The Anatomy of a Scenario-Based Lesson
- Posted By Super User
- Learning Design
Scenario-based learning is generally most appropriate when teaching learners with some relevant prior knowledge or experience how to perform tasks that rely on critical and creative problem solving. They are especially useful to teach skills that are difficult to acquire on the job because of safety concerns or scarcity of real-world opportunities. Decisions can have life or death consequences, and a scenario-based approach to learning offers at least a partial substitute for real-world experience.
Being a training designer presents daily opportunities to challenge ourselves, push boundaries, and design solutions that make our businesses successful, clients happy, and learning audience more effective. But sometimes our work isn't inspirational, and it's really hard to get ourselves psyched-up to change the world thinking about compliance frameworks and guidelines.
To succeed at work, employees must know how to solve problems. Are we so reactive that we quickly come up with an answer to satisfy a deadline? Or do we see what others are doing and simply apply their ideas? In training sessions, we often teach the process of problem solving but we don't always focus on how learners can apply the process in their daily lives. We need to emphasize a traditional method of problem solving, along with the components and skills necessary to perform the process.
