Latest posts
How action mapping can change your design process
Happy action mapping users say that the model helps them create lively elearning. But would it fit into your design workflow? Here’s a look at the process from start to finish. Read more
Are learners idiots?
Are you under pressure to treat your learners like clueless children? Here are some ways to manage a stakeholder or that voice in your head that wants to lead learners by the nose. Read more
How to create a memorable mini-scenario
Often we’re told, “Put this information into a course.” But what happens if we put the information into a job aid instead, and then design mini-scenarios that help learners use the job aid? Here’s an example. Read more
Do they just know it, or can they USE it?
It’s easy to write activities that test whether learners know something. How can we make learners use their knowledge as well? Let’s compare two types of activities. Read more
Instructional design
Be an elearning action hero!
This quick, visual approach to instructional design helps you change what people do, not just what they know. It keeps your team members focused on a measurable business goal, and it can keep stakeholders from adding extraneous information. Read more
The big mistake in elearning
Why is so much elearning so boring? Because we’re obsessed with designing information when instead we should be designing experiences. We need to focus on what people need to do, not what they need to know. Read more
The anti-course: An instructional job aid
Here’s a short video that shows how we can break our addiction to the course and move training closer to the job. It shows how we can use an instructional reference to help people learn by doing at work. Read more
Scenario design
Elearning example: Branching scenario
You’re a US Army sergeant in Afghanistan. Can you help a young lieutenant make a good impression on a Pashtun leader? That’s the challenge behind “Connect with Haji Kamal,” a thought-provoking branching scenario. Try the activity and learn how it was designed. Read more
Sample branching scenario + cool tool
Branching scenarios can be a pain to design. Happily, you can use a simple tool called Twine to easily draft the scenario and produce it. In this post we’ll look at a scenario that I wrote to demonstrate Twine’s basic features and to make a point about teaching through stories. Read more
Why you want to use scenarios in your elearning
Imagine that you’re in a competition to overhaul an information-heavy course so it creates a real change in the world. What changes would you make? Check out this story-based presentation to see what one fictional company did. Read more
