Client interaction scenarios
An scenario-based eLearning module inspired by real client-volunteer interactions.
The Open Door
The Open Door is the largest food pantry in Dakota County, MN.
They serve over 180,000 people in this community and have over 850 volunteers.
Problem & Solution
The goal for volunteers at The Open Door is to interact with clients in ways that are appropriate and equitable.
My proposed solution was to create interactive scenarios with practice clients in an eLearning module. This module puts volunteers in situations with clients where they need to choose the appropriate responses. I used real-life dialog overheard by permanent staff over the years.
My Process
Scripting
After consulting with SMEs (permanent staff members), I scripted the scenarios. The overall design had already been established in a previous project. Therefore, once all of the script content had been created and agreed upon by stakeholders, I started development in Vyond and Storyline.
Development
Development took place in Vyond, Wellsaid, and Articulate Storyline. This module begins by leading the volunteer through a series of inappropriate and inequitable statements derived from my consultation with SMEs. The volunteer must determine why the statement is problematic. In the second half, volunteers take part in a simulated shift, where they must respond to clients appropriately. They observe a client's action or statement and are assessed on client satisfaction based on their responses.
The development process was straightforward and went smoothly with few bugs. During the first section of the module, the learner is guided to try again when they choose an incorrect response. This allows them to correct cognitive misconceptions right away before moving on. This meant routing the user back to the original prompt and only allowing them to proceed by selecting the correct answer. The second half of the module is more realistic, with natural consequences presented to the learner based on their chosen response. Therefore, this second section was more complicated, including more slides, scenes, and trigger functions.
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Since The Open Door doesn't have an LMS for their volunteer training, I used a javascript execution to send the names and scores of the volunteers to a Google Spreadsheet.
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Takeaways
I really enjoyed both the design and development of this module. It was valuable to have real-life examples of statements and interactions from volunteers and clients of the past. It's important to make learning experiences reflective of the actual environment to which they need to transfer knowledge and skills. Learning theory states that when practice and performance environments are similar, learning outcomes are greater. It was exciting to put that theory into practice for such a positive cause. I also noticed an increase in my development efficiency and speed, having gained more experience in Storyline and Vyond.