USDLA Post Conference - Engagement You Can't Fake: Action-First With Multimodal Learning

Online learners crave experiences, not instructions. This fast-paced, hands-on session immerses attendees directly into the kind of authentic, multimedia learning activities that students can’t outsource to AI or breeze through with formulaic responses. Using Action-First with multimodal learning, an approach that places meaningful activity before explanation, participants will experience how multimodal learning transforms discussions, reflections, and assessments into dynamic spaces for interaction, interpretation, and creativity. Through rapid activities, visual annotation, and micro-design challenges, attendees will learn how to redesign traditional LMS prompts into high-impact learning experiences aligned with adult-learning principles and key Quality Matters standards. Instead of listening to a lecture about engagement, participants will feel it for themselves, then immediately apply the method to their own instructional context. This session is designed for faculty, instructional designers, and administrators seeking practical strategies that increase authentic engagement, reduce AI misuse, and strengthen instructor presence without adding workload. Participants will leave with ready-to-use templates, a redesigned activity they created during the session, and a clear blueprint for elevating online learning with multimodal and Action-First learning.