FLAME: Facilitating Learning with Animation and Multimedia Engagement

[favorite_button]

Creator(s) (alphabetical)

Kevin Nolan, Méabh Hennelly

Organisation(s)

University College Dublin

Discipline(s)

Arts and Humanities, Education, Engineering, Health and Welfare, Information and Communication Technologies, Manufacturing and Construction, Mathematics and Statistics, Natural Sciences, Teaching & Learning

Topic(s)

Accessibility & Inclusion, Accessibility and Inclusion, Curriculum Design, Digital Learning, Open Education

License

CC BY-NC-ND

Media Format

PDF, PDF document

Date Submitted

Submitted by

Export Resource Data

Description

The Facilitating Learning with Animation and Multimedia Engagement (FLAME) project provides a framework to easily design, author, produce and publish rich interactive 3D media to support teaching and learning. The media can be viewed on any device with a web browser.

Benefit of this resource and how to make the best use of it

The approaches described within these training materials use freely available and open-source tools. The materials are device agnostic and are accessible on any device a student may have such as a smartphone, tablet or laptop computer. While they also seamlessly work with VR/AR headsets such as the Meta Quest they are not necessary. This therefore places no financial burden on the student or the educational institution.

The materials that may be created using the methods described herein are displayed inline in a HTML page and appear as an image unless the learner decides to interact. There are no interruptions, sign ins, plugins or subscriptions. It is designed to be as seamless as possible.

These resources have proved to be effective in helping students understand complex and abstract concepts where visualisation can improve learning. Students have reported that these materials make ideas ‘click’ in STEM subjects in particular.

The creation of such materials requires a good degree of technical knowledge. These training materials are designed to cover the basics in 3D modelling, animations, HTML and JavaScript to help novices get started. Further training via micro-credential will help educators advance their capabilities. The project lead is also available to provide guidance on a case by case basis.

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives (CC BY-NC-ND)

This work is licensed under a CC BY-NC-ND license, permitting redistribution for non-commercial use with proper attribution but prohibiting modifications.

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
? This citation is automatically generated and may require adjustment. Always verify it against your style guide.
Nolan, K., & Hennelly, M. (2025). Flame: facilitating learning with animation and multimedia engagement. National Resource Hub (Ireland). Retrieved from: https://hub.teachingandlearning.ie/resource/flame-facilitating-learning-with-animation-and-multimedia-engagement/ License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives (CC BY-NC-ND).

Adapting this resource? Share your version!

If you have modified or adopted this resource, share your version here. Tracking adaptations helps us measure impact and connects others with useful updates.

Related OER

Enhancing Student Engagement and Belonging through Collaborative Partnership is a Higher Education Authority report prepared by a UCD research team led by Professor Barbara Dooley. The resource provides an evidence-informed framework for strengthening student belonging across Irish higher education institutions. Drawing on staff interviews, Healthy Campus survey responses, and analysis of Healthy Campus and NStEP case studies, it identifies practical approaches to improving student engagement, wellbeing and inclusion.

The report frames belonging as a multidimensional and co-constructed experience shaped by social, academic, personal and environmental factors. It highlights that student belonging is affected not only by relationships and participation, but also by structural issues such as housing, commuting, financial pressure, campus spaces, timetable design and access to supports.

The resource is particularly useful for staff and student partners working on Healthy Campus, student success, student engagement, access, inclusion, mental health promotion, orientation, peer support, student partnership and campus development initiatives.

In this video Ciarán O’Connor for the Institute of Strategic Dialogue guides us through a case study of how false information was used to undermine confidence in the Irish local elections in June 2024.

Project NOURISH is a campus-based nutrition and health intervention, originally designed for MTU staff. This was designed as part of a broader research study to investigate how to enable healthier dietary behaviours within university environments.