Think of a time when you failed at something. Ok, got it? Now what did you learn from that experience? What not to do? What to do next time to avoid that situation? Hopefully all of the above, if you’re smart. Game-based learning, with the freedom to fail, is one way to use that same methodology in a training context. By giving your learners the opportunity to make mistakes, and work through a solution on their own, knowledge retention and learning are more likely to occur. So, how does learning and growth occur through failure? Let’s investigate. Does Failure Motivate? Let’s start with a look at the basic mechanic, failure, in the context of video games. As most people have played a game of some form or another in their life, be it Candy Crush, Super Mario of Call of Duty, you have likely experienced failure within that game. Let’s say you’re playing Super Mario Bros. and you are one hop on top (hey, that rhymed) of a Goomba away from reaching the flagpole and beating the level. However, a poorly timed hop leads you directly into the Goomba’s face and you are now on your last life. Do you rage quit and abandon all hope of ever jumping to the top of that flag pole and reaching victory? (I would hope not) No, you try again! This time, you buzz through the level, dodging Goombas and those duck looking guys with shell bodies, climb those stairs and jump to the highest part of the flagpole to victory! The point is, just because you let that little mushroom looking guy stop you once, doesn’t mean you are stopped forever. You are motivated to succeed and prove to that Goomba that you are THE Mario and a force to be reckoned with! This same ideology can be used in learning. One little roadblock or failure does not mean you are finished, we can use that to motivate and reach success. Learning via Failure So, not only can failure motivate, but it provides the opportunity to learn. To lead with an example: recently I needed to swap the transmission out of my project car (‘95 Nissan 240sx if anyone is a car person out there). Having never done this particular job, it was a learning experience to say the least. So I have my younger brother helping drop the transmission, because those guys are heavy when laying on your back under a car. We pull the old, broken transmission out and begin to try and install the not-so-shiny new transmission. As we are working to get this hunk of metal lined up under the car we encountered numerous roadblocks: how to get the transmission lined up properly while lying on our backs with only a jack, holding transmission in place to bolt it up, how to get the drive shaft bolted together and into the transmission at the same time, the list goes on. Being the first time doing a job like this we expected to hit roadblocks, but did those hurdles stop us? No, we hopped over them by learning a better way to do something. For example, we first tried to bolt up the transmission and then deal with the drive shaft; aka not the best way. To get it seated and bolted up we learned we needed to bolt up the rear end of the drive shaft and slide the other end into the transmission, then raise and bolt up the transmission. Morale of the story here, roadblocks are an opportunity to learn and improve. Failing to install the transmission perfectly on the first try was a bit disheartening, yes, but we learned what we needed to do in the next attempt to get it right. If we put this in the context of game-based learning, the same thought process still stands. Using game-based training and allowing your learners to work through on their own and explore various paths, they have the opportunity to learn on their own. Either, this worked and that didn’t, or, now I know what not to do and this is what I should do in the future to reach my goal. How to Make Mistakes Teach for You "So, how do I incorporate freedom to fail in my online training?" you ask. Well, there are many ways, a few of which are listed below: Multiple learning paths Immediate feedback "What-if" scenarios Multiple Learning Paths Using multiple learning paths allow your learners to make decisions and see results of those decisions, whether they are right or wrong. If John chooses to select response A (the wrong answer) in a dynamic dialogue call system in your online training, he will see the result of that decision; which is a dial tone-- the virtual client hung up on him. Now, John realizes what not to say and how to improve in future sales calls. Multiple learning paths make it possible for the learner to make various decisions along the way to reach a most correct or less than desirable outcome. Immediate Feedback By giving your learners immediate feedback in online learning, you are telling them right away if they have made the correct/best decision. For example, we created a training for the REVAS process in firefighting where the learner is virtually performing their job. Should the learner choose to take matters into their own hands and perform a task out of order, like breach the front door before cutting a vent, they will see the dire consequences of their actions. Which, in this case, results in their co worker getting blown up..obviously not the desired outcome. Following that outcome, it is likely the learner will be crystal clear on what not do and the correct process. "What-if" Scenarios Through the use of "what-if" scenarios you can give your learners the opportunity to think critically through a situation and how they would handle that situation. This gives learners the opportunity to work through on their own and figure out what works and what doesn’t in that particular situation. By using the above elements in your online training you can have the learner work through on their own and allow them to make mistakes and find the best path to success, without necessarily guiding them through the entire experience telling them what to do. Freedom to fail is not as negative as it may sound. Allowing your learners the opportunity to make decisions and find out, on their own, what works and what does not, or what is correct or incorrect, is a great way to increase knowledge retention and motivation. Much like how we learn valuable lessons in life through our experiences, be it a success or failure, the same ideology can be applied to aid in corporate training. To learn more about how you can use this concept in your online corporate training, contact us!

Developing a successful e-learning program is both rewarding and challenging. While there are many positive aspects to building an e-learning project, there are also difficulties associated with determining exactly how much you are saving and making. Figuring out the return on investment (ROI) of an e-learning program is integral to understanding its overall success, worth, and business impact. ROI is the most widely used method for calculating the financial impact a project has on a business. In other words, ROI is the formula used to determine whether or not an e-learning project was successful. In order to do this, there are a handful of factors you must consider. There are both tangible costs and intangible benefits associated with an e-learning project, both of which are important. Calculating the tangible costs is easy, as long as you know what type of data you should be collecting. Additionally, you must look at the hard and soft cost savings of your project in order to get the full picture regarding your ROI. Below you will find detailed information on each of the factors that go into figuring out the ROI for an e-learning project, which should help you understand the bottom line for your company. Tangible Benefits While the tangible benefits of an e-learning project may seem straightforward, you must be sure you are covering all your bases and collecting data from a handful of areas in order to accurately determine the ROI. Logistical costs, development costs, and opportunity costs are all tangible factors that must be analyzed. Logistical Costs While e-learning programs definitely cost less than conventional classes, there are still logistical costs associated with setting up an e-learning program. When determining the logistical costs it is important to look at the number of class participants, travel time for each student, required classroom materials, cost of instructor, and number of classes per year. Development Costs Development costs refer to the materials needed to teach each class and the amount spent on the instructor (only applicable if you are hiring outside of your company). It may be a good idea to compare the cost of hiring an outside instructor with training an internal employee, you may find that one fits into your budget better than the other. Opportunity Costs You will assess your opportunity costs based upon what type of e-learning program you have and who your audience is. This can be difficult, but just keep in mind that the more instructors or customer service reps you have, the more it will cost. Opportunity costs are closely related to soft-savings, as customer satisfaction is a key part. Hard and Soft Savings Beyond the tangible benefits, you must look at the intangible costs, or soft-savings. Measuring the ROI for an e-learning project can be tricky because there are certain 'soft-savings' that can be hard to determine. Soft-savings refer to the aspects of your project that are more difficult to place a monetary value on, such as increased customer satisfaction, staff reduction, shorter training time for employees, productivity improvement, and employee satisfaction. While harder to measure the ROI on, the soft-savings are what make or break an e-learning project and are therefore extremely important to consider. On the other hand, 'hard-cost savings' are easier to identify and are similar to the tangible benefits of a program. Hard-cost savings associated with e-learning projects include shorter travel distance for your employees, fewer trainers, and less work-interruption. When calculating and measuring the ROI of an e-learning program it is essential to have an open mind and look at all possible factors. From the easy to identify tangible benefits of e-learning to the soft-savings that are more difficult to place a monetary value on, you must look at it all. If you do so, you will have a much easier time understanding and measuring your ROI, which will give you a better grasp on your business as a whole. To learn more about how E-Learning can benefit your organization, give us a call! 866.316.9126

Developing and maintaining a successful e-learning project begins and ends with communication. It is essential to keep your learners in mind when designing an e-learning module, as they are the ones who will determine your project’s success. It is not enough to simply put information together and assume your learners will somehow understand what you are trying to convey. Through the use of various tools, technologies, and designs, you must clearly and accurately communicate the objective of your training, as well as the role that is expected of the user. Clear communication is crucial to the design of an e-learning course, mainly because it can be challenging for users to receive and decipher the information you are conveying exactly as you want. As e-learning communication is quite different from face-to-face interaction, it requires a different approach. The tips below are designed to help you learn why communication is important to the overall success of an e-learning course and will also give you an idea of where to start. It Begins With The Learner One of the most important things to keep in mind, and something that differentiates the e-learning process from traditional settings, is the role of the user or learner. With an e-learning course, you do not have control over how the content is being received and processed by the learner, which means you cannot adjust it to allow for better communication of your content. Because the learner will most likely not have a means to communicate with you and let you know whether or not they are understanding the content, you are left in the dark. In order to fix this communication issue, it is helpful to look at your communication process as a whole and take the following into consideration: Determine Your Audience By having a clear idea of who your target audience is, you will have a better chance of "speaking" to the learner. Your e-learning project needs to be in a context that your learners can understand and relate to. It is important to take demographics, user backgrounds, and age into consideration. For example, if your intended audience is people who have been in the workforce for many years but are new to certain technologies, you may need to adjust accordingly to their inexperience with the various technologies. Feedback is Key One way to combat the lack of communication between the learners and trainers is to develop a feedback system that will allow the learners to provide you with information regarding their experience. Feedback can be critical to the success of an e-learning course, and it is an area that many enterprises neglect. By developing a course that is not only focused on content delivery, but also gives the learners an opportunity to provide feedback, you are giving yourself a better chance for success. Determine How to Engage Users Determining the best method for engaging your learners is also an integral component of effective communication in e-learning. It is no secret that people learn best when they are provided with content that is relevant to them and presented in a way they can relate to. Your e-learning content needs to be transmitted in a way that is motivating, effective, and interesting, a lot of which comes with it being relevant. Ask yourself questions like, "What interests my audience?" and "How can I present this information in a way that is easily digestible?" Companies that implement effective communication practices from start to finish are more likely to be met with success and to outperform their competition. The more active you are in preparing for communication challenges, the better off you will be. By assessing different aspects of the communication process, you will be able to prepare yourself for possible issues and counteract them before they cause a problem. Understanding your audience, coming up with a solid feedback system, and learning how to engage learners are all integral parts of developing an e-learning course that will help your company grow and find success. To learn more about how your organization can create better training content, contact us!

As I am sure you are familiar with the terms E-learning, online training, gamification, etc. you may have decided this was something that interested you. However, before diving into online training, there are a few questions you should ask yourself to make sure you aren’t flying blind. Below, we have outlined some considerations for converting your training to E-learning: #1 - Why Do I Want to Convert to Online Training? Before diving head first into online training, think to yourself, "why do I want to switch to online training?" There are copious reasons why someone would want to switch to online training, but when it comes down to it, it is your reason that matters most. It’s great if Company A uses E-learning because they have taken all their processes and documentation online, so using online training just made sense. But, why and how your organization can benefit is what’s important. A few (of tons) reasons why companies are taking their training online include: Increase learner engagement with fun interactions, video integration and the ability to learn at their own pace Cut down on training travel and instructor costs and expensive onboarding sessions Allow learners to access training anytime and anywhere (depending on delivery method) and review at their leisure #2 - Produce Training In-House or Outsource? So you have decided online training is right for you, now you’re thinking, "do we have the resources to create this training in-house, or do we need to seek outside help?" If you are lucky enough to have some folks on staff capable of creating online training, that’s great! If not, you’re not out of luck, there are many, many vendors out there who are capable of creating your training. There are also many authoring tools for creating online training, just a few include: Articulate Storyline HTML5 Lectora Inspire Think about what you are trying to accomplish with your training, and match the authoring tool that best meets that need. Also, do you have the capacity and resources to create your training in-house? If you don’t have the staff on hand, you would have to hire people, train them on process and get them up to speed. If that is the case, outsourcing your training development may be best to keep your attention and resources working on other things in the background. #3 - What am I Trying to Accomplish? What is the goal of your training? What is it your learner’s should walk away with? After someone completes your training, what should they know or be able to do? What is the goal/purpose of your training? Are you trying to increase product knowledge? Teach a new skill? Think about what is the main objective of your training. If your learner’s walk away from your training with one thing, what is that one thing? What Level in Bloom’s Taxonomy? Bloom’s Taxonomy was created to classify levels of intellectual behaviors in learning. The "lowest" level is knowledge. This would be training on product specifications, for instance. Can the learner recall product specs? As you move higher, to application and beyond, the way you approach your instruction must change. Keep this in mind when evaluating your training goals. #4 - Who is My Audience? This may seem like an obvious question, the employees; but really think about it. What qualities make up your employees who are the target group of your training? Are they senior executives? Is your training for new hires and onboarding? Young vs. old? Tech savvy, new to the organization, do they have a home computer? For instance, if your training is for young, new sales professionals, they are likely very tech savvy and familiar with laptops, mobile devices, etc. These individuals could pick up a tablet and jump right into a gamified learning experience, no problem. Whereas, if your audience is an older demographic who aren’t keeping up with the latest and greatest, you may want to steer clear of a super immersive learning experience that may overwhelm your learners. #5 - How Should I Deliver My Training? This question goes hand-in-hand with the previous consideration. If your learners aren’t as tech savvy, an immersive, multiplayer simulation may not be the best delivery method. Consider, also, how you want your learners to interact with the training. Are they going to be taking the online training at work, at their desk? Or are they expected to take this online training at home or on their own time? Also, the topic/type of training should be considered. If you are providing a performance support piece, an app-based, mobile online learning experience would be far more beneficial than a laptop, browser based training. Reason being, an employee could brush up on product specs or go through a sales scenario on their tablet before heading into a client meeting. If that information is only available on the company intranet, they wouldn’t have access to that vital information on the road, with perhaps no data service. #6 - How Will I Measure Success? Once you have a solid idea of what you want your online training to look like, what topic you are covering, and for whom, and how you want to deliver your training, it is time to think about who you are going to evaluate your online training. How are you going to measure success? Depending on your learning objectives, here are a few ways (of many) to track success: Improvement in performance: Is an individual performing at a higher level than before? A good way to look at this is, "what is the employee doing, and what should they be doing?" If your online training bridged that gap, congratulations! Pre and Post Assessment: Before participating in your online training, employees take a pretest to note their current knowledge. Then, after the training, a post-test measures changes in knowledge on that particular subject. Learner feedback: Upon completing your online training, do your learners feel as if they have gained a new skill, learned new information of process? Getting direct user feedback is also important to future program success. Take user feedback to improve interactions, update content and user experience. We know change can be hard. But, change is usually for the best. When converting corporate training to online training, keep the above considerations in mind and you will be on the right track to program success. If online training is something you would like to know more about, give us a call @ 866.316.9126 or contact us!

In today’s society, more and more organizations are turning to E-learning in place of traditional instructor-led training (ILT). Over the past few years, E-learning has proven to be a cost-effective and reliable way to deliver training. While many small and mid-size organizations have already discovered the benefits of making the switch from ILT to E-learning, this is not to say that there are not challenges. When it comes to E-learning, there is added pressure to deliver informative and useful content in an accessible manner, while using fewer resources. However, with these challenges comes the opportunity to revolutionize the way in which training is delivered and accepted. Because of this, it is imperative for an organization to critically evaluate their business needs and goals before taking the plunge and converting from ILT to E-learning. As we continue to see advancements and innovation in technology, we expect to see more and more companies making this switch. In order for an organization to make this transition successfully, there are numerous factors that need to be addressed and a Needs Analysis should be performed to determine whether a company - and its employees - are ready for this next step. Why Convert Instructor-Led Training into E-learning? In most cases, there are a handful of business-based reasons for converting an ILT program into an E-learning course. Before you commit to making the switch, you will need to determine what factors are driving you to make this transition. Here is a look at some of the most common reasons for wanting to adopt an E-learning program in place of an ILT course: Cost - In most cases, online courses are cheaper to deploy and maintain Time - E-learning programs will have shorter deployment cycles, shorter training sessions, and are easier to maintain Accessibility - E-learning programs are a great option if you would like your employees to be able to access the training materials 24/7. E-learning works well to ensure all employees have access to critical training materials and resources at all times Limited Training Resources - This is one of the main reasons organizations opt for E-learning over ILT. Your company is big enough to need training, but too small for a training department, E-learning may just be your answer These are just a few of the main reasons why organizations are deciding to make the conversion from ILT to E-learning. A cost-effective and proven method of providing learners with important and relevant training materials, E-learning is the future of training.     Best Practices for Making the Switch Now that we’ve touched on a few of the most common reasons for making the switch to E-learning, let’s look at how to do so effectively. Before we so, it is important to once again reiterate the need for organizations to establish an E-learning strategy before making the conversion. In order to find success with online training courses, you must make sure the program is part of an overarching strategy. Assess your organization's current state and take a good look at your employee’s capabilities around technology, as well as the culture of your company and your technical infrastructure. Keep it Simple. The first step when switching to E-learning from ILT is to remember to keep things simple. The idea here is to develop courses that are accessible to your learners and that communicate the content in the right way. Learners should be able to understand the material and therefore have the tools necessary to improve their job performance. Effectively Organize Content. By making sure you have clear learning objectives and a plan in place when it comes to your instructional content, you will be setting yourself up success. When it comes to the design of your E-learning program, make sure you carefully select graphics and animation in order to highlight certain learning points and content in order to help learners retain the information. It is always important to remember that content is king in regards to E-learning. Because of this, it is critical for you to make sure all your content is relevant and up-to-date. Consider Feedback. Paying attention to constructive feedback from your learners is one way to improve your course and make sure it is being received as you intend. By making an effort to listen to feedback and implement changes, you will be showing your learners that you are serious and it will therefore encourage them to worker harder and provide you with feedback. Once again, the key to success in E-learning is to have a solid strategy in place to ensure that making the transition from ILT courses is the right one. If you play your cards right and set the stage for success by taking the above tips into consideration, you will be setting the state for a smooth switch to E-learning, which will in turn save you money and allow you to provide your users with information they need, whenever they need it. While you may be met with challenges and hiccups along the way, we believe that, if done right, converting an ILT program to an E-learning one will be beneficial to your organization. If E-learning is something you are interested in, give us a call! 866.316.9126

Shout out to Training Industry for recognizing the Designing Digitally, Inc. team's hard work! We are listed on the Content Development Company Watch List for the third year running!  It feels great to be recognized by such an influential group.  You can check out the full list, here.  We are honored to be chosen for this list for a third year and look forward to continuing to provide high quality online corporate training for our customers. Congrats to the rest of the Top 20 Content Development Companies List as well! 

The old model of training a workforce to perform a job or task by simply sitting them in a classroom is (thankfully) fading into the past. Today’s workforce doesn’t need more training, they need more effective training. In fact, what they really need is task-specific guidance and support delivered at the exact moment it’s required. When this support combines the processes, tools and resources necessary to enable employees to perform their jobs better, businesses win. While more L&D departments are getting the message and have built effective learning management systems, even this doesn’t address the complete issue. Today’s knowledge-based workers must have access to job performance information at the moment they need it in order to be most effective. It is our challenge to build the systems that allow for this on-demand training and performance support that today’s workforce requires. What is Performance Support? Simply put, the term performance support encompasses a wide variety of supplemental training and job performance tools. It can include everything from low-tech job aids to technical procedures presented in a how-to video. The single unifying characteristic that all performance support tools share is that they are available on demand and controlled by the worker performing the task. Many of the best performance support systems involve employee portals with a library of documented processes and techniques. They are searchable and offered in a variety of media types. Performance support combines the best methods for delivering a particular job skill or task based on the need of the worker and the demands of the task. When implemented correctly, performance support can be thought of as the mentor standing beside an employee as he or she attempts a new procedure. With the proper guidance and coaching, a worker is given the tools to perform any task confidently. Just as a qualified mentor is there to confirm the correct technique or procedure, performance support tools can answer questions, validate assumptions and confirm the details needed for proper task completion. Performance Support Compared with Training Performance support is not a substitute for training; rather it’s a supplement to the often technical and sometimes tedious training we frequently see. Where traditional training methods are content-based, performance support is context-based and provides workers with the tools they need to complete a task or procedure in real-time. Within the training and development realm it is generally acknowledged that learners forget as much as 70% of the material they’re taught with 48 hours of attending a training session. That said, no one would suggest doing away with classroom or other formal job training. Training is a foundational activity, and gives workers the exposure to new concepts that allows them to continue learning on their own. In addition, the portion of formal training that is retained is often the most important and fundamental of the concepts. By combining formal training with a comprehensive performance support system workers are given the best opportunity to successfully perform their job roles. Why Performance Support? When looking at the amount of money spent on traditional training, many organizations may ask the question; why do we need performance support as well? The truth is that performance support systems are an investment in the continuing success of an enterprise. In fact, while the knowledge and skills acquired in classroom or other formal training resides with the employee (and departs with them as well), performance support systems stay in place for future use by all employees. To be clear, designing and building a performance support infrastructure is a commitment and an on-going process. The maintenance and continued creation of documents, procedures, guides, video demonstrations and other tools requires both budget and manpower. However, the return on this investment can be seen in the time savings of employees performing their job duties, the satisfaction levels of customers who are better served, and a general improvement in deployed projects across the board. How to Implement a Performance Support System The design and implementation of a performance support system requires an understanding of the challenges your workforce faces. Are there particular tasks that cause more difficulty and struggle than others? Where are performance support offerings most urgently needed? What delivery mechanisms will be most effective for your workforce? The answers to these questions and others are what our learning support team can help you to determine. Our Performance Support experts will identify your organizations current needs, and help to design a framework to build upon. It’s not enough to provide more information to your workers, you must give them the information they need at the time they need it. Providing support at the moment of need is what the experts here at Designing Digitally will help you to do. To learn more about how a performance support system can help your organization, contact us.

The need for training in our modern work environment has never been more critical. That’s because the job skills we require of our workers have never been more complex or more specialized. The advances in technology that continues to improve productivity in the workplace are also making the tasks of our workers more challenging. The only way to meet these challenges in job complexity is through effective skills training. When employee development managers consider the options available for training today’s workforce, increasingly they are turning to e-learning solutions. The effectiveness of e-learning within the work environment has grown along with the advances in technology used to develop and deliver it. In this way e-learning is keeping pace with the needs of industry, while also meeting the growing needs of employees. Why e-learning? Part of the reason e-learning is garnering such positive attention is the increasing recognition of its effectiveness. When implemented correctly, e-learning has the advantage of being more efficient, more relevant, and a more enjoyable way of learning than traditional training methods. E-learning is more efficient because we no longer rely solely on sending an employee to off-site training or sitting them in a classroom for hours on end, and instead bring the training to the employee. It’s more relevant because we can target very specific job skills and deliver them any time an employee needs to access them. It is also a more enjoyable way to learn because employees can progress at their own rate of comprehension, without the pressure that sometimes accompanies a classroom setting. Use e-learning to engage and appeal to your audience Within e-learning design, there are ways to create courses that have more appeal for your intended audience. These techniques aren’t secrets or tricks of the trade; rather they are time-tested training methodologies that are modernized for use in today’s on-line and electronically delivered media. Here are some examples of successful e-learning techniques that are designed to engage and appeal to your audience. Focus on the learner. The temptation is to develop an e-learning course that is slick and exciting, and uses all of the latest design techniques and fancy features. While aesthetics are important, form follows function in this case. Design courses that focus on how an employee approaches his or her job, and what skills they will need to master in order to perform better. Deliver it in a way that respects the learner’s time, intelligence and current abilities. Also, remember to incorporate different styles of information delivery, since people learn in different ways. Make it relevant. In order for a learner to get the most from an e-learning course, they need to believe it is relevant to them and to their job performance. It should be made very clear what the benefit is to the employee, and what they can hope to accomplish once they have mastered the lesson. When tied in with real-world returns, case studies and real life situations, e-learning is far more likely to appeal to an employee. Challenge your learners. Nothing is likely to turn off your audience more than if you present an e-learning course that insults their intelligence. If they are going to put in the time, they expect to gain the knowledge and skills that are promised. This can only be done through challenging and thought-provoking lessons. At the same time, care should be taken to give them all the information necessary to succeed, if they really apply what they’ve learned. Make it interactive. One of the biggest advantages of e-learning is that it can be as interactive to your learners as you want to make it. When your audience is engaged and interacting with the lesson, they are more likely to progress, learn and retain the information you’re providing them. Interactivity also appeals to those individuals who learn more kinesthetically, offering them an experience they are less apt to receive in traditional classroom-based training. The real benefits of e-learning for today’s workforce are measured in increased productivity, increased engagement, and improved job performance. Here at Designing Digitally, Inc., we’re experts at creating e-learning courses that not only educate, but engage and entertain a modern workforce. Our team of expert designers will work with you to develop an e-learning program that appeals to your employees while teaching them the valuable skills needed to succeed. Let us know how we can help you bring the power of e-learning to your business.

One of the biggest challenges we face in designing effective e-learning courses is keeping the learner engaged and interested in the lesson. It’s a fact that people learn best when a topic captures their imagination and motivates them to become an active participant. This type of engagement is possible when the e-learning presented is realistic, interactive and allows the learner to make choices and solve problems within the lesson. One way to accomplish all of these goals is through the use of branching scenarios in e-learning. Using branching scenarios gives learners the ability to apply the information you’ve presented, and to see the results of their decisions played out immediately. This immediate feedback is important in reinforcing the material, as well as in motivating the participant to continue learning. What are branching scenarios? Branching scenarios are essentially stories that allow a learner to select a course of action and see how it plays out virtually. When designed effectively, branching scenarios teach the underlying principles of a lesson, giving learners the ability to extrapolate the concepts and apply them to any number of similar situations. This type of situational role-playing is both highly engaging and extremely effective in promoting learner retention. Branching scenarios are more than just a series of scenes linked together. To be successful, branching scenarios must build upon previous decisions and relate the consequences to a particular choice or action. In this way, a learner can see the impact of even a poor decision, without the risk associated with doing it in real life. Benefits of branching scenarios Designing branching scenarios in e-learning courses has a number of benefits for learners. Immersing a learner into a scenario allows him or her to make decisions and assume responsibility for the choices they make. This emotional investment in the learning process ultimately has a far greater impact than traditional, more passive types of e-learning. Some specific benefits to branching scenarios within e-learning include: Increased engagement. As mentioned previously, the more engaged we are when learning new material, the more likely we are to remember the concepts. Designing branching scenarios into e-learning courses helps promote engagement on the part of the learner, and allows for better retention of the material being conveyed. When designed well, these scenarios also create a more realistic and relevant training experience. Learn from mistakes. The difference between being told what would happen when taking a certain course of action and watching it unfold before your eyes cannot be overstated. The brain is hard-wired to learn and remember the consequences of our actions far more than if we were simply told what they would be. In this way, making a mistake within a learning scenario and seeing the results can actually create a similar retention as if we had made the mistake in real life. Skills can be practiced with no risk. Another major benefit of branching scenarios is that potentially dangerous tasks can be performed without the risk of injury or worse. An obvious example of this is firefighter training. If the skills required to enter a burning building and search for victims can be practiced using branching scenarios, then we gain the benefit of experience without the risk to life. Branching scenarios are customizable. The use of scenarios to teach particular concepts or skills can be customized for almost any lesson. And since each scenario is its own mini-vignette, they can be modified as needed to update skills, increase complexity, or incorporate lessons learned. The use of branching scenarios as a way to improve the effectiveness of e-learning is growing in popularity. When applied effectively, this type of interactive lesson delivery can increase engagement, improve knowledge retention, and build valuable decision-making skills. By encouraging learners to be active participants in their education and skill building, scenario-based e-learning can have a positive impact on any learning program. To learn more about what this type of training can do for your organization, contact the experts here at Designing Digitally, Inc. We specialize in designing e-learning courses that incorporate a variety of branching scenario techniques and styles. Let us know how we can help you and your workforce.

How effective is your online corporate training? Is it providing your workforce with the critical job skills they need to be successful? Does it provide the up-to-date learning experience that today’s workers are conditioned to expect? Is it enjoyable or a nightmare to get through? If you believe you have a pretty good idea of the answers to these questions, I’ve got another one for you... how do you know? One of the most important tools we have in evaluating the effectiveness of our online corporate training programs is one that’s often overlooked. The importance of user feedback in providing meaningful and valuable insight about the online training we offer our workers is crucial. While we, as learning experts, may believe we’ve designed the best e-learning course possible, if the employees we’re targeting don’t agree, then we’re in trouble. Why user feedback is important It’s always a good idea to beta test new e-learning materials before they go into full production with your learners. However, most e-learning testing is done either by a select group of knowledgeable workers, or sometimes by training specialists. This type of testing, even if it’s comprehensive, doesn’t tell us the story of how effective a training lesson will be in the real-world. When our goal is to impart job knowledge and teach performance skills, we must be open to learning whether we’ve done our job well. The best way to fully understand how our training is perceived by the employees it’s designed to benefit, is by collecting feedback from those employees. This type of user feedback, when correctly solicited and obtained, allows us to analyze not just the design of our training, but its effectiveness. User feedback is important in telling us whether the information we’ve presented is what the learner is actually receiving. It also tells us whether the training is engaging or sleep-inducing, interesting or tedious, fun or frustrating. In short, does it work? How to collect user feedback Collecting user feedback can be done in a number of ways, some more useful and effective than others. A survey conducted at the end of a training course can be helpful, but it often does not provide the type of insightful information we need. By the time a user completes a training lesson - especially if it is a long one - they typically just want to be done with it. This may not be the best time to ask for genuine feedback. Even so, that does not mean you won’t get some good feedback using surveys. Building in user feedback opportunities throughout your e-learning course is a far more effective way to gather feedback you can actually use. Just as knowledge checks are designed into a course along the way, prompts for feedback can also be integrated. One technique for doing this is to ask for feedback in a different style or format than your knowledge checks or quizzes. Make them fun or even funny - and remember to keep the feedback questions short. Examples might be: Did you find that lesson helpful? Was that example relevant? Would you like more detail or less detail on the topic you just completed? User feedback can also be collected by the use of the Experience API. The function of the xAPI is to gather and provide access to the real-time experiences of e-learning users. While the xAPI requires an investment of both development time and infrastructure, the resulting data can provide valuable feedback. How to use and implement user feedback Collecting feedback on your e-learning material is only part of the process of improving your online corporate training. What you do with the information once gathered is the important step. It may be a natural tendency for the designer of a training course to defend their product zealously - but that does a learner no good in the long run. Instead, look at the feedback with an objective eye and with the understanding that improvements can always be made. Ask yourself if there is a theme or pattern to the feedback results, and see if you can identify any opportunities for improvement. Finally, understand that there are changes happening within the online training and e-learning field constantly, and working to improve your training delivery skills is just a part of the job. For more information, or to see how incorporating user feedback into your online corporate training can benefit your learning programs, contact the experts at Designing Digitally, Inc. We have tools and techniques that can improve the effectiveness of your training, and get the most from your e-learning investment. Click here to request more information.