Restricting the Next button until all the content has been read
Mar 10, 2017
Hi team
I have a thought provoking question.
I am creating this induction course where the employee is given information about the organisation.
Now, one of my colleagues wants all the slides to be restricted until the content has been read. I know how to do that but feel it is not empowering for the learner.
For this module, we aren't even testing them on their knowledge it is just information. I strongly feel that the slides shouldn't be restricted. We are dealing with adults.
But my colleague feels that the learners are just going to click next and go to the end, therefore, she wants me to set the time for each and every slide. I just feel it is like being back to the school for learners, so dictatory. If they don't want to read it, they'll just wait till the Next button becomes active. We are still not able to ensure that they are reading unless there was some sort of action to come out of it.
My apologies for the rant, but i feel divided on this. I would like to know your views on this. Should you restrict the next button on every slide especially for a course where no knowledge or skill is being tested?
4 Replies
Hi Richa
Restrictions on learning for adults drives me crazy.
If the course content is relevant and well presented the learner won't want to click Next Next Next to finish it.
Is there a consequence if they don't know this information? If so, put a couple of questions on the final slide - if they can answer them - good, if not, redirect them back to the content to find out. Can they find the information on the intranet - do they have a buddy/support person they can call on?
Ask your colleague to put herself in the learner's position. How frustrating to be reading something that you already know and not be able to continue on.
Hi Wendy
I agree with you.
There is no major consequence as such and it is only nice to know content. I like the idea of putting in questions at the end if it is so important that the learner knows a certain bit of information.
It is helpful if I can present opinions of various instructional designers/eLearning developers. I am not precious about my content, but I do design keeping the learner in mind.
Thank you for your feedback.
Regards
Richa
Good luck Richa - SME's have a hard time disseminating the nice to know from the need to know information ;-)
Honestly, if it's just reading information, why create a course at all? Put it in a PDF. Have them sign an acknowledgement that they read it afterwards if you really need to. That would be more respectful of these adults.
Is this optional for just the learners that choose to actively seek out this information? You said it's just "nice to know," so it doesn't sound like it should be a mandatory anyway. You probably don't even need an acknowledgement. However, if people are actively seeking out this information because they do need it, then you shouldn't have to worry about forcing them to twiddle their thumbs while waiting for a timer on each slide.
If you have to make it mandatory and have to make it a course, I would intersperse questions throughout the course, not just the end. Basic recall questions are probably fine for this.
However, if you're working in an organization that doesn't trust its employees, that is a sign of pretty significant dysfunction. Why hire people you can't trust to do their jobs? Is that really what your colleague believes, that your employees can't be trusted unless locked down?
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