Some courses merely transfer information. Others provide a stimulating and thought-provoking experience. Stories and scenarios belong to the second category and are excellent means to enhance learning experiences. Scenarios do help retain new information in an easy manner. When you use real life scenarios or examples, learners are able to relate it to an existing or familiar situation or fact. This helps build on their current knowledge, giving scope for knowledge transfer that has better chances of retention.

However, it is not easy for an instructional designer to build scenarios. More often than not, instructional designers are given material containing examples or scenarios inadequate to impart effective learning. It is therefore challenging to design a course that ensures knowledge transfer in the most user-friendly format.

So what should IDs do when they need to use scenarios in an eLearning course? Here are some guidelines that will motivate your learners to extract knowledge from the course rather than have it pushed on to them.

Understand the objective of the course: What is the objective of the course? Is it to understand compliance procedures or safety mechanisms at workplace? It is important to understand what the learner is expected to learn at the end of the course as it is based on that very objective that scenarios need to be prepared.

Understand the learner: What is the learner expecting from the course? How do you think he will apply the knowledge acquired from the course to his job? Asking questions such as these helps in creating scenarios that are relevant to the learner’s job.

Learn the context and subject matter: To design scenarios, it is important to understand the context of the subject matter. Discuss scenarios closely with the subject matter experts to arrive at a plausible storyline. Validate the same with the SMEs to ensure it is relevant and realistic in the given context.

Use questions: to engage the learner in the process. If the scenario is a dialogue between individuals, you could stop and ask questions such as, ‘What do you think Jane should do in such a situation?”. Suggest a few options and allow the learner to choose one of them. You can also use questions where you expect learners to know the specific Dos and Don’ts in their job. Relate a scenario that they are likely to face in their jobs and suggest possible answers. Based on the answer that they have chosen, they can be given feedback. This enables them to use the information gained and test their understanding of the given subject matter.

Scenarios should be simple and easily understood: They should focus on one issue at a time. They should be simple so that it is easy to communicate the intended message to the learner. They should also include potential problems learners might have and try and encourage the learners to find solutions for these.

There are a few guidelines for Instructional Designers to include scenarios in an eLearning course. If you have other suggestions, please do share your views.

Related posts:

1. Effective Corporate Training through Learning Cycle
2. Free Presentation: Knowledge Transfer at the Workplace
3. Connecting With Learners in Online Learning

Learning is directly linked to career growth. You need to learn lots of information to keep yourself up-to-date in your respective field. Otherwise, you face the danger of becoming outdated in a world where knowledge is so dynamic that it keeps multiplying on a daily basis.

However, can you afford a convenient time to learn all the information or skills you need? No, you cannot, especially in workplaces where work schedules are usually very tight. It is, therefore, imperative that you acquire effective learning skills and strategies whereby you learn as much as you can in the least time to the greatest effect.

Here are a few suggestions:

Examine your Learning Habits

Knowing what kind of a learner you are can help you decide on suitable learning tools. Besides, you can put those tools to good effect. When the tools you use to learn the concept support your natural learning style, it will not only speed up your learning but also make it very effective and sustainable.

Avoid the Rote Method

Repeating a particular piece of information to yourself without understanding its meaning may not help you remember it in the long run. That means your learning is futile and transitory. Avoid this kind of learning style, lest it should waste your time.

Make Connections

Always connect what you are learning now with your previous knowledge. This will make a strong impact in your subconscious brain and facilitate your quicker grasp of the subject, besides also helping you remember it for long.

When learning bits of information like words in a language, try to put group them and learn in clusters. Done this way, you can relate to them easily and recollect them fast.

Practice What you Learn

When you learn a new concept, you may not always find a connection with your previous knowledge. In such situations, put it into practice in real time and find someone to share and discuss what you have learnt. This will deepen your understanding of the concept and help you learn faster. Remember: two heads are always better than one.

Learn in Short but Routine Sessions

Set reasonable goals and proceed. Don’t extend your learning sessions beyond your limits. Long learning sessions can slog your brain and you won’t recall much. So, break your learning material into meaningful bits and learn. Set aside a particular time to pursue your learning. However, see that your mental energy is in a higher state during that time to expedite your learning.

Do share your thoughts on the same.

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This month’s Big Question in The Learning Circuits “WHAT DID YOU LEARN ABOUT LEARNING IN 2009?”

Being a Learning and Training professional, I think it a good time to take stock about our own learning about learning. Reminds me of the adage, “Physician, heal thyself”.

It is in this year that I started to participate in various online forums and social media regularly. I also started to blog on learning and training with special emphasis on learning styles and learning tools.

Year 2009 taught me that you can learn a lot by:

• Asking the right questions
• Keeping your ego at subsistence levels
• Realizing that there is so much to learn from others

I discovered that humility is the best friend of learning. Maybe that is why we learn the most, in the shortest possible time, enjoying every minute of it, when we were children. Children instinctively follow all the three of my discoveries constantly. On the other hand, I have also discovered that our ego is the greatest enemy of learning. Maybe that is why our real learning drops as we become more accomplished in life (in our own eyes).

I have also learnt what Stephen Covey enunciates – you will learn best when you learn in order to teach or teach. Not only have I learnt that I have greatly learnt by using this quality of learning, but also realized that I thoroughly enjoyed myself in the process.

The third learning I have learnt about learning is that it happens when you suspend the noise in your head. I always wondered how the great sages achieved ‘nirvana’ (enlightenment) by meditation. Not by reading or discussing, but by keeping silent in the real sense of the word – achieving tranquility outside and inside, though for a short time. I have read somewhere that the human mind contains all the wisdom of this universe and all you have to do is to connect yourself with the ‘Higher Power’ to tap into it. [I think that it is an excellent idea to include a brief period of silence and contemplation in a corporate training session ]

I would like to take this opportunity to thank and salute all my colleagues, real and virtual, in helping me discover these wonderful aspects of learning!

RK Prasad

CEO