I’ve only created storyboards for the modules I designed for eLearning assignments. Currently, I’m studying a couple of templates to gather inspiration to develop one. I found this template of a branched scenario built using Articulate Storyline. Here’s my review of the template.
The Template
The template opens with a title followed by an introduction before progressing to question slides. Each question slide consists of a question and three response options.
The Script Template
The script template allows for a question and three responses.
Question #1 Present the learner with a realistic question or challenge that they would face in the workplace. In addition, it also provides for the response options and scoring details:
Response 1. This is the best choice.
Selecting this choice is worth 1 point.
Response 2. This is the second-best choice.
Selecting this choice is worth 0 points.
Response 3. This is the worst choice.
Selecting this choice is worth -5 points.
Answer choices link to an appropriate feedback layer. The continue button on the feedback layer links to the next question or the results page depending on the feedback.
There is also a progress meter learners can use to gauge the effectiveness of their responses. Altogether, there are seven questions, and the final slide displays the results.
How I Intend to Use This Template
The Instructional designer initially designed this template for a job interview type situation. I see it serving well in high-stakes work environments. Health care organizations can use it to show how medical personnel’s response to the challenges could mean life and death outcomes for a patient. The template could also work well for other diagnostic situations like detecting car problems.
One reason I think it works well in high-stakes and investigative situations is the grading system. Learners don’t get the chance to recover from a poor decision. Selecting the worst option reduces a learner’s mark by .5. Hence the scoring system shows the impact wrong choices can have on outcomes in the workplace. Also, when learners select the correct response, they receive feedback telling them why they got the answer right. As a result, if the learners guessed at the response, they get a chance to learn from the rationale.
The Pros
This template is simple and straightforward to use. The greatest strength of this template is its versatility. The multiple-choice response option interface works for both a novice and experienced audience. An ID can easily expand or constrain the complexity of the learning environment depending on the target audience.
The Cons
Overall, I think this template is perfect for its original purpose. However, it may require tweaking for other LOs. The template design offers immediate feedback on each action which is excellent for novice learners. In contrast, immediate feedback on each action might not give an experienced audience sufficient latitude to learn from inefficient paths.
My Closing Thoughts
It’s great that the ID shared this storyboard template. I plan to build a module with it to test out my hypothesis of it working well for a high-stakes learning module. Certainly, ready-made templates shorten the design time and I’m glad I get to use this one. The template is available for download at the link below.
https://community.articulate.com/download/storyline-2-branched-scenario-template.
Follow the link below to read my post on why you need a storyboard. https://tiptoplearner.com/do-you-need-a-storyboard-for-elearning-design/