Photo by: Miguel Á. Padriñán via Canva
As a young child, I vividly remember getting my monthly Highlights magazine and immediately heading to the “Choose Your Own Adventure” section. I thoroughly enjoyed making my own decisions to reach the outcome of the story.
As I got older, I dropped the paper-based adventures and dared to enter the world of Zelda. The ability to self-direct and choose which path to take to save the princess was thrilling to me.
Now, as an adult, I no longer play video games or receive the Highlights magazine. I don’t dabble in too many “choose your own adventure” quests but, when I do, they are usually in the form of e-learning. This type of learning is one of my favorites. Whether it’s a presentation or application format, I thoroughly enjoy exploring and making my own decisions to see the different outcomes, whether correct or incorrect. I like to go back and take the paths again to see how it would have unfolded had I made different decisions. Then I analyze those results. This allows me to process the content in a different manner compared to hearing a lecture or taking a quiz.
In adult learning, we don’t call them “choose your own adventures” though. They are referred to as branching scenarios.
When designing a branching scenario in e-learning, there are five steps.
Step 1: Determine the type of branching scenario
The criteria to determine whether you build a simple or complex scenario will be based on areas like, complexity of the task, learning difficulty, design time, learner experience, etc.
Step 2: Determine your outcome
To determine your outcome, look at your task analysis and ask yourself, “What goal is to be achieved at the end of this task?”
- If you chose a simple format, you’ll have one outcome.
- If you chose branching, you’ll need at least two endings. One good outcome and one bad outcome, at minimum.
Step 3: Determine the scenario content
To determine the scenario content, first review the task analysis and consider the job context in which it takes place. Then create a background story. You’ll want to include items like location, time of day, number of people involved, information and equipment available, for example.
From the task analysis, you’ll need to choose which steps will branch to multiple storylines (i.e., the most important steps from the task analysis or the steps that employees are currently performing poorly). We recommend using a flow chart to track the structure of the branching scenario.
Step 4: Write the story
To write the story, the first item is to create the characters. You’ll want the characters and the scenario to be as realistic as possible. Then you’ll need to develop a narrative that ties all components together.
Next, design a trigger event(s). One of the most important components of the story is a trigger event. This is the starting point of the scenario-based learning. This is where your learners are presented with the situation that needs a resolution—the point in the course where most of the branching happens. For each trigger event, you’ll need to decide the number of branches. Remember to document the progression and structure of the story for each branch using a flow chart.
Step 5: Conclude the story
To conclude your story, you’ll need to create feedback for each outcome of the story. You’ll want to describe which steps led to this outcome and describe how well this outcome matches expectations of the job. At this point, you’ll also need to decide if learners can choose to restart the scenario.
By using this simple five-step process, you’ll be able to create engaging and relevant branching scenarios for e-learning. This type of learning will challenge your learners to use their critical thinking skills to make decisions in a safe learning environment where they are free to make mistakes.
If you’d like to learn more about branching scenarios and other ways to engage your learners during e-learning courses, check out Interactive e-Learning!
