At Legacy Business Cultures, we believe that nothing beats a classroom as the most effective environment for our training. A classroom environment allows participants to experience learning in ways that can only be offered through live in-person interactions with our facilitators as well as other participants. Small group, as well as large group facilitator-led discussions are a major component of how we teach and can only be conducted in this type of setting.
How we utilize elearning for organizational development
However, we also utilize online courses as supplemental or introductory resources for our training. Sometimes, organizations we work with are looking for another way to help reinforce the training we provide after they have taken part in the classroom experience. Or, on some occasions, all members of an organization simply are not able to attend classroom training and so they are looking for a way to learn the concepts that we teach in a format that is available to them – online.
The benefits of scenario-based learning
Scenario based learning is one technique that can be utilized for online training that allows learners to practice the knowledge they receive throughout our curriculum. It has been proven that learners are more engaged and motivated by scenario-based e-learning than most other online instructional techniques. The basic premise is that learners are given the opportunity to put their knowledge into practice by being presented a problem in which they are required to utilize their understanding of the subject matter. While this can also be achieved by other more traditional assessment techniques such as quizzes or learning journal writing, scenarios utilize storytelling which naturally engages the learner more.
An example
For example, when teaching the principles of the 12 Rules of Respect, a learner may be presented with a scenario in which two coworkers are engaged in a disagreement. Rule number 4 says to “Listen better by shaking your ‘but’.” This rule basically states that, instead of negating opposing viewpoints during a conversation by exclaiming “yeah, but…” and then stating one’s own argument, it is more respectful to listen fully to the opposing point of view, acknowledging and validating it before stating one’s own argument.
To present this information in a scenario-based exercise, the learner can be shown a video in which the two coworkers are discussing a work-related problem about which they disagree. The video will then pause during which the learner is presented with an option of four different responses. Three of the responses will begin with the phrase “yeah, but…”, and only one will be the correct response of restating the coworker’s opinion and validating it before expanding upon it with their own point of view. If the learner chooses the correct (respectful) response, they will be shown a new video in which the coworker expresses that they appreciate how they feel validated about their ideas and in turn present a solution to the disagreement that utilizes both opposing viewpoints. If the learner chooses the wrong (disrespectful, “yeah, but…”) response, they will be show a different video in which the argument escalates to a point where the coworker storms out of the room and the argument is left unresolved.
Scenario-based learning can be extremely effective, especially in soft-skills training such as Connecting With Respect. And, although e-learning may never completely replace the effectiveness of classroom training for our courses, we see tremendous potential in it as a tool for reinforcement or introductory level learning.
