible.
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5yr
@pinkapricorn yeah I would agree with you. I've never really watched a site intro video and if I did I probably left the site soon after because it was an organizational mess. We might include an intro video somewhere eventually, but I also fall into this camp.
Yes! I think the welcome video tutorial is a great idea.
And I second the difficulty navigating to the assignments.
A year ago, I was working through the anatomy class on the regular Proko site, and it was a little more intuitive.
This week, I've been making my way through the same material, thinking I definitely remember assignments ... and they're critiquing assignments ... did I miss something?
Perhaps visual break in the video list that says something like, "Stop! Assignment time!"
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5yr
@Laura Gingrich haha all I can think about is an animated MC Hammer appearing on screen doing his shuffle.
Yeah the lesson notes contain the assignments, but I can see how some people might miss out on those if they don't check the lesson notes.
