1. Simplicity is the best design!
UNESCO-MGIEP - a Category 1 institute - was developing an online course on mainstreaming social-emotional learning (SEL) skills for youth in global conflict zones.
As a Digital Instructional Designer (DID) I overhauled the existing design with improved UI/UX and gamification elements to appeal to youth. A "simulated" game world with 5 characters in a non-linear branched narrative was created and learners encouraged to test their SEL skills and real-world solutions in this fictional environment.
This design was created, approved and implemented over a 6 month consultancy.
The game world of "Ahayou" was based on a fictional middle-income country grappling with violent extremism.
The "griot" like narrator-figure was modeled on traditional wandering story-tellers.
Pedagogical frameworks were integrated into the narrative for a subtle and engaging design. The best outcomes occur when we shift away from a focus on content delivery, to learner experience.
Multiple characters engaged varied themes from Prevention of Violent Extremism (PVE) policy initiatives - including online/cyber bullying, gendered perspectives on violence and tactical insights from traditional counter-terrorism approaches - two UN PVE specialists were SMEs.
Non-linear narrative allowed learners to develop their characters and explore locations within the fictional city to create real-world complexity. Learner is encouraged to use their skills to intervene in the characters' lives.
Incremental steps culminate in the development of a real-world community level PVE project-design.
The course was developed on MGIEP's custom LMS FramerSpace, with additional components built on Articulate Storyline, Genially and Adobe suite. The live course is being rolled out in 5 countries as of August 2022.
or scroll through the detailed design document
2. Attention to detail ensures a great learner experience.
This design document is for a crisis-management game that took place as part of a strategic studies programme. The game was partly digital, partly workshop based - and the simulation ran over one month of real time - and simulated 5 months of game-world time. The document maps the game play and the assessment criteria for learners.
The game took place over Flock - Trello - and in person. As a designer I pick up tools as needed for the solution. Teams were immersed in a global domain where there was a geopolitical crisis brewing, and learners played as different countries to deal with the constantly escalating crisis.
3. Keep it real.
I studied for an MA in the Anthropology of Media at SOAS, University of London. I also studied for an MSc in International Relations at RSIS, NTU in Singapore. I have additional credentials in Strategy Implementation (from the MBA perspective) and Strategic Studies (from the traditional military perspective).
I know when some information speaks for itself and I don't believe in "decorative" design.
4. Understand context as well as content.
I've worked in a think tank with teams engaging public policy issues, foreign policy analysis and strategic affairs. While I bring the technical toolkit to the table, I also have a sharp eye for strategic implementation of policy.
I write about policy issues in the press. I'm also a multi-award winning playwright and artist, part of an international network of creative professionals working across a variety of traditional and digital media.
5. I work well under pressure, and situations of ambiguity, to deliver results.
For example I developed this simple digital comic on Articulate Storyline illustrated by a young artist Anu Biswas, on a shoe-string budget for a local university. The aesthetic is minimal and simple and still conveys the intellectual complexity of the material.
Well done! Thank you for scrolling through to the end! You can reach me on my mobile at +91 9886358596 or drop a line to ramganeshk@gmail.com for more details!
Credits:
Created with a sprinkle of fairy dust and many years of diligence