CCE ACTIVITY B. ED. 105 Bhakti Joshi Roll No. 60 Avinash Sapkal Roll No. 90

NEED OF CHANGE IN INSTRUCTIONAL METHODS  Imagine a new automotive technician, combat officer, or veterinary technician. All are trained for their work roles, but all lack a critical ingredient of effective performance: experience.  The complexity of 21st century work is rooted in expertise. And, as the word implies, expertise grows out of experience.  Psychologists studying experts in sports, music, and chess have found that people require about 10 years of sustained and focused practice to reach the highest levels of competency in any domain.  However, today’s organizations don’t have 10 years to grow expertise.  And some skills, such as reacting to emergencies, demand practice before the situation arises. Are there some ways to accelerate expertise outside of normal experience? One solution is scenario-based learning.

WHAT IS SCENARIO-BASED LEARNING?  Scenario-based learning (SBL) uses interactive scenarios to support active learning strategies such as problem-based or case-based learning.  It normally involves students working their way through a storyline, usually based around an ill- structured or complex problem, which they are required to solve.  In the process students must apply their subject knowledge, and critical thinking and problem solving skills in a safe, real-world context. SBL is often non-linear, and can provide numerous feedback opportunities to students, based on the decisions they make at each stage in the process.

WHAT IS SCENARIO-BASED LEARNING?(CONTD.)  Scenario-based learning may be self- contained, in that completing the scenario is the entire task, or it may be the first part of a larger assignment requiring the student to complete the scenario, and then provide a written or oral reflection and self-assessment on the process.  SBL provides an application context and affords learning for application

THEORETICAL BACKGROUND  Scenario-based learning is based on the principles of situated learning theory (Lave & Wenger, 1991), which argues that learning best takes place in the context in which it is going to be used, and situated cognition, the idea that knowledge is best acquired and more fully understood when situated within its context (Kindley, 2002)

WHY USE SCENARIOS? Scenarios provide learners the opportunity to:  apply knowledge and practice skills relevant to the situation they face  analyze, identify issues, solve problems and formulate strategies  learn by completing structured learning activities which resemble the challenges they are likely to face in the real world

ELEMENTS OF EFFECTIVE SCENARIOS Here are some elements that teachers should consider when creating effective scenarios:  involves mentally processing and connecting the content presented to the question/task  models “real-life” thinking processes that the learner has to be able to perform  presents issue(s) related to the learning outcomes  is sufficiently complete, complex and focused  presents a situation, problem, or issue  appears to be realistic  events are in a logical order  content is accurate, relevant, and appropriate

FEATURES  The learner assumes the role of an actor responding to a realistic situation.  The learning environment is preplanned.  Learning is inductive rather than instructive.  The instruction is guided.  Scenario lessons incorporate instructional resources.  The goal is to accelerate expertise on subject matter.

Text or narration tells you about a particular device or concept. You’re exposed to features, told why the features are important, and shown how the components interact. Then a text asks you to identify the device, its components (or the concept and related ideas, and the functions that the components fulfill.

A picture or video thrusts you into a realistic scenario. The situation is described, and you’re given possible outcomes. The results, good or bad depend on your actions. You make Decisions. Each decision leads to new additional choices.

The first paragraph describes a traditional learning situation while the second describes SBL, which is more engaging and offers greater application to the real world.

DO’S AND DON’TS  Ensure there are direct and real consequences for every action the learner takes.  Ensure learners know why they failed. Feedback should be more than ‘Correct/Incorrect, please try again’. This may require writing detailed individual options, each of which is a plausible response to the question posed or decision required.  When designing scenario-based-learning, it helps to keep in mind that feedback can be both discrete and continuous. Typically designers are inclined to use discrete feedback in scenarios, but could also consider the use of continuous feedback elements such as scores or levels (typically game-based learning elements used in SBL to engage and motivate better).  It follows that the designer would write customized remedial feedback for each option. Do not under-estimate the learner’s intelligence. Don’t add decision points simply to allow learner interaction with the scenario. Instead, the decision points must make them think carefully about the options available before choosing one. This requires each option to be plausible and relevant.

DO’S AND DON’TS  Allow the learner to go back into time as and when they choose (not only when presenting the scenario, but also at any other point in the learning experience). One of the critical skills we are trying to develop is ‘discrimination’, so in a sense, they should be able to stop going down a particular branch of the decision tree the moment they realize they are going wrong. This mimics real life closely, you’d stop whatever you were doing the moment you realize you are going wrong, not necessarily when told you are wrong.  Think about balance – visualize your scenario as a tree, it should be fairly symmetrical around the central trunk, and the branches should appear similar to each other. It is alright to have a few dead ends, but most paths through the branches should lead to an outcome of some sort.  In a way, a scenario is modeled based on a ‘theme’ or a ‘world’, as a result thematic consistency matters. Actions/decisions should ideally reflect the context of the world they are made in. It would be incongruous to have actions in the scenario not reflect the world in which they are made in.

SBL is learning to prepare oneself for future professional growth in the workplace.

QUESTIONS  What is Scenario Based Learning?  What are the features of scenario based learning?  What are the positive and negative implications of scenario based learning?  Why should scenarios be used in teaching?  What are the elements of effective scenarios?

REFERENCES  Clark, R., (2009). Accelerating expertise with scenario based learning. Learning Blueprint. Merrifield, VA: American Society for Teaching and Development.Accelerating expertise with scenario based learning  Tom Kuhlmann’s blog, which describes how to build branched scenarios: elearning/build-branched-e-learning- scenarios-in-three-simple-steps/ elearning/build-branched-e-learning- scenarios-in-three-simple-steps/ 

Thank You