Aldrich article

Describe at least two primary barriers to the use of these technologies in your setting and how they might be addressed.

The following comments by Aldrich were relevant to me. Some of my comments relate to my game project (Bucket Logic), while others relate to the development and/or use of simulations in the workplace.


(1) Free play versus guided play.

"How much do you help the user along?"

"If you guide them too much, the point of the simulation falls away. Now they are getting linear instruction again, and just mindlessly carrying out orders."

Comment: How much help, indeed. I need to give the user (learner) more credit for their abilities to figure things out. And if it's too easy, they will probably get bored.


(4) Sabbatical, Not Seamless.

"Training departments have been pressured over the years to reduce the length of their programs."

"Through customization and smaller pieces of content, we expect a piece of content, a single moment of understanding, to be delivered when and where we want it."

Comment: I have said before (particularly in the context of project management training) that most clients don't want training: they want the laying on of hands. They want a miracle.


(8) One "Level" at a Time

"The instinct for a simulation designer is to do everything."

Comment: This echoes the sentiment expressed in (1) above.

"These (Star Trek) games did not do well despite how narrowly they focused, but because of how narrowly they focused."

Comment: I am adding "levels" to my game. Each "level" will have a focus. Level I will be read, write, and simple math. Level II will be selection (if/else/endif). Level III will be looping (while/wend). By adding "puzzles" (which for the time being will be listed on the web page), the user can check their own mastery at each level.


(11) Role of Standards

"LMSs have a hard time tracking them."

Comment: I have seen in my own work the increase in complexity (read: cost) of eLearning or simulations when tracking is required. In the past, I have attempted to "negotiate" that away.


(12) Evaluation

"It will be harder to evaluate simulation-based content."

Comment: Here the author is discussing the ability of the simulation to satisfy the learning objectives. This is difficult because the user can, in some cases, take many paths to the same goal. And part of the benefit of simulations is that the learner can benefit from mistakes. Who learns more: the user who "gets it" on the first try (was it just dumb luck?) or the user who makes mistakes along the way? I think part (but definitely not all) of the solution is to really nail down the performance based objectives of the course before beginning design and development. That sounds so obvious, but I know that it is seldom done.