Perfecting the Interdisciplinary Storm: Immersive Narrative Development Workflows in Context of Meteorology Labs

Abstract

Immersive narratives offer rich, growing opportunities in the field of education, but the interdisciplinary process of writing and developing effective storylines is largely undetailed in current literature. For instance, how can a team efficiently create an experience that will immerse meteorology students in a hurricane narrative and allow them to make decisions related to storm safety learning objectives? To help guide practitioners, we contribute a scalable theory-based workflow, incorporating lessons learned through the creation of our three-part Introduction to Meteorology hurricane lab. We identify the critical involvement of four primary roles: a content expert, an instructional designer, a narrative lead, and a development lead; and we outline a recommended framework for the convergence of all four roles and responsibilities. Our result is an evolution of the ADDIE and R2D2 frameworks, incorporating Bloom’s taxonomy for higher order learning. In this paper, we focus on the practical needs of our Assess, Design, and Reflect stages as they correspond to narrative development before technical assembly. We also share student feedback and demonstrate success in increasing self-efficacy in relation to learning objectives. Our hope is to inspire and support the creation of immersive narratives within other courses and universities.