E-learning That Makes You Make Tough Choices

Have you ever been tasked with developing e-learning that needed to jolt people out entrenched viewpoints? It’s a challenge, and one I certainly haven’t always succeeded in meeting myself. What if you were charged with creating learning to tackle a big problem like poverty or homelessness?

The Urban Ministries of Durham, North Carolina worked with ad agency McKinney to create the game Spent. They don’t call this e-learning, and it’s certainly not a traditional course. But take 15 minutes to play it and you’ll see why I think it counts as a learning experience. Note that the game is US-centric, but the impact should

From the press release description:

• Your savings are gone. You’ve lost your house. Accept the challenge to see if you can make it through the month on your last $1,000, learning quickly how changes in employment, housing, medical costs and other expenses can create an unexpected shortfall.
• Play through a series of difficult challenges that require tough choices about work, where you live and what you can provide your family, seeing all too soon how decisions lead to unimagined consequences. Learn important facts about the condition of homelessness and the many services UMD provides.

The Flash design is very slick and smooth, but I think elements of this could be used even for lower budget development.

• Start with a scenario that creates tension. Down to your last $1000 with no place to live? That’s tension, and you’re immediately drawn into the game. How many ethics e-learning courses could be better if we started with a scenario that sets the stage?
• Give learners tough choices with consequences. The tough decisions in the game are all about trade-offs. Do you pay the electric bill or the gas bill when you can’t afford both? Do you opt to pay for health insurance or risk going without? Do you use your meager wages to pay for a tutor to help your child, or allow your child to fail a class? Do you take the time off to attend a grandparent’s funeral, knowing you’ll lose wages? These are realistic choices with realistic consequences. They aren’t simple right/wrong answers.
• Make it usable. How many e-learning programs start with training on how to use the learning application itself? Spent is easy enough to use that you can jump right in and start making choices.
• Let people make mistakes. We learn by making mistakes. The first time I played, I did survive the month, although with only $5 left. This second time I didn’t do so well, as you can see below.

What do you see in this game that you could use in your own learning development?

Weekly Bookmarks (2/13/11)

• Elearning Advantages

  Collected list from Karl Kapp with research highlights on advantages of e-learning, including reduced learning times and increased retention levels.

  tags: e-learning research

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Overqualified Instructional Designers?

I received two questions this week from a reader who wishes to remain anonymous. My experience with both is somewhat limited, so hopefully some of you will be able to help.

PhD/EdD = Overqualified?

Firstly, have you seen many folks with doctorates working in the field? Do you think a PhD/EdD makes you more competitive or does it make you overqualified? I would love to try working in industry (even if it were for free) just to get a feel for what happens outside of academe.

Personally, I have worked somewhere that a PhD or EdD meant your resume went directly to the recycling bin. It wasn’t an official policy, but the consensus was that anyone with a terminal degree would be bored working as an ID on our team. I’ve even heard of people feeling overqualified (or maybe too expensive?) with just a masters degree.

My impression is that the PhD/EdD is helpful in higher education and helpful for those who want to be director level or above in the corporate world. It isn’t something I’ve seen for instructional designers as individual contributors. This is where my experience is a little thin though; that’s more gut reaction than anything else. What have you seen or experienced yourself?

Individual Consultants versus Companies

Secondly, what is your sense for the field in terms of individuals working with companies as consultants? Does this happen frequently or is it mainly ID firms working with companies?

I am just really getting started with freelance work myself, as a side project in addition to my current regular contract. My career is probably unusual because I’ve been salaried more than even hourly contract. I know people are out there doing this as individuals. If I had to guess, I’d say it’s easier as an individual to freelance or consult with smaller companies, while large businesses tend to work through recruiters and bigger firms. I’m sure there are exceptions though, and I’m not even sure I have the trend right. Can anybody shed some light on this question?