I have the opportunity in this post to review Blue Beta Facilities Orientation.
In this post, I will be identifying:
the course topic
the relevant characteristics of the target learner audience (what can you infer?)
the knowledge and/or skill type(s)
the learning domain(s),
the assessment method(s) (i.e., response options, test items),
the trigger event(s) (how do you get the learner to act?)
the guidance technique(s) (how does the learner know what to do next?)
the advisor type(s) (if any)
This course is an example of a linear hierarchical (directive) e-learning object.
Linear: Information is organized into chunks that naturally build on one another. The learner is limited by the interface to only view the information in a specific order, one topic at a time.
Hierarchical (directive): Similar to a textbook’s design, an eLearning course can have several lessons, each with several topics which can be presented with multimedia such as text, images, animation, audio, and video clips (Chyung, 2007, p.3). A directive approach is ideal for workers with new jobs because it offers small chunks of knowledge at a time, and allows learners to observe and listen while periodically responding to questions (Clark, 2013).
The (1) topic of the course is the office facilities and providing any information employees will need to know to work in the facilities both in the present and future. The (2) audience, a company new hire, has no prior knowledge of office layout of rules. They are considered novice learners with high motivation, as they are eager to start their first day. We assume they are familiar with the technology on which the training is being delivered. Orienting activities are usually done at the learner’s pace, so there are no time constraints on this eLearning object. (Of the learning characteristics to consider when developing an eLearning object, age, gender, cultural background, prior education, and prior work experience are not relevant.)
There are three categories of eLearning content: declarative, procedural, and situated. This eLearning example falls under the declarative (4) knowledge domain because it is concerned with “knowing what.” Specifying the topic’s learning category and the level of learning helps developers determine the most appropriate methods and media to deliver the content (p. 4). The (3) content-type is concepts and facts that will be useful to the learner in the future.
The (6) triggering event should be realistic and compelling (Clark, 2013, p.64). In this course, the triggering event occurs on the first page of the eLearning, Here, it provides a quick overview of “why learn this information” and gives them a clear idea of what the expected outcome is so that the learner is prepared (p. 64). The module asks the learner to interact by clicking “Start Course” to view the next topic.
Clark identifies nine types of guidance techniques: faded support, simple to complex scenarios, open vs. close response options, navigation options, training wheels, coaching advisors, worksheets, feedback, or collaboration (p. 77). Articulate Rise uses fairly intuitive navigation options as a (7) guidance technique. As the learner reads from top to bottom, they reach a barrier that asks them to click to continue. This is the typical way an audience interacts with a webpage, both in scrolling and clicking through menus. Because the training is being delivered in this manner, it is important to know the learner’s ability to use the technology. Rise also employs signaling (via animations and hover states) to indicate where the learner should click.
This eLearning object requires a test with multiple-choice and yes/no questions to give immediate corrective feedback during its (5) assessment.
In eLearning, an (8) advisor can appear to provide context-specific guidance or direction at the moment of need (Chyung, 2013, p. 82). Because of Articulate Rise’s simplistic interface, there is no included option for an advisor to appear. A designer could include directions to learners about what to do next, but that would appear alongside the rest of the content as the user scrolls through the lessons.
References
Chyung, S. Y. (2007). Learning Object-Based e-Learning: Content Design, Methods, and Tools. The eLearning Guild’s Learning Solutions. https://www.learningguild.com/pdf/2/082707des-temp.pdf
Clark, R. C. (2013). Scenario-based e-learning: Evidence-based guidelines for online workforce learning. (Links to an external site.) San Francisco, CA: John Wiley & Sons.