Scenario-Based Micro-Module | Media Psychology | Adobe Captivate 13

Role: Instructional Designer · Scenario Writer · Media Psychologist
Scope: Scenario-based micro-module with conditional navigation, knowledge checks, and reflection
Audience: Corporate L&D, media literacy training, or professional development
Format: Asynchronous · Modular · Interactive
Tools & Standards: Adobe Captivate 13 · WCAG 2.1 AA · Constructivist Framework

The Challenge

Media consumption shapes what we want, what we believe, and who we become — often without our awareness. Most learners consume media passively, without the frameworks to recognize how it is influencing them in real time. The goal was to change that through active, applied learning rather than passive instruction.


The Solution

A scenario-based micro-module built in Adobe Captivate 13, part of a larger asynchronous course in media psychology. The module guides learners through three core frameworks — cultivation theory, social learning theory, and emotional conditioning — examining the role of the amygdala in emotional response to media and how we assess source credibility. Learners are required to engage with every concept before advancing, complete a matching knowledge check, and reflect on their own media habits before the module closes.


Key Design Decisions

Active before passive. Conditional navigation using True/False variables ensures learners cannot advance until they have completed each concept. Engagement is required, not optional.

Credibility as a concept, not a warning. Source credibility — expertise, trustworthiness, and delivery — is taught as a psychological framework, giving learners a repeatable tool for evaluating media rather than a one-time caution.

Reflection as the closing act. The module ends with a personal reflection prompt, asking learners to connect the frameworks directly to their own media habits. The learning doesn't stay theoretical.

ADA compliance by design. Every element is named using a consistent prefix convention, reading order is set manually, and all images carry descriptive alt text.


Outcomes Targeted

Learners who can identify how media shapes behavior, evaluate source credibility, and apply psychological frameworks to their own media consumption — consciously and repeatedly.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this module, learners will be able to:

  1. Identify and explain key concepts in media psychology
  2. Analyze how media influences perception, identity, and emotion