Building Irresistible Engagement: Branching Scenarios and Linkage to Novel Scenarios--Part III

In the previous post, the case was made that within an immersive E-Learning environment that learning objectives might be transformed from being a static element to a dynamic and adaptive element that reflects "real time" change in skill development. In order for this process of change to be measured accurately, assessment can not just be the assessment done at the end of the course. Also, the emphasis shifts from being less assessment of learning to more assessment for learning. This assessment for learning occurs during the movement through the scenario learning experience, both on an individual and collaborative level. The means to accumulating "just in time data" can effectively obtained through the use of branching scenarios.

Credit: www.nwlink.com

Branching scenarios are a means by which we see and assess decision making among learners. These types of scenarios are ones in which the decisions made by the learner changes how the story or narrative develops and also the potential outcomes. Branching scenarios that involve telling a story in which the learner is a main character have the following benefits:

1. Stories or narratives have more power to engage than non-narrative communication in which the learner is a passive spectator.
2. Stories or narratives can create a sense of self-efficacy which is a crucial building block for leadership development.
3. Stories or narratives make attitude change more persistent by engaging the cognitive and affective level of the learner.
4. Making wrong or bad decisions in character in a non-threatening environment is educationally useful
5. Stories or narratives can create para-social relationships that are conducive to future learner collaboration within a corporate environment or educational organization.

Branching scenario development also bring with them certain cautions to be aware of:

1. Narrative branching scenarios should carefully consider the number of branches that will be used. Too many branches can lead to confusion and be unproductive.
2. In the design of branching scenarios it is advisable, when developing the story, to make use of story boarding and flow charting. Programs such as Articulate to name one are useful in helping to plan out and test ideas.

The following is a simple example of a decision making tree:

Credit: Debbie Richards (NAC)

I would suggest, partially tongue firmly in cheek, that if you really want to see branching scenarios at work in a collaborative, online environment, get involved in an online collaborative video game. In such an instance you will experience how immediate feedback changes decision making and impacts learning objectives. The skill development becomes self-evident when the "gamer" or learner is exposed to a novel unfamiliar scenario.

Novel Scenario Linkages and Assessment

One problem that needs to be addressed is how do learners who progress through an irresistibly engaging scenario test their new skill development in order to establish confidence that these skills can be transferred to the reality which is their work place? They need a testing ground. No matter how many branching scenarios you use, when learners are successful in making their way through the scenario, the last task should be the proving or testing ground. The last link in the scenario should lead them to a completely new scenario that they have never seen before in which they are tasked with  a challenge where their newly developed skill sets will be called upon in a mission critical situation. The instructor or trainer in the blended learning situation should have the ability during the scenario to introduce into the scenario unexpected variables which requires the learners to re-think strategy. In such a theater, assessment can happen on many levels which helps build the learning profile of learners and speaks to adjustments to be made in future designs.

Next.....Maximizing Immersive E-Learning Through Virtual Technology.

Building Irresistible Engagement: Plotting New Paths With Scenarios and Branch Scenarios in E-Learning

In the previous post, I suggested some of the necessary qualities that should be part of the design of E-Learning scenarios in order for them to be effective.

One design element that should be in place is the means to enable skill development and tracking for the learner. This suggests that in order for this to happen, we need to look at learning objectives and assessment in a different light.

Today as in the past,  learning objectives are stated at the beginning of a E-Learning course . Usually, if it was higher end thinking skills that we wished to assess in the learner, we used Bloom's Taxonomy or the Revised Bloom's Taxonomy to help compose effective objectives and then a completed assessment was done at the end.

Learning Objectives and Assessment in an Immersive E-Learning Environment

 One of the changes to E-Learning is the emergence of immersive E-Learning environments.

When we use scenarios in an immersive E-Learning format, learning objectives may not remain static but instead may evolve as learners progress through the scenario learning experience. They in fact become adaptive. Here is the logic behind this:

" As learners make decisions while progressing through a scenario, they receive immediate feedback concerning their decisions. This I will refer to as 'just-in-time data'. This data not only addresses future decisions made by the learners but also impacts learning objectives forcing them to adapt and evolve to the progression of skill development of the learners. Since skill development is a dynamic process, it also forces learning objectives to be adaptive and agile."

In this, we start to see true individualization of learning. Ruth Clark (2013) had the following to say about scenario based E-Learning:

"Scenario-based e-learning is a pre-planned guided inductive learning environment designed to accelerate expertise in which the learner assumes the role of an actor responding to a work realistic assignment or challenge, which in turn responds to reflect the learner's choices" (Clark, 2013).

As you can see, this process is not a one-way process.

This brings up a reasonable and obvious question:

"How can we possibly measure or assess such a process?"

 Next segment--Use of branching scenarios and linkages to novel scenarios.

Building Irresistible Engagement--Scenarios & Branching Scenarios in E-Learning-Part I

One of the main thrusts of prior posts on this site is that whether or not we are talking about a corporate or educational organization, we want learners to become creators of new knowledge and skill sets, and to work collaboratively as agents of change. This goal not only benefits corporate and educational organizations but ultimately our societies are enriched and new generations are inspired in a positive fashion. Skeptics might dismiss this as a "Pollyanna Principle" at work but adapting a skeptics mindset very often results in paralysis of the will to see beyond self-imposed limitations and maintaining the status quo.

Credit: www.dashe.com

This change requires a radical but obtainable and sustainable change in mindset. Simulations and problem based learning are means by which we can build irresistible engagement into designed learning experiences and nurture this mindset until it becomes a part of the natural thinking patterns of corporate and educational organizations.

Credit: http://commons.wikimedia.org/

Another means by which such a mindset may be fostered is through the designed use of online scenarios and branching scenarios.

The Nature of E-Learning Scenarios

 One of the great benefits of online learning is the power that gives the learner and ID to create, experiment and change behaviors of learners in a non-threatening environment. It is similar to what happens to "gamers" who play online video games. When your character makes a serious error during game play, dies or is eliminated, he or she knows that they can be "re-started" at a point prior to where the error was made and take a different approach to the confronted problem. Even "gamers" are given pause after such an event to consider their mistake and think about another course of action  that will allow them to avoid a repetition of the same fate. Some are quick to re-consider a new path and some take more time. This mirrors individualized learners in corporate and educational organizations. However, unlike the video gamer, a learner in a corporate or educational setting, might have limited extra chances to get it right.

Credit: www.conflictdynamics.org

 

 

Important Design Elements in E-Learning Scenarios

In building irresistible engagement through E-Learning scenarios, certain key design elements that speak to effective pedagogy should be considered. The following elements, although not exhaustive, should be considered as those having the greatest impact:

1. Focus: In order to covey to learners that they are involved in a meaningful, relevant experience, the design should focus on relevant real world problems and issues. The design should allow connections to be drawn by the learner to their own personalized learning situation.
2. Story Telling: It is important that a realistic and personally relatable story be told. If the goal is to create an irresistibly engaging learning experience, the story telling must not treat the learner as a passive observer. In this we can take a lesson from great fiction novels in which the author crafts his or her novel in such a way that the reader feels that he or she is part of the developing story. Engagement is more than an intellectual exercise but should involve the emotional and sensory aspects as well. In such a "flow", you not only anticipate what you would do as a participant in the unfolding story, you are driven to see if your own thinking in the situation results in the consequences you anticipate. In an effective E-Learning scenario, the learner operates as a dynamic entity interacting with his or her new environment. Real time for the learner stands still when in a state of flow.
3. Collaborative: You have often heard it said by instructors and presenters that it is important to know your audience. This is a truism that trainers take as matter of great importance but in E-Learning this takes on a more expansive dimension. It is not enough to know basic data about the audience. It is important to know the learning profiles of the people involved and especially their openness to collaborating with others. Collaboration among learners tasked to arrive at solutions in problem based scenarios requires an awareness of what each collaborator brings to the table to help to arrive at a solution. Collaboration is a key skill set for 21st century learners.
4. Immediate Feedback: Just as in gaming, immediate, relevant, instructive feedback is required on the decisions that are made both individually and collaboratively during the scenario. Too often such experiments fail because instructors give feedback at the conclusion of the experience instead of during the experience. This is important because it is an influence in the path taken during branching scenarios. It is a dynamic process! It is from plausible consequences that we learn, re-think, re-group and move towards a solution. It is also in these crucial moments that ingenuity and innovation have opportunity to surface.

In using scenarios as part of a hybrid approach to E-learning, what starts to emerge is what the future of E-Learning holds. As what one author postulated, we will see an "Immersive E-Learning" appear on the immediate horizon. The technological aspects are, as we write, being put strategically in place.

Credit: Robert Penn

Next---More scenario elements, branching scenarios and innovative pedagogy.

Creating Hybrid Learning Experiences--Part II- Simulations-- Return to the Kobyashi Maru Scenario

In the previous post, it was suggested that one way to bring order to E-Learning would be to create irresistibly engaging learning experiences by using hybrids of the different versions of E-Learning that are often mentioned. The hybrid mentioned  in the previous post was the combination of project based learning with problem based learning but as postulated it is incomplete. In order to have a level of engagement for the learner that leads to deeper sustained learning, it should be linked to a form of learning experience that is really coming into its own in the online world and that is the simulation.

Simulations are not new. They have been used to train aircraft pilots, medical personnel and shuttle Astronauts for years. However, with the great advancement of technology as it relates to the online world, more and more disciplines are using virtual reality simulations in order to engage their members in essential learning and refinement of skill sets. It is within this type of environment, that both problem solving based learning and project based learning can be employed as a part of the previously mentioned hybrid. Besides the need to assess developing skill sets for members, other elements that come into play in order to complete individualized profiles are:

1. Measures of individual and group emotional responses and group collaborative efforts when confronted with an unexpected event.
2. Measures of innovative thinking in solving a problem.
3. Measures of recovery time in the resolution of a challenging problem in which primary solutions failed.

The more realistic the immersive simulation is the more authentic the responses will be.

Credit: www.acm-sigsim-mskr.org

Return to the Kobyashi Maru Simulation--Cheating or Innovative Thinking?

 One of the keys to the use of such a hybrid learning experience is effective and focused collaboration on the problem that is presented in the simulation. This means the coordinating of the talents of each collaborator to arrive at an effective solution. In such a situation, divergent thinking is to be encouraged because solutions to challenging problems are not all arrived at by taking the same path. This is where ingenuity can lead to an innovative solution to a problem.

"Unfortunately, in many of our societies our education systems have stressed and rewarded conformity rather than individual ingenuity which has been seen as an oddity and often pushed to the side."

In the digital age where a culture of innovation is the "gold ring" that business and education organizations are striving for, individual ingenuity is something that should be nurtured and prized rather than conformity to paths that have always been followed.

Consider a lesson on ingenuity and innovation from the science fiction movie, Star Trek. In the movie, as well as in the earlier t.v. series, a problem solving scenario was presented in the form of a simulation called the "Kobyashi Maru" simulation.

The Kobyashi Maru Test

The KM is a test given to all command-track cadets in Starfleet. The test takes place in a simulated version of the USS Enterprise’s bridge. The test candidate assumes the role of captain for the duration of the simulation. The simulated scenario is as follows. The Enterprise is on patrol near the neutral zone between the Federation and the Klingon Empire. It receives a distress call from a civilian freighter named The Kobayashi Maru. The freighter, which is located within the neutral zone, has struck a gravitic mine and needs to be rescued, otherwise the crew and passengers will perish. While rescuing the ship is what every commander would like to do, the problem is that entering the neutral zone risks a confrontation with the Klingons. Sure enough, this is exactly what happens: when the Enterprise enters the neutral zone, three Klingon battle cruisers decloak and attack.



The test is programmed in such a way that, once you enter the neutral zone, there is no way to “win”. In other words, there is no way to successfully rescue the Kobayashi Maru while at the same time avoiding death at the hands of the Klingons.  Everyone is supposed to fail the test, at least superficially.

So, the question is, given the stakes set in the simulation, did Kirk in fact cheat or did he in fact demonstrate a high level of ingenuity and innovative thinking in finding a solution in a test that no one was suppose to pass? I would suggest to you that the conformity viewpoint would be that he cheated because everyone is expected to conform to rules that favour a no win scenario.

Is this the type of thinking, the conformist viewpoint that pervades our education systems, the path to solving complex real world problems both in business organizations and in education and ultimately in our societies?

The hybrid combination of project based learning, problem based learning and simulations in online environments is a recipe for irresistibly engaging learning experiences that will enable learners both in education and business to change a stagnant, dying learning culture that is out of synch with this digital age. As instructional designers, instructors, corporate trainers, learning principles leaders and life long learners we have a great opportunity to nurture the ingenuity and innovation that we have seen glimpses of in the likes of Leonardo da Vinci, Tesler and others if we collaborate in the effective design of such learning experiences by using our own creativity and the tools that are readily available online. E-learning can take on a completely new an exciting dimension in a world in need of ingenious solutions to complex problems.

Next.....Other possible learning experiences that promote intense engagement.

E-Learning: Creating Hybrid Learning Experiences--Project Based Learning and Simulations--Part I

If our goal is to create irresistibly engaging learning experiences for both the education sector and the business community then we need to ask what we need to do differently? As mentioned in an earlier post, engagement of learners needs to occur on a personal level. It is not just an intellectual exercise but it must involve the emotional and creative side of people. We don't achieve this level of engagement through pretty visuals,even though they may help. We need to recognize that the learner is a breathing, thinking, creative and emotional being who possesses a natural curiosity about things perceived through the senses. They thrive on challenges that engage them on multiple levels without overwhelming them. It is what we do to reach these levels that is the focus of this post.

Credit: www.freshifilms.blogspot.com

Project Based Learning and Simulations: Engaging Hybrid Learning Experiences

 One of the key skill sets that we want learners to be able to acquire is to be able to work collaboratively to solve complex real world problems. Whether this occurs in the business organization or in education organizations, it is a necessary skill set for innovation in a digital world. One of the realizations that we have come to recognize as important in the online world is that learners demonstrate deeper sustained learning by doing so it makes sense to design learning experiences that engage them in challenging, thought engaging, creativity engaging experiences where in the end they create something out of their collaborations. When appropriately challenged in a collaborative group they are quite capable of pooling and directing their talents to solving real world problems.

Stanford University in California, USA has established what is called a  "Problem Based Learning Initiative"  in which they seek to focus on the very qualities in learners that are necessary for engagement of learners on a personal level. According to their initiative:

"Problem-Based Learning (PBL) is a curriculum development and delivery system that recognizes the need to develop problem solving skills as well as the necessity of helping students to acquire necessary knowledge and skills."

Your first question will be:

"What does Problem-Based Learning (PBL) have to do with Project-Based Learning?"

At first glance you might assume that they are the same thing but they are not! Both these approaches have enough in common that a digital symbiotic relationship is forged. Project-Based Learning depends on the exercise of the principles of Problem-Based Learning and Problem-Based Learning receives direction and enhancement from Project-Based Learning.

As stated by the Stanford University "Problem Based Learning Initiative", Problem-Based Learning may be defined as:

" PBL is a curriculum development and delivery system that recognizes the need to develop problem solving skills as well as the necessity of helping students to acquire necessary knowledge and skills."

 If you take this hybrid of these two approaches and then design the learning experience in the context of a simulation, this adds another dimension to the online environment that is intriguing, challenging and intensely engaging for the learners. It is along the lines of serious game based learning. It also leads to the potential of unlocking innovative thinking in which the learners create or make something in order to solve a real world issue but done within an online environment and using online tools. This concept is what is at heart of the relatively new "Maker Movement".

Credit: Brian Oatway

 In such an environment, learners immersed in the tasks will show not only intellectual engagement but also emotional, sensory, and moral engagement. A state of flow among collaborative workers will develop where intrinsic motivation is the raw driver of the learning taking place.

I have already bridged this idea before in earlier posts:

1. Smart Pedagogy III: Time Portal-Journey to the Other Side (The Manhattan Project)-May 31,2014
2. Super Bug Pandemic Scenario--Aug. 2, 2014
3. E-Learning of the Future--Ebola and North American Response scenario --Nov. 21, 2014
4. Search for the Emerald Key---Dec 27, 2014-Jan, 2015   

Next---- The use of simulations as a component of the hybrid learning experience titled: "Return to the Kobyashi Maru Scenario"

Global E-Learning: The State of E-Learning in India and China

The countries of India and China are the rising stars in their area of the world  in the development of  self-guiding E-Learning  for their populations now and in the future.

The ancient country of  India has a long tradition for the pursuit of  learning, science and technology. One of the world's first universities, Nalanda University, was first established as a Buddhist institution of learning in the 5th century AD and lasted continuously for 800 years until the 12th century AD. Its architecture suggested a seamless co-existence between man and nature, between living and learning.

Credit: www.the betterindia.com

On Sept. 1, 2014, the ancient university, Nalanda, was re-opened for classes. The following is an artist's rendition of what the new campus will look like:

Credit: www.kedarsoman.wordpress.com

 Interest in the pursuit of Education, Science and Technology in India is still a high priority for its people. According to E-Learning statistics published in Jan. 2015 (E-Learning Industry, Christopher Pappas), the two countries with the highest growth rate in the adoption of self guiding E-Learning were India(55%) and China(52%) respectively. With respect to mobile learning products, it is worth noting from the article:

"...While in 2012 the top buyers of mobile learning products and services were the US, Japan, South Korea, China , and India, it is expected that by 2017 the top buyers of mobile learning products and services will be China, US, Indonesia, India and Brazil..."

With respect to China, it too has a long history of the pursuit of knowledge and education. Ancient Chinese academies set up to pass on wisdom to their populations. This was especially evident during the Tang Dynasty.

Credit: www.absolutechina tours.com

The curriculum was largely based on the learning principles of Confucius (551-479 BC).

Credit: www.Jeanrick Nunez

Credit: www.Jeanrick Nunez

Today, China continues to pursue Science, Technology and Education as witnessed by some of its more modern universities such as Soochow University in Suztou.

Credit: www.studyabroad.hbcompany.in

So, both countries, India and China are moving ahead in pursuit of the next frontier in learning, E-Learning. This brings me to my appeal to hear from these countries in regards to advances in E-Learning.

The Appeal for Thoughtful Collaboration and Exchange of Ideas

The purpose of this appeal is to open conversations that will allow all of us to truly understand the "mosaic of global E-Learning". I would like to entertain these conversations in the professional forums on E-Learning in LinkedIn.com but you can also comment in the blog. I will transfer any comments into the appropriate forums. The conversations should elaborate on three main questions:

1. What is the state of E-Learning in the education sector of your country?
2. What are a few successes you can highlight that you have experienced in E-Learning in your country?
3. What are a few serious challenges that you see now and in the future for E-Learning in your country?

Who Should We Hear From?

 Naturally, we would like to hear from all those who are involved in E-Learning in some way. Government officials, higher education, instructional designers, educators, corporate trainers and even students taking E-Learning.

Framing Your Responses

In order that conversations not be cumbersome, I would suggest the following:

1. Identify the country you are from
2. Identify your professional role
3. A brief response to the questions

If you are reading this and know of an Indian or Chinese colleague who might be interested in contributing to this discussion, then please share this via Facebook, Twitter or any other social media means. Conversations only work if there is more than one person involved.

I must say that so far, we are dealing with many countries who are a little shy about sharing their stories but I would like to assure them that we are not looking for you to share state secrets or proprietary methodologies;)

Ground Zero---Designing Irresistibly Engaging Learning Experiences--Part I

In the last post I suggested that engagement in learning experiences has to happen on a deeper personal level. If you observe a person who is strongly engaged in an event, the realization that you come to is that their response to the event is not just on an intellectual level but also includes a response on an emotional level. You can see in their faces a whole continuum of emotions that wash over them as they proceed through the event. This can be seen when people watch their favourite sporting event or play a competitive online game.

Credit: www.o.canada.com

 They become a part of an unfolding story and take on the role of a collaborator with others in that story. This explains part of the addictiveness of role playing video games. The games take you from an intellectual participation and translates it into total participation where you receive immediate feedback from the decisions that YOU make and YOUR decisions and actions influence how the story unfolds.

Credit: www.canadianonlinegamers.com

Without this level of engagement, learners or employees are just going through the motions and will not incorporate what they learn from training or education sessions into their mindset or repertoire of doing things. In the past, a "carrot or stick" approach was used in the corporate organization and also in the education sector. In this digital age, the use of negative motivators does not work with respect to learning and actually results in the learner covertly seeking ways to undermine the initiative out of a combination of frustration and fear while maintaining the illusion that they are on board with the knowledge and skill sets being presented. For a company hoping to engage its employees, such a toxic relationship will lead to disaster.
In education in an E-Learning environment, it means that the learners will quickly disconnect from their learning and seek diversions.

The point is:

"Engagement will not happen unless the design has the necessary elements in it to engage employees. The design of the learning experiences and the nature of delivery is ground zero for engagement."

Understandings About Multilevel Engagement

If we learn anything at all about engagement at a personal level is that it is important to know the learner. This is something that instructional designers, corporate trainers and instructors have known and it is a given for any training professional who is engaged to design learning experiences for a company.

However, the mistake that some trainers and instructional designers make is the belief that knowing the learner is a single static event from which they may move on to starting the design.

"The simple truth is that the learners themselves are not completely aware of what engages them in learning. Surveys and one to one interviews are only snapshots in time and are not a dynamic picture of ongoing personal learning."

Solution?

One suggestion on how to arrive at a solution to this problem is to consider giving learners what may be called a "test drive" of a variety of interactive, collaborative activities in order to gauge their responses to different types of engaging activities. For the designer this will accomplish the following:

•  It will highlight potential problems in the use of interactivity
• It will give you a reading on the kinds of collaboration configurations that will produce the best results
• It will give you a picture of performance benchmarks which you can realistically compare with other companies in your sector
• It will give the learner an opportunity to discover interactive activities that perhaps they had not experienced before and learn more about what they find engaging in an non-threatening environment. From this you and they can begin a learning profile for the learner and plot a path for growth to the benefit of the individual and the business

Credit: www.thinkshift.com

Next----Specific Interactive Learning Activities, the Importance of Creating Flow and E-Learning