Scenario Design: In-Depth and Hands-On

Scenario design: In-depth and hands-on

Module 2

April 2015

Syllabus for the course

Description of the course

Relevant book chapters for the session: 12, 13, and maybe 14

Decision points

Main ingredients:

· Stem (the question)

· Options

· Distractors (the incorrect options)

o One of them is the most common mistake

The stem

Three steps to a useful stem:

Give them names
Show, don't tell
Include lots of realistic cues, both relevant and distracting

1. Give them names

· Terms: "first person" means "you" in game and scenario design. (In literature that would be "second person.")

· First person "you" is considered more compelling than, say, "Carla"

· Clients can worry that "you" risks damaging self-esteem

· "You" might not work with literal-minded audience that has varied job roles ("But I'm not a widget washer, I'm a widget polisher, so I can't possibly imagine how to answer this question!"). The best solution is to target your scenarios at specific roles and not expect one set of materials to work with everyone. Another solution is to use names, rather than "you."

It's common for designers to stop here and decide that the stem is done. Then, because the stem is weak, it's hard to write interesting options:

So, keep working on the stem until it makes your possible options stronger.

2. Show, don't tell

· This doesn't mean "use visuals." It means "make the player picture it" whether through words or visuals.

· Cheap trick for instant results: Put dialog in quotes ("I need a widget") rather than summarizing (The customer says he needs a widget).

3. Include lots of cues

· Add background and other details using hyperlinks, rollovers, or longer, more detailed scenes (sample cue: "Lately, Brian has looked tired.")

· Include both useful and distracting cues. In elearning, you could link to them or provide them on rollover to keep the screen from becoming overwhelming and to let learners skip the details if they want (but they're taking a risk!).

An example of cues added to a draft of a stem:

We've added these cues because they give us more leeway in writing options and can plant doubt about whether medical leave would be appropriate.

For example, people might think, "If Sophie's in her 50s, her son is probably an adult." Depending on the culture of the learner, that realization might bring up unpleasant stereotypes about adult sons who live at home and cause problems for their mothers.

"He probably has a drug problem," they might think, "or he's a moocher who used all the gas in her car, and that's why she's late." While it's perfectly likely that the son delays her for other reasons, the existence of these stereotypes makes it less appealing to ask Sophie for more information.

What you need to build a stem:

What is the decision they have to make?
What is the immediate context?
What is the backstory?
What cues do they need?
What cues tend to distract them?

Options

Always include the most common or most costly mistake (or both).

Follow the action map closely when writing options, to make sure you cover all the important mistakes mentioned by the SME.

How can we create challenging options?

· Work closely with your SME.

o If you can write the correct answer on your own, it’s probably not challenging enough.

· Write a strong stem.

o Include lots of cues, both relevant and irrelevant, + backstory and other shading.

· Keep secrets.

o For example, don’t present a model and then the scenario; instead have them uncover the model through the scenario.

· Include the same amount of detail in each option.

· Be aware that learners will be on the alert -- they know they’re being trained.

The secret in the following question is that the learners shouldn't micro-manage in this situation. Instead, they should help Noah build his project management skills so he can handle issues himself.

Formats

Avoid having them type in free-form content, such as writing an email. According to Ruth Clark, "Selecting preformatted responses imposes less mental load than constructing a response from scratch and has been found to lead to better learning."

Some alternatives to conventional text options:

The developers grouped options under each basic strategy:

Kognito Interactive demo

Feedback

You might want to avoid focusing the learner on themselves ("Great job") or comparing them to others ("You're in the top 30%"). Instead, focus on the gap between what they want to achieve and their current achievement ("You ordered too many widgets, and now inventory costs are so high they're eating into margins.").

Show, don't tell

Showing feedback (intrinsic) is more likely to be memorable because it continues the story, is usually visual, often contains emotion, and requires the learners to actively draw conclusions.

However, telling (instructive) feedback is useful for beginners or for the first pass through a new model or process. My preference in that case is to first show the result (continue the story) and then give instructive feedback.

One way to show, then tell: The learner clicks a button to see "telling" feedback.

The "telling" can come from the job aid. You might include the relevant snippet of the job aid in the feedback:

"Invisible" feedback examples:

· Intensity meter during an argument

· Warmth meter during a sales conversation

· Seeing a character's thoughts

· Rating that evaluates your current performance

Kognito "Family of Heroes" -- you'll need to register to get access

When delayed feedback might be helpful:

· Learners are making a multi-step diagnosis

· You want people to practice recognizing and recovering from mistakes

· You want them to navigate grey areas

Information

It can be helpful to try to create a stream of activities. Each activity includes or links to the information necessary to complete it. We'll look more closely at this in the next module.

Job aid or memory?

A simple approach in elearning is to link to the job aid:

Another option if your elearning tool supports it is to embed the information in the screen so it's always up to date:

Homework

· Write at least two decision points for at least one behavior, including options and feedback.

· Consider how you’ll provide information or other guidance, but if it looks like it might get complex, just note some possibilities.