* 09 March 2011 Instructional Design for e-Learning Workshop Presentation to MedBiquitous Annual Conference Presented by Nina Deibler
Dec 25, 2015
*
09 March 2011
Instructional Design for e-Learning Workshop
Presentation to
MedBiquitous Annual Conference
Presented by
Nina Deibler
Workshop Objectives
Design engaging and interactive e-learning
– What are the challenges?
– What learning strategies work?
– What techniques will make it faster and easier to achieve?
Describe best practices for creating reusable e-learning
– What exactly constitutes reusable e-learning?
– What considerations do you need to make for reusable content?
– How should you structure your content?
– How does the visual design impact learners’ experiences?
The Challenges
Avoiding negative stereotypes about e-learning
Making learning engaging, interactive, and impactful even when the subject matter is mundane
What other challenges have you faced with e-learning?
The Challenges: Negative Stereotypes
Common symptoms
– Page-turners
– Excessive text
– Lack of interaction
Most frequent uses
– Compliance
– Orientation/new hire
– Inexperienced designers
Overcoming the challenge
– Move to higher levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy
– Use new learning strategies
The Challenges: Mundane Subject Matter
Common symptoms
– Dry/boring topics
– Lack of perceived relevance
Most frequent uses
– Compliance training
– Regulatory training
Overcoming the challenge
– Use new learning strategies
Use Higher Levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy Write objective behaviors at higher levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy
– Strive to replicate real world, on-the-job tasking for learners Avoid “recognize” when they actually have to “apply”
– Change objectives like “define,” “discuss,” and “explain” to “calculate,” “diagnose” and “perform”
Knowledge Comprehension Application Analysis Synthesis Evaluation
Knowing Doing Creating
Sample of Behaviors in Bloom’s Taxonomy
Knowledge
Comprehension
Application Analysis Synthesis Evaluation
define
describe
enumerate
identify
label
list
match
name
read
record
reproduce
select
state
view
classify
cite
convert
describe
discuss
estimate
explain
generalize
give examples
make sense of
paraphrase
restate (in own words)
summarize
trace
understand
act
administer
articulate
assess
chart
collect
compute
construct
contribute
control
determine
develop
discover
establish
extend
implement
include
inform
instruct
participate
predict
prepare
preserve
produce
project
provide
relate
report
show
solve
teach
transfer
use
break down
correlate
diagnose
diagram
differentiate
discriminate
distinguish
focus
illustrate
infer
limit
outline
point out
prioritize
recognize
separate
subdivide
adapt
anticipate
categorize
collaborate
combine
communicate
compare
compile
compose
contrast
create
design
devise
express
facilitate
formulate
generate
incorporate
initiate
integrate
intervene
model
modify
negotiate
plan
progress
rearrange
reconstruct
reinforce
reorganize
revise
structure
substitute
validate
appraise
compare & contrast
conclude
criticize
critique
decide
defend
interpret
judge
justify
reframe
support
Use Different Learning Strategies
Avoid plain old “narrative text” page turners and try
– Problem Solving
– Scenarios
– Storytelling
– Simulations/Games
Use these strategies to automatically create engagement and interaction so that learners
– Make decisions
– Think through actions
– Relate to others in similar situations
– Replicate real-world situations/tools/systems
Problem Solving
Forces learners to think through a situation
Relies on expert models
Provides expert feedback
Examples: Problem Solving
You order an X-ray for a soft mass on a 15 year-old male’s ankle resulting from a soccer injury. The x-ray is inconclusive and the mass is hardening. What is your next step?
You see a co-worker take powerful medication from the drug cabinet and slip it into his coat pocket. What should you do?
A blood test indicates an elevated white cell count in an otherwise healthy 52-year-old female. What could be causing this?
You forgot your password and need to access an online patient records system immediately. A colleague offers to let you use her password. What should you do?
Strategy: Scenarios
Present realistic job-related situations
May guide learners through an expert path with feedback
May allow learners to make mistakes and experience consequences
– Remember “Choose Your Own Adventure” books
May be a single scenario or a series of scenarios that build into a story
May also be used as a form of problem solving
Work very well for “soft-skills” subject matter
Examples: Scenarios (1)
SCREEN 1: A 19-year-old woman appears at the pharmacy window with a bottle of Percocet from a prescription you filled the previous day. The prescription is in her name, and you remember filling it and verifying the count. She shows you the contents of the bottle and it contains two different pill types. The woman asks that the prescription be corrected so she can get the remainder of her Percocet. When you tell the woman you remember verifying the prescription she becomes agitated. You should:
Involve the pharmacy manager immediately Report her to the police Check the pharmacy logs to see if this has
happened before
“Choose Your Own Adventure” style (1)
Examples: Scenarios (2)
“Choose Your Own Adventure” style (2)
SCREEN 2: The pharmacy manager approaches the woman and shakes her hand. She tells the woman that she will personally check the system to verify that all protocols were followed. The woman becomes more agitated. You should…
Example
Examples: Scenarios
Expert feedback style
– A 19-year-old woman appears at the pharmacy window with a bottle of Percocet from a prescription you filled the previous day. The prescription is in her name, and you remember filling it and verifying the count. She shows you the contents of the bottle and it contains two different pill types. The woman asks that the prescription be corrected so she can get the remainder of her Percocet. When you tell the woman you remember verifying the prescription she becomes agitated. You should:
Involve the pharmacy manager immediately Report her to the police Check the pharmacy logs to see if this has happened before
EXPERT FEEDBACK: While calling the police may seem like the appropriate action to take when someone seems to be scheming to acquire narcotics, the best course of action would have been to involve the pharmacy manager immediately.
Strategy: Storytelling (1)
Uses engaging and compelling stories to immersive learners in
– Scenarios where they play an active role and solve problems as their learning progresses
– On-going stories where they can impact the outcome through their thoughts and actions as they learn
– Models, examples, and situations that demonstrate cause and effect relationships and make them want to take action
Goals
– Touch the hearts of your learners
– Place them in a position where events profoundly impact them Take some action to change how they do things Avoid or repeat the outcome of the story
Strategy: Storytelling (2)
Stories do not need to be long, but they do need
– Beginning – middle – ending
– Protagonist (good guy) and antagonist (bad guy or obstacle)
– Descriptions of people in the stories
– Goals (what protagonist is trying to surmount)
– Timeline (distant past, recent past, present, future…)
– Location where the story takes place (pharmacy, operating room, patient exam room, nurses station…)
Focus on details that move story along and create vivid images
Make outcome positive or negative; people can learn from their mistakes and the mistakes of others
From: Harvard Business School Publishing Company. (2003) Storytelling that Moves People: A Conversation with Screenwriting Coach Robert McKee
Strategy: Storytelling (3)
To tell better stories, ask SMEs questions about THEIR stories like
– What will need to happen to “make things right” for the protagonist (the “good guy” or “hero”) of the story?
– What obstacles (antagonists) prevent the protagonist from obtaining their goal or objective?
– What can the protagonist do to overcome these obstacles?
– Is this story believable, even though it’s true?
Example
From: Harvard Business School Publishing Company. (2003) Storytelling that Moves People: A Conversation with Screenwriting Coach Robert McKee
Suggestions for Story Writing (1)
1. Start with a dramatic opening or a heroic deed. Few listeners can resist a story with a good beginning.
2. The best teaching stories are usually true. Try to verify your facts.
3. Expand on the anecdote and develop it into an extended story. But keep it succinct and short, something you could tell in two or three minutes.
4. Try to have your story illustrate one theme or idea.
5. Have your story unfold according to events, not explanations, descriptions, or summations.
6. Keep plot details simple and easy to remember.
From: Stone, R. Story Workbook IDEAS www.integrityarts.com
Suggestions for Story Writing (2)
7. Remember that a character is best revealed through his or her actions. Also, use real names.
8. Remember that the story itself is the important thing—let events speak for themselves.
9. Give the anecdote an ending that satisfies the listener’s sense of justice.
10. Give it a good title.
11. Project the image like a film in your imagination.
12. Share the story with a friend or colleague and evaluate what worked and why. What didn’t work? Why?
13. Refine the story based on these evaluations.
From: Stone, R. Story Workbook IDEAS www.integrityarts.com
Simulations/Games
Replicate an actual experience, activity, or environment
Goal is for learners to see it (in a demonstration), practice it (with step-by-step guidance), and do it (exactly as they would in the real world)
Examples of content types in which simulations work well include:
– Software training (complete an action, create/save a file)
– System operations (operate panels, switches, gears)
– Visual recognition applications/systems (identify items, recognize images)
– Soft skills training (leadership, management, problem solving, ethics)
Should always have consequences
– Positive: promotions, earning points, and advancing to new levels
– Negative: losing points, failure to advance, or a downward spiral during a scenario in a simulation
Example 1 Example 2 Example 3
Simulations/Games
Pros Replicate real-world activities in
a safe environment
– Servers won’t crash
– Software doesn’t “hang up”
– No one is injured
Cons Can be timely and costly to
produce
Require more time to program
May require unique skills for your team
ACTIVITY
1. Think about a situation in your workplace where you had to make a difficult decision that impacted other people. What kind of message can you send from this story? Working with a partner, ask your partner the questions on the Storytelling Questionnaire. (10 minutes)
2. Using your answers from Storytelling Questionnaire, create a 2 minute story from the situation you discussed. (10 minutes)
3. Review the story you created with your partner. (10 minutes)
4. Optional: Share your stories with the class. (20 minutes)
TIPS: Trying New Strategies
Start slowly if new strategies seem intimidating
– Try a few simple expert-based scenarios as knowledge checks or assessment items before attempting a “Choose Your Own Adventure” style scenario/story that is threaded through the content
– Integrate a story within the instruction to reinforce key points Story tells part of the instruction and serves as examples Instruction reinforces key concepts and points, rather than story
– Try “demonstration animations” followed by simulations in a knowledge check before trying to do a full-scale simulation in instruction
Bounce ideas off of colleagues or have a brain-storming session to make stories better, shorter, and believable
Reuse Categories
Redeploy
– Running the same content, without modification, in multiple LMSs
Rearrange
– Reordering the same content for new uses or new contexts
Repurpose
– Using the same piece of content in new contexts or in different ways
Rewrite
– Taking relevant materials and changing the examples, imagery, or writing style, or removing irrelevant information
Reused from “ADL Guidelines for Creating Reusable Content with SCORM 2004” available at www.ADLNet.gov
Reuse Categories Example - Courses
Reused from “ADL Guidelines for Creating Reusable Content with SCORM 2004” available at www.ADLNet.gov
Reuse Categories Example - Asset
Reused from “ADL Guidelines for Creating Reusable Content with SCORM 2004” available at www.ADLNet.gov
Hospital Personnel
First Responders
Truck Drivers
Radioactive materials are packaged in durable materials, so the release of radiation would probably only occur in very severe accidents.
Never load, transport, or store Class 7 and Class 1.1 materials in the same transport vehicle or storage facility while in transit.
Use extreme caution when entering an area where you see this placard. Radioactive equipment may be in active use.
Design Considerations for Reusability (1)
How will you optimize the potential for your content to be redeployed, rearranged, repurposed, and rewritten?
Will your content objects cover a single learning objective or multiple learning objectives?
Will your content objects include an assessment or will the assessment be a separate content object?
How will you divide, structure, chunk, and sequence the content objects?
What media types will you incorporate in the e-learning?
What organizational policies and practices do you have to comply with (Ex: Section 508)
Reused from “ADL Guidelines for Creating Reusable Content with SCORM 2004” available at www.ADLNet.gov
Design Considerations for Reusability (2)
What navigation options will be provided inside the content object versus the standard navigation options provided by a typical LMS?
What colors and layouts will work best in the target LMS and in other LMSs?
Will templates and cascading style sheets (CSS) facilitate rearranging, repurposing, and rewriting the content?
Reused from “ADL Guidelines for Creating Reusable Content with SCORM 2004” available at www.ADLNet.gov
Navigation Element Considerations
Web-based training introduces the potential to have numerous navigational elements
Controls should perform the same from one screen to another
Reused from ADL Visual Design webinar available at www.ADLNet.gov
Other Navigation Elements
Use a pop-up window to provide learners with auxiliary resources, such as a PDF
Never use a popupwindow for imagesor information that arecritical for learners’understanding of thecontent
Reused from ADL Visual Design webinar available at www.ADLNet.gov
Enabling Reusability in Content Objects
Determine what information is required for formal reporting
Define data collection and tracking requirements
Create content structure/flow chart and rules for sequencing
Design smaller SCOs to enable
– Tracking and sequencing at a more detailed level
– Greater flexibility in Redeploying Rearranging Repurposing Rewriting
Reused from “ADL Guidelines for Creating Reusable Content with SCORM 2004” available at www.ADLNet.gov
TIPS: Designing Context-neutral Content (1)
Avoid numbers that refer to a specific location
– Call lesson “Facility Overview” not “Lesson 3”
Avoid references to previous course material or put them in separate objects that can be swapped out or deleted
– Move statements like “In the previous lesson, you learned…” in a separate object
Remove contextual information from the background of media assets
– Show a piece of equipment without extraneous items in the background that may make it apply only to that context
Avoid contextual information or put it into separate object that can be swapped out or deleted
– Repurpose course to replace the “Recognizing meningitis” object with “Recognizing meningitis in children”
Reused from “ADL Guidelines for Creating Reusable Content with SCORM 2004” available at www.ADLNet.gov
TIPS: Designing Context-neutral Content (2)
Use sequencing to deliver appropriate context-specific SCOs to the learner
– Use sequencing to deliver the “Recognizing meningitis in children” object instead of “Recognizing meningitis” based on a user profile specifying the type of physician
Avoid references to specific features or names of your organization or environment
– “PHP is an effective way to create web applications” not “The Acme IT Department uses PHP to create web applications because it is so effective”
Avoid file naming conventions that use numbers
– Use “XSLT-TransformingXML.html” not“M4L5.html”
Reused from “ADL Guidelines for Creating Reusable Content with SCORM 2004” available at www.ADLNet.gov
TIPS: Standardize (1)
Create a style guide and stick to it (essential in team environment)
– Enables “freedom from choice” for designers and developers No more debates about button color and font size
– Provides an “authoritative source” for quality assurance personnel
– Guarantees writing style, navigation elements, and screen layouts work together
– Allows flexibility for some visual elements
– Puts focus back on INSTRUCTIONAL design
The time invested in creating a style guide will pay for itself after a couple of projects
TIPS: Standardize (2)
Use templates
– Serve as a pattern or model for screen layout
– Provide common content, structural, and navigational elements
– Save development time by reducing focus on common elements
– Provide some degree of flexibility and customizability
– Facilitate reuse across projects Everything is located in the same area (navigation, content, images,
etc.) Easy to change look and feel
Visual Design and Instructional Effectiveness
Learners are more receptive to e-learning that is visually pleasing and learner-friendly
– Provides cues to what parts of the content are important
– Creates interest
User anxiety and confusion will impact learning
Different, beautiful, and original isn’t better if it undermines learning and reusability
Never sacrifice usability for visual impact. Account for
– Navigation ease
– Download time
Proper design can facilitate Section 508 accessibility and internationalization
Visual Design and Instructional Effectiveness
Aesthetics should not interfere with
– Keeping users focused on content
– Learner comfort
Effects of poor visual design
– Distracts user’s attention
– Makes text difficult to read and graphics ineffective
– Causes users to access or learn the wrong information
– Confuses learners about their progress
– Makes learning activities too bothersome to complete
Visual Design Framework (1)
Who is your target audience?
What is the impression you want to convey?
– Importance of correct performance of tasks?
– Positive attitude towards the subject matter?
What are repeating elements or themes?
What are the physical and fiscal limits to your design?
– Screen real estate
– Media (static vs. dynamic)
Producing original media vs. acquiring found media
Visual Design Framework (2)
The more robust the design, the more reusable
– Adhering to universal design principles Means better chance of visual consistency with other content Makes your content more desirable for reuse
Requires consistent use of “standardizing elements”
– Style Guide
– Templates
– Cascading style sheets (CSS)
– Widely-accepted fonts
– Adequate spacing
– Proper alignment of screen elements
– More
TIPS: Strong Visual Designs
Make extensive use of “white” or “empty” space
Are left-aligned with proper margins between edges and other elements
Balance the placement of information on the page
– Use an invisible grid to align various elements with each other
– Place related items close together
Repeat common elements
– Descriptive boxes, styles, formats, treatments
Use symbols whose meaning cannot be questioned
Types of Media Elements
Static graphics
– Photographs
– Line drawings
– Colored drawings or illustrations
Motion graphics
– Video
– Animation
Key Design Principles for Media
Composition
– Placement of objects in the graphic
– Foreground or background
– Single object or multiple objects
Style
– Illustrations, photos, animations
– Colors, lines, and patterns used in the graphic
Composition
Ensure that key object(s) are prominent by
– Including only one object
– Placing the critical object in the foreground
Ensure that key object is large enough to be seen and understood
What do you see?
Composition Examples
This composition is effective if the purpose is to show how a coffee cup is used. The cup is in the foreground and has just enough context, a close-up of the woman’s face, to show how the cup is used. A full body view of the woman would distract viewers from the intended context.
This composition is effective if the purpose is to understand the features of a coffee cup — its shape, parts, materials and color. The cup is the only object. It has a simple, solid background color, and the features of the cup are easily distinguishable. Since there is no context for the cup, this graphic could be reused in many different contexts.
Style
Photographs may be full color or black and white
Illustrations may be a technical line drawing or a realistic 3-D rendering
Colors may be subdued or vibrant
Never use two different styles of media on the same page of instruction
Style Examples (1)
A black and white photograph may be just as effective as a color photograph, depending on the purpose. If the purpose is to show how a cup fits with a saucer, color is not critical so black and white works. Since there is no context for the cup, this graphic could also be reused in many different contexts.
This photograph has a very specific, abstract style. This kind of artistic, stylized photography is generally not effective in instructional materials.
Never use this style in e-learning.
Style Examples (2)
This style uses gradients, shading, and perspective for a 3-D effect which brings some realism to the drawing. 3-D drawings can be effective for illustrations like a cutaway view of the human body.
This drawing style uses clean lines to show a technically accurate view of an object. The image is simpler than the 3-D drawing style and can show alternate perspectives, such as the ghosted lines of the “hidden” part of the saucer. This style is effective for technical drawings.
Style Examples (3)
The thick lines, flat colors, and simple shapes give this illustration an iconic style. This style can be effective for illustrations which show simple, direct images. This style may be effective for content like icons, but its use should be limited.
The imperfect, hand-drawn effect of the lines, the playful, angled perspective, and the abstract color blocks in the background produce a whimsical style in this illustration. While it may be artistically pleasing to some people, this style is not effective in materials where accuracy is important.
Using People in Media (1)
Consider using illustrations to avoid
– “Dating” material
– Creating stereotypes
– Focusing learner on details rather than concepts
Use photo-realistic images or cartoons
Using People in Media (2)
Diversity matters
– Strive to include people of many ethnicities
OR
– Use women with dark hair and medium skin tones; they are most often attributed with people’s own expectations
Describing Media
Descriptions should include
– Object or concept being depicted
– Type of media
– Style/composition of media
– View of the object Extreme long shot, long shot, medium shot, close-up or extreme close-
up
– Object layout Horizontal, vertical
ACTIVITY
Describe 5 still images you could use to visually tell the story you wrote in the last activity. Think about how these images will help to further or “tell” your story. (10 minutes)
Using Audio Media
Sound Effects
– Should further desired learning outcomes
Buzzer warnings Fire alarms
– Should not provide entertainment value
Narration
– Use professional narrator
– Use same narrator as often as possible
– Can hinder learning if learners are
Struggling to hear Disturbed by the narrator’s
accent Lulled into sleep-like state
by narrator’s voice
Workshop Summary
Design engaging and interactive e-learning
– Work around the challenges
– Try new learning strategies
– Follow the tips here to make it faster and easier
Describe best practices for creating reusable e-learning
– Reuse includes redeploy, rearrange, repurpose, and rewrite
– Think through the considerations before you begin
– Keep your content objects small to enable reuse
– Remember that visual design does matter
*
09 March 2011
Instructional Design for e-Learning Workshop
Presentation to
MedBiquitous Annual Conference
Presented by
Nina [email protected]