eel-learning

Creating roleplay scenarios (2) scripting

This is part 2 of my description of the first e-learning scenarios I've worked on.

This is best done face to face with more than one SME, and possibly recent trainees who know the likely mistakes all too well. You have to allow a couple of hours at least for the first one. Later ones may not be so difficult.

The output from this stage is a Word script that shows each question, numbered. For each choice in the question, there will be the number of the question or screen that choice leads to. There will also be a note of any tracking that needs to be done.

Creating roleplay scenarios (1) planning

These two posts are an outline of the procedure I used for creating my first e-learning roleplay scenarios for an internal client.

It’s not the last word on the subject, just a summary of what I’ve learned so far. If it's useful for anyone else, great. If anyone wants to debate any of it, that could be helpful too.

There were three clear stages:

1. planning
2. scripting
3. coding      and prototyping

This isn't about the authoring tool - we used in-house templates consisting of simple HTML and Javascript.

Big Question for December: what did you learn about learning in 2007?

On reflection, here are a few things:

Courses v Resources
I learned what seems to  be a way of defining the relationship between courses (sequences with learning objectives, questions etc) and resources (informal, on-demand, banks of information), something that causes a lot of debate at my work. What was new to me was the idea that it doesn't have to be either/or courses can be used as a doorway, hook, motivator, agenda-setter for banks of resources. That if behavioural change is required the courses are where that is defined and, to some degree, monitored, but the resources can be drawn on by the course designer for their purposes, and the learner for their own purposes, which might not be the same. So this might help me to clarify it to my customers who still don't really get elearning - they want 'courses' but give me 'resources'.

Templating
We've had a first successful year of using the 'rapid' javascript/CSS templates (for structured one-pagers, page-turners, roleplay scenarios and interactive modules) I created to make a quick content-to-web route, and overcome the network restrictions to which we were subject (50k per page, no Flash).  Feedback from my fellow developers and customers has been good and productivity has risen a lot. Now the network restrictions have become much less severe and we are allowed Flash and PDFs so we're working on integrating Raptivity interactions into our templates.

Missing the point
I've learned how much so-called elearning or training in a big company is just a matter of ticking compliance boxes, and how when I rattle on about making learning more effective, internal customers are (in most cases tactfully) trying to tell me I'm missing the point. 'We have to put this information in front of them and prove that they've seen it.' My response, more and more, is to take the side of the end users, see them as my customers and my 'customers' as providers - with questions like 'How would you like to sit through page 37 of 72?'.  So far they haven't hit me, and my manager would hit them back anyway ;-)

Dump the Drone
Cathy Moore's little tirade against corporate-speak was a revelation for me - not the message which I'd bought into long ago, but the way she put it over, with a minimum of words and maximum of drama. It's got me into endless trouble with SMEs but I love it!