Blog Post

E-Learning Challenges
2 MIN READ

Engage Your Learners with Interactive Conversations #90

DavidAnderson's avatar
DavidAnderson
Staff
10 years ago

Interactive Conversations #90: Challenge | Recap

Hi. Can we talk?

Don’t take this the wrong way, okay? But a friend of a friend knows someone who works with a guy who overheard some people talking about our e-learning. Turns out people think the courses are a little.... boring.

I know... Shocker, right?

Anyway, I don’t think they were trying to be mean. They just felt that, lately, the courses were a little stale.

But that’s okay, because I saw an e-learning example this week that could really help.

What do you say? Are you up for some ideas that could transform text-heavy slides into lively conversations?

Right on! I know you’re going to like this.

Is that wicked cool or what?! I never thought text could be so lively... so engaging!

When you think about it, the course is really just a linear presentation. It’s the personalized audio responses and questions that make it feel like so much more.

Building something like that would be a breeze in Articulate Storyline or even PowerPoint.

The real challenge here is crafting the informal tone and questions to simulate playful conversations.

And that’s what this week’s challenge is all about!

Challenge of the Week

This week your challenge is to create an example based on the interactive conversation model. 

Feel free to take on any topic you like. Keep it simple and have fun with it. Don't worry about sharing a polished example. The focus this week is on conversational writing.

New to E-Learning Challenges?

The weekly e-learning challenges are ongoing opportunities to learn, share, and build your e-learning portfolios. You can jump into any or all of the previous challenges anytime you want. I’ll update the recap posts to include your demos. 

Learn more about the challenges in this Q&A post and why and how to participate in this helpful article. 

Last Week’s Challenge:

Before you join this week's conversation, check out the examples your fellow button pushers shared in last week's button challenge: Challenge | Recap

Published 10 years ago
Version 1.0
E-Learning Challenge
  • JackieVanNice's avatar
    JackieVanNice
    Super Hero
    10 years ago
    Isn't it great that we get to have those same kinds of interactive conversations right here in the comments??

    Love this challenge. I won't be near a computer this week, but promise I'll have an entry sooner rather than later and can't waaaaaaaaaaait to see what will unquestionably be some highly creative entries.
  • MichaelBurns-04's avatar
    MichaelBurns-04
    Community Member
    10 years ago
    Here's my first (rough, unfinished) run at this - I shamelessly used some of the concepts from Ryan's example because, well, it reminded me of playing "You don't know Jack" in the 90s. From there, I went on a sound effect binge and got a little too goofy.

    My job is to create software training for clients - which can seem a little boring at times. So, while I may not use this for my company, I hope we can pep it up with examples like this. I hope you enjoy the intro to "FakeSoft" training. Let me know your feedback, and thanks!

    http://goo.gl/ijRjfN
    • CharlesJones-a8's avatar
      CharlesJones-a8
      Community Member
      10 years ago
      Very nice. The goofy joke right up front is important because it lets folks know that this is going to be something different from what they are used to. There's nothing saying training can't be fun. Good work.
    • JaneMaduke's avatar
      JaneMaduke
      Community Member
      10 years ago
      This was so fun, Michael! The conversation is well done! The pacing is good, the animations are cool. One tip: avoid red text on a blue background, even if it's just one word. Good job though!
    • CharlesJones-a8's avatar
      CharlesJones-a8
      Community Member
      10 years ago
      Very nice Alexander. I really like how you let the user choose certain elements to customize their own experience. It gives them some buy-in right up front.
    • LisaLPalmer's avatar
      LisaLPalmer
      Community Member
      10 years ago
      Thanks for sharing Alexander - very cool. This is great inspiration for me for projects going forward.
  • RyanMartin's avatar
    RyanMartin
    Community Member
    10 years ago
    Lots of creative uses here. And very funny ones too (Alexander). Makes me realize how underused this technique is ... and the many ways it adds personality.
    • AlexanderSalas's avatar
      AlexanderSalas
      Community Member
      10 years ago
      Thank you for the mention Ryan, that's very meaningful to me coming from one half of the awesome eLearner Engaged crew!
  • RyanMartin's avatar
    RyanMartin
    Community Member
    10 years ago
    Damn David, that's some good copy—sett'n the tone. Love it!

    There's so many ways to approach this really. My default is schtick ... so I'm already envisioning comedian Steven Wright as my narrator and Zach Galifianakis' 'Between Two Ferns' as inspiration for questions... :)

    ...Then Anna walks in and starts talking "learning goals", which puts the kibosh on my insanity. (Got to find that learning experience balance.)
  • CharlesJones-a8's avatar
    CharlesJones-a8
    Community Member
    10 years ago
    OK - so remember when I said I wanted to do something specifically for this challenge. Well, I went back into a project I created last year with Adobe Captivate and used Storyline to re-create one interaction from that course - and that's my submission for this week. I thought I would also take the opportunity as a long-time Captivate developer (and fairly new Storyline developer) to write about my experience. So you can view it and my submission in one place. http://www.learningonions.net/portfolio/conversations.html
    • JaneMaduke's avatar
      JaneMaduke
      Community Member
      10 years ago
      Ah, Chuck. You and I are in the same boat. I switched from Captivate because this community is way more fun! Great example and thanks for sharing.