Level Up Your Elearning: Character Creation for Scenario-Based Learning

At the TLDC online event “From Instructional Design to Dungeons and Dragons: The Chronicles of Educaria,” we connected the game and role-playing aspects of D&D with instructional design and training. The L&D field has a lot of folks who play D&D, or at least are interested in how D&D could inspire our work as instructional designers. My presentation was on character creation for scenario-based learning, drawing parallels to creating characters in D&D.

Character creation for learning

Here’s the description of my session:

In Dungeons & Dragons, character creation is the foundation of epic storytelling. In learning and development, the creation of characters plays a pivotal role in scenario-based learning. In this session, you will complete activities focused on shaping character backstories, defining their objectives, and constructing challenges that spark curiosity and foster learning. Learn tips for creating characters who are both relevant to your training context and interesting enough to spark attention. A good character for scenario-based learning is one your learners can identify with and that draws them into the story. Just like in RPGs, creating characters for workplace training scenarios requires a bit of imagination. Plan to actively participate in this session and practice creating both protagonists or player characters (PCs) and additional non-player characters (NPCs).

Watch the recording

If the recording isn’t embedded below, you can watch it on YouTube or on the TLDC site.

Name generators, character images, and other resources

During my session, I shared several name generators for character creation.

• fakenamegenerator.com (attribution required)
• random-name-generator.com
• name-generator.org.uk/quick/
• ssa.gov/OACT/babynames/
• behindthename.com/random/
• looka.com/business-name-generator/ (for business names)

In the chat during the live session, Glenda DeHoff also shared this Random Character Traits Generator.

I also shared some sources for character images.

• PowerPoint (in Stock Images)
• eLearning Art
• eLB Learning (formerly eLearning Brothers)
• Open Peeps (free)
• Freepik (free and paid)
• Disability Images

The tea mug I pointed out at the beginning of my session is a “Things Could Be Worse” mug from Calamityware. (That’s not an affiliate link. I’m just a happy customer.) You can zoom in to view the design on their website.

Other sessions

You can watch all of the recordings from this ID to D&D event for free on the TLDC website or on YouTube. This includes two pre-conference sessions where DMs led D&D sessions for new players and folks who hadn’t played recently and needed a refresher.

• Introduction to Dungeons and Dragons with DM Keegan Long-Wheeler
• Introduction to Dungeons and Dragons with DM Christie Kittle
• The Adventure Begins! Creating Powerful Programming That Matters with Dawn Kahan Metcalf
• Gagne Meets Gygax: What the Roots of the D&D Hobby Can Teach Us About eLearning Design & Development with Jonathan Rock
• Conjuring Creativity for Your Leadership Training with Marc Stoecker
• Lessons learned from Game-Based Professional Development with Keegan Long-Wheeler and John Stewart
• AdventureQuest: Building a Purposeful Curriculum with Nathalie Vega-Rhodes
• Roll for Initiative: Conquer Your Workplace Goals with Role-Play Mechanics with Russell Sweep
• Cyber Resilience: Applying Physical Security in Digital Realms with Julia Sheehy
• The Three Pillars of D&D: Designing for Dynamic Learning Experiences with Nathalie Vega-Rhodes
• Neurodiversity in the Guild: Crafting Learning Experiences for All Adventurers with Christie Kittle
• xAPI & Character Sheets: Crafting Your Unique Learning Path with Tristin Sylvester
• Storytelling, Strategy, and Sensitivity: The Workplace Power of D&D with Tom McDowall

More about characters and scenarios

If you’re looking for more about character creation for scenarios, check out these blog posts:

• What’s Your Character’s Goal?
• What Challenges Do Your Characters Face?
• Diverse Characters in Learning Scenarios
• Do You Need a Villain in a Learning Story?

I was also part of a previous panel discussion with TLDC on L&D and D&D: Learning and Role Playing Games.

All of my posts on scenarios and storytelling are collected on a single page and sorted by category if you’re looking for another related topic.