Chart Your Course to Sailing Mastery: Reflections on Creating My eModule

If you asked me when would be the “perfect” time to build a capstone eLearning project, I don’t think I could have picked it better myself. The placement of this course at the tail end of my master’s program—right before my practicum—has been a gift. I came in with a solid foundation in instructional design, but this project pushed me to translate theory into practice in a way that felt real, relevant, and genuinely exciting.

For one, I finally felt confident enough to dive headfirst into a new authoring tool—Articulate Storyline. The abbreviated ADDIE process, stacked on top of my grounding in the Dick and Carey model, made the leap a lot less intimidating. Having that instructional scaffolding in my back pocket turned the ambiguity of a blank slate into a clear deliverable. The whole process was a reminder that every step—no matter how incremental—moves you closer to mastery. If there’s one truth I keep bumping into, it’s that trusting the process (and leaning into feedback!) always pays off.

This semester was special in another way, too. I booked my dream charter: a ten-day journey through the Gulf Islands of Canada, captaining a 45-foot sailboat. Years of ASA training led up to this, and I have to say, there’s nothing like standing at the helm—wind in your face—knowing you’re ready for whatever comes next. Best of all? I was able to bring those moments into my eLearning module with my own photos and videos, making the course that much more authentic and immersive for future sailors.

I’ll admit, when I started mapping out my project plan, design document, and storyboard, I was worried it might feel like just another box-ticking exercise. But it quickly became clear: this is exactly what’s expected in the real world. Tight timelines, clear milestones, and the need to be nimble and creative with every decision. My new motto? “Future-proof your training.” That mindset fueled my early ambitions to build in a fully adaptive chatbot coach right inside Storyline—though, true to project reality, I decided to park that idea for a future version (scope creep, anyone?). The good news is my revised design document captures those ambitions for later.

Credit where credit is due: My Purdue mentor tipped me off that LinkedIn Learning courses were available for free, and that gave me a huge boost in brainstorming the interactive elements I wanted to include before I ever started designing. Once I dug into development, the feedback from my subject matter expert, peer testers, and colleagues helped shape the content into something that was not just functional but genuinely engaging. Using Canva for my storyboard was a life-saver—being able to quickly tweak text and script notes made the whole workflow so much smoother.

Screenshot of my Storyboard:

Final Design in Articulate:

Screenshot of Canva Storyboard:

Screenshot of Articulate Storyline Final Edit with Tab Interaction:

What surprised me most was just how much fun I had in Storyline. I was determined to experiment—like combining hotspots with 360-degree images to create scenes that really immerse the learner on deck. The reaction from my SME and the sailing club owner was all the validation I needed; seeing their excitement made it clear this approach could really raise the bar for sailing education—and maybe a few other industries too. In fact, I’m already building out a business plan to help nonprofits and volunteer agencies build better, more engaging curriculum.

Looking back, this class has been a thrilling experience—and it’s only fueled my excitement for what’s ahead in learning design and technology. If there’s a through-line to all of this, it’s that good design is about charting a course—one that’s flexible, learner-centered, and grounded in both curiosity and competence. Here’s to helping new sailors, and anyone else with a dream, set sail toward new horizons.