LEARNING DESIGN

Context Sensitive Tutoring

One of the most critical elements of any simulation is its tutoring. Depending on how it’s done, it can either enforce the learning or serve as a barrier to it. Good tutoring is delivered through a variety of methods and caters to the particular learning style of the user.

Typically, users fall into two general categories. The first bunch likes to dive right in, and the second likes to ask questions and cover their bases before beginning. For those who like to dive in, there is just-in-time tutoring that helps them understand mistakes when they make them and gives them insight into how to avoid making the same mistakes in the future. For the people who like to ask questions, there is on-demand tutoring that gives them advice on what to consider before making a decision. It’s important not to give them too much information. You don’t want to give them the answer, but you want to make sure that you’ve equipped them with enough information to make a thoughtful decision. And finally, all users should get reflective tutoring when they’ve completed a situation. It should look back over their performance and assess the goals they did and didn’t achieve.