A practical guide to creating learning scenarios: part 4. In part 1 of this series, we looked at what a learning scenario is, its basic structure, capabilities and applications. In part 2 we saw how simple scenarios could be used to help learners to undertake principle-based tasks. In part 3 we looked at how you could use simple scenarios to help learners to practise rule-based tasks. In this final part, we turn our attention to branching scenarios, which provide a more immersive approach to learning principle-based tasks. This builds on what we covered in part 2, so you might want to check back on that first.
Our focus us here is on what it means for a scenario to be branching. Why branching? To understand the value of branching, you first need to understand how a scenario looks when it doesn’t branch: The diagram shows the learner being presented with a situation (S) and three choices. The diagram shows only the initial two stages in the scenario – there could, of course, be many more. Providing the learner with feedback About Clive Shepherd. A practical guide to creating learning scenarios: part 3. In part 1 of this series, we looked at what a learning scenario is, its basic structure, capabilities and applications.
In part 2 we saw how scenarios could be used to help learners to undertake principle-based tasks. In this third part we look in more detail at the steps involved in creating simple scenarios to help learners to practise rule-based tasks. Although scenarios are usually thought of as tools to support more complex problem-solving and decision-making, as we shall see, they can as easily be used as a technique for practising more routine, everyday tasks. Rule-based tasks don't require you to make judgements, just to follow instructions When we talk about ‘rule-based tasks’ we mean those activities that can be carried out repeatedly according to clearly laid-out instructions.
Step 1: Teach the rules Principle-based scenarios are typically used as an element in a process of guided discovery. Don’t over-teach. Step 2: Develop a storyline Step 3: Develop your script. A practical guide to creating learning scenarios: part 1. A learning scenario consists of a description of a realistic situation (usually fictional), accompanied by one or more questions that challenge the learner to respond to some aspect of that situation.
At its simplest, a scenario could consist of a single description followed by a single question, but it could also develop in stages with one or more questions at each stage. In the case of a branching scenario, the information depicted at each stage will vary depending on the answers the learner made at previous stages. The information that describes a scenario could be presented using a wide range of media elements, including text, images, animations, audio and video, in various potential combinations. What is more important than the media mix is that the situation described to the learner seems relevant and authentic.
What would you do first? Feedback plays a very important role in a learning scenario. In this practical guide, we’ll be exploring scenarios in all of these forms. A practical guide to creating learning scenarios: part 2. In part 1 of this series, we looked at what a learning scenario is, its basic structure, capabilities and applications.
We move on now to look in more detail at the steps involved in creating simple scenarios to support learners in understanding the principles underlying everyday problem-solving and decision making. Scenarios are well suited to this type of learning problem, because they provide learners with the opportunity to experiment with different responses to the sorts of situations that they could encounter in their jobs and to gain insights into the dynamics which can determine success and failure. Principle-based tasks require you to make judgements rather than simply follow rules When we talk about ‘principle-based tasks’ we mean those jobs that cannot be accomplished by following simple rules – ‘if this happens then do that’. Principle-based tasks require you to make judgements on the basis of the particular situation you happen to be facing. A practical guide to creating learning scenarios: part 2.