Scenario Learning Llc W 9

Introduction

By at present, most instructional designers agree that scenarios are beneficial for learning. Only when writing scenarios for grooming, how do y'all arts and crafts stories that are realistic in the context of the learner's job? Start by avoiding these common mistakes when writing eLearning scenarios. Let's count them downward.

Scenario Writing Pitfall #5: Disguising Info Dumps as Conversations

I recently reviewed a compliance course which included a conversation that went something like this:

Steve is a new employee. He is meeting with his supervisor, Maria, for a rubber orientation.

Maria: It is important for you to think that all employees are responsible for safe here at ABC Visitor.

Steve: What can I practise to contribute to a safety civilisation?

Maria: Every employee is expected to comply with all aspects of the occupational safety program. This includes beingness informed of the potential risks and hazards, staying aware of your surround, and protecting yourself and others. Y'all should always wear the appropriate personal protective equipment whenever you are in the warehouse. At a minimum, this includes a steel-toed boots, a hardhat, and reflective vest. If you lot are working in the lumber cutting surface area, you will need safe glasses, hearing protection, and protective gloves. Remember, always use safe piece of work practices, follow proper procedures, and study hazards.

Steve: Sounds good. What are some biggest hazards I might face on the job?

Maria: I am glad you lot asked. Forklifts correspond one of the biggest safety hazards in the warehouse. In fact, in industries across the U.s.a., near 100 employees are killed and 95,000 are injured every year while operating forklifts.

Steve: Wow, I never thought nearly how dangerous a warehouse could exist. What else do I need to know?

Take you lot ever in your life had a chat like this? It isn't a conversation; it's an info dump disguised as dialogue. This example reads like someone copied phrases from the policy document and forced poor Maria to speak them.

What to Practice Instead

Chat can be an effective fashion to nowadays information, merely it needs to be written in a true-to-life way. (The amazing Christy Tucker has an splendid series on how to do it well.) If y'all tin't imagine your target audience actually having the chat, chances are, you need to practise some rewriting. Work closely with your bailiwick matter experts to make certain the dialogue uses terminology your learners are likely to use. Better yet, include some members of the target audience on your review team. If the learners need to read the policy linguistic communication, link to the document instead of awkwardly inserting the language into a conversation.

Scenario Writing Pitfall #4: Writing Robotic Speech

I of the issues with the above case is that the dialogue is stilted, with nary a wrinkle (such as it's, you're, and I'1000) to be found. Every bit a former English teacher, I'k convinced that we (English teachers) are partially to blame for this common misstep. Many instructional designers were taught, somewhere in their loftier school or college careers, that contractions are non advisable for formal writing.

Because people tend to half-learn grammar rules, they sometimes finish upwardly writing scenarios and scripts that sound like Lt. Commander Data, the android from Star Expedition: The Next Generation, who does not, cannot, will not use contractions in his voice communication. This trait, by the mode, distinguishes him from his evil twin, Lore. Information technology's no wonder many instructional designers shy away from contractions if they're the stuff of evil, xanthous-eyed robots!

Conversations should be written the mode people talk. Forget what your English instructor told you. You're non writing a term paper. Read the dialogue aloud and listen for parts that audio stilted or that you naturally "autocorrect" equally you read.

Scenario Writing Pitfall #3: Avoiding the Gray

If yous're writing a prophylactic course, there are probably going to be some very articulate-cut right and wrong answers. But not every situation is black and white. For example, consider this scenario from a diversity and inclusion course for burn service personnel:

It'due south Kate's second twenty-four hour period at the station, and she'due south the only female on the team. When she goes to check her gear, she sees a plastic tiara where her helmet should be. Dante and Zach, two firefighters who've been with the section for years, laugh every bit they find her option up the tiara. Zach says, "Hey Princess! I thought this looked like more your style."

As a leader in the section, how do you handle this?

Let it become. Firefighters always give the rookies a hard fourth dimension.

Tell Kate the teasing ways she's part of the squad now.

Enquire Zach to step into your office, and speak to him privately to allow him to save confront.

Phone call out the beliefs in front of everyone who witnessed it, and then expectations are clear.

Each of these choices represents an action that a fire department leader might realistically have. However, a prank that involves a firefighter'southward personal protective equipment is one that puts her safety in jeopardy. In add-on, a section that wants to build an inclusive culture should not tolerate hazing. Given this data, C or D might both be considered correct choices with advantages and drawbacks for each choice. It's a gray area with an opportunity for the learner to explore what happens with each choice—when provided with consequence-based feedback. That brings us to the next pitfall on the list….

Scenario Writing Pitfall #ii: Getting Preachy

A Golden Dominion of Writing is "Show, Don't Tell." One way to do this in eLearning scenarios is to show the consequences of the learner'south actions instead of merely telling them if their answer is correct or incorrect. Use the decision indicate to advance the story.

Let's say yous're rewriting the safety scenario from above to include some decision points, like so:

You're giving a bout to Steve, a new employee who volition exist working in the warehouse. Before you lot become in, you stop to don your personal protective equipment (PPE).

Steve: I've got my steel-toed boots and hardhat like you told me in the welcome email. What else do I need?

Which other PPE items practice y'all recommend for Steve? Consult the company policy and select all that use.

Hearing protection

Protective gloves

Reflective vest

Safe glasses

Now allow's say the user gets the respond partially correct. Which feedback does a ameliorate job of advancing the story rather than preaching to the learner?

Scenario Feedback Examples

FEEDBACK EXAMPLE #1

Sorry, that's incorrect. According to the policy, all employees must habiliment a hard hat, steel-toed boots, reflective belong, and safety glasses while in the warehouse. Employees in the lumber cut area are besides required to wear hearing protection, protective gloves, and a dust mask.

FEEDBACK EXAMPLE #two

You're definitely going to desire a yellow reflective vest, to make sure the forklift operators see y'all. Safety glasses are important to continue any flight particles out of your optics. We're not going into the lumber cut expanse right now, so we won't demand protective gloves, a dust mask, or hearing protection—in fact, information technology's not a good idea to wear ear plugs in the storage areas of the warehouse, or you might not hear the forklifts.

FEEDBACK EXAMPLE #three

You lot and Steve put on safety spectacles and earplugs before inbound the warehouse. A few minutes later on, y'all have a close call with a forklift operator who doesn't encounter you because y'all're not wearing reflective vests—and you don't hear the forklift coming because of the earplugs.

The first example takes the learner out of the flow of the story and steps into the world of preachiness. Cathy Moore calls this "eager-beaver feedback."

The second example isn't bad; information technology reads as if a colleague were advising yous. This approach would work well if your timeline and budget don't allow y'all to create branching scenario.

The third case—which would likely include branching—goes a step further and shows the consequences of a bad choice. Ideally, information technology would also include a link to the policy or a job assist explaining proper utilize of PPE.

Scenario Writing Pitfall #1: Not Tying the Story to the Learning Objectives

Finally, we come to the number ane mistake in my top 5 list: forgetting that the purpose of the story—for an eLearning scenario—is to teach the learning objectives. It can be easy to go defenseless up in the story, but earlier yous even start creating your characters or outlining the determination points, you take to start with the functioning problem you are trying to solve and the learning objectives that will get you there. For example, if you lot were writing an former-fashioned exam, you'd make certain every question was tied to a learning outcome, right? Likewise, you should do the aforementioned for every decision indicate in your scenario.

Summary

To recap, you can better your eLearning scenarios by remembering these Practise'southward and Don'ts:

" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/scissortailcs.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/scenario-writing-do-this-not-that.png?fit=200%2C300&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/scissortailcs.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/scenario-writing-do-this-not-that.png?fit=683%2C1024&ssl=1" data-lazy-srcset="https://i0.wp.com/scissortailcs.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/scenario-writing-do-this-not-that.png?w=1000&ssl=1 1000w, https://i0.wp.com/scissortailcs.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/scenario-writing-do-this-not-that.png?resize=200%2C300&ssl=1 200w, https://i0.wp.com/scissortailcs.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/scenario-writing-do-this-not-that.png?resize=683%2C1024&ssl=1 683w, https://i0.wp.com/scissortailcs.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/scenario-writing-do-this-not-that.png?resize=768%2C1152&ssl=1 768w" data-lazy-sizes="(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px" data-lazy-src="https://i0.wp.com/scissortailcs.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/scenario-writing-do-this-not-that.png?fit=768%2C1152&ssl=1&is-pending-load=1" srcset="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7">