This item: a 10-minute eLearning interactive on carbon reservoirs that fits into a complete lesson on the carbon cycle. This is an example of my usual approach to graphics: spare and symbolic, with a restrained color palette. The actual components are variously imperceptibly small (carbon-bearing molecules) or impractically vast (all the limestone on earth). The graphics help me make the invisible visible.

Client: a student project for my instructional design program at Loyola University Chicago.

Learners: students in an Advanced Placement or honors course in high school biology. Students at this stage will have at least some background knowledge of photosynthesis, food webs, biomolecules, and acid-base chemistry.

Design rationale: Varying the delivery format of a biology course is useful for engagement, so a lesson that students work on independently will be a useful complement to standard classroom delivery. Students in AP and honors classes are likely to do well with self-directed learning. The segment relies on student triggers to move through the content for a fully self-paced experience.

The lesson begins with a brief knowledge check that recalls what students already know about one abiotic carbon reservoir. New knowledge is presented with both concise explanatory text and a simple visual to make the information more concrete for learners. A concluding quiz helps students review and consolidate their understanding. This segment can function as a springboard into a full lesson on the complete carbon cycle and also connects well to a treatment of reservoirs of other nutrients.

My role: sole creator.

Tools: created in Articulate Rise 360. Assistance from Copilot for selected graphics.