When I was growing up in the 19080s I recall a new type of book taking my elementary by storm -  choose your own adventure books. Genius! What better way to make reading a little more exciting to attention deficient youngsters only interested in flicking mud with sticks (at least that's what I was doing in 3rd grade). While not necessarily the most enlightening of literature these books asked the reader to abandon the monotony of repetitive page turning. Take left hand, grab bottom right page corner, pull to bottom left page corner and repeat.

As custom content developers we are always looking for ways to blow up what's expected of online training. Possibly subconsciously borrowing from my experience in grade school I've asked, why must there only be a table of contents and next and back arrows. Of course sometimes linear learning is unavoidable and the possibility for creative navigation is more challenging, but why not try and create the most engaging experience possible?

In a recent employee policy course that we've been developing we've done just that. After a brief animated introduction the screen is then divided into a number sections, each representing individual policies, their size based on their importance.



Once a policy is selected users are presented with click-able silhouettes of several characters. Each has a story to tell about their experiences with the respective policy. These are interactive videos where the user will either help the character make the right decision or help them see the err of their way. At any point the navigation options are minimal though the control is total. There is a play/pause button, the option to choose a different character or choose a different policy by returning to the divided policy selection page. With only the inclusion of a closed captioning button there are no other means of navigation. The interaction is more than intuitive and engaging and almost nothing resembles any traditional means.

Very often, companies making the step to internally harnessing the awesome power of knowledge management are new to the process. Sometimes, these new duties fall on the shoulders of already busy individuals and other times those in charge struggle to get the support they need from other participating departments. While it is important to enlist the support of all beneficiaries, sometimes the chain of contributors becomes so convoluted that it is no longer manageable.

This can be a nightmare for a custom content development team. We've seen chains of command so long that entire projects stall-out. Review processes get passed along from individual to individual and from department to department until it's unclear who has the ball or even what court it's in. From a designer's standpoint, halting production not only delay's deadlines, but runs the great risk of inconsistency and redundancy. In the past, we've seen reviews and evaluations of scripts come in months after a project is completed and in use in the field. Obviously, this poses a great problem for those who have already received certification in a course.

While lack of clear project leads can stall out production, too many can be equally disruptive. If two or more coordinators are communicating directly with our content developers without properly communicating among each other then disaster is bound to happen. The last thing we want to have is surprised or confused clients. An example of this communication breakdown is when a project coordinator gives unchecked authority to subject matter experts. While the details of a project are accurate, at times the larger goals of courseware are lost and the final product falls short of original expectations. Too, correcting miscommunications can drastically delay completion dates and add great expense.

Before any work commences on a project it is invaluable to our design team to have firm project liaisons with clearly defined duties and to establish other contributing parties who understand what is expected from them.

We mentioned before some overall ideas for getting started with eLearning.  

Now I'd like to expand on some of the details. Specifically with audience. 

Knowing your audience is crucial. Knowing how your audience will interact with your eLearning is just as important. Will your eLearning be geared toward marketing or as a resource for some industry? Will the learners be required to take certain training or will some be optional?

KMi, I think, is well prepared to handle any of these scenarios. In fact, we do so already. MedlineUniversity.com is strongly geared toward product training and marketing efforts. Whereas TRAIN.org, often lists required training that all nurses in a given field will need to take.

eLMS Marketing Tools:

• Google Analytics 
• Google Trends
• eLMS Products
• KMi Business Development

Imagine being in a foreign country where you don't speak the language, for instance, Paris, France. You're lifelong dream has been to see the Mona Lisa at the Louvre and the only thing standing in your way is successfully obtaining a metro ticket that will get you to the museum from your hotel. Standing at the station kiosk, your heart begins to race and your palms dampen as you frantically attempt to decipher the foreign phrases. Well, the Paris Transit Authority understands these potential complications and has set up a system of translated instructions and universal icons to guide foreigners through the ticket buying process. Without proper guidance it would be nearly impossible to know how to properly interact with the computer, possibly even for native French speakers.

Similarly, we instructional designers need to develop clear, concise and intuitive instructions for effectively navigating through a course module. For instance, in our latest simulation of a medical procedure the users will perform a number of interactions with the module that range from picking up objects with a virtual hand, to dragging syringe plungers to specific volumes and to filling-out checklists and signing forms. These interactions will require specific mouse movement, clicking and holding left mouse functions and utilizing key strokes on their keyboards. If we don't effectively make the desired interactions logical and clearly presented, then the user will be learning how to operate the module rather than how to perform the medical procedure - and that would be a colossal failure on our part.

Our solution with this simulation was to develop a series of icons that denote specific interaction types that are intuitive enough not to necessarily require a key to understand (though a key will be provided for those who may need clarification). In addition, simple questions and scenarios are presented to the user that will lead them to choose the proper interaction to perform next. If the user can perform an action in the module without having to ask "how?" then we have succeeded.

A picture is worth a thousand words... yada yada yada.

It's really more about how you use that picture. And KMi's eLMS has a new way for you to use your pictures: Image Mapping Questions!

Now, you can upload an image to an assessment and select which "parts" of that image are "correct". Then, when a user is taking an assessment or quiz and comes to that question, they will have to select the same part of the picture, to get credit for the question.

The eLMS system can automatically grade the image questions too and will give you a full report of the assessment stats for each user. Attached here are some screenshots showing the admininstrator selection process. An image like this might accompany the profound question, where is Big Bird's nose?



If you'd like a demo or more info on other assessment question types available through eLMS, please feel free to email me at pshannon@kmionline.com.

I've been in eLearning for 4 years now - and I still consider myself new!

Nonetheless, I'll make an attempt to answer last month's big question from the Learning Circuits Blog:

I am new to eLearning. What Should I do first?

For those new to eLearning, either as a learner or provider, I can make a few common recommendations:

What to look at first:

• $$$
  • Perhaps I am financially driven, but I think the bottom line... should be the bottom line. 
  • Consider the training you do now and the costs associated. 
  • Will switching to eLearning save you money or provide an ROI?
  • Often, you won't be able to fully answer this question until later in the process - but it's good to consider up front - and to always keep in the back of your mind.
  • Click here for more info on KMi pricing
• Jargon
  • Learn the terminology. 
  • LMS versus LCMS - what's the difference?!
  • Does it matter to you?
  • SCORM versus AICC - what the heck are these?!
  • In terms of an intro to eLearning jargon, I recommend the simple, but often over looked resource, Wikipedia. It gives a great introduction to some of the common terms used in the eLearning industry
  • Even if you don't know what each term means in detail, you'll at least start to recognize good comparison points across your eLearning options.
• Audience
  • This point is equally applicable to learners and providers. 
  • Who will be doing the learning? Is it a geriatric crowd or perhaps a house full of teenagers?
  • Outside of eLearning, what training and teaching techniques have worked in the past? How might we start to think about translating those previously successful techniques into an eLearning experience?
  • If your audience is widely diverse, you may need more eLearning tools and features. If the demographics are similar for your learners, try to hone in on those similarities and how eLearning tools can exploit the commonalities of your audience.
  • Need help defining your audience? Click here to contact Paul Shannon