In this story, your small elearning design firm competes with a larger one to create real-world change with decision-making scenarios. The presentation helps you break away from the usual information-first approach to elearning design.
2. This is an adapted version of talks I gave at
Australian Flexible Learning Framework
events in 2009.
The original slides had little text. Iâve
summarized my spiel and tacked it onto
the slides in a box like this one.
3. You and I work for an elearning design
ïŹrm. Our client is a government
agency that wants us to overhaul a
safety course for teen workers. The
current course isnât changing learnersâ
behavior.
Our client
7. ...weâll get to overhaul all 22 of their safety courses!
With the money we make, weâll...
8. ...buy everyone a laptop and become
a 100% telecommuting organization!
9. Letâs look at the course weâre
supposed to overhaul.
Try to ignore the visual design. Look
instead at the instructional design--
how the course tries to change
learnersâ knowledge and behavior.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15. Organization
Weâll probably keep this organization, so
learners can be assigned the material thatâs
relevant to their job.
16. Organization
Content
What can we say about the content?
Will it reduce injuries?
17. Organization
Content
The content is just a list of rules.
Itâs tempting to skim them and
forget them.
18. Organization
Content
What can we say about the
assessments?
Assessment
19. Organization
Content
They ask learners to regurgitate
facts, including facts that probably
arenât going to have a big impact.
Assessment
25. Real-world actions that
learners need to take
Move the glass Put heavier items in
the center of the tray
Reduce serving
Have people in booths injuries
pass plates Carry trays with elbows
close to body
Donât count cash
in front of customers
26. Realistic online activity that
Fiona serves booths. Her back hurts. helps learners practice those
Watch her serve and then give advice. actions
Move the glass Put heavier items in
the center of the tray
Reduce serving
Have people in booths injuries
pass plates Carry trays with elbows
close to body
Donât count cash
in front of customers
27. Fiona serves booths. Her back hurts. Sid has a big order. Help him fill the
Watch her serve and then give advice. tray and decide how to carry it.
Move the glass Put heavier items in
the center of the tray
Reduce serving
Have people in booths injuries
pass plates Carry trays with elbows
close to body
Donât count cash
in front of customers
28. Fiona serves booths. Her back hurts. Sid has a big order. Help him fill the
Watch her serve and then give advice. tray and decide how to carry it.
What do these activities have in common?
29. Fiona serves booths. Her back hurts. Sid has a big order. Help him fill the
Watch her serve and then give advice. tray and decide how to carry it.
A character faces a challenge
32. solve problems
Our job is to help people learn.
What real-world problems
do your learners need to solve?
33. Great summary of research
showing why scenarios work
www.work-learning.com
Using Linguistically, Culturally,
and Situationally Appropriate
Scenarios to Support Real-
World Remembering
by Will Thalheimer
35. Realistic decision-making scenarios
help us practice retrieving information
âWell-designed decision-making scenarios
are particularly potent in creating
long-term remembering.â
-Will Thalheimer
36. Alpha is competing
with us for the
safety courses!
Weâre DOOMED!
Our colleague
42. We just have this cheap digital
camera and access to the teens
who work at Buddy Billâs Burger
Barn.
43. Our instructional design will have
to be strong to compete against
the bling that Mortimer will bring
to Alphaâs course.
44. Fiona serves booths. Her back hurts. Sid has a big order. Help him fill the
Watch her serve and then give advice. tray and decide how to carry it.
How we plan to approach the activities
A character faces a challenge
45. How the original course designers did it
Where should you put the
heaviest object on a tray?
A.In the center
B.Close to your body
C.Far from your body
46. Where should you put the
heaviest object on a tray?
A.In the center
x B.Close to your body
C.Far from your body
Incorrect. The tray could spill
its contents on you. Try again.
54. Make learners justify
their choices. This
challenges their
assumptions & makes
them think deeply
about the material.
A. You can support it A. It looks best to have A. It counterbalances the
with your chest. the tallest thing in weight of the turkey.
B. It makes your triceps the middle. B. It keeps the hot liquid
help your biceps. B. It centers the weight away from you.
on your hand.
57. âWelcome to your
new job! Iâve
been driving a
tractor since I
was 15. I guess
thatâs why the
boss wants me to
tell you how to
be safe on your
Our spy at Alpha has tractor. First,
sent us this prototype you need to...â
of Tim, an animated
talking avatar.
58. âWelcome to your
new job! Iâve
been driving a
tractor since I
was 15. I guess
thatâs why the
boss wants me to
tell you how to
be safe on your
tractor. First,
you need to...â
Timâs pretty slick!
Should we be worried?
59. âWelcome to your
new job! Iâve
been driving a
Original version tractor since I
was 15. I guess
thatâs why the
boss wants me to
tell you how
to be safe on
your tractor.
Alphaâs version First, you need
to...â
60. âWelcome to your
new job! Iâve
been driving a
Original version tractor since I
was 15. I guess
thatâs why the
boss wants me to
Weâre not worried,
because Tim just tells tell you how
learners the rules. So to be safe on
your tractor.
far, Alpha hasnât really
changed the design of Alphaâs version First, you need
to...â
the original course...
61. âWelcome to your
new job! Iâve
been driving a
Original version tractor since I
was 15. I guess
thatâs why the
boss wants me to
...and since the original tell you how
course didnât work to be safe on
well, the mere addition your tractor.
of Tim wonât make it Alphaâs version First, you need
much better. to...â
64. Get this book to learn what types of
media help and what types donât help.
Elearning and the Science of Instruction
by Ruth Clark and Richard Mayer
78. Thereâs a huge crowd at
the table, and they look like
big tippers--motivation!
79. More from our spy at
Alpha! Itâs an activity that
was in the original course
but that Mortimer is going
to make really slick.
80. How it works:
1. Click a tile. The tile
reveals an image (e.g.,
airplane).
2. Click the image that
matches.
3. You see a quiz question. If
your answer is correct, the
tile ïŹips again to reveal part
of a larger picture.
81. Mortimer will make this
look really impressive.
Will it change learnersâ
behavior? Should we be
worried?
82. Weâre not worried,
because this is just a
slightly more engaging
quiz about facts. Like
most game-show
quizzes, it doesnât test
whether learners can
apply the information.
85. Reduce injuries 8%
by 2012
Weâre done! Alpha and our
ïŹrm have submitted our
courses, and theyâve been
used in the ïŹeld for one
quarter. Which course
reduced injuries the most?
86. Reduce injuries 8% When the old courses
by 2012 were being used, the
restaurant and agriculture
sectors each had about
180 injuries per quarter.
87. Alphaâs course reduced injuries a bit. Tim
and the extra bling provided by Mortimer
probably improved completion rates.
Reduce injuries 8%
by 2012
88. We win! Our scenarios actually changed
learnersâ behavior. Our instructional
design was stronger than Alphaâs slick
Reduce injuries 8% production.
by 2012
89. We get to overhaul all the safety courses
and...