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Lesson information:

As you read the information below, look out for these learning points:

• Clear Context will affect a learner’s success
• Choosing roles and goals that are clearly defined and interesting will set your learner up for a more effective experience.
• How to use tips and tricks like using pop-ups, giving background narrative and information that will allow learners to draw their own conclusions.

Why Context?

→ Context is essential information that the learner needs to be successful within an immersive learning experience.

• Without a clear vision of their role in the conversation, their goal, and any relevant background, confusion can prevent the learner from successfully demonstrating skills they have mastered.
• If a learner isn’t sure what they’re supposed to do, they will likely struggle to do it well!

Key Information

Role

• Often, in a scenario, the learner will be playing a specific role (ex: “mid-level marketing manager,” “CEO of a tech startup,” “new insurance agent” etc.).
• Their role needs to be clear because it will influence how they accomplish their goals.
• Their fictional role will help to define their relationships to other characters – an intern role would likely require different interactions than a CEO role.
• Roles can also be exciting and give the learner the opportunity to try things they normally couldn’t (ex: “You’re an inventor who has released a revolutionary AI product that has taken the world by storm!”).
• Providing this context is a chance to introduce them to that confidence and excitement.

Goals

• Sometimes a conversation will be based around the learner accomplishing a specific goal– mediating a conflict, or successfully selling a product.
• If the learner is unclear on why they’re having a conversation, they will struggle to successfully utilize their skills.
• Even if the goal is supposed to be purposefully opaque to the user, it can be helpful to give hints as to why the conversation has been initiated, by whom, and in what manner.
• (Ex: “After lunch with the team, your direct report Jana seems quiet and preoccupied. A few hours later, she cautiously approaches you in your office.”

Background

• This piece is optional, and highly dependent on the specific learning experience, but sometimes a specific background or history plays an important part in the conversation.
• If the learner’s role has past interactions with a specific character, or there is additional history that affects how a learner might choose to apply their skills, consider including it.
• The goal of background is to support realism by giving the learner access to information that they would have in a similar conversation in the real world.

How Can I Provide Context?

→ Context can be conveyed through pop-ups, images, and interactions with virtual humans.

• Pop-ups enable the learner to have access to information succinctly and clearly.
• They can read through it at their own pace, which may be easier to process for some learners.
• Pop-ups can also feel extraneous to the experience, which helps preserve the realism of any interactions with virtual humans.
• Learners are more likely to accept written information as coming from an omniscient source.
• Images can convey context in ways that feel more interactive and exciting.
• They can elicit a more visceral reaction from the learner, or be used in creative ways to improve the realism of interactions.
• Interactions with virtual humans provide context in the most immersive fashion.
• Providing context in a conversation can also allow for opportunities for the learner to exercise good judgment– is this virtual human a reliable source of information?
• Do they have any biases that could influence the information which they’re conveying?

→ In some instances, a combination of the modalities above can be most effective. Be creative, and customize the context you choose to provide based on your learners’ needs!

Tips and Tricks

• If using pop-up nodes, keep sentences short and concise, or consider splitting out across multiple pages.
• Reading large amounts of text in VR can be frustrating and difficult for learners.
• Remember that one of the main goals of training is to be engaging and realistic.
• Focus on providing only the amount of information that supports these goals - no more, and no less.
• If providing background information or a goal for a learner, try to avoid telling them how they are supposed to feel. Sometimes this can trigger resentment or resistance in a learner, or make the scene feel contrived if they feel something completely different at the moment
• Instead, try to give them information that will allow them to draw their own conclusions. For example, rather than saying, “You’re frustrated with Dave,” try saying, “Dave has repeatedly missed deadlines, failed in performance improvement plans, and alienated team members with his arrogance.”
• Experiment with different approaches to providing context. Often, a combination will be more effective and powerful than one method alone. Example ideas are below:
• Have a virtual human end a conversation by saying, “Look at this image Kendra just texted me of the crime scene,” and show a pop-up image on the screen.
• Have a virtual human tell the learner about the goal and character they’ll be speaking to next, and use a following pop-up to remind the learner of the skills they will be evaluated on.
• Capture images of specific virtual humans and show them onscreen, followed by humorous fictional biographies.
• When possible, test with learners or even team members unfamiliar with the conversation and assess how effective the context is. Did they find anything about the set up confusing or boring?

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Level 3 - Lesson 1: Informing the Learner

Level 3 - Lesson 1: Informing the Learner

Completed

…and then go to the next Lesson! 💪

Level 3 - Lesson 2: Writing Dialogue

Level 3 - Lesson 2: Writing Dialogue

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