I'm looking for some good examples of online modules that were built around multiple stories/scenarios. I have an idea of creating an online module on a certain subject and instead of having one character/case study and their story running throughout the module, I wanted to use at least three different stories to highlight the complexity and variation of what can happen in real life, so make it more multidimensional.
It would be great to see examples where this has been implemented so I can understand what it can look like.
I did something similar for a client (so I can't share it), but we used an overall structure of a frame story with two characters. One was a mentor, and one was new in their role (similar to the audience). These characters were advisors who helped students, and each module had 2-3 short student case studies.
Using multiple short case studies allowed us to show how to solve a wider range of problems, with more diverse examples. Having the two characters who helped solve the problems gave the modules a sense of continuity. That was important over the case of multiple modules totaling several hours of elearning.
However, if you're creating a single module, and it's not very long, the question of continuity might not be important in your case. Also, maybe it doesn't make sense to have connected characters for your case studies.
It would be cool to have some separate case studies that don't immediately appear to be connected, but actually have some relationship (I'm thinking of the opening of This Is Us, where you meet all the characters without knowing their connections).
Using multiple short scenarios is absolutely a viable strategy.
I made this course on copyright and plagiarism last year for the university I work for. It's open access, so I can share it.
I mainly incorporated storytelling because the subject is fairly dry, and also I wanted to make sure that it was relevant for the target audience, so the character I chose is a kind of representative of the typical student who might take the course. She also faces numerous challenges based on real dilemmas that they might face.
I used a combination of Blender and After Effects to create the story videos.
Thaddeus is right! That's an impressive example, Nicola! 🙂 The storytelling with the realistic scenarios really made the content relatable. Thanks for sharing it here!
6 Replies
I did something similar for a client (so I can't share it), but we used an overall structure of a frame story with two characters. One was a mentor, and one was new in their role (similar to the audience). These characters were advisors who helped students, and each module had 2-3 short student case studies.
Using multiple short case studies allowed us to show how to solve a wider range of problems, with more diverse examples. Having the two characters who helped solve the problems gave the modules a sense of continuity. That was important over the case of multiple modules totaling several hours of elearning.
However, if you're creating a single module, and it's not very long, the question of continuity might not be important in your case. Also, maybe it doesn't make sense to have connected characters for your case studies.
It would be cool to have some separate case studies that don't immediately appear to be connected, but actually have some relationship (I'm thinking of the opening of This Is Us, where you meet all the characters without knowing their connections).
Using multiple short scenarios is absolutely a viable strategy.
I made this course on copyright and plagiarism last year for the university I work for. It's open access, so I can share it.
I mainly incorporated storytelling because the subject is fairly dry, and also I wanted to make sure that it was relevant for the target audience, so the character I chose is a kind of representative of the typical student who might take the course. She also faces numerous challenges based on real dilemmas that they might face.
I used a combination of Blender and After Effects to create the story videos.
Here is a link to the course: https://community.dur.ac.uk/main.library/online_learning/copyright_plagiarism/index.html#/
Nicola,
I am really impressed with your course. The interface captures a web 2.0 style. This must have taken a lot of work.
Thaddeus is right! That's an impressive example, Nicola! 🙂 The storytelling with the realistic scenarios really made the content relatable. Thanks for sharing it here!
Thanks! Yes it was pretty intensive. I hadn't used Blender much when I started, so it was a bit of a learning curve.
Thanks a lot, everyone! Love your example, Nicola, very impressive!