Clinician Educators eLearning Experience
I created this project for the Maine Medical Education Trust (MMET) to train volunteer clinician educators to use active learning tools during virtual sessions.
Audience: Volunteer clinician educators leading virtual sessions
Responsibilities: Instructional design, eLearning development, action mapping, storyboard, graphic design, mock-ups
Tools Used: Articulate Storyline 360, MindMeister, Adobe XD, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop
The Problem
Based on observation from the MMET and other CME accrediting organizations, clinician educators primarily lecture without engaging their audience. While clinician educators are experts in their fields, they require training in active learning techniques to improve the impact of continuing medical education (CME) on participants. Extensive, in-person training is unrealistic for busy medical professionals.
The Solution
As a solution, I offered self-paced, scenario-based eLearning experiences with basic session planning job aids. I chose this solution to reach as many volunteers as possible. The eLearning scenario provides a short learning experience that is available at any time. Clinician educators can quickly and simply create an active learning session after completing the eLearning experience.
My Process
I analyzed the problem to develop a goal, prepared an action map, designed a storyboard for scenario-based learning, created visual mockups, and developed the eLearning experience while working with a Subject Matter Expert (SME) from the MMET. I later implemented feedback from user evaluations.
Action Map
I created an action map using Mind Meister. It begins with a measurable project goal: 25% of virtual CME activities approved by the MMET in the next year will receive feedback from learner evaluations indicating that volunteer clinician educators used at least one active learning technique in their presentations. The goal of action mapping is to influence behavior. I identified the action steps that would best achieve the goal based on my analysis of the reasons for the problem.
Text-based Storyboard
I composed a text-based storyboard to provide a detailed map of the eLearning experience. The scenario places the participant at the beginning of a virtual session. Implementing Mayer's Principles of Multimedia Learning, I used a conversational tone to personalize the experience.
Additionally, I gamified the scenario. Learners who make good decisions are rewarded with an increasingly engaged audience.
I introduced the mentor character at the beginning of the scenario according to Mayer’s embodiment principle. The mentor character is a peer who speaks in a conservational tone to help the learner when they request help. I applied the signaling principle to draw attention to the mentor help button so participants can remember to use it.
With the help of the SME, I developed realistic consequences for each choice in the scenario for the participant to learn from them.
Each project slide in the storyboard contains the prompt or text for the character or participant, the background used for that slide, important buttons or visuals, and programming notes for slide transitions, layers, and variables.
At the end of the learning experience, I provided a job aid lesson planner to help the participant plan their virtual session by applying what they learned from this learning experience.
Visual Mockups
I gathered inspiration for the appearance of the eLearning experience and created a mood board using Adobe XD. My primary focus was to make a realistic virtual meeting and identify backgrounds that would lead to a cohesive project. I then designed a style guide for colors and fonts based on typical virtual video conferencing platforms. I used the style guide to create a consistent spacing and style product that improves user experience. Using ideas from the style guide, I made many versions of the title slide, question slide, prompt slides, video meet slides, email slides, and social media slides. Using a template for slides makes building the project faster and creates a consistent experience for the user. After I finalized the project, the background layouts and templates were user-friendly and cohesive.
Style Guide
Mock-ups
Interactive Prototype
Using the mockups and text-based storyboard, I created a prototype using Articulate Storyline 360. I prepared a prototype to build a model of the story and question, collect, and apply feedback that I could incorporate into the templates and use in the rest of the project. The interactive prototype introduced the scenario story, the first question, and the consequences for each option of the first question. I sent the prototype for review by the SME and other instructional designers for feedback and adjusted it based on the input.
Full Development
After making design changes in the templates to improve user-friendliness and appearance of the layouts and text, I finished building the project by transferring template layouts from Adobe XD to Articulate Storyline 360, adding text and animations, programming variables, and organizing the flow of slides. After viewing and editing the project many times, I sent the project out for feedback and use.
Articulate Storyline 360 is a dynamic tool, but using it to its full potential required me to consider the timeline and triggers carefully. Consequently, I took time to build consistent entrance and exit animations in slides with layers, multiple states, and conditional variables. I am pleased with the professional appearance and flow of the final project.
Results and Takeaways
The most challenging part of the project was preparing the action map and text-based storyboard. In preparing the action map, I realized I needed more data to generate a measurable behavior-based goal. Gathering this information is essential for creating meaningful consequences for incorporating active learning in CME sessions.
Another valuable lesson I learned from this process is that adult learning is best when they can make choices and have space to grow. Scenario-based learning, where adults make choices and see the consequences without dealing with them in real life, can produce changes in behavior without increasing anxiety.
Finally, I learned much about the value of cohesiveness, consistency, and layout in enhancing ease of use. I had to constantly put myself in the position of the participant, who would be reading and experiencing eLearning without all the background and familiarity I have. Doing this helped me create a user-friendly experience through style and layout consistency. It enhances learning because the participant knows how to use the experience and what to expect when the style is consistent.
Images designed by freepik (www.freepick.com).