Context

This project was an assignment in EME 6415, Development of Computer Courseware, where we were tasked with designing an interactive instructional game using PowerPoint. The goal was to reinforce or evaluate learning through an engaging activity that incorporates hyperlinks, animations, triggers, and sound design. I developed a game called "Find the Lost Notes," which helps learners review and apply the Modality Principle from Ruth Clark’s e-learning research. The game is intended to be used after a student has read the article and offers a fun way to check understanding.

Conditions

I completed the game independently, starting with an outline of the learning objectives and core content. I built the game using PowerPoint’s interactive features, including timed questions, triggered animations, and branching navigation. I included sound effects, background music, and voice narration in key moments to keep players engaged. The design uses conversational language and visuals throughout to follow principles like personalization, multimedia, and contiguity. The game also incorporates elements of challenge and surprise to keep players motivated and thinking critically.

Scope

The final game includes ten instructional questions that must be answered correctly to recover the “lost notes” and win. Players receive immediate feedback based on their answers and can move forward or backward, creating a decision-based navigation experience. The navigation is fully clickable, and all transitions are managed through buttons, not automatic slide advances, so the learner stays in control.

Role

I designed and developed every part of the game, from concept and visuals to interactivity and audio production. This project helped me grow in using familiar software such as PowerPoint in a more advanced and interactive way. It provided me with hands-on experience in applying multimedia learning principles to game-based instruction.

Key Competencies Demonstrated

• Design Skills – Created an instructional game aligned with specific learning objectives and principles like coherence, contiguity, and personalization.

• Technology & Media Skills – Used PowerPoint to build interactive features, timed questions, decision-based navigation, and layered sound effects and narration.

• Instructional Communication – Wrote clear directions, engaging questions, and used a learner-friendly tone throughout the game to support understanding and motivation.