I’ve been blown away. And because of it, I’ve fired myself again. Here’s what my new boss (me) mentioned to me today: Forget content driven by words on screen. Forget the text-based lead-ins that say: After taking this, you will learn XYZ (ok–admittedly I don’t do this. I just want to do all I can to stop this experience-killing habit.) Real change in attitude, motivation, connection….doing…requires emotional connection. Yes…story-telling and scenario-based learning works. Let’s take it steps further. Let’s give it punch, stick….let’s give it real impact.  Let’s package it elegantly within the interface so the act of simply accessing the content is memorable. Forget making elearning engaging. It’s a vision and conversation that’s so so 20-century. Imagine a learning experience that moves you to action. In 20 written words (seen on screen) or less, these are out-of-the-ballpark examples of storytelling….and elearning.  This is where you need to go…

 

2 Comments

  1. Richard Bame says: January 29, 2011 • 12:07:59

    Hi MAK,
    Great concept. I like the idea of “jumping in to something” and discovering one’s connection to the subject. This could still be a way to communicate what the learner is expected to learn. Like “I never understood how my actions affected my credit sccore” would connect to the topic and implicitly identify it as what they will learn about. Right?

    Reply

    • MariAn Klein says: January 30, 2011 • 19:30:51

      Hey Richard!
      How the heck are you? Exactly. I thought about the level of ambiguity that comes with “jumping in” and discovering. Perhaps it can be controlled by content titles to help give direction and hints. I’m seeing the overall element that helps with discovery is the emotional connection/reaction received by the story that motivates the learner to stay engaged. Ultimately the learner receives a reward for sticking with the story…connection, insight, and clarity. Reward = curiosity to see more. What a concept hey? I’m tracking your continued success. Lovely to hear from you. Hope all is well. Please stay in touch.

      Reply

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