Clinical diagnosis of genetic disorders requires sensemaking to connect patients' symptoms at the macroscopic level with the abnormalities at the microscopic level. This involves making relevant observations regarding the patients and their symptoms, analyzing different data sources to find connections across the data points, and, representing the information in a meaningful and coherent manner to justify the rationale behind the diagnostic decisions. Undergraduate students lack these skills pertaining to sensemaking due to fewer practice opportunities, no exposure to authentic real-life problems, and more focus on grade-oriented rote learning. Students, when encountered with such complex tasks, try to gain the competence required to accomplish the task, which leads to an increase in their self-efficacy. Karyotype, a technology-enhanced learning environment designed for sensemaking poses the complex task of clinical diagnosis of genetic disorders caused due to chromosomal abnormalities. We conducted an exploratory study with 67 bioscience majors students. We analyzed students' perceived self-efficacy through a questionnaire administered pre and post their interaction with Karyotype. The results suggest that working on Karyotype learning activities enhances students' self-efficacy related to sensemaking tasks.

In semester-long courses, the trajectory of students' interest hits multiple highs and lows as the course progresses. In general, sustaining students' interest is a challenge, which becomes even more important when there is a real-world project with an expected deliverable. This study emphasizes investigating how instructors’ strategies help in sustaining students’ interest in instructional system design (ISD) course. The course participants developed a real-world project involving training resources for sensitization about the needs and challenges of persons with disabilities (PwD) in an educational institute. We have analyzed interview data of fifteen students and one instructor, survey data of the same students, and In-class observations by researchers. We have identified instructors’ strategies which were implemented thoughtfully and supported by interest-driven creator (IDC) theory. We have mapped indicators from student responses to the components of the interest cycle i.e. triggering, immersing, and extending. The findings of the study show that course strategies supported by IDC theory played an important role in sustaining the students’ interest throughout the ISD course while ensuring both conceptual learning and project execution.