E-Learning Heroes - Advice and ideas from the Articulate Community

I wanted to start a thread to collect some ideas on how to make the objectives more emotional and interesting than the standard bullet point list of objectives.

I've built courses in the past where we start with simple scenarios that connect the learner to the content and expose the learning objectives.  I had some people ask for some additional ideas so I'll throw it out to the elearning community.

If you wanted to get rid of the bullet point objective list, what are some other creative ways to state the objectives?  if you have some examples, feel free to post them.

Wasn't it Bob Pike who preached for years that Learning Objectives were for those who are teaching (or instructional designing) not learners and they should be left out of the final training. So I usually leave them out - unless the customer insists, then I still try to talk them out of it.

I agree with Tracey! I always hate it during an elearning or a presentation when I have to sit through someone reading the objectives to me. I can't help but think, "Stop telling me what we are going to learn and just tell me the information!" It's reminiscent of the first day of grade school when the teacher tells you about all the cool stuff you will be learning that year, but you don't actually get to learn about anything that day. I always hated that.

Don't most learners already know what they are going to learn, based on the description of the course or the presentation? I think a road map is a good idea, but it doesn't seem necessary to me to spend (or waste!) time with explicit objectives when you could be using the time to teach the material.

For a recent module I created for judges, who tend to be very conxervative, I began the module with a story based on an actual difficult situation a judge found himself in.  I gave the learners the opportunity to choose a possible response the judge might have made (What Would You Do: WWYD), then after they chose and received feedback, showed what the real judge actually did to solve his problem. THEN I showed the learning objectives.  With context, they became real to the learners. Of course, I chose the opening story I did because it so aptly illustrated WHY the judges need to learn the material.

Stephanie

I love your suggestions. I am going to incorporate them.

HI Tom

Our recent courses we created a flash interaction for course objectives on slide 6 http://moodle.mylearningspace.me.uk/file.php/1/demo/player.html

BUt you could also use the FAQ engage interaction for this

I like Bruce's idea of avoiding objectives, unfortunately I work in an industry wjere learning objectives are seen as a must!

I also use questions as a means of stating learning objectives, as suggested by several above.  I try to vary the approach to stating objectives to maintain interest across modules, but keep a familiar framework so folks feel comfortable undertaking a module. And please, use words your audience can understand without having to work to hard. As a certified teacher, I could understand the language in Jill's original objectives from Australia, but reading them sure didn't make me anxious to take the course!  Arghh!  Jill, keep working at changing the "dry and boring language" into something with "humanity and meaning."  I applaud your efforts!

We used to refer to poorly written objectives as "stray dogs" and "broken promises" because they never showed up after the opening screen.

It kind of makes you wonder why learning objectives are laid out like multiple choice questions:

Call me old-school, but I think learning objectives, when written and presented correctly, are an essential part of any course. I love the suggestions for making it more conversational/WIIFM-y! Most of my courses are learner-driven; the opening page gives the learner several paths to follow and gives the option of which to explore first. If it fits in with the flow, I'll present it as a "map": "By the end of this course, you should be able to do XYZ. If you want to be able to do X, click here and go down this path..." If objectives don't fit in with the opening flow, I insert a button in the lower left side of the screen that the learner can click to view the objectives and then return to the original screen. I do cringe when I see bullet-point "objectives" that are actually goals. ("At the end of this course, you'll know about TPS Reports." Really? And how do you know that?!!)

LOL!

I have never seen this differentiation so beautifully phrased and illustrated

Bruce

I suppose if you ensure you cover this in an end of module test, when we use learning objectives we ensure the end of course test actually covers the learning objectives, although more importantly we ensure the course actually covers the learning objectives

Bruce Graham:  thanks so much, you have helped move my "teacher's block" - I was frozen in a mire of technocratic language!!  I really like the ideas you have suggested and think I can utilise them and move to the next step a little more lightly

@Jill - my pleasure, glad to be able to help

I am currently working on a course that has these elements, AND the "setting up a scenarion idea that Gary has made above.

The course starts with some strong visuals of emotional people, and statements such as "Have you ever found yourself losing a deal because........?", "Have you ever found that there's just too much information on Product xxx?" etc. and then goes into "Well, this course is going to help you overcome these, because.....".

I know the emotion "questions" are real, because the SME has told me that this is what gave the impetus for the course in the first place.

So, overall again it is taking "theory", and passing it through a "so what?" filter. Take the objective, and ask "What would this look like if you saw it happening in the office?".

Many people have initial problems with writing objectives this way until they think about it, then it makes traininig much more "real", more "measurable". If you can explain an objective (in the commercial world), in a way that makes sense to the Board, you are getting so much closer than the usually waffly, "people are our greatest asset" way of training that we so often see.

This CAN be done very well using bullet points, however you need to think not about what you are trying to teach, but about the real-life benefits your teaching will bring, written from the LEARNER'S perspective, not the trainer's / facilitator's

Good luck.

Bruce

It might be cool to set it up as a scenario - 4 people brainstorming, asking each other these questions.

The people brainstorming could work well - you could always have a manager (who wants it), the business or process owner (the standards or requirements), the end user (what level are they at and what do they already know)...  They could all be sitting on your shoulder, asking you to consider their point of view, so you end up with a list of questions which need to be asked when planning the program? 

Hi guys, thanks, I like that idea of a scenario and a group of people brainstorming around those questions.  I am even thinking I could use GoAnimate and create a comic strip scenario.  Jill

Sounds like a plan! Can we see the tutorial on it later?

I love all the creative ideas posted about presenting or sharing learning objectives.  I t hink that however they're most effectively used and contextualized, it is important to clarify for the learners what the end result will be for them.  And sometimes the learners do not have any idea what the course goals and content are or they have a very different sense of what those items are.  Clarifying that up-front (or very near the front) in my mind helps everyone to manage expectations and be clear about what will or will not happen during and after the learning activity.

Stating the LO also provides the learners with the choice to continue or opt-out, if they realize the activity does NOT meet their expectation and /or need at that particular moment.

Hi Barb!

It's never too late to contribute to ways of ridding the World of bullets... 

Your point re WIIFM is true, not a case of "easily" tuning out IMHO, but certainly tuning out. Why would they bother to listen/watch if they cannot see a course is relevant to them, in ALL courses.

This is probably the part of being an ID that I spend the most time on - trying to make the "translation" between the SMEs vision, and the business requirements in terms of learning, action and subsequent impact on profit, loss and business risk.

Paint a picture, and a vision to the learner, so that they see a benefit to them.

Spot on.

Bruce

Hi Bruce,

Great feedback.. i am also struggling with the bullet point type objectives... However, I am going to use some of your suggestions to overcome my fears of appearing radical with a change of pace with my 'staid curriculum design ways...'

Hell who cares... Give it a go... And see what happens, eh?

cheers... Keith

The easiest place to start, (IMHO) with "Bullets", is just to get rid of the bullet and make it start with a capital letter.

It is then called a sentence... 

Most bullets are not - they are sentences.

A bullet point is a very specific grammatical device - yet many people think it's something you use to represent a lit of sentences.

For that - just use sentences, it makes things so much clearer and professional.

Bruce

Hey Bruce,

Get this... Using a capital letter instead of a bullet...??

H ... ave you seen the world this close before?

I... f you haven't ... You'll love our approach.

W... atch and  explore from the comfort of your browser.

... You could put  these type of bullets into a video as the intro to the course... But show them one line at a time one after the other... the bullets just drop away one after the other....

I was thinking of that Bob Dylan type intro as inspiration, where he showed one card at a time with one expression (objective), and dropped each card onto the floor as he went along.... 

I know that's quite 'out there' as an idea, but as a visual way.... Might just work?

Wanna expand on this idea?

Cheers

-Keith

What - like this?

Bruce