The Problem
When I taught the American Revolution in fourth grade, the curriculum primarily focused on battles, major events, and well-known figures. When I thought about my own education, I realized it had largely focused on those same things. It wasn't until later that I discovered the Culper Ring, the intelligence network that quietly supported the Patriot cause, and realized there was an entire side of the Revolution that was often overlooked.
I wanted learners to experience the lesser-known side of the Revolution and discover how information, secrecy, codes, relationships, and individual decisions could influence the course of a war.
The Solution
The solution was to create an immersive learning experience that places learners inside the Culper spy network, tells the story of Robert Townsend, and explores how intelligence helped influence the course of the American Revolution.
Audience: Upper-elementary through adult learners interested in exploring the American Revolution through immersive, scenario-based learning.
Responsibilities: Research, instructional design, eLearning development, historical mapping, storyboarding, style guide, mood board, high-fidelity mockups, interactive prototyping and technical problem-solving, assessment development, JavaScript development, web development, custom interaction development, variable and state management, multimedia development, usability testing, and iterative design.
Tools Used: Articulate Storyline 360, Figma, ChatGPT, Claude, Dzine, ElevenLabs
Key Features
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Immersive Historical Decision-Making: Learners step into Robert Townsend’s role, gather intelligence through historically grounded conversations, use espionage tradecraft, and apply what they learn to make mission decisions.
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Integrated Learning Resources: A persistent Field Journal captures intelligence, while the Culper Book provides codes, cipher tools, directions, and tradecraft resources learners use throughout the experience.
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Custom Development & Iteration: Custom JavaScript and HTML/CSS extend Storyline’s native functionality, supporting persistent resources, coded messages, free-text validation, and other interactive elements. User testing informed tiered help, contextual prompts, and clearer resource cues while preserving learner discovery.
Why This Project Stands Out
This project began with the desired learner experience rather than the limitations of the development tool. I wanted learners to step into Townsend's world—not simply learn about the Culper Ring—and interact with the information, tools, relationships, and decisions that shaped his work as a spy.
Creating that experience required extending Storyline beyond its native functionality. Custom JavaScript and web development work alongside Storyline variables, triggers, and states to create the Culper Book, persistent Field Journal, coded and ciphered messages, invisible-ink activities, free-text interactions, and other espionage experiences.
The project also evolved through learner testing. Observing users interact with the experience revealed where additional scaffolding was needed, leading to targeted guidance and performance-support improvements without removing the challenge or discovery from the scenarios.
The result is an immersive learning experience in which instructional design drives the technology: the tools support the story, practice, and learner decisions rather than defining what the learner is allowed to do.