by Lars Egidius Helle, Creative Director, Mohive
In my last newsletter piece I wrote about how to utilise video in rapid e-learning, and advocated that you should avoid using rapid e-learning as a placeholder for TV programmes. I rounded up that article by promising that in this newsletter I would delve deeper into the nitty-gritty of video.
What if?
What if I threat the customer like this? What if I respond like this to a candidate in a job interview? Wouldn’t it be nice to try that out in an e-learning course rather than in real life? Thanks to the What if? Template, it is now fairly simple to make video-based simulations that let your target group experience what happens if they choose a given course of action.
The What if? template is a multi-choice template that opens up for video-based responses. It is also possible to have exit text and exit sound.
Based on this, it is fairly easy to create stories or courses of action where the user is the main protagonist. Take the example of a customer complaint. Instead of filming the whole situation and then asking the user to evaluate, you can stop the situation when it’s time for the sales rep to respond and allow your user to choose what they think is the best solution.
Since this template allows for video-based feedback, that feedback is of course the customer’s reaction to the chosen alternative. Since the template allows for exit feedback and sound, you can put your feedback in there, and guide users to the proper course of action. If you combine this with auto transitions, the result will be smooth and effective video-based simulations.
What about branching?
The cleaver thing about this way of making simulations is that it eliminates the need for branching. In most instances branching implies that you will have to make large chunks of content that will rarely be used, which again increases the overall cost of production. Instead, you can use the “What if?” as a fast-food version of branching, allowing for rapid and lean production.
The essence of success
How do you do it? As always, it’s all about planning. Setting learning objectives its even more crucial when it comes to video, so make sure that you follow the sequence plan, write e-learning and video scripts, and finally shoot the video. Is it expensive? No. If you plan well and limit the number of locations, you will be amazed at how much you can shoot in a couple of days. Should you hire people to help? Yes - camera, sound and editing/compression are best left to the pros.
If you need any assistance, just send me an email.
Enjoy!