Instructional Design

English 3110 Project–Instructional Design

This project can be either individual or small group. You have two options for this project:

  • Option 1–Find a project on your own.
  • Option 2–Use the scenario provided below.

 

OPTION 1–FIND A PROJECT ON YOUR OWN

For this option, you’ll identify a scenario where a set of instructions is needed for a particular product or task. For example, it could be a manual for a certain product, a user’s guide for a software program, or instructions on how to access a particular page on a website, or a set of procedures for emergency situations for a particular company.

Important Notes:

  1. Make sure this is a product or program or task for which no or little current instructions exist. DON’T PLAGIARIZE!
  2. You must obtain my verbal approval before you proceed.

 

 OPTION 2–A Special Scenario

Overview
For this option, you’ll create a set of instructions on driving a car for an audience who’s totally unfamiliar with the cars.

The Situation
A group of refugees from Nexia (fictional country) have recently been relocated to a refugee camp in a third country while waiting to immigrate to the U.S. very soon. These refugees have been living in rather primitive conditions and pretty much have never been in contact with modern technologies, including modern appliances and transportation devices. To help them quickly get on their feet and become independent, your organization has been preparing to help them by educating and teaching them about various aspects of living in the U.S. One of the things they need to learn quickly to do before coming to the U.S. is driving. The refugee camp has a car, but there’s no one to teach them how to drive.

Your Task
You’re charged with designing a set of instructions on how to drive a car. Here’re a few aspects for your consideration.

The Medium and Language
The instructions will be printed and used like a brochure or pamphlet. Although your instructions will be translated into the refugees’ native language, the translator is not a native speaker of English, so you should avoid language that’s culture-specific and make it as universal as possible.

Car Model
You can pick any car model that you’re familiar with, assuming that’s the car they have at the refugee camp.

Scope of the Guide
Obviously, a comprehensive user’s guide for a car would probably be hundreds of pages. Your instructions don’t have to cover every feature and every possible operation of the car, just the basic driving operations and the basic features that one is required to be familiar with for basic driving operations.

Some Considerations about the Guide
Given that your intended users may very likely have never seen what a car is like, you should probably do the following:

  • Describe what a car is.
  • Describe the main functions of a car.
  • Discuss the benefits of using a car.
  • Explain the safety issues concerning the use of automobiles.
  • Provide detailed, step-by-step instructions on how to drive a car.
  • Use illustrations/pictures whenever necessary.
  • Consider and address the possible scenarios that might happen during driving practice.

Images/Pictures/Illustrations
I’d recommend taking pictures yourself. However, if you find pictures on the internet that are good quality and are for exactly the same parts of the same model, you may use them as long as you don’t violate copyright laws.

Submitting Your Project
Save your project as “Instruction(LastNameFirstName) and email it to me as a Word attachment.