I see scenario based learning (SBL) as a great treatment for e-learning. It has been around for a long time, but it seems that the need, the skills and the technologies are finally coming together to make it a reality. The key is to make sure that you have templates for storyboarding and for developing the materials. With that and a sound process in place, I think SBL can be rapidy produced. What are some practical applications you may have for SBL and what would your approach to storyboarding and development be?
Wed, 06/20/2012 - 11:12am
#1
Scenario Based Learning
I am currently working on a project where if employees do not comply by the policy taught in the course, results could be fatal. I can see where a good scenario introducing the family of an employee killed on the job and the employee responsible for the accident would really touch on the user’s emotions and incentivize them to learn the policy. Simply providing statistics on fatalities just makes the deceased employees feel like numbers not real lives lost.
Here are some interesting questions that were asked during our Scenario Based Learning webinar.
Q: What software lets students make decisions and respond accordingly to those decisions?
A: There are many tools out there that facilitate scenario based learning and the kind of branching needed. At the top of our list are tools like: Articulate Storyline, Easygenerator, Lectora, Rapid Intake, and ToolBook. It can be done with Captivate too, but the timeline model makes it more challenging.
Q: Has the virtual world of Second Life been used for scenario-based learning?
A: We use a different immersive environment tool to create high fidelity scenario-based learning experiences. Second Life is certainly an option, too. The challenges are how to create it quickly enough to maintain relevance and how to ensure adoption/acceptance by all users. Most of the time we see the simpler form of SBL as a great way to rapidly produce more effective e-learning with tools like Easygenerator, Storyline, Lectora, etc. These tools are made for this approach and templates can be created to make development even more rapid.
Q. How can we do true interactivity without fairly complex branching?
A: The instructional path models Dan presented in the webinar show how simple branching with unique feedback for each decision option is a great way to add impactful interactivity without the complexity of multiple long branches. Some situations will call for more complexity to make the scenario more realistic.
Q: "How long does it take to develop a scenario based learning course compared to an information presentation course?"
A: It depends on the approach taken, but our goal is to make SBL a no-brainer alternative to most of the ‘present and quiz’ stuff we see so often. As Dan Richards suggested in his webinar, keep the branching simple and use the scenario as the opportunity to present vital content and concepts in context. Let the story carry the ball and the learner’s experience might even be shortened. If you take the time up front to create templates based on instructional path models, the job of designing and developing this kind of e-learning can be dramatically simplified and may not cost more. The right development tool/skills help too.