Hi -

I am trying to help my team create guidelines for different types of eLearning elements based on levels of interactivity. Does anyone have a good resource for guidelines when a demonstration is appropriate vs. a simulation vs. a live webinar?

Ultimately, we want to offer multiple options for different learning styles, but in our in initial push to build content, we hope to match the most useful type first.

Thanks,
Elizabeth

Many publications cover whether it's an "informational" objective, "process/procedure" objective, etc... and suggests formats.

In my experience, which is extremely apparent in the current economic climate, is that whatever fills the objective at the lowest cost (think total cost of ownership over lifetime of training, including maintenance) or what hits the timeline needed (rapid application development) is what keeps the C-suite open to leaving a seat at the table for the training professionals.

Find their key needs, and fill the needs with the lowest-cost and most usable format that competently addresses the issue.

I've myself been guilty of developing a simulation to train folks how to log into a system where a job aid would be cheaper, easier to maintain, and more usable to the learner (they can reference at time of task).

It's always a judgement call- neither are wrong, but really think about the learner and stakeholders versus a "paint-by-numbers" perscriptive (a model which often breaks when you balance it against business needs).

Hope this helps.

Hello Elizabeth:

Glowman is correct. The key to how to choosing learning elements (I’ll call them instructional strategies) regardless of what media is being used is the objectives and/or what step in the instructional process. Jonassen, Grabinger & Harris’s article in Volume 4, Number 2 of the 1991, Performance Improvement Quarterly (pp.77-99) titled Analyzing and Selecting Instructional Strategies and Tactics provides an excellent structure with strategies, tactics and decision trees on when to use the.

More information about the article may be found @

Article Information

I recommend choosing the strategy first then find the media that will support your strategy.

Good luck!

Cj

Hi -

Thanks to both Glowman and CJ for your responses. I understand your points about making sure the medium meets the objectives and as we're making a transition from strictly instructor-led to more online offerings, I want to help my team understand that a simulation or demonstration doesn't meet all learning objectives. For example, an asynchronous demonstration does not fit for a skill-building topic requiring practice and heavy interaction.


It sounds rudimentary, but I'm trying to build a series of guidelines to help emphasize the importance of picking the right media for the learning objectives already set in the bulk of the content we have already developed. I'm seeing a lot of "We'll just make a movie!" happening and want to help illustrate when it's not appropriate and why.

We're going to be transitioning a lot of our content very quickly and I want to help guide a group with very little/no background in developing content in these formats down an appropriate path as quickly as possible.

Is there anything like that already out there?

Hi Elizabeth:

I haven’t seen anything recent. One of the better resources is Selecting Media for Instruction by Reiser and Gagne. It is a little dated because the capabilities of computer systems and band width have increased the viability of the computer as a medium.

It has a good media selection worksheet and offer a detailed decision tree.

You can find a copy via the usual internet sellers.

Good luck!

Cj