Food Scrap Recycling

A food scrap recycling microlearning experience has been created to aid staff members at a local elementary school to properly recycle food scraps. The Successive Approximation Model (SAM) process was used to create an Articulate Rise 360 microlesson quickly.

Mockup picture of a scenario-based eLearning Articulate Rise 360 project on food scrap recycling.

Client: Conceptual project for a local elementary school

Audience: Staff at a local elementary school

Responsibilities: Instructional Design, eLearning Development, Action Mapping

Tools Used: Articulate Rise 360, MindMeister, Adobe Photoshop, Microsoft Word

The Problem

An elementary school in Sunnyvale, CA, has a mix of staff members who live in Sunnyvale and the surrounding area. The Sunnyvale food scrap program differs from what some staff members might experience at home. City staff recently trained the school staff on the new food scrap recycling. However, the school staff needed a low-risk learning experience to practice their learning.

The Solution

In analyzing the problem, an on-demand microlearning experience is the best solution for school staff. The staff has the foundational knowledge of food scrap recycling but needs a quick reference to review key points and a tool to practice with.


The Design Process

I used the Successive Approximation Model (SAM) process to guide me through the steps of this project. Since the project was small and I was a one-person team, I used the basic (SAM1) method. One requirement for this project was to use Articulate Rise 360.

Evaluation (Analysis) Phase 1

I started this project by analyzing the situation at hand. I identified that the problem was not based on a gap in foundational knowledge. City staff recently trained the school staff on the food scrap recycling program. The issue was based on recalling some specific facts about food scrap recycling. A microlearning experience with some reminders of how to recycle would help staff members quickly find relevant content and practice food scrap recycling in a low-risk environment.

Design Phase 1

I created an action map to examine all the actions that would reinforce good food scrap recycling behavior for the school. 

A sorting activity seemed like an ideal way to allow school staff members to practice food scrap recycling.

Develop Phase 1

A five-slide Rise 360 microlearning course functional prototype was created with a title page, a bulleted list of acceptable food cycle items, a bulleted list of not acceptable food cycle items, a sorting page, and a thank you page.

Evaluation Phase 2

The phase 1 prototype was evaluated. It appeared to address the needs from evaluation phase 1. No objections were given to why this prototype should not be made into a fully developed microlearning activity. Therefore, determining if the information could be presented in another format and creating a different check for understanding were the foci for the second design phase.

Design Phase 2

A Rise 360 microlearning course wireframe prototype was created with a title page, a tabbed page with an acceptable food cycle items tab and a not acceptable food cycle items tab, a quiz section, and a thank you page. 

The idea to combine the acceptable and non-acceptable item lists into one page with tabs was made to reduce the overall number of slides.

Develop Phase 2

When creating the functional prototype, it was noted that the number of questions for the quiz would be in the range of 25-30 questions.

The sheer number of questions was due to confusion caused by the Sunnyvale Dirty Dozen.  The project jumped into the third evaluation phase.

Items for Quiz

Evaluation Phase 3

The Sunnyvale Dirty Dozen can make waste diversion more difficult. The Dirty Dozen is a list of items that can mislead someone trying to be an earth protector. The items appear recyclable but are unwanted by recycling markets and may contaminate the recycling process. Including the Dirty Dozen would enhance recycling efforts at the school. It was determined that the sorting activity would be better than a quiz.

Design Phase 3

A new action map was created. All twelve items are listed in the action map for curious readers, but the items unrelated to the school’s recycling program have been greyed out.

Develop Phase 3

A six-slide Rise 360 microlearning course functional prototype was created with a title page, a bulleted list of acceptable food cycle items, a bulleted list of not acceptable food cycle items, a bullet list of dirty dozen items, a sorting page, and a thank you page.

Full Implementation

Although the basic SAM process was used up to this point, a quasi-iterative development phase was used to roll out the project. Creating the project in Rise was very efficient. The built-in templates made presenting information on acceptable food scrap recycling items easy. The sorting template allowed for the rapid development of the custom sorting activity.

Final Evaluation

As the SME, I served as the alpha tester for this project. I tweaked the layouts of each block for visual design with an eye for consistency and spacing. I also observed how the project looked on different screens and made changes to the content so it would be accessible on different device types.

While this project was intended for school staff members, the city staff also made a presentation about food scrap recycling to the students. I had two students and one staff member experience the project. The beta testers shared that the experience online was similar to the training they received on-site, and it was excellent for the refresher and opportunity to practice via the sorting activity.

Considering that all recycling and landfill programs in the area vary from city to city, creating a microlearning experience for container recycling, paper recycling, landfill usage, and the Dirty Dozen could be future projects to help the school staff utilize the proper methods for their waste stream.