Experiencing eLearning

DECEMBER 27, 2022

It’s that time of year when I look back to the most popular posts by views over the entire year of 2022. I’m sharing both the brand new posts I wrote this year and the evergreen posts originally written in previous years (several of which were updated this year). Top 5 new blog posts of 2022. I wrote about 30 new blog posts this year and updated about 20 older posts.

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Experiencing eLearning

NOVEMBER 29, 2022

As I read online, I bookmark resources I find interesting and useful. I share these links periodically here on my blog. This post includes links on research on high-fidelity simulations and discovery learning, course pricing, and free, diverse stock images. Research on learning. The minimal relationship between simulation fidelity and transfer of learning – PubMed.

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Experiencing eLearning

NOVEMBER 22, 2022

MADE is the Media and Design in Education team for the University of Toronto. Inga Breede from this educational technology group recently interviewed me for their podcast. We talked about scenario-based learning and specifically about branching scenarios. What we discussed. We covered several topics in our 20-minute conversation. When should branching scenarios be used in learning experiences?

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Experiencing eLearning

OCTOBER 25, 2022

As I read online, I bookmark resources I find interesting and useful. I share these links periodically here on my blog. This post includes links on games built in Twine, storytelling, organization, useful tools, motivation, and transitioning from teaching to ID. Games built in Twine. Top games made with Twine – itch.io. All of the top games made with Twine on the hosting platform itch.io.

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Experiencing eLearning

SEPTEMBER 28, 2022

Mark Parry recently interviewed me for his podcast, Perspectives in Parryville. We talked about branching scenarios and Choose Your Own Adventure stories. Mark is an instructional designer based in Australia. His audience is primarily teachers, so this interview connects ideas from workplace training and education. This includes some discussion of the way feedback is used in branching scenarios, since feedback is an important topic for teachers as well.

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Experiencing eLearning

SEPTEMBER 13, 2022

Should you use time as scenario feedback? Let’s consider an example. Nicole is creating a branching scenario for learners to practice communication techniques for nutrition counselors to better understand their clients’ goals. She has written a simulated conversation between a counselor and a client. Her SME, Brian, provided this feedback after reviewing the prototype.

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Experiencing eLearning

AUGUST 9, 2022

I recently had a lovely conversation with Dr. Luke Hobson for his podcast. We talked about everything freelance: knowing when to start, time tracking, finding clients, creating an LLC, pricing projects, making sure clients are the right fit, and more. Listen to the podcast. You can listen to the podcast here. If the player doesn’t appear below, try listening on Luke’s website.

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Experiencing eLearning

JULY 19, 2022

How do you use branching scenarios in instructor-led training, rather than self-paced elearning? I think there are a couple of possibilities for doing live training with branching scenarios. These could work for either classroom-based training or vILT (virtual instructor-led training). For example, you can use branching scenarios in training as a full group with discussion or polls, in small groups, or outside of class as a discussion prompt.

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Experiencing eLearning

JUNE 28, 2022

Last week, I attended and presented at TICE 2022 ( Training Industry Conference & Expo ). This is the first time I have attended any Training Industry event. It was also the first time the conference has been back to in person since the beginning of the pandemic. This is a local conference for me, hosted in Raleigh, NC, about 30 minutes from home.

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Experiencing eLearning

APRIL 26, 2022

When I attend conferences, I take a lot of notes (old school, handwritten in a notebook notes). Over the years, I’ve found that it’s helpful to review those notes after the conference to pull out one or two key takeaways from each session I attend. Learning Solutions 2022 was the first in-person event I have attended since the beginning of the pandemic, and it felt good to reconnect with people I’ve met before and to make new connections.

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Experiencing eLearning

MARCH 29, 2022

Bryan Jones from eLearningArt has done several past articles with collections of tips from L&D professionals. This time, he asked us for time saving tips for eLearning development. My tip to save elearning development time is to create a “Styles” slide with models of slide elements that you can copy to slides instead of manually formatting each object.

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Experiencing eLearning

MARCH 15, 2022

I’ve been updating all of my posts on how to write effective voice over scripts. This review checklist summarizes all of the tips from the previous posts into a single Word document you can download and use yourself. Download the Voice Over Script Review Checklist. What’s included. Here is a summary from the checklist: Writing and Flow Read aloud the script Script flows well; no awkward or clunky sentences No overly complicated sentences Variety of sentence length No grammar errors C

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Experiencing eLearning

FEBRUARY 22, 2022

Instructional designers sometimes run into pitfalls when writing voice over scripts. Jill Goldman of Goldivox is a voice over professional who graciously agreed to share with me the issues she sometimes sees in scripts. I’ll share her perspective in block quotes below, along with my own tips. Watch for these common pitfalls in your voice over scripts: Numbers Lists Abbreviations Emphasis Grammar Errors.

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Experiencing eLearning

FEBRUARY 15, 2022

If you’re not active in L&D Twitter, you might have missed the big debate recently about whether and how research is relevant to the work of instructional designers and corporate training professionals. While some of that was likely deliberately controversial to generate traffic, the discussion raised some important points. Sometimes, we perceive a disconnect between research and practice.

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Experiencing eLearning

FEBRUARY 8, 2022

When we, as instructional designers, write scripts that are easy for voice over talent to understand, they can record and edit those scripts faster. We’ll also end up with a better end product. Following a few formatting tips for voice over scripts can make our our writing clearer and easier to use. This is part 2 in my series of posts on tips for creating voice over scripts. 1: Voice Over Scripts: Writing Style Tips 2: Formatting Tips for Voice Over Scripts (current post) 3: Voice Over Sc

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Experiencing eLearning

JANUARY 4, 2022

Why create diverse characters for learning scenarios? Our characters should reflect the diversity of our audience. When in doubt, I tend to err on the side of being more diverse in my representation rather than more homogeneous. I’d rather show an aspiration of diversity, even if organizations haven’t reached that goal of diverse representation in real life yet.

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Experiencing eLearning

DECEMBER 21, 2021

Have you heard any of these objections to stories for learning? “Not everyone can be a storyteller.” “Stories are a waste of learners’ time.” “Stories don’t work for all kinds of training.” Maybe you’ve even raised some of these objections yourself. Here’s how I would respond to each of these objections. “Not everyone can be a storyteller.” Imagine you’re on the phone with someone explaining a bad day and everything we

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Experiencing eLearning

DECEMBER 14, 2021

As I read online, I bookmark resources I find interesting and useful. I share these links periodically here on my blog. This post includes links on games for learning, video captions, and how to handle “pick your brain” requests. Games for learning. “Game Making for Dummies” | HiEv Heavy Industries on Patreon. While this is about making more complex games in Twine, much of this could apply to building more complex branching scenarios and simulations too. 6 Things Video Ga

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Experiencing eLearning

SEPTEMBER 7, 2021

While I mostly write about workplace training, scenario-based learning can also be used in colleges and universities. In fact, I’ve created and seen several good examples of storytelling and scenario-based learning in higher ed. Authentic assessment. My first ID job was with an online university targeting nontraditional students. They focused on “authentic assessment.” Rather than traditional academic essays and exams, we used simulated work products for assessment.

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Experiencing eLearning

AUGUST 31, 2021

As of this month, it’s been 10 years since I left my last full-time job and started my own business. In August 2011, I wrapped up my last project at Cisco and formed my LLC. Prior to this, the longest I ever held a job was about 3 years. However, even after 10 years of consulting, it still feels like the right fit. I still enjoy what I do, and I hope to continue for many more years.

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Experiencing eLearning

AUGUST 24, 2021

Several years ago, I gave a presentation on the why and how of scenario-based learning. I have given this presentation to several other groups since then, including two ATD chapters. I tweak it a little every time. As a general overview of scenario-based learning, it has become one of my more popular presentations. Description. Are you looking for ways to make your training more relevant and engaging?

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Experiencing eLearning

JULY 27, 2021

In previous posts, I shared tips for managing the complexity of branching scenarios and some thoughts on how long to let learners go down the wrong path. At some point in that wrong path, you have to redirect learners. The question is: do you restart a branching scenario from the beginning, or do you go back partway–maybe even just one single step?

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Experiencing eLearning

JULY 20, 2021

Last week, I gave a presentation on Creative Solutions with Twine: Design, Streamline, and Refine Branching Scenarios. Most of this presentation was a demo in Twine to show different options, although I started with a few slides. Presentation topics. Why Twine is effective for branching scenarios Examples of some very different solutions with Twine (including branching scenarios, chat simulations, and dungeon crawls) How to create a basic Twine story with links to multiple passages How to play a

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Experiencing eLearning

JUNE 15, 2021

While I often use Twine for simple text-based prototypes of branching scenarios, it’s also possible to create a more polished look and feel. With some work on the visual design, you can use Twine to create branching scenarios for end users without migrating the content to another tool for final development. In this post, I’ll build on the basics for formatting that I explained in my previous post on the Harlowe Story Format for Twine.

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Experiencing eLearning

JUNE 8, 2021

I received a question from a classroom teacher who is hoping to make the career move to instructional design. Specifically, she wanted to know how to prepare for an interview and what instructional designer interview questions to expect. Any sage wisdom? I’m brushing up on ID jargon, but want to be as prepared as possible. What questions might they ask?

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Experiencing eLearning

JUNE 1, 2021

Over the years, a number of teachers interested in transitioning to instructional design careers have reached out to me. Specifically, they often have questions about how to adapt their resumes. Teachers already have many relevant skills for instructional design, but they don’t always know how to convey that to employers. When adapting resumes for instructional design jobs, it’s important to focus on experiences like curriculum creation and collaboration rather than teaching.

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Experiencing eLearning

APRIL 20, 2021

Using Twine and the Trialogue story format, you can build a simple chat simulation in a few hours. I built the sample below in a little less than 2 hours, almost all of which was actually writing the conversation and choices. The story format controls all of the formatting and technical features. Try it yourself to get an idea of what’s possible.

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Experiencing eLearning

MARCH 30, 2021

Have you ever been asked to “just tweak the PowerPoint slides” and call it elearning? How did you respond? The original PowerPoint slides. I got a call from a prospective client. She and I spoke briefly once when she was looking for a pool of instructional designers to call on for specific projects, but we haven’t worked together yet.

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Experiencing eLearning

MARCH 23, 2021

I have given a number of presentations on scenario-based learning over the past five years, plus a few presentations on other topics. I have also had the pleasure of being interviewed on several podcasts and video casts. While I often share those recordings on my blog as they happen, this is the first time I have compiled a complete list like this. All of these recordings are freely available with no registration.

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Experiencing eLearning

FEBRUARY 9, 2021

I had the pleasure of doing a Q&A session on scenario-based learning with Devlin Peck recently. Devlin was a great host, and the community asked a number of thoughtful questions for me to answer. Watch the recording. If the video isn’t embedded above, you can watch the recording on YouTube or on Crowdcast. Questions answered. The attendees asked some great questions.

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Experiencing eLearning

JANUARY 26, 2021

As I read online, I bookmark resources I find interesting and useful. I share these links periodically here on my blog. In this post, I share links on creating certificates in Storyline, the benefits of sharing your work, and tools for visuals and videos. Certificates in Storyline. For a recent project, I researched ways to create a printable certificate in Storyline with an expiration date 1 year after completing the module.

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Experiencing eLearning

JANUARY 19, 2021

In a previous post, How to Start Creating Conversation-Driven eLearning , I described how I use conversations between two characters (a mentor and mentee or learning character) to deliver eLearning content. In this post, I’ll explain how to write and structure these conversations for eLearning. My next post in the series explains options for multimedia with conversation-driven eLearning.

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Experiencing eLearning

DECEMBER 8, 2020

If you have several desired behaviors or skills, is it better to use one large branching scenario or break it into several smaller scenarios? One of the attendees asked that great question during my DevLearn presentation. My recommendation depends on the audience and how the skills are used. Sometimes, you want a single, large branching scenario; other times, a series of smaller scenarios may be more effective.

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Experiencing eLearning

NOVEMBER 24, 2020

When you create branching scenarios, you probably work with SMEs. They’re the ones with the expertise, after all. However, sometimes it can be a struggle to get good stories and concrete details from SMEs. You can use this list of questions to ask SMEs to gather the information you need to write branching scenarios. In one or two hours of interviewing a SME, you can gather a significant amount of important information.

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Experiencing eLearning

OCTOBER 13, 2020

Writing branching scenarios can be intimidating or overwhelming. Unlike a linear course, it’s not as easy to know where to start writing. Do you write the endings first? Should you write all the mistakes first? Do you start at the beginning and then flesh out each path as you write those choices? In my own work, I’ve found it’s easiest to write the ideal path from start to finish first.

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Experiencing eLearning

SEPTEMBER 15, 2020

Many instructional designers, elearning developers, and LXDs manage multiple projects simultaneously. We’re often working on several staggered projects, especially while waiting for stakeholders to review something. Especially when I’m swamped with work, I use daily goals to help me stay on top of all of my projects. This lets me know quickly if I’m slipping behind so I can adjust.

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Experiencing eLearning

AUGUST 25, 2020

As I read online, I bookmark resources I find interesting and useful. I share these links periodically here on my blog. In this post, I share links on video conference tips and tools, video production costs, diversity, and freelancing. Video conference tips and tools. Zoom breakout workaround Want to let people choose their own breakout rooms in Zoom?

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