For 50 years Sotheby’s Institute has been devoted to the study of art and its markets with campuses in London & New York City. The Institute offers a wide course catalog that serves adult professionals, graduate students and pre-college learners. Areas of expertise span contemporary art to curating, luxury to logistics, art law to valuation, and more.
The Challenge
During the COVID-19 crisis, the institute needed to rapidly move pre-college courses scheduled for the summer of 2020 into fully online learning experiences for high school students.
As the Sr. Instructional Designer, my challenge was to make sure the course curriculum still met the required objectives and laid a foundation of success for students. In a world where learners can choose to take courses online, being forced into another medium can be a more difficult transition than typical online learning. Read More.
The Learner
These online courses are designed to serve a global audience of students between the ages of 15 to 18. Because the COVID-19 stay-at-home order was still in place, we had to be sensitive to students home access to the course and the materials available to them for completing coursework.
“Remote learning during a crisis isn’t typical online learning...The resources used to design a typical in-person course should still be leveraged during this online transition.”
The Solution
The project team included: An instructional designer (C.A. Long, MFA), a multimedia designer, a pair of program managers, the course instructors and ed techs.
I began by reviewing the course curriculum in detail and analyzing what elements of the teaching plan could be offered via live-stream. I collaborated with the program managers to ensure there was a digital framework in place for the learning management system (LMS). I provided guidance on the digital tools within the LMS that could help engage students with course readings, quizzes and reflections.
I found that change management as well as crisis management were integral to transitioning the courses to the online space. It became important to ensure that both instructors and students were set up for success while teaching remotely from home and how they would be supported during technical difficulties.
Sample Pages From A Course Workbook We Designed & Illustrated
