Engaging Tutorials?

Is it possible?

For this week’s assignment I was given an advance copy of Martin Tessmer’s “Writing On Line Training Tutorials.” What an opportunity.  I wanted to give a copy of this book-draft to anyone who has ever worked on any on line tutorial I’ve taken!  All too often tutorials are crammed full of text with minimal interaction, minimal engagement, and let’s face it, minimal learning.  Your average stand alone tutorial is not a particularly effective means of teaching, instructing or educating.  Yet, there is almost an expectation in corporate learning that every eLearning solution will include tutorials.  So, what do you do with them?  How do you produce an effective tutorial?

Dr. Tessmer provides examples of best practices in tutorial design through his book. Dr. Tessmer has delivered eLearning since before it was called eLearning. He’s seen fads come and go. He also understands how people learn, the constraints associated with projects, and the tact needed to  navigate corporate cultures and Subject Matter Experts.  My take aways included:

• Important of Editing
• Strategic use of Assessment
• Engagement and Application through Interactivity

Edit, Edit, Edit & then Edit:

Concise and clear is the goal.  Clients and Subject Matter Experts (SME) will argue for more text.  Work with your SMEs -but equally as important, focus your content.  Think – chunking and short term memory as your arguments for cutting.

As practical ideas he suggests:

• 200 words per slide maximum
• one idea per slide
• use of side box or links to add more but keep design clean

He reminds us to design for screens (not print) when creating tutorials.  There is also a section of words that can usually be edited out of your writing, providing a nice resource for use.

Assessments and Strategy:

I was very happy to see this issue addressed.  A test that accompanies a tutorial has become the “learning du jour” model in many corporations.  It serves a tracking purpose, but what does it demonstrate in terms of a learner’s ability to apply skills or knowledge?

Tessmer offers some alternative views of assessment.

• What about using tests with feedback as a means of engaging?
• Use an assessment up front to show a need for the learning.
• Make sure that the formal assessment is not the only time you are providing practice in your tutorial.

Tessmer does a great job of balance on the subject of test taking and showing examples of types of feedback that can be given. I asked Dr. Tessmer (webinar following reading) if he had other useful sources cited for writing test questions, (a personal pet peeve of mine, poorly worded assessment questions).  He recommended a handbook for improving test construction and the site Questionmark for exploring legally defensible test and more on the topic of  tests as feedback vs. tests as assessment.

Application Engagement and Interactivity (or real learning):

Interaction – one must engage the learner for learning to take place. While the tutorial genre is limited in its ability to facilitate learner-learner and learner-instructor interactions, it must provide for interaction.  Dr. Tessmer again offers practical examples of tutorials that create interactivity and engagement via, nano scenarios, practice opportunities, pull down interactions, etc…  This section is another helpful resource.

Plan interactions and interactivity into the tutorials you design – do so strategically.  By strategically I mean tie interaction to application.  Ask yourself as you design;

• What can trainees do to learn the skill or concept being taught?
• Will the “do activity” indicate what they learned?
• How can meaningful feedback be provided?

This to me, is where the learning takes place, the engagement with the learner in (and with a) context that provides plenty of opportunities to apply what is being taught.

I enjoy Dr. Tessmer and his means of communicating both in print and in person. I hope when his book is released, it meets with success.  I’m thrilled to have a draft copy for my resources.