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E-Learning Challenges
3 MIN READ

Using Pre-Test Activities in E-Learning #382

DavidAnderson's avatar
3 years ago

Using Pre-Test Quizzes in E-Learning #382: Challenge | Recap

As course designers, we should always look for ways to design better and more meaningful learning experiences. Unfortunately, using a one-size-fits-all approach in e-learning rarely meets the individual needs of the learners.

Even in compliance and regulatory courses, there's an opportunity to sprinkle in personalized content and resources that address the individual needs of learners. That's where pre-tests can help. 

Using Pre-Test Activities

Using pre-test activities at the beginning of the course or module, you can personalize the learning by:

  • Identifying areas where learners need more (or less) support
  • Giving learners customized recommendations
  • Letting learners skip ahead to only those topics where they need the most help

Pre-tests are like dress rehearsals for a play. They're designed to help the cast and crew figure out what works and what doesn't before the show actually happens. For course designers, figuring out what learners know and don't know can help improve the learning experience. And that's what this week's challenge is all about.

Challenge of the Week

This week, your challenge is to share a pre-test example to show how they can be used to personalize the learning experience.

Resources

Examples

Share Your E-Learning Work

  • Comments: Use the comments section below to share a link to your published example and blog post.
  • Forums: Start  your own thread and share a link to your published example..
  • Personal blog:  If you have a blog, please consider writing about your challenges. We’ll link back to your posts so the great work you’re sharing gets even more exposure.
  • Social Media: If you share your demos on Twitter or LinkedIn, try using #ELHChallenge so your tweeps can track your e-learning coolness.

Last Week’s Challenge:

Before you consider testing out of this week's challenge, check out the refreshing beverage-making examples your fellow challengers shared over the past week:

Beverage-Making Techniques #381: Challenge | Recap

New to the 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.

Quick Note About the Recap Posts on LinkedIn

I like to promote the recaps with your examples on LinkedIn. I use the #elhchallenge and #elearningchallenge tags to help others in the community find your examples. And most of the time, I tag you individually in the post. I find it helps boost the posts across your networks.

I've recently heard from some folks who felt excluded because I didn't tag them in my LinkedIn recap posts. When that happens, it's because we're not connected or I couldn't find your profile.

When that happens, let me know. I'm more than happy to update the post to credit your work. I know these demos take a few hours to make. That's a significant investment, so I like you to get as much mileage as possible from your work.

Published 3 years ago
Version 1.0
  • JodiSansone's avatar
    JodiSansone
    Community Member
    Are You Ready for a Dog?
    Demo: https://jodisdemos.s3.amazonaws.com/382+Pre-Test+Dog+Ready/story.html
    Download: https://jodisdemos.s3.amazonaws.com/Are+You+Ready+for+a+Dog.story

    Whenever I'm stuck for an idea I find something to do with dogs or cats. This demo helps you decide if you are ready to be a dog parent. I went with a pre-test with a calculated result that then branches to different advice layers.

    There are three possible outcomes, controlled by a number variable on the 10 questions:
    If you answer "No Way" at least 5 times, you are not ready.
    If you answer "Yes Okay" at least 7 times you are ready.
    Any other combination yields a "give yourself some time to think about it" response.

    Have fun finding out if you are "dog-parent material"!
    • Yvonne's avatar
      Yvonne
      Community Member
      What an enjoyable personal-quiz style pre-test and a clever demo for this prompt! I am endeared to knowing that you gravitate to dog and cat demos when you feel stuck. I felt like a bad human for choosing Not Sure for most options. I love other people's pets, but I am not a good candidate for being a pet owner due to severe family member allergies.
    • GhaidaaKotb-c78's avatar
      GhaidaaKotb-c78
      Community Member
      That was amazing! Love the activity and it certainly helped me to wait and reconsider! Thanks Jodi!
    • TracyCarroll's avatar
      TracyCarroll
      Community Member
      Adorable illustrations! I learned that I'm not ready to adopt a dog at this point, so I'll just have to reflect on my experiences with past doggies. And revel in my present dog-free status!
    • Yvonne's avatar
      Yvonne
      Community Member
      How fun! I aspire to your use of motion animations, Tracy!
    • JodiSansone's avatar
      JodiSansone
      Community Member
      WellSaid vs Murf...I like them both, but Murf was the one I could train to say "ceasarian section" better for my project. It's cool how these tools improve so quickly.
      • TracyCarroll's avatar
        TracyCarroll
        Community Member
        I basically got tired of trying to compare them and just landed on Murf. #lazy
    • Jonathan_Hill's avatar
      Jonathan_Hill
      Super Hero
      Nicely updated! I'm currently in the process of buying WellSaid for my team, but Murf.ai ran a close second. Enjoyed your blog post too.
    • Yvonne's avatar
      Yvonne
      Community Member
      This was one of the first Storyline demos I had seen. It is a stellar and robust example of pre-assessment and individualizing the learner experience/pacing. I hold this as one of many future goalposts, hoping to one day create a learner experience like this (including the coordinating PDF mission notes and various immersive details). Thank you for sharing it again. Enjoy vacation!
      • Jonathan_Hill's avatar
        Jonathan_Hill
        Super Hero
        That's so nice of you to say, Yvonne. Glad you got something out of this example. I'm very keen on pre-tests, especially when they can be woven into the narrative of a course.
  • Hey folks! Please consider sharing your demos' source files. Since most personalization is transparent to the learner, we may not notice where it's happening in your examples.