Blog posts
Write better elearning scenarios: active or descriptive choices – Learningworld Design
In branching scenarios, descriptive choices "You tell him he is right" feel very different than active choices ""You're right!" I agree with the author that there are no hard and fast rules in branching scenarios; there are times that both can be used effectively.
The most important aspect of branching scenarios and interactive stories are the choices presented to the player/learner. Choices are what make interactive stories different from other creative writing outputs such as novels, plays and movies.
Choices can feel totally different to a player depending on how they are written, even if they seem to have the same outcome.
Does writing style change how learners perceive choices in a branched scenario? – Learningworld Design
Description of PhD research on how the writing style of choices in a branching scenario affected which options learners chose and how they thought about those options. This is a small sample size, but still interesting results in favor of using dialog for branching scenario choices.
Finally, version with dialogue-based choices (see screenshot above) was perceived as more personal and engaging, “lively” and helpful for making a selection (“made me feel like I was talking out loud in my head”).
The findings from this pilot questionnaire seem to indicate that providing framing in the options themselves has more effect on the learner than providing it in an introductory text.
Additionally, options written as dialogue were experienced as more personal and elicited higher emotional reactions of the learner towards the characters. This may be of use in courses about soft skills.
How I Create My Weekly Newsletter (and personal curation tips you should steal) – Mike Taylor
Mike Taylor explains his process for collecting and curating resources for his newsletter. This would be really useful for anyone looking for a more systematic way to read and learn about a field, even if you don't want to publish it later.
Recording: The Least You Need to Know About Articulate Storyline 360 - E-Learning Uncovered
This is a recording of a webinar by William Everhart and Diane Elkins from early in the pandemic.While there are many other resources on Storyline out there that will teach more, the premise of this was that it would give you just enough to create something quickly. If you're looking for a quick start in Storyline, this would be a good way to jump in and practice before moving on to other resources.
xAPI Tutorial: Get started in under 1 hour - eLearningArt
Start learning how to use xAPI quickly, with a basic html page and a simple "send statements" button. This uses resources from Anthony Altieri and Mel Milloway. Everything is free, and this has step-by-step directions for non-programmers (but you do have to edit some html).
David Kelly’s Curated L&D Content for the Week of 2/28/22 – The Learning Guild’s TWIST
David Kelly included my post on how research informs my work as part of his list of curated content
<strong><a href="https://www.christytuckerlearning.com/how-research-informs-my-work/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">How Research Informs My Work</a><br></strong><em>Research plays an important role in the work of learning professionals. While our work often serves organizational performance goals, educational research forms the foundations upon which we can build programs that can effectively target those goals. It’s not about one being more important than the other; as Christy Tucker explains in this inciteful post, research informs the work we do in L&D.</em>
Two Questions That Should Be Influencing Every L&D Team's Strategy
"Does learning science play a role in our work, and, just how much of an impact does it have on our profession?"
Does learning science play a role in our work, and, just how <em>much</em> of an impact does it have on our profession?
We must be able to see the gaps in our instructional design, which learning science helps to <a href="https://blog.learnlets.com/2020/08/the-case-for-learning-science/">support</a>. It also gives us a basis to infer how to use new technologies. If we want to avoid doing slide presentations, we have to know what cognitive (and emotional) advantages these technologies have so we can leverage them for success.
However, I’ve argued strongly that what’s most critical is the ability to make better decisions. The decisions we make determine our success. We make better decisions <em>about</em> learning when we know how learning works. It may not be all the time, but they will be the most impactful decisions when leveraging evidence-based approaches to our work. If we don’t have the foundation for learning-grounded decisions, the important ones not be made on a solid basis.
Regardless of its latest terminology, we need to be able to see past the hype and be able to evaluate the claims.
Best from the Brightest: Key Ideas and Insights for L&P Professionals - TiER1 Performance
48 learning and performance leaders share their favorite content shared in 2021. Use this list to find both new sources to read and new people to follow. Many of the participants also shared trends to watch in 2022, other recommended content, and additional people to follow. This list is heavy on evidence-informed design.
AI Voice Generator: Versatile Text to Speech Software | MURF
This is an AI voice service with monthly and annual plans. While I still think that real voices are going to be more effective for most of the scenario-based learning I create, I can see the value in using AI voices for straightforward narration. You can currently do either a free test of 10 minutes with no downloads or buy a single pack of 30 minutes with a reduced list of available voices for $9, plus larger plans for more time.
Ask the Cognitive Scientist | American Federation of Teachers
Daniel Willingham summarizes some of the research on how stories can improve learning. In addition to the research examples, he explains elements of story as found in movies and explains how these can be applied in learning. While the learning examples are all focused on classroom teaching, some of this could be applied to workplace training too.
Jakob’s Law | Laws of UX
This came up in a discussion on LinkedIn about whether visual appeal leads to better learning outcomes. (h/t Sarah Mercier) While this isn't about learning, it's about usability--and that is important in how people perceive and interact with elearning. It doesn't answer the question about learning outcomes, but visual design can have strong effects on perception.
Users often perceive aesthetically pleasing design as design that’s more usable.
An aesthetically pleasing design creates a positive response in people’s brains and leads them to believe the design actually works better.
People are more tolerant of minor usability issues when the design of a product or service is aesthetically pleasing.
