Getting Started with a Commercial Sewing Pattern
This training module was created for students who are first-time sewers enrolled in my "Intro to Clothing Construction" course at Montclair State University. The goal is to familiarize them with commercial sewing patterns before starting the course.
Audience/Role Alignment:
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The target audience are college students taking an introductory clothing construction course within the fashion design major. They will often discount introductory steps (especially if delivered via a lecture) to get to the “hands-on” elements of a course. This learning module incorporates a more tactile experience from the get-go. In addition to getting students used to pattern terminology, it was done to help reduce errors in purchasing fabrics and notions which allowed them to advance in the onsite portion of the course more readily.
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As a former Editor at Simplicity Pattern Company, I also considered this course being offered by the commercial pattern manufacturers. The home sewing industry has been struggling to emerge from its dinosaur industry status. Reaching a broader market has been ongoing for decades. The first step for a new hobbyist is to demystify beginning a sewing project, which is what this module accomplishes.
Tools Used/Reflection:
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I chose to use the AI feature in Articulate Rise. Its output was a good reminder of how repetition is key for learning retention. It was really quite helpful with organizing the information that I fed it, but found that the editing-down of AI output to my liking was fairly involved. In the end it wasn’t a big time-saver. It did, however, eliminate the need for a formal storyboard, so this is what I will consider when building the next module. I also chose Rise because of its mobile-friendly experience that can easily be accessed on tablets or phones, the way most students view coursework. Preferred deployment is through the university’s Canvas LMS where metrics are available.
Measurable Outcomes:
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The LMS's built-in metrics revealed students’ understanding of the material and overall grade results improved by 50%. In the commercial market, the course could just as easily be offered on the home page of Simplicity’s Website to encourage novices with first-time purchases. I would assume that after looking at sales numbers through that same website, that an incremental rise in monthly purchases would be noticed immediately.