Click. Click. Click. Zzz. Let’s face it. Having learners go through numerous slides or pages to learn important work-related information - in fact, any new information - is definitely one surefire way to bore your learners to death. When learners are bored, they learn little or nothing at all from the training. Boring e-learning de-motivates learners, making learning difficult. Motivation and curiosity are major factors that drive learners to continue, push through, or finish a course or program. Without any motivation, they drift off and refocus on something more interesting.Cultivating learners’ curiosity when it comes to learning is very important. A study by Gruber et al. published in the journal Neuron found that people learn better when they are curious about what they’re learning.Why You Have Bored LearnersData does not come from thin air. It does not come from computers churning them out into great infographics. I once saw this placard from a science lab:To understand why we have bored learners, it’s important to know what being "bored" means. According to psychological scientist John Eastwood and colleagues, boredom is "an aversive state of wanting, but being unable, to engage in satisfying activity." Eastwood et al. describes a bored person as someone who has difficulty paying attention to internal information (e.g., thoughts or feelings) or external stimuli (e.i, the learning environment). They’re also aware of the fact that they have this difficulty and believe it’s the environment’s fault. In short, this means learners want to be engaged but for one thing reason or another,  just can’t. As trainers and designers, it’s our job to make sure we’re able to stimulate learners’ interest enough to keep their attention on the course or lesson. Sustaining learners’ interest is important. because It’s a major factor on how much they persist in learning tasks and ultimately their success. This also means boring content is therefore a loss-loss situation for everyone involved. It wastes resources (time, money, effort) of the learners, the designers, and the company or organization. and It provides no benefit to learners as well (minimal to no learning equals minimal to no application).How Hyper-Stories Engage LearnersThe ultimate goal when we’re designing or conducting trainings, workshops, or seminars is to have learners do a desired behavior, for instance to be able to appropriately handle an unlabeled drum. To achieve this result, we must keep our learners focused, engaged, and motivated throughout the training. The last thing we want are disengaged and zoned-out learners. To help learners go from minimum knowledge to having enough functional know-how about a certain topic in a short period of time means learners should have a way to quickly learn new information. This is possible with instant learning. It is the concept of teaching one idea to learners that results in one action or behavior they can apply right away. Instant learning works because it helps learners focus and keeps them motivated. One method that facilitates instant learning is the use of hyper-stories.Hyper-stories are very short but very actual day-to-day events that allow learners to quickly connect the lesson to its application in real life. Hyper-stories compress the typical story arch and take learners from Crisis to Resolution very quickly.The shortest distance between Crisis and ResolutionBy using hyper-stories, trainers are providing learners with content that is evocative, provocative, and engaging. The use of a story that could potentially happen in real life breathes meaning to the information presented in the training. It helps learners clearly see when and how they can apply the lessons.ConclusionHyper-stories create a win-win situation for both trainers and learners. Trainers use hyper-stories to keep learners engaged, motivated and focused. In the end, your learners walk away from the training with new learning they can immediately apply in their work. The distinct advantage of the approach is that learners stay glued, involved, totally focused and enjoyed the learning exchanges.ReferencesElaine Biech. "ASTD Handbook for Workplace Learning Professionals." American Society for Training and Development, 2008Matthias J. Gruber et al. "States of Curiosity Modulate Hippocampus-Dependent Learning via the Dopaminergic Circuit." Neuron, published online October 02, 2014; doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2014.08.060Association for Psychological Science. "I’m Bored! - Research on Attention Sheds Light on the Unengaged Mind". September 26, 2012Kyong-Jee Kim. "Adult Learners’ Motivation in Self-Directed E-Learning". August 2005Ray Jimenez, PhDVignettes Learning"Helping Learners Learn Their Way"Ray Jimenez, PhD Vignettes Learning Learn more about story and experience-based eLearning

A client from the U.S. Department of State once told me:I have never looked at learning this way. In many ways, I am guilty of focusing on the content to impart to learners and missing the crux of the change in behavior, the ultimate goal of learning and training.Why does advancing experiences and telling their own stories help the agents behave as expected on the job?Neural Pathways, Flight and Alternate RealityThe chart above shows an event and incident which presents an experience to the learners. Going through this experience and seeing the consequences help intensify and generate more experience.Scientists tell us that even in imagined ways, our brains create neural pathways to record experiences even if we have not actually been through the event. From a psychological viewpoint, people are capable of flight. Only humans can travel in their minds. By doing so, they vividly see the alternate realities as shown in the consequences of their actions. We store the experiences in stories, and story questions retrieve and repeat the cycle.Essentially, our brains are constantly advancing experience. This is how we adapt and survive. Story Questions as EnablersStory questions act as enablers. The more we ask the questions the more we re-live and improve our stories and experience. Our experiences undergo a process of refinement.  Both our stories and experiences advance further.Application in Learning DesignIn the sequence of scenes below, the learner is drawn into the situation or incident. Story questions are asked. Pulling the learner into the story within the lesson helps advance the experience in multiple ways and assists the learner to mentally prepare in case the event or a similar situation occurs.Some ideas for considerationReflect on how you use advancing experience in your lesson design.Review your content and select an incident or event that can bring the learner into a story situation.Present the scenes of the event, incident or story.Question the leader's story questions to help them intensify the experience.Repeat the process a few times using different incidents relevant in real-life situations.ConclusionChange in behavior is one of the most important values for training people, not delivering content. Advancing the experience in the minds of the learners help them prepare to respond when faced with the actual situation.ReferencesHassabis et al. (2007). Using Imagination to Understand the Neural Basis of Episodic Memory. The Journal of NeuroscienceBuckner RL (2010). The role of the hippocampus in prediction and imagination. Annual Review of PsychologyTip#91 - 3 Story Sources for Deeper LearningTip#94 - How to Design Unobtrusive Test QuestionsTip#42 - Provoking Learners with Story QuestionsRay Jimenez, PhDVignettes Learning"Helping Learners Learn Their Way"Ray Jimenez, PhD Vignettes Learning Learn more about story and experience-based eLearning

Have you seen the movies Apollo 13, Splash and A Beautiful Mind? How about the TV series Arrested Development, 24 and Empire? Do you know what ties them all together? What makes them all similar and somehow connected?Source: OWN - Oprah Winfrey NetworkAll of them are credited to award-winning Hollywood producer Brian Grazer. But more importantly, these films and TV series were a result of Grazer's "curiosity conversations." 'Curiosity Conversations' to Expand LearningGrazer defines curiosity as the "process of asking questions, genuine questions, that are not leading to an ask for something in return." The goals of a "curiosity conversation" is to learn an insight or the secret to someone's process or success and expand each other's lives. Courtesy of : Super Soul Sunday | Oprah Winfrey Network"Curiosity conversations" are basically informal discussions that Grazer had and is still having with individuals outside of the entertainment industry and which became the inspiration behind his creations.Tips to Integrating 'Curiosity Conversations' in eLearningAsking questions is a manifestation of one's curiosity. But other than proving someone has a thirst for learning, curiosity, or more specifically the asking of questions, is the oil we need to keep us going. Humans have been called the "ultimate learning machines," and as with any machine, we need to be maintained to continue working efficiently.How do trainers or designers trigger curiosity in learners? Here are some suggestions:1. Ask story questions In story-based elearning, story questions are powerful tools that stimulate learners to connect or relate new learning to their existing storehouse of experiences and memories. Asking what, where, when, why, and how questions-queries that can't be answered by yes or no-grants learners permission to open up or share their insights.2. Have curiosity conversations In line with asking story questions, elearning professionals can try using Grazer's "curiosity conversations" to dive deep into the minds of each other to spur the creation of new ideas or simply to gain insights and new learning.3. Provide an "exploration bonus" Although everyone has a baseline curiosity and curiosity itself is an intrinsic motivation, it might take more than a little bit of courage for learners to give in to it because that would mean going outside of their comfort zone. However, trainers and designers can give learners a little push by taking a leaf out of the evolution theory and provide an "exploration bonus" to learners. Reward learners for trying something new.ConclusionCuriosity is a trait which is in all of us. It's important for trainers and designers to be able to trigger or stimulate learners' interest since curiosity makes learning easier and fun for them.ReferencesTom Stafford (June 19, 2012). "Why are We Curious?". BBCGrubber, Matthias, et al. (October 2014). States of Curiosity Modulate Hippocampus-Dependent Learning via the Dopaminergic Circuit. NeuronTip #15 - How to Add Curiosity in eLearning StoriesTip #28 - Create Memorable Story-based Test QuestionsTip#42 - Provoking Learners with Story QuestionsRay Jimenez, PhDVignettes Learning"Helping Learners Learn Their Way"Ray Jimenez, PhD Vignettes Learning Learn more about story and experience-based eLearning

Ray Jimenez, PhD Vignettes Learning Learn more about story and experience-based eLearning

What thoughts run through your mind when you see the photo above? Some of us may shake our heads and say, "That guy’s too old to play." Meanwhile, others may smile as a similar memory flashes through their mind’s eye.Built to Play, Built Through PlayA belief among a number of adults appear to be about play being frivolous, something extra, an add-on or something that’s nice to do when we have the time.  Furthermore, play is viewed as just a childish inclination which shouldn’t be around anymore. They believe play is different from and shouldn’t mix with more serious matters like work and learning. However such perspective, which defines play as an activity, is really a misconception.Play is natural especially to human beings who are the biggest players of all, according to psychiatrist Stuart Brown, M.D. It’s a biological process that evolved to help animals - including humans - survive. Brown, who has studied more than 6,000 "play histories" (case studies), concludes that "play is part of our evolutionary history." He defines play as a state of mind rather than an activity and believes we have a "drive to play and we are built to play."Play is encouraged among children because of its role in helping them understand the world and develop motor and social skills, among others. As we entered adulthood, we may have been told to leave play behind but we don’t really lose the "need for novelty and pleasure as we grow up," says Scott G. Eberle, Ph.D, vice president for play studies at The Strong and editor of the American Journal of Play."Nothing lights up the brain like play," Brown once said in a TED Talk. Play shapes the brain and is important to our adaptability, intelligence, creativity, innovation, and social and problem-solving skills. This means learning and play are not separate; they can co-exist.Applying Play to Learning DesignA little play goes a long way. Brown says play is really more of a catalyst which "lights up" our brain and results in increased productivity and happiness in everything we do. In applying play to learning design, there’s no need to overhaul our existing courses. Adding elements of play into our learning design should be enough to boost its fun factor. Here are a few suggestions. 1. Interactive stories Interactive stories focus less on telling and more on letting the learners become part of the story. This is similar to solitary or solo play where learners can explore the story and engage with it on their own. 2. Story questionsIn relation to solo play and role-playing or simulation, asking questions allows learners’ minds to "shift gears" from facts (semantic memory) to episodes (episodic memory) to "My Story" (autobiographical memory). This process makes learning both desirable and relevant because now they’re personally involved - inserting their own experiences into the story.3. Episodic Learning In the vein of telenovelas and reality series, Episodic Learning or Thematic Learning allows trainers to go in-depth and spur learners to reflect, and openly discuss and think about the possibilities resulting from one scenario.4. Hands on projectIn our Story-Based eLearning Design Online Workshop, participants get their "hands dirty" with their own mini projects. This is a great way to engage learners, make the workshop more fun and challenging, and is an avenue for discussion and feedback. For mini projects and other hands on projects to work, it’s important for participants to finish them. This will provide learners a sense of accomplishment, excitement, and satisfaction. 5. Exploration bonusAllow learners to explore. Provide activities and assignments that encourage them to learn on their own. Motivate them by giving an exploration bonus, which is a reward handed out to those who explore or try something new. The concept is common in the gaming industry but can also be found in the evolution theory. This can be useful in coaxing learners to step out of their comfort zones.6. ‘Get Together’ for DiscussionAfter letting learners explore on their own, it’s important to bring them together as a group or into multiple groups to share ideas, be inspired by other participants, and build relationships. These social "get togethers" should be fun and of a community-building nature.7. Team buildingAt its core, team building should be able to combine the strengths of each participant in such a way that it optimizes everyone’s learning. For instance, letting participants answer questions posted during a workshop allows them to share their responses which are molded by their own unique experiences and background. Their answers, in turn, add to the entire group’s shared knowledge.ConclusionsThere are various ways to incorporate play into learning design. At the root of all these is the belief that play and learning go hand in hand.What other ways can trainers and designers apply play in learning? Let me know your comments.ReferencesBrown, Stuart. Play: How it Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul. Avery, 2009Kuschner, David. Book Review of Play: How It Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul. American Journal of Play, Volume 2, Number 3. Winter 2010 Margarita Tartakovsky, M.S. The Importance of Play for Adults. PsychCentral. 2012/11/15Brown, Stuart. Play is More than Fun. YouTube.com, 2009Barbakoff, Audrey. Learning Through Play in Adult Programs. RA News, August 2014Tip #39 - Employing Story Structure and Dynamics to Engage Different LearnersTip #28 - Create Memorable Story-based Test QuestionsTip #57 - Episodic LearningStory-Based eLearning Design Online Workshop Tom Stafford (June 19, 2012). "Why are We Curious?". BBCIngrid Chalufour, Walter F. Drew, and Sandi Waite-Stupiansky. Learning to Play Again: A Constructivist Workshop for Adults. Beyond the Journal, Young Children on the Web, May 2003Terhi Kouvo. Building Harmony Live & Learn - Stories of adult learning. 22.06.2016Ray Jimenez, PhDVignettes Learning"Helping Learners Learn Their Way"Ray Jimenez, PhD Vignettes Learning Learn more about story and experience-based eLearning

What happens in "failure of attention?"A lot of things are getting automated these days and it’s no longer limited to factories and industries. Automation now also allows us to control our home’s air conditioning units, lights, and appliances. It’s a good thing for sure, especially for those who benefit from them the most like the elderly and the disabled. However, automation is a double-edged sword and over-reliance on it can lead to dire results. In worst-case scenarios, failure of attention can lead to death as was the case of Air France Flight 447 which crashed into the Atlantic Ocean in 2009.Cognitive TunnelingWhen things are automated, our brains don’t have to monitor our environment. David Strayer, a cognitive psychologist at the University of Utah, likens this scenario to the dimming of a spotlight representative of the brain’s attention span. Strayer says this spotlight can go "wide and diffused, or tight and focused." When an emergency strikes that spotlight goes fully bright all of a sudden and gets confused on where to focus so it shines on what’s directly in front of it.For instance, when a plane on autopilot suddenly requires pilots to fly it manually, pilots need to abruptly switch their focus from a relatively relaxed state to that of panicked focus. Failure to transition from the former to the latter state results in cognitive tunneling, a "mental glitch" caused by automation.Cognitive tunneling then is misplaced focus. But is there a way to fix this? How can we correct mental glitch?Mental Models and StoriesAn example that’s often cited about how cognitive tunneling can be avoided is Qantas Flight 32. The flight experienced an uncontained engine failure—21 of its 22 aircraft systems were damaged. Despite this, all the crew and passengers arrived safely on the ground after an emergency landing at Singapore’s Changi Airport. It’s been called "the most damaged Airbus A380 ever to land safely." It was a very serious incidence but one that was definitely handled very well. How did the pilot and crew do it? One thing: Before each flight, Captain Richard de Crespigny would brief the crew on possible problems and what to do. In other words, the captain was drilling mental models during each pre-flight session so that when an emergency situation does arise, all of them would be ready; each member of the team would know what to do. Whether we realize it or not, we tell ourselves stories all the time. These mental images provide our cerebral spotlights something to focus on, "always jumping around inside our heads." As a result, these spotlights don’t dim. When we need to transition from relaxed to panicked states, we are not blinded by the glare, explains Charles Duhigg, a Pulitzer prize-winning reporter at the New York Times. Mental Models and Learning DesignDesigners and trainers can take advantage of the principles of mental models in their workshops and courses by asking story questions. The best type of questions to ask are open-ended queries."What if this happened to me? What would I do?""How did it happen and why?"Open-ended questions help learners to delve deeper into each story or event by placing themselves in it. These questions aid learners in creating mental images about the unfolding event and what would happen if they go with solution A or solution B and so on.Revisiting mental models also advances learners’ experience since the brain doesn’t seem to differentiate between reality and imagination. Mental models have been helping agents of the U.S. Department of State create alternate realities to better handle real-life events.ConclusionsStories are very useful for more than just entertaining or sharing a lesson. They can also be used to help learners direct their focus on what matters most. By creating mental models, the brain’s focus doesn’t power off but instead transfers from one alternate reality to the next. Since the brain can’t tell imagination and real life apart, mental models help learners gather experience.ReferencesJeff Wise. What Really Happened Aboard Air France 447. Popular Mechanics, Dec 6, 2011Charles Duhigg. Computer Says: Stop Relying on the Computer. Wired Magazine, July/Aug 2016 issueCharles Duhigg. The Power of Mental Models: How Flight 32 Avoided Disaster. LifeHacker.com, March 16, 2016Tip #42: Provoking Learners with Story QuestionsTip #99: Changing Behavior by Advancing Experience and StoriesRay Jimenez, PhDVignettes Learning"Helping Learners Learn Their Way"Ray Jimenez, PhD Vignettes Learning Learn more about story and experience-based eLearning

What is the Story Picture in Your Mind?Suppose you received a message from your boss that he/she wants to see you as soon as you come in. However, it doesn’t say why. How would you react? What scenes are running in your head?Here’s another scenario. What if your loved one is out of town on a business trip. You expect a text once he/she has reached the destination. True, the scheduled arrival was late last night but it’s already morning and no text has arrived. How does that make you feel? What thoughts are rushing through your mind?Give yourself a few minutes to go through the questions and answer them. Is there a common thread in your answers? These events are both imagined situations and the answers you provided were based on a story you’re telling yourself. Whether positive or negative, the story you tell yourself is about what could possibly happen or what possibly happened. Making Inferences, Recognizing PatternsTelling ourselves stories isn’t limited to exercises like those above, though. Without even realizing it, we tell ourselves stories all the time. We go through a narrative or several narratives from the time we wake up until it’s time to sleep. Geez, even our dreams (or nightmares) are stories, too!Stories are natural for humans. They’re central to our existence. Cultures worldwide have their own stories to share. In fact, we’re so enamored with stories, that we find stories even when there aren’t any!Have you ever looked at the clouds on a clear, sunny day and thought you saw a unicorn (or some other figure) taking shape? Our brain is so hardwired to recognize patterns that we imagine seeing patterns when in reality they’re just puffy balls of mist. Why is this fact important and how can trainers and designers use this to their advantage?In one study, scientists found that when someone tells a story, their brains and the brains of their listeners synchonize. When certain parts of the storyteller’s brain lights up, the same parts lit up in his/her listeners’ brains as well. This amazing phenomenon occurs because the brain can’t tell real experiences versus imagined ones.  As a result, the storyteller was able to let his/her listeners experience what he/she experienced. In short: "By simply telling a story, the woman could plant ideas, thoughts and emotions into the listeners’ brains," according to Uri Hasson from Princeton University, one of the study authors.Social psychologist Jennifer Aaker adds, this means stories should be able to take listeners where you want them to go.Craft Your Signature StoryAs trainers, we aim to see our learners take on the desired behavior. Stories should reinforce the lesson. Since stories are up to 22 times more memorable than facts alone, it’s a great tool to use especially when we want a lesson to stick to our learners’ minds even after the session is over.Aaker suggests, trainers should develop their portfolio of signature stories. A signature story is "a story that after you tell it, people who listen to it somehow look at you differently." Signature stories (1) shape how learners see you and (2) can be used as a tool of power and (3) persuasion.When crafting your signature story, remember to ask yourself the following questions: Why are you telling the story in the first place? Why would the audience want to listen? Why would the audience care? Why would the audience want to share the story?ConclusionsStories are powerful tools to persuade people to change their perspective. Asking questions helps learners make inferences to make the story, integrate themselves into it, and as a result make the lesson more memorable.As a trainer or designer, what is your signature story? What kind of stories are you known for or would like to be known for? Share your thoughts.ReferencesTip #102: Cognitive Tunnelling: How to Achieve Focus Through Stories Fritz Heider and Marianne Simmel. An Experimental Study of Apparent Behavior. The American Journal of Psychology, Vol. 57, No. 2 (April 1944), pp.243-259Greg J. Stephens, Lauren J. Silbert, and Uri Hasson. Speaker-Listener Neural Coupling Underlies Successful Communication. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 2010 Aug. 10; 107 (32)Jennifer Aaker. Harnessing the Power of Stories. Stanford Graduate School of Business, 2013Ray Jimenez, PhDVignettes Learning"Helping Learners Learn Their Way"Ray Jimenez, PhD Vignettes Learning Learn more about story and experience-based eLearning

Click here to preview the demo.Click here to preview the explanation demo.Brenda LaRose’s Workshop Proof-of-Concept PrototypeBrenda LaRose is the Training & Development Specialist from Levitt-Safety. The demo provided here is her mini-project as a participant to the Story-Based eLearning Design workshop. We thank Brenda for allowing us to share the content.From Very Dull Technical Content to an Engaging Story LessonThe small lesson is intended to help learners understand some basic concepts of the company’s policy and process on Record Retention. We present here the prototype and a video explaining the method that we employed in converting the small content into a Story-Based Lesson.The demo lesson is only available for 10 days. Please access it as soon as you can.For further references on the Story-Lesson Design, please read this blog "How to Use Questions to Immerse Learners in Your Lesson".More Demos from Last WeekIn case you have not reviewed the two demos on the 5-Step Scenario Learning Design,Technical: Too Much DowntimeSoftware: HRIS SoftwareYou may access them here.Preview Ray’s Storify Micro-IdeasThis is a summary of Twitter postings to recap some highlights of micro-ideas. Click here.Ray Jimenez, PhDVignettes Learning"Helping Learners Learn Their Way"Ray Jimenez, PhD Vignettes Learning Learn more about story and experience-based eLearning

Rule-breaking is important and  necessary to change things that have ceased to work. In the training world, however, it appears safer and far easier to continue following the old rules, even if conditions have changed and their value have diminished.Micro-Learning will only work if we break adherence to the 10 Training Rules. If we slot in or force Micro-Learning within the confines of these training rules, it will fail. It just becomes a fad and a great marketing hype.Rule # 1 - Requiring TestsTraining dictates that all learners must complete tests to show proof of knowledge retention. Micro-Learning advocates that immediate application of small ideas at work or in practice is good learning. Testing slows down micro-actions and is anti-micro-learning. (See more about adding depth to micro ideas)Rule # 2 - Training Away from WorkTraining requires that learning is an event, a place and a singular moment. Learners have to wait. It takes away a lot of time from actual work for participants and even tends to be forgotten. Micro-Learning, on the other hand, is learning when there is something to be fixed or changed. It is about instant solutions. (See more about Instant Learning.)Rule # 3 - Follow All Required StepsTraining implies that to learn means to follow all the steps without missing anything. In the process, much time and resources are wasted since not all required steps are critical. Micro-Learning only uses the steps that are needed to do a task.Rule # 4 - Cover All Content to Learn ProperlyTraining requires that learners must learn all content. It is like going back to school. Most content are forgotten after the school year ends. As a result, learning has not been achieved and efforts are wasted. Micro-Learning only requires learning the content needed to solve a problem or make the change. It is incremental learning. (See more about Small Content)Rule # 5 - Engage the LearnerTraining points out that courses and lessons must be engaging. So interactions, multimedia, games and social learning need to be added. The trainer should induce engagement. Consequently, training ends up being costly. Micro-Learning engagement comes from real work problem-solving and trial and error learning. In essence, engagement comes from curiosity and discovery of learners.Rule # 6 - The RelevancyTraining insists on delivering relevant content. How can this be, if content is not immediately used? Absence of immediate application is the main cause of irrelevant training. Micro-Learning allows learners the freedom to use small content when the moment of need is highest. Then learning becomes relevant because it is useful. (See more.)Rule # 7 - Sorry, It’s BoringTraining is always boring. It is concerned with theory, principles and ideal situations. It talks about the entire ocean. It is an instruction-led method. When trainers are the center of learning, it ends up being boring. Micro-Learning is driven by the learner and worker. It is "my learning" and not "you ought to learn." Micro-Learning talks about the gap to be filled.Rule # 8 - Consistency and StandardizationTraining is the source of all knowledge and content. It insists on this dictum due to its need for a semblance of consistency and standardization. Although this goal sounds logical, it focuses on content rather than the ability to look into the relevance of deviations from standards and consistency. Micro-Learning usually aims at how best to handle errors, troubleshooting and critical exceptions at work.Rule # 9 - LMS Central Training DeliveryLMSs and learning platforms are extensions of Training’s need to control learning. Often, they are rigid and administrative, and usually has nothing to do with learning. Rather,it is focused on delivery and tracking. LMSs are anti-micro-learning. Micro-Learning has to be free, floating objects, flexible, configurable, highly searchable, useful, approachable and responsive.Rule # 10 - Follow the Curriculum and CertificationTraining must follow curriculum to achieve certification. Curriculums and certifications often focus on the eventualities (aimed at the future) when skills and knowledge are needed. They are too costly and slow processes. Micro-Learning is focused on using knowledge and skills now, not in the future. (See more - Cut costs to 30%)The successful implementation of Micro-Learning means you need to break the top 10 Training Rules. To require Micro-Learning to follow and stick to them, means death to Micro-learning. ReferencesLemmingHow to Add Depth to Micro-Ideas Instant Learning Impacts Performance: One Idea, One Action Learning EventsHow Small Should Small Bites Learning Be?Is your content out of context or in context?Cut to 30% eLearning Development CostsRay Jimenez, PhDVignettes Learning"Helping Learners Learn Their Way"Ray Jimenez, PhD Vignettes Learning Learn more about story and experience-based eLearning

Smorgasbord and BuffetSmorgasbord and buffet of learning approaches and technologies are abundant. It’s always like party time. The challenge, of course, is that one can only eat so much. So in this tip, I am posting ideas on combining of stories, micro-learning and gamification. Let’s see if you can use this palate tasting.Karl Kapp and ThiagiKarl Kapp and Sivasailam "Thiagi" Thiagarajan, leading thought leaders in games and gamification, suggest that at the heart of gamification is the use of stories and discovery. When combined with gamification elements from marketing and customer engagement solutions like Bunchball, gamification becomes a highly productive learning methodology.However, most gamification tend to be long and tedious gaming activities. The extended time involved and extensive content coverage are common temptations as well as challenges for both designers and game developers. But how about if we create micro-sized lessons just as Karl Kapp suggested in gamification?Types of Structural GamificationKarl Kapp has provided a good insights on Types of Structural Gamification. Essentially what Karl suggested is to combine the elements of Gamification with some more content. Preview the video explanation and then join the group Stories & Games on Leadership HR Policies  Video Explanation of an Example of Structural Gamification(Part 1) Click here to the video explanation.Live Example - Stories & Games on Leadership HR Policies(Part 2)Click here to play the live example.Join the group to see a live and active prototype of Structural Gamification. You will be required to register and login.Ray Jimenez, PhDVignettes Learning"Helping Learners Learn Their Way"Ray Jimenez, PhD Vignettes Learning Learn more about story and experience-based eLearning