Allan Carrington, a distinguished Australian educator,  shares his blog post on the Articulate Storyline authoring software.  I always find his viewpoint of value, as I regard him as an educator deeply immersed in transformational learning.  I divert to mention that his blog makes provision for leaving audio comments as well as text comments, and he has a page dedicated to collaboration, on which he lists his areas of experience and current areas of interest, and invites like-minded parties to contact him to explore areas for collaboration. Then there's the equity and diversity page….

My favourable opinion of this scoop might be influenced - just a little - by the fact that he refers to Tom Kuhlmann of the Rapid Elearning Blog - the very first blog I ever followed.- and the Articulate Storyline community which I find incredibly active and generous.  In fact I'd regard them as the learning equivalent of the Genius bar at Apple stores.

But back to Storyline...

I've chosen to focus most on how the flexibility of Articulate Storyline allows for the creation of simulation and branched learning experiences, and for scaffolding reflective practice.  At this point in time simulations, digital  storytelling, gamification and reflective practice are my hot topics.  

The first affordance is that of creating either simple or complex branched learning.  As in all cases of branched learning, the designer is responsible for ensuring that the features and  complexity of interactions do not overwhelm the learner, or become the focus of the experience to the detriment of the intended learning.

Documents can be embedded in the activity to provide experience with actual examples of relevant paperwork (substitution on the SAMR model).

Timers can be included on individual pages, meaning that a time flow can be included in the activity (augmentation level of the SAMR model).  For example  if the learner has not selected an option within a predetermined time frame they may lose the option of choice and be directed down a specific path, or the scenario may report the presenting symptoms of the patient have progressed.

Since hyperlinks can be incorporated, the learner could be directed out to other websites  -  perhaps to add insights to a preconstructed form on a wiki, or to make comments on a class blog.  This also allows the opportunity for 'independent research points' where the learner is encouraged to search external information sources for material to determine their actions in the simulation  eg.  might leave the simulation to search the websites of peak professional bodies for current policy or best practice recommendations   (augmentation on the SAMR model).  

Media files can be embedded in the activity by the developer , so that provides the potential for including audio or video materials which provide the perspective of different individuals and encourages a multidisciplinary approach.    For example a child with hearing loss might describe  the difficulty they experience listening in the noise of the classroom and social environments.  The parents describe the impact of the hearing difficulty on the family as a whole and the concerns they have for the impact of hearing loss on their child's life now and into the future.  Siblings might describe the impact on family communication patterns and the reactions of others outside the family.   Additional clips could provide the viewpoint of other educational and allied health professionals such as teachers, learning support tutors, speech pathologists etc.   In my setting I regard this as bordering between modification and redefinition on the SAMR scale, as accessing this rich network of experience would be impossible in synchronous, face to face learning, working with groups average one to five learners at a time, with a need for the learning opportunitiesto be available on an ongoing basis.

This scaffolding of experience means the learner is more likely to recognise the value of creating a personal support network and maintaining involvement in professional network groups, using social media tools such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter as well as the forum areas of industry specific professional organisations and client support groups.

Text entry fields can be used to create  "Stop and Think' points where individual learners are required to pause and enter their reflection on the factors which influenced their path selection in branched learning.  In small group activities the same principle could be applied to create 'Stop and Negotiate' points where the group as a whole must negotiate which path is taken, and document the factors and group dynamics which influenced their choice.  The quality of reflection could then be rated and used to shape the feedback provided to the learners.

This approach could be used as a way of developing awareness of different cultural perspectives in a diverse group.  In my situation where there is a small professional workforce which often has limited cultural diversity amongst the learners themselves, it would be a way of addressing sensitivity to the cultural needs and sensitivities of our clients.

A powerful way to model reflective practice, when working with branched learning simulations, would be to include a point, or points, along the branching where the learner is asked to reflect on their choices to date and to decide if they would change any of their decisions if given the opportunity.  If the learner did elect to go back and take an alternative path they could be given the opportunity to decide how far back in the decision making process they return.  (redefinition on the SAMR scale).

 It should be noted that the learners are not able to upload media files directly into published Storyline activities, and so for this reason it is most powerful when link outs are used to take advantage of the affordance of other tools, such as wikis, where in completing the activity, learners could create and upload a role play of the interaction which might occur at a case conference meeting.

Alternatively, the branching capacity of Storyline could also be used to create scenarios to provoke discussion around topics  which are sensitive in medicine, such as euthanasia, or determining whether the same rigour is applied in deciding whether to order precautionary investigations when the client is very elderly, for example investigation of potential acoustic neuroma, or allocation of public health funding for cochlear implants for clients over 90 years of age..  

The use of 'Stop and Think' or 'Share an Opinion' data fields allows for evaluation of the development of thought process using a scale such as the seven point scale of reflective thinking proposed by King and Kitchener (1994) covering, pre-reflective, quasi reflective and reflective thinking.   This allows the learning environment to be structured to assess how people decide what they believe about vexing problems and the process of reaching judgments about complex or controversial problems.

Simulations provide a safe learning environment to explore challenging issues around service delivery.   The ability to embed media files in the activity can also be of benefit in this situation.  It has been reported that when exposed to depictions of healing in media, students experience an emotional idealism which, while short lived, enables them to focus on the overriding positive aspects of the calling to work in health care and consequently better cope with dire situations encountered during training.

In summary, I regard Articulate Storyline as useful tool for constructivist learning, both afforadances that accommodate both cognitive and social constructivism.

King, K. M. B . & Kitchener, K. S. (1994). Developing reflective judgment: inderstanding and promoting intellectual growth and critical thinking in adolescents and adults. SanFrancisco: Jossey-Bass.

Kumagai, A.K. (2008).  A conceptual framework for the use of illness narratives in medical education.  Academic Medicine, 83, 653-658.

Shapiro, J. & Rucker, L. (2004).  The Don Quixote effect: why going to the movies can help develop empathy and altruism in medical students and residents.  Families, Systems and Health:  The Journal of Collaborative Family HealthCare, 22, 445-452.

Shapiro, J. & Rucker, L. (2003).   Can poetry make better doctors?  Teaching the humanities and arts to medical students and residents at the University of California, Irvine, College of Medicine.  Academic Medicine, 78, 323-328.