{"id":5372,"date":"2016-12-02T08:30:32","date_gmt":"2016-12-02T07:30:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/?p=5372"},"modified":"2016-12-06T13:37:14","modified_gmt":"2016-12-06T13:37:14","slug":"scenario-based-learning-design","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/2016\/12\/02\/scenario-based-learning-design\/","title":{"rendered":"Scenario based learning design"},"content":{"rendered":"

Over the summer, I worked with Amanda Griffiths (Student Wellbeing Manager) at the University of Sussex to develop \u201cMy Wellbeing<\/a>\u201d – a bitesize online induction course aimed at all students within the university.<\/p>\n

This used a scenario-based learning approach to educate students on prevention and intervention within the context of health, safety and student wellbeing and to raise awareness of available help and support. This article will explore the approaches used to design, conceptualise and produce the resource.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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What is scenario based learning?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Scenario-based learning makes use of narratives to contextualise situations which adapt in response to decisions made by the student in relation to problem-based questions. The goal of this strategy is to enable students to develop problem solving and decision making skills within an authentic context and test choices and consequences within a safe, simulated environment.<\/p>\n

For example, in medical training; the participant is presented with a scenario where they play the role of a doctor, consulting a patient who has described a set of symptoms they have been experiencing. Based on this information, the participant (doctor) is required to make a decision to help the patient from a defined set of choices; each choice leads to a different consequence which could for example, help or hinder the patient’s condition. After making a bad decision, the participant is then either presented with a further scenario to try and steer the narrative back onto the correct course or prompted with feedback to guide them to making better decisions when re-attempting the scenario.<\/p>\n

Storyboarding scenarios<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Planning and storyboarding is key to designing an online educational resource, especially when working with a subject matter expert, academic or collaborator who is providing content or inputting their own ideas. It is the most efficient way to share your vision and manage a project as it allows space for ideas to easily develop and change – this can be much harder and more time consuming to do once your project has moved into development.<\/p>\n

A logical place to start planning is by thinking about the scope, audience and objectives of the course by defining a set of intended learning outcomes<\/a>. Ask yourself \u201cwhat do I want students to learn?\u201d, consider your students background, level of knowledge or ability and how much time you want them to spend on the tutorial. If the learning outcomes are too complex or ambitious to achieve within the timeframe then consider simplifying or reducing the number of outcomes to something more appropriate. For the My Wellbeing course, a scenario was designed for each learning outcome to ensure that the key messages would be thoroughly explored and clearly communicated.<\/p>\n

Developing narrative<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The 5 W\u2019s (What, who, where, when, why) are basic questions which are often used for requirements gathering and problem solving. These questions can be used as building blocks for setting the scene of a narrative and considering requirements for developing problem-based scenarios. For example:<\/p>\n