Blog posts

Twine (and similar systems) allow paths to merge, reducing the number of possibilities, but at the cost of making the scenario more like a narration and less like a game. 

<p>these are the 13 most important elements:</p> <ol> <li><a href="#real">Keep it real</a></li> <li><a href="#relevant">Make it relevant</a></li> <li><a href="#structure">Follow a structured approach</a></li> <li><a href="#plan">Plan and analyze before you build</a></li> <li><a href="#objectives">Keep the learning objectives and outcomes in mind</a></li> <li><a href="#story">Tell a story</a></li> <li><a href="#context">Provide accurate context</a></li> <li><a href="#nuance">Find nuance in the scenario</a></li> <li><a href="#choice">Consider scenario choices carefully</a></li> <li><a href="#sme">Collaborate with your subject matter experts</a></li> <li><a href="#learner">Collaborate with your actual learners</a></li> <li><a href="#challenge">Challenge your learners</a></li> <li><a href="#consequences">Let learners experience consequences</a></li></ol>

<h3>Use your objectives&nbsp;to drive the action in your scenarios</h3> <blockquote><p>Align your scenario with your objectives. An engaging scenario that doesn’t help learners practice relevant decisions tied to your objectives is a waste of time and resources. Use scenarios to provide learners with a realistic context where they can make choices. In a scenario, the main character’s goal often reflects achieving or demonstrating the learning objective. Use your objectives to drive the action in your scenarios.</p></blockquote> <p>— <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.syniadlearning.com/">Christy Tucker</a></span></p>

<a href="https://learningsolutionsmag.com/articles/1108/how-to-engage-learners-with-scenario-based-learning-/?utm_campaign=lspub&amp;utm_medium=link&amp;utm_source=link">Scenario-based learning</a> (SBL) and the inclusion of practice with feedback are much more effective approaches to the development of skill and competence.

Now, this isn’t to say your scenario’s aesthetics are meaningless. It’s more that if you have a limited amount of time and resources, it’s best to focus on crafting the story and keep the look and feel simple.

<p>When it doesn’t take much thinking to identify the correct choice, it quickly becomes boring.</p> <p>Instead, it’s better to give your audience challenging yet realistic decisions to ponder. Things that make them think hard about what the best option could be. </p>

So what’s the best way to avoid clunky 90’s video game dialogue in your scenarios? Read your script out loud as you’re drafting it. If it sounds weird as you say it, that’s a good sign that it could use reworking.

Fun is a crucial part of what makes game-like experiences like scenarios so engaging. Just make sure that the majority of the fun serves to reinforce the project’s learning goals.

But the real value of interactivity doesn't lie in the number of physical interactions. It's about the depth of cognitive engagement these interactions can ignite.