ATDChi's Training Today

Continued from the August 24 ATDChi Chatter newsletter… 

David Charney then showed a sample that seemed to intrigue the entire room—an activity where the leaner could move a camera over a background and zoom in and take photos of objects. Clicking the mouse produced both the sound of an exposure and a mock “photograph” with white border at the right edge of the background. At the room’s insistence, he showed how he created the activity in Storyline. 

Next, Charney stressed the importance of integrating elements such as stock photos and buttons with other content. “We’re creating environments and experiences,” he said, “not just adding photos and buttons."

With that, he showed examples which allowed learners to progress through a course in more engaging ways than clicking a “Next” button, such as wipe-out screens that advance when the learner completes an interaction. “Forego the Next button,” Charney instructed. 

Eli Chen, a developer at Grundfos Pumps, said the session was very valuable. “The way he’s using images is definitely outside the box,” he said. “I’ve built things like that, but I’ve never thought of creating images outside the tool and then layering them to magnify like that. That’s really complex.” 

He added: “Training managers who are not designers need to understand that if you really want to deliver high quality training that’s going to be the most effective, you have to put the time into this.” 

Natalie Sikes, an instructional designer with HPSI, gave the workshop equally high marks. “His example of moving the camera around—it was really cool to see how he did that,” she said, adding: When I go to these events, if there’s one great take-away, I feel it was worth it.” 

Jay Yearley, an instructional designer at Telemedia, LLC, agreed, saying it was valuable seeing examples of how to design and visualize the eLearning screen based on the audience and material, rather than just advancing to the next screen. 

In “How to Incorporate Adaptive Learning Principles into Your eLearning,” Tim Buteyn of ThinkingKap Learning Solutions gave a high-level overview of the complex subject of adaptive learning, which has its roots in K-12 education and has recently become in vogue in corporate eLearning. 

Buteyn began by saying he wanted to dispel two myths about adaptive learning—first, that it’s some hot new learning topic. It isn’t, he said, and has been around since the 1950s in the research of B.F. Skinner. Second, he wanted to shoot down the myth that adaptive learning is all computer-driven. Though it’s mostly found in computer-based training, he said, it can be used in any type of learning. 

Regardless of what type of learning it’s used in, he said, according to its definition on Wikipedia, “adaptive learning is any learning with content that changes according to the unique needs of the learner, as indicated by their responses to questions, tasks and experiences.” 

“The main rationale for using adaptive learning,” Buteyn said, “is putting each learner in as specific and appropriate of a context as will support their current level of performance.” 

“So rather than having one course with 20 slides and every person seeing the exact same thing on every slide,” he continued, “it’s giving them more support where they need it—such as letting them skip content that they’ve already exhibited they know. And so it’s using that contextual relevancy of ‘where do I need support?’ and ‘where can I get to the next idea?’ that makes it more efficient,” he said. 

Buteyn cited three main categories that you should account for when designing adaptive learning: 1) Content, 2) Assessment and 3) Sequencing. 

Looking at Content, a typical application is where learners are questioned on content they have been presented. If they answer the question incorrectly, they are directed back to the content and instructed to revisit it. Then they are asked the question again and if they get it right, they can proceed to the next topic, or are offered further mediation. 

Looking at Assessment, the classic example is the computer-based math exam that gives you a harder question if you answer a question correctly, or gives you an easier one if you answer incorrectly. 

Sequencing is similar to assessment in that it is the category that varies the content or the sequence of what comes next based on the learner’s performance. 

Buteyn said it’s important to note that all three of these categories “bleed over into each other”—that is, there can be assessment in the content category, and there can be both assessment and content in the sequencing category, and so on. A group activity in which attendees were asked to come up with ideas for adaptive learning for a ladder safety course helped to illustrate such interdependence of these categories. 

To learn more about any of the 2016 CETS speakers and sessions, visit: http://www.chicagoelearningshowcase.com/speakers.html.