Onboarding Course Redesign

(Company)

TC NEXT, Teachers College Columbia University

(Year)

2025

(Role)

Administrative Fellow, Student Employment

(Methods)

Canvas LMSInstructional video productionLearner feedback synthesisMultimedia Learning Theory

(Impact)

0+

student employees served

0

evaluation dimensions improved

0

redesign directions implemented

From Learner Feedback to Course Redesign

Working in the Student Employment team in TC NEXT at Teachers College, I took on the evaluation and redesign of "Navigating TC Student Employment" — a self-paced Canvas onboarding course serving 750+ student employees across all position types. The course covered essential onboarding content including compliance training, administrative procedures, and professional development resources. Going into my second year, the course had accumulated learner feedback but had not yet been systematically reviewed or updated. My scope covered the full redesign cycle: evaluating existing learner data, proposing evidence-based improvements, and implementing changes for the next cohort.

Problem

The course had been running for one year with accumulated learner feedback, but no systematic review had been undertaken. Content quality was generally well-received, but signals from evaluation data and structural analysis suggested the learning experience itself needed attention — particularly around platform usability, content relevance across position types, and learner engagement.

Redesign

Three directions guided the redesign, each tied directly to an identified gap.

1. Reducing Cognitive Load

Applying Multimedia Learning principles, I streamlined text-heavy pages, simplified navigation, and reorganized module sequencing to front-load priority content. A suggested completion timeline was added to support pacing.

2. Adding Progress Visibility

I opened the Assignments section in Canvas for intuitive progress tracking, and added a goal-setting tool to help learners connect onboarding content to their role from the start.

3. Strengthening Peer Connection

I replaced the static Padlet board with a TC Engage organization page — moving peer interaction from a passive directory into an active, FERPA-compliant community space.

To support the content restructuring, I produced instructional videos to replace several text-heavy explanatory sections — applying the Multimedia Principle to reduce redundancy between on-screen text and narration.

Impact

The redesigned course launched in Spring 2026. Two recurring issues from the pre-redesign feedback — broken links and content irrelevance to specific roles — were no longer reported in the Spring 2026 cohort. Peer interaction, previously the lowest-rated dimension, is being addressed through in-person events and community-building activities outside the course itself.

Back to PortfolioZitong (Erika) Huang