Coffee eLearning and Training Course
Overview
Target Audience: Coffee enthusiasts and industry professionals
Problem Solved: This course addresses the absence of formal, asynchronous education on sensory evaluation, coffee cupping, and other standard coffee procedures while educating learners about sustainable practices
Learner Goals: Acquire expert-level skills in coffee cupping, sensory analysis, and other operating procedures
Tools Used: Adobe, Articulate Storyline, Audacity, Canva, Learndash, Play.ht, Synthesia, Vimeo
Opportunity Statement
The client, a specialty coffee company from Ethiopia that focuses on farm-to-cup artisanal production, commissioned an eLearning and training course to address the absence of formal, asynchronous education on sensory evaluation, coffee cupping, and other standard coffee procedures. The client also outlined several secondary objectives:
Generate a user base in North America
Encourage the sustainable cultivation, trade, and consumption of coffee
Promote and foster coffee tourism in Ethiopia
Preparation
Selected Instructional Design Model: I chose SAM because of the project’s constrained timeline and the need for comprehensive feedback from the SMEs.
Conducted Task Analysis
Identify Skill and Knowledge Requirements, including theoretical knowledge like understanding coffee regions and their characteristics and practical skills like storing, brewing, and cupping.
Analyze Learning Environment: The majority of learners will complete this course in their homes. Therefore, some learners may have limited access to certain tools and resources, such as grinders and tasting equipment.
Conducted Learner Analysis and created Learner Personas
Created Course Map:
Iterative Design
Designed Scenarios: I designed story-based scenarios because they can enhance long-term retention and are ideal for both concrete and abstract topics.
Designed Written Content
Designed Storyboards
Designed Sample Assessment Questions: I created samples of multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank, free choice, matrix sorting, and short answer/essay questions.
Designed Sample Application Activities
Merrill’s Principles of Instruction - Engage: Engaging in task-centric activities, like the Comparative Analysis, encourages learners to actively participate in their own learning, leading to increased motivation and retention.
Iterative Development
Developed Written Content
Developed Graphics
Cognitive Load Theory: This visual representation narrows down the "problem space," bridging the divide between the learner's existing knowledge and their learning objectives. It facilitates learners in visualizing and, consequently, gaining a clearer understanding of how coffee beans are extracted from coffee cherries during processing.
Developed Audiovisual Content
Developed Interactive Content
Learning Management System
Added content to LMS by using a combination of code and visual editing.
12 Principles of Multimedia Learning - Signaling Principle: I used headings, bolded words, and font colors to highlight the organizational structure of information and aid in comprehension.