Instructional Design

What to Do with Cranky Course Feedback

Not all criticism is “constructive,” but we can’t just dismiss negative course feedback because learners didn’t tell us exactly what the problem is and how to fix it. That’s our job! Here, we decode some cranky course feedback and use it to give our course a makeover.

A useful checklist for realistic interactions

screen shot of sample interactio using the STACK checklist

  We pride ourselves at SmartBuilder Consulting on designing elearning that focuses on performance: helping learners do the right thing at the right time. Performance is what counts – not just reading a few pages then passing a “quiz”, which is really a test of short-term memory, or worse, an exercise in making good guesses (tip … [Continue Reading]

Showcase: A Compliance Tell-and-test Makeover

It’s a good day in the world of instructional design when a client says, “We want your help making this boring training more interesting and interactive.” Even better is when they don’t just want interactivity, but meaningful interactivity. Barton Health requested exactly that with their HazCom training. The training had traditionally been driven by regulation … [Continue Reading]

Creating learning experiences when performance really matters

I recently heard a news story about the Ebola crisis where the expert being interviewed explained that most of the infections of healthcare workers occur not from faulty or missing protective equipment but from workers not following the correct procedures when they remove their gear. This reminded me of a prototype that SmartBuilder developed a … [Continue Reading]

Grab Their Attention!

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You settle into your stadium seat, popcorn on lap and soda nestled in its holder. The previews roll, the music swells, and your favorite actors’ names appear in starring roles.  You’ve anticipated this movie for quite awhile. The title zooms in then fades. Instead of a dramatic scene fading in, the following text scrolls slowly onto … [Continue Reading]