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Learn how to use empathy and active listening skills to communicate effectively with families.
Learn how to use empathy and active listening skills to communicate effectively with families.
Early childhood professionals need to be equipped to handle sensitive conversations with the families of children with developmental delays.
This course is designed to develop conversational skills for communicating crucial information to parents. I crafted this scenario-based eLearning course in Articulate Storyline to immerse learners in a real-world interaction, allowing participants to learn by experiencing the consequences of each decision they make.
Tools
Tools
Articulate Storyline 360
Adobe XD
Adobe Illustrator
MindMeister
Google Docs
Skills
Skills
Instructional Design
Action Mapping
Storyboarding
eLearning Development
Graphic Design
My Process
Analysis
Problem: A large non-profit early intervention clinic has been seeing an increase in parents choosing to pull their child from services after experiencing an uncomfortable conversation with their therapy team.
A needs analysis revealed a gap in the necessary skills for navigating challenging conversations with families. Therapists are trained in their specific field of service - occupational therapy or speech pathology, for example - but are not always equipped with the crucial emotional intelligence skills for communicating difficult news effectively.
Solution: I proposed a scenario-based learning experience to immerse learners in a real-world conversation with parents and learn by experiencing the consequences of each decision they make. This is a highly effective way to bridge the skill gap that therapists need in order to have more success in communicating with parents.
Design
My first step in the design phase was to create an action map to identify a specific goal and define the behaviors that therapists need to do in order to have successful interactions with parents. I worked in collaboration with an early intervention Subject Matter Expert to ensure accuracy and authenticity of each desired behavior skill.
Next, I drafted a text-based storyboard using the specific behaviors identified in our action map. This was an iterative process involving sharing drafts with stakeholders, receiving feedback, and making improvements until the storyboard script was clear and focused. During this phase, I incorporated research and source information from the clinic's current trainings as well as the CDC documentation on this topic.
Finally, I created a prototype of the visual layout of the project using Adobe XD. I edited graphics in Adobe Illustrator before bringing them into XD to establish the visual design. I iterated on the layout of each e using feedback from stakeholders to make improvements until a final look and feel was established and agreed upon.
Development
I developed the full project in Articulate Storyline 360 using the storyboard and prototypes I had already designed to guide the process. This was my first project in Articulate Storyline, so it helped that the script and visuals were already established and I could focus on learning and mastering the powerful capabilities of Storyline.
This, too, was an iterative process in which I shared the project with experts in the field of early intervention and instructional design to receive feedback and make improvements throughout the development phase. The job aid tabbed interaction was added in at this stage of development to allow learners access to helpful resources throughout their experience. I customized the player to provide flexibility to my audience of adult learners who desire some control of their learning experience; those who desire a full-screen immersive experience can do so, while others may choose to use the menu to navigate forwards and backwards as they wish.
The end result is a powerful scenario-based learning experience that builds conversational skills rooted in emotional intelligence as learners navigate the consequences of each choice. For incorrect responses, feedback is provided to help learners see their mistake and to find the best choice for each decision point. This eLearning module taps into the power of learning by experience, and I look forward to building more scenario-based learning projects in the future.
The Finished Project
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