Autodesk: Digital STEAM Workshop
The Digital STEAM Workshop (DSW) is the primary portal Autodesk Inc. uses to deliver educational content to learners interested in design. The site is used to deliver STEAM-based curriculum (science, technology, engineering, and math) and develop the next generation of innovators using Autodesk’s suite of products.
Autodesk needed the site completed quickly, in an environment where requirements were still evolving based on audience research and feedback.
To meet Autodesk’s needs, Monarch Media employed an Agile methodology to rapidly redesign the user interface with a focus on usability and learning design. Agile is based on iterative and incremental development, and it allowed Monarch to deploy a cross-functional team that included user interface designers, programmers, instructional designers, and researchers. We worked closely with Autodesk’s stakeholders to focus on increasing site friendliness and simplifying access to deep content.
The end result was a site that significantly increases educator and student access to Autodesk’s resources to improve STEAM education for a global audience. Monarch’s Agile approach allowed us to quickly and flexibly adapt to new information and requirements while still meeting tight timelines.
Monarch Media completed the initial redesign in only six weeks, presenting the site to Autodesk’s team and stakeholders in August 2013. The companies are currently working together to grow and expand the site and its capabilities, with the goal to continuously expand its reach and usefulness.
During this time, the new Digital STEAM Workshop has been integrated into the Design the Future campaign as the supporting learning resource for President Obama’s ConnectED Initiative. And over the initial six months, site traffic has increased by 100 percent, reaching more than 13,000 users in the most recent quarter.
For more information see the case study: Monarch Takes Agile Approach to Partnering with Autodesk
To view the live site see: http://academy.autodesk.com/
Related Projects
Monarch’s team set up the Drupal site, created the graphic design, created custom components, integrated external databases, and migrated hundreds of pages of content.
Monarch Media is honored to have received multiple small business innovative research grants (phase 1s and phase 2s) from the National Institutes of Health.
Monarch Media and Vivayic developed an agriculture-oriented educational website for the American Farm Bureau, including an extensive set of games.
To meet Autodesk’s needs, Monarch Media employed an Agile methodology to rapidly redesign the user interface with a focus on usability and learning design.
When Iowa tobacco vendors needed training in legal requirements and best practices for preventing tobacco sales to minors, Monarch Media developed an innovative online training program.
Monarch’s team worked with Stanford to analyze their curriculum, conduct a round of user input, and design an adaptive learning system that allows users to assess their knowledge, receive training targeted to their specific needs, and receive certification as web authors.
Taking a “flipped classroom” approach, our instructional design team worked with subject matter experts to author interactive modules modeling sales messaging that enabled sales reps to master information about new products.
Monarch Media’s team collaborated with WKH editorial and subject matter experts to provide the learning design strategy, instructional design, curriculum authoring, graphic design, and engineering needed to build a program spanning eight courses.
Informed by user testing, our design team created the Graphic User Interface (GUI), along with layout and style guidelines for a modern and attractive information architecture, navigation system, and graphic design direction.
Monarch Media used a team of instructional designers, graphic designers, and programmers to create several self-paced and instructor-led courses on Moodle.
To help the San Francisco Department of Public Health’s Center for Learning and Innovation (CLI) achieve its goal of having an LMS for tracking and administering courses and trainings, Monarch Media developed a customized version of the WordPress platform using several LMS-specific plugins and modules.
Monarch Media worked with Covidien to develop two web-based interactive courses for surgical nurses.
Beginning in 2013, Monarch Media worked with Health Net to craft a script in both English and Spanish that explained how the Act could assist customers with their insurance premiums.
Monarch Media, Inc. has completed two Moodle upgrades for the site and is continuing to make significant updates in order to include webinars and grouped courses.
Monarch Media has been working with the Cengage Accounting Team for several years on various projects, including the Warren Accounting Products and the Whittenburg Tax product to keep them in their market-leading positions.
To help students learn forensic sciences, Cengage Learning turned to Monarch Media to build an online crime scene and lab that allows students to get realistic field experience and learn the investigative workflow in a virtual setting.
Monarch Media programmed this scenario-based online training course for CompassPoint, a nonprofit consulting, research, and training organization.
The Monarch user experience team worked side-by-side with medical professionals to develop the IBS Tracker app prototype. IBS Tracker helps people with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) monitor their diet, medications, and symptoms, as well as set goals. In addition, IBS Tracker provides data analytics to help patients better manage their disease.
When Pearson’s MyEconLab team was looking to develop algorithmic assessments for Mishkin: Economics of Money, Banking and Financial Markets 11e, the leading money and banking textbook, they turned to Monarch Media, Inc. Pearson wanted to supplement the course experience by offering additional conceptual exercises that instructors can assign students for practice and/or tests.
Monarch Media created this interactive iPad App to teach individuals important workplace skills. Leveraging the hands-on format of the iPad, this course enables students to learn in a fun, interactive way.
In 2016, Health Net contracted with Monarch to develop 16 videos to educate members about topics such as Making Your First Premium Payment, Renewing Your Coverage, and How to Set Up Your Online Account. Health Net provided the scripts and Monarch designed the visual storyboards and developed the videos (in both English and Spanish).
Monarch Media storyboarded and created over 20 videos for Health Net in 2015. These videos provide training to Health Net’s Employee Assistance Program (“EAP”) clients, as well as introduce members and supervisors to the available EAP services and benefits. These videos, created in English and Spanish, follow Health Net’s branding and style guidelines, and are posted on Health Net’s member website and its YouTube channel.
The Massachusetts State Police Forensics Services Group is responsible for the collection, analysis and preservation of evidence associated with criminal investigations for the State of Massachusetts. Within this group, the Office of Alcohol Testing (“OAT”) oversees the breath test program for the State of Massachusetts.
Monarch Media was contracted by the World Bank to create two online master’s programs focused on food security in the Eurasian region for the Eurasian Center for Food Security (ECFS), located within Moscow State University (MSU).
