3C Framework for Learning Simulations

Traditional vs Sim-Based

I am good at creating classic e-learning but I have never built a sim. Where do I begin?

Shifting from making standard e-learning courses to sims can be tricky. Traditionally, it's all about transferring knowledge from the teacher to the student. Learners sit at the receiving end of a learning conveyor belt that consists of information slides (including videos and interactive set-pieces) with some quizzes thrown in to make sure learners are keeping up.

Sims take a different approach. They pose a challenging situation and suggest multiple courses of action. Each choice of action leads to a new development in the situation, posing new choices. It's more like being in a video game where your choices matter, and you can see how things turn out based on what you decide or do.

Numerous paths lead from the initial challenge to one of many outcomes, therefore simulation-based courses can be reviewed and replayed multiple times. Every play-through might end up in a different ending. Through repeated play, learners can see the immediate effects of their choices, leading to a deeper understanding and retention of the material.

Mixing classic e-learning with simulations gives you the best of both worlds. Think of it like this: traditional methods lay the theoretical foundation. Then, simulations come in and let learners practice what they have learned through real-life-like challenges with multiple outcomes. This is learning by doing, done right, at scale, and within a reasonable budget.

Sims vs Knowledge Checks

So we basically ask questions and provide answer choices. How is a sim different from a quiz then?

Sims can indeed look like a quiz but it is important to know the difference to make an engaging sim that helps drive knowledge home. It's all about making sure your sim doesn't just test but teaches in a way that sticks.

There are three building blocks of a good simulation - challenge, choice, and consequence. We call them the 3 Cs. Good command of 3Cs will help you write a sim that is challenging, realistic, engaging, and effective as a training tool.

Challenge is a realistic situation that can happen to our learner in real life. Here are a few examples:

• Customer asks a question about a competing product
• Patient complains about chest pain in the past week
• Important client asks for a favor that potentially goes against company policy
• Office visitor forgets confidential documents on their way out
• Bird strikes airplane engine dies during take-off

A challenging situation is very different from a challenging question. Compare these:

• As a 9-1-1 operator, you receive a call. The caller who sounds like a child claims that his sister was taken to a hospital and tries to find out which one. Apparently, the EMTs did not tell him. What do you do?
• There are four Personal Data Protection Principles for 9-1-1 operators. Which of the following IS NOT one of them?

A well-written challenge will almost automatically lead you to writing good choices. They need to be realistic and more or less answer the question “What do you do now?”. They can be correct, wrong, or anywhere in between. Tough choices, trade-offs, and moral gray areas make for the best simulations!

Consider this example:

During a job interview, a fire alarm sounds. Your interviewer apologizes and goes out to investigate. You can see that they left some papers on their desk, which appear to be notes on candidates that came before. Do you take a look?

• Sure! These aren’t personal and I might benefit from learning a thing or two.
• Is there enough time to look or do I risk being caught?
• Never! This would be cheating.

Finally, a consequence is a sim element that can make or break your whole effort. It is very easy to provide feedback instead of consequences. What’s the difference, you ask? At every step, a consequence only shows the outcome of a learner’s choice. It does not tell whether the outcome is good, bad, useful, harmful, or anything else. It is up to the learner to decide on what is going on and choose their next move.

In contract, a feedback would explain what happened, why it happened, and what is the best course of action in the current situation. Worst feedback would also explain if the choice was “correct” or “incorrect”, taking away from immersion and realism.

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