LEARNING DESIGN

Common Situations Found on the Job

People can't master skills without practicing them, and the context in which they practice them makes all the difference. A simulation’s practice environment has to have a direct correlation to a user’s real work environment. Too abstract, and people won’t transfer their learning to their work. On the other hand, you can simulate too much.

Some simulation developers create elaborate virtual worlds, with telephones, machines, meetings, and “avatars” or cartoon characters coming and going from the scene. These elements may look “cool,” but they add nothing to the learning because they have nothing to do with the underlying conceptions governing how people work to complete their tasks. In fact, such superfluous elements often work against learning, by distracting learners from what’s important. Hence, one critical decision in simulation design is determining what aspects of the real world influence the behaviors being targeted by the training, and to simulate only those aspects.