Interactive Audio Instruction (IAI) Development Workshop

Group Submission Type: Pre-conference Workshop

Description of Session

In response to Covid-19 school closures, educational programs have been forced to adapt lessons to remote delivery using locally available technology while supporting a broad range of learner needs in response to the pandemic. Particularly in contexts without access to internet or other devices, radio remains the most effective means of reaching the most learners, but also presents an array of challenges as an audio-only platform. In this workshop, participants will explore guiding principles for interactive audio instruction (IAI) design for home, community, and school-based learning and will practice designing radio programs from design document to audio scripts using those best practices. Participants will come away from the workshop with practical tools and guiding documents to help them think about and design their own interactive audio programs. Presenters will include FHI 360 technical experts who designed Covid-19 radio programming in Ghana, Nigeria, and the DRCongo.

The workshop will open with a few examples of interactive audio instruction (IAI) in different contexts, including IAI for use in a class with a facilitator and at home for individual learners. Participants will be guided to identify connections between audio lessons and prior knowledge on best practices for in-person instruction. Facilitators will then present a brief overview of the process of IAI development leading to the end product from the demonstration. The facilitators will discuss implementing the process in different contexts, including the rapid adaptations necessitated by Covid-19 school closures.
The workshop agenda will reflect the steps in the development process, including design documents, scope and sequence, master plans, scripts, testing, audio production, and distribution. To begin, facilitators will present a case study and explain the role and format of design documents to guide IAI production. In breakout groups, participants will use the case study to draft a design document, taking into consideration constraints that often affect audio programming, such as budget, end-user learning context, and contexts with multiple local languages. Groups will then return to plenary to walk through the adaptation of a scope and sequence from a formal curriculum to audio programming, and then the process of transforming that curriculum into master plans for each lesson, which then guide script writing. Returning to breakout groups, participants will use a master plan from the case study to write a basic script for one activity using a provided template. Groups will then have the opportunity to present their scripts and simulate testing protocols. Facilitators will conclude the workshop with a presentation on the remaining steps of production and distribution, including sharing a toolkit of resources for IAI development that ties together the process presented during the workshop. Facilitators will invite participants to ask questions about the process presented and share learnings from their group work.

Sub Unit

• Pre-Conference Workshops, Book launches, and Art Exhibits / Pre-Conference Workshop

Workshop Organizer

• Elyssa Skeirik, FHI 360

Presenters

• Emily Miksic, FHI 360

• Nathalie Louge, FHI 360

• Betty Mensah-Bonsu, FHI 360

• Ernest Amoah Ampah, Ghana Education Service Headquarters

• Ghislaine Makonga, FHI 360

• Hortense Bulungu Pemba, Education Development Center

• Wakil Malah Bukar, FHI 360

• Elyssa Skeirik, FHI 360