www.eLearningGuild.com
Situation-based
Learning Design:
A Research-inspired
Model for Wildly
Enhanced Performance
Will Thalheimer, Work-Learning Research
106
3/31/2008
Situation-based Learning Design:
A Research-inspired Model for
Wildly Enhanced Performance
Will Thalheimer, PhD
President
Work‐Learning Research
2 Belmont Terrace
Somerville, MA 02143, US
Featured Session
Created expressly for:
info@work‐learning.com
617‐666‐9637
eLearning Guild
Annual Conference 2008
www.willatworklearning.com
www.work‐learning.com
Will Thalheimer, PhD
Mission

Help Clients Build More Effective Learning

Utilizing Wisdom Research & Practice

Compile Research, Share Findings

Consulting (Learning, Performance, Assessment)

Workshops & Speaking

Learning Audits, Work-Learning Audits

Research and Writing
Work
1
3/31/2008
Situation-Based Learning Design
begins with The Magic Question:
“What do we want our learners
to be able to do, and in what
situations do we want our
learners to do those things?”
© Copyright 2008
Work-Learning Research, Inc.
SEDA Conceptualization
Situation
Evaluation
Decision
Action
SEDA Breakdowns
No Situation
• Test of Memorization
• Present Concepts w/o Practice
Situation
No Evaluation
“The patient is an alcoholic…”
Inadequate Evaluation
• Chapterization of Concepts
Evaluation
No Situation, No Eval.
• IT Training – “Hide the Column”
No Decision, No Evaluation
No
o Decision,
o , No
o Action
o
• Case Studies w/o decisions…
Decision
Action
“With your role-play partner, practice your
active listening skills after giving feedback
regarding the person’s lack of effort.”
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3/31/2008
Your Missed Opportunities?
SEDA Issue
No Situation
Description
Example
Provide no/few situations for learners to
respond to, practice with.
Just presenting information.
No Situation
Provide tests of memorization instead of
authentic decision making.
Asking about definitions,
terminology, or using Bloom’s.
No/Poor
Evaluation
Give them situation, but tell them what
it means, what category it is, etc.
“The patient is an alcoholic…”
No/Poor
Evaluation
Chapterize concepts and only give
info/practice within those chapters (not
across chapters).
chapters)
Testing on quizzes or knowledge
checks w/ no cumulative exam.
Situation/
Evaluation
Only
Asking learners only to evaluate
situations without having them make
authentic decisions and/or take actions.
Case studies that don’t ask people
to make decisions about what to
do.
Too-Generic
Situation
Asking learners to deal with a situation,
but one that is too generic to have
effective cues.
“What should Joe do at his next
staff meeting?”
No Situation
No Evaluation
Showing examples, without linking
those examples to when they might be
needed.
Showing people how to hide a
column in Excel, w/o describing
when this would be valuable.
No Evaluation
No Decision
Just giving people practice on actions
without requiring them to make critical
evaluations or decisions.
“With your role-play partner,
practice your active listening skills
after giving feedback regarding
the person’s lack of effort.”
What are we trying
to do, anyway?
Learning/Encoding
Action
fosse
ditch
Cue
Search
Rehearsal
Action
fosse
ditch
Rehearsal
Retrieval
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Time Sequence of How Learning
Becomes Performance
1st Event
2nd Event
3rd Event
1
2
3
4
5
Learning
6
7
On-the-job
Retrieval
2 weeks
8
9
10
11
Retention
12
13
14
15
Performance
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Work-Learning Research, Inc.
Causal Pathway
From Learning to Results
Learner
Learns
Learner
Retrieves
Learner
Applies
Learning
Performance
Learner
Fulfillment
Learning
Results
Results
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Work-Learning Research, Inc.
Why is Situation-Based
Situation Based
So Important?
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Question

Your company’s pharmacists have to take a
certifying exam in one week. The exam will
be held at the airport Hilton Hotel in the
Alexandria Room. If you want to maximize
your pharmacists’
y
p
scores,, where should you
y
hold your one-week course?
A.
In the Alexandria Room.
B.
In any distraction-free room.
C.
In a room with pharmacy equipment, etc.
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Work-Learning Research, Inc.
We Absorb More Than The
Learning Message
F
Fosse
Learning Message Ditch
Background Stimuli
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Work-Learning Research, Inc.
How Background Info Stimulates
Retrieval of What was Learned
fosse
ditch
Long-Term Memory
Cue
Background Stimuli
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Work-Learning Research, Inc.
5
3/31/2008
Question – Who will be able to
remember the most in Room E?
Learning Sessions
Retrieval
A.
Room A
Room A
Room A
Room A
Room E
B.
Room A
Room A
Room B
Room B
Room E
C.
Room A
Room B
Room C
Room D
Room E
D.
All will produce roughly equal results.
© Copyright 2008
Work-Learning Research, Inc.
Question

How should you run the class for your
pharmacists?
A.
80% presentation, 20% testing.
B.
50% presentation, 50% testing.
C.
20% presentation, 80% testing.
© Copyright 2008
Work-Learning Research, Inc.
Difficulties at Goal Striving

Failing to Get Started

Getting Derailed

Not Calling a Halt

Overextending Oneself
(to ineffective strategies)
(hurting future efforts)
From: Gollwitzer, P. M., & Sheeran, P. (2006).
Implementation intentions and goal achievement: A
meta-analysis of effects and processes. Advances in
Experimental Social Psychology, 38, 69-119.
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Work-Learning Research, Inc.
6
3/31/2008
Implementation Intentions

Goal = “I intend to Lose Weight”

Implementation Intention =
“I intend to Walk for 30 Minutes on Monday,
Wednesday, and Friday as soon as I wake up.”

IF Situation, THEN Action
Review Article: Gollwitzer, P. M., & Sheeran, P. (2006).
Implementation intentions and goal achievement: A metaanalysis of effects and processes. Advances in Experimental
Social Psychology, 38, 69-119.
© Copyright 2008
Work-Learning Research, Inc.
If-Then Intentions
to Write Paper
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
Goal
Only
Goal
Plus
If-Then
Intention
Plan
0
Gollwitzer, P. M., & Brandstatter, V. (1997). Implementation intentions and effective
goal pursuit. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 73, 186-199.
© Copyright 2008
Work-Learning Research, Inc.
If-Then Intentions to Attend
Health & Safety Workshop
35
30
25
20
15
10
Goal
Only
Goal
Plus
If-Then
Intention
Plan
5
0
Sheeran, P., & Silverman, M. (2003). Evaluation of three interventions to promote
workplace health and safety: evidence for the utility of implementation intentions.
Social Science & Medicine, 56, 2153-2163.
© Copyright 2008
Work-Learning Research, Inc.
7
3/31/2008
Research Review
40
Review Article: Gollwitzer, P. M., &
Sheeran, P. (2006). Implementation
intentions and goal achievement: A
meta-analysis of effects and
processes. Advances in
Experimental Social Psychology, 38,
69 119
69-119.
30
20
10
0
Reviewed 94 separate experiments and found a medium-tohigh magnitude (d = .65) for the benefits of implementation
intentions. 92 of 94 experiments showed positive results!!
Attending a workshop, self-examination, buying organic,
recycling, exercise, diet, solving law cases, taking vitamins.
© Copyright 2008
Work-Learning Research, Inc.
Implementation Intentions

Goal = “I intend to apply what I learned
in this training program.”

Implementation Intention =

“On Monday, I will develop a job aid based on what I
learned.”

“At our next team meeting, I will…”

“At the kick-off meeting for every project, we will…”

Manager: Use job aids, templates, other reminders…

Manager: Meeting Agendas, Evaluate, Remind.
© Copyright 2008
Work-Learning Research, Inc.
How Implementation
Intentions Trigger Action
Situation
Evaluation
Decision
Action
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Work-Learning Research, Inc.
8
3/31/2008
Aligning Context – Summary

By aligning contexts we can create
spontaneous remembering.
1
Change learning context to make it
similar to performance context
2
Change performance context
3
Provide multiple learning contexts
4
Add transportable cues to learning
context and performance context
© Copyright 2008
Work-Learning Research, Inc.
Choosing the right
Situational Cues is Critical
Situational
Cues
FIRST we must determine what
cues will trigger our learners’
on-the-job performance?
Evaluation
Decision
SECOND, we need to complete
the IF-THEN pairs, by
specifying the way to Evaluate,
Decide, and/or Take Action.
Action
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Work-Learning Research, Inc.
Example:
Finding multiple situational
cues that will trigger retrieval/action.
Insider Trading
from
SAIGlobal
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Work-Learning Research, Inc.
9
3/31/2008
Learning Design Approaches
Topic-Based
Situation-Based

Traditional

Newer

Less Effective

More Effective

SME-think

Rethink (to IF-THEN)

Requires Instructional
Objectives Only

Requires Instructional
Objectives AND
Situation Objectives.
© Copyright 2008
Work-Learning Research, Inc.
Example:
Management Training
Topic-Based

Situation-Based
You need to bring your
direct reports into
decision-making to
increase their buy
buy-in
in.


Bring your direct reports
into decision making to
increase their buy-in:

In staff meetings

In project planning

When brainstorming ideas
But not:

In urgent situations

In safety, legal
© Copyright 2008
Work-Learning Research, Inc.
Example:
Call Center Responding
Topic-Based



Here is how we want you
to handle particular
customer
complaints/issues:
Remember to be
empathetic, nice, nondefensive, meet their
specific request if you can.
Now try and role play this…
Situation-Based





In every call, go through
the following steps:

Express empathy

G h information
Gather
f

Find a solution

Share solution

Etc.
IF a website problem, THEN
do/say this _____________.
IF customer is confused, THEN
do/say this _______________.
IF policy change, THEN
do/say this ____________.
IF-THEN Etcetera…
© Copyright 2008
Work-Learning Research, Inc.
10
3/31/2008
Demo
of
DialogCoach
SEDA Quick-Audit
Somewhat
SEDA Components
Mostly
Almost
Exactly
Situation – Are learners presented with situations
to evaluate, make a decision about, or take an
action on? If so, is the practice situation similar to
the on-the-job performance situation?
Evaluation – Do the learners have to evaluate the
situation (make sense of it) in a manner similar to
the way they’ll have to evaluate it in the real world
(without artificial hints or supports)?
Decision – Do the learners have to make the
same kind of decisions about the situation that
they’ll have to make in the real world (without
artificial hints or supports)?
Action – Do the learners have to take the same
kind of actions they’ll have to take in the real world
(without artificial hints or supports)?
© Copyright 2008
Work-Learning Research, Inc.
Your Turn
Topic-Based

Take a topic-based
learning intervention and….
Situation-Based

Begin thinking about how
you would turn it into a
situation-based learning
intervention
intervention…
© Copyright 2008
Work-Learning Research, Inc.
11
3/31/2008
Summary
Situation-Based Learning Design

Start Design Differently

Struggle Through Topic-to-Situation Transformation

Use more:




Simulations
Scenarios
If-Then Preparation
Use less:

Information Presentation

Benefit: More Remembering, More Action, Better Results

Side effect: More engaging learning

Caveats:
(1) Change Management, (2) Not for Everything
© Copyright 2008
Work-Learning Research, Inc.
Use It
Infuse It
Or Lose It
How much did you learn?
“How Much?”
Remembering
1
2
3
4
5
Learning
6
7
8
9
10
11
Retention
12
13
14
15
Performance
© Copyright 2008
Work-Learning Research, Inc.
12
3/31/2008
How to integrate these
notions into your practice

Prevent your own forgetting





Review your notes
Begin to apply immediately
Discuss with others
T
Teach
h others,
h
Team
T
with
i h others
h
Manage it

Encourage, coach, set goals, review, reward, etc.
Spaced repetitions


Will at Work Learning
(www.willatworklearning.com)
© Copyright 2008
Work-Learning Research, Inc.
Questions

What questions do you have now?

Questions later:
Will Thalheimer, PhD
Work-Learning Research, Inc.
Somerville, Massachusetts, USA
617-666-9637
Mail:
[email protected]
Website:
www.work-learning.com
Blog:
www.willatworklearning.com
© Copyright 2008
Work-Learning Research, Inc.
Research Example
25
Same
Context
20
15
10
Different
Context
5
0
Rooms
Smith, S. M., Glenberg, A., & Bjork, R. A. (1978). Environmental context and
human memory. Memory & Cognition, 6, 342-353.
© Copyright 2008
Work-Learning Research, Inc.
13
3/31/2008
Research Example
70
60
Same
Context
50
40
30
Different
Context
20
10
0
Odors
Herz, R. S. (1997). The effects of cue distinctiveness on odor-based
context-dependent memory. Memory & Cognition, 25(3), 375-380.
© Copyright 2008
Work-Learning Research, Inc.
Research Example
7
6
5
4
3
Differentt
Diff
Context
Same
Context
2
1
0
Noise
Grant, Bredahl, Clay, Ferrie, Groves, McDorman, & Dark (1998). Contextdependent memory for meaningful material: Information for students.
Applied Cognitive Psychology, 12, 617-623.
© Copyright 2008
Work-Learning Research, Inc.
Research Example
30
20
One
Room
Two
Rooms
Four
Rooms
10
0
Smith, S. M. (1982). Enhancement of recall using multiple environmental contexts
during learning. Memory & Cognition, 10, 405-412.
© Copyright 2008
Work-Learning Research, Inc.
14
Use this partial Job Aid to Prepare Your Move from a Topic‐Based to Situation‐Based Design Step 1 – Evaluate Current Intervention
Some‐
what Mostly Almost Exactly Situation – Are learners presented with situations to evaluate, make a
decision about, and/or take an action on? If so, is the practice situation
similar to the on-the-job performance situation?
Evaluation – Do the learners have to evaluate the situation (make
sense of it) in a manner similar to the way they’ll have to evaluate it in
the real world (without artificial hints or supports)?
Decision – Do the learners have to make the same kind of decisions
about the situation that they’ll have to make in the real world (without
artificial hints or supports)?
Action – Do the learners have to take the same kind of actions they’ll
have to take in the real world (without artificial hints or supports)?
SEDA Quick Audit
No Step 2 – Set Course, Gather Information
A. Overarching Objective – What is the overarching objective of the
program? “What do we want our learners to be able to do, and in what
situations do we want our learners to do those things?”
Save for Later Partly Done Done B. Evaluation Objectives – How will you measure the success of the
program? This is a great question to ask so that you can really focus
on what matters (this assumes you’re measuring the right stuff).
Save for Later Partly Done Done C. Instructional Objectives – What are the key learning points
(principles, ideas, contingencies, etc.) that you want your learners to
know?
Save for Later Partly Done Done D. Situational Objectives – What are the specific situations that you
want your learners to be able to handle? Specify as much as you can
the WHAT, WHEN, and WHERE.
Save for Later Partly Done Done E. Link the Instructional Objectives to the Situations, making sure that
you have at least one situation for each Instructional Objective.
Save for Later Partly Done Done Save for Later Partly Done Done F. Link Evaluations, Decisions, and/or Actions to each Situation. The
idea here is to begin developing a clear idea of the Situation-Action
links so that you can see clearly what the instructional design might
look like.
More Steps: Step 3 – Create Initial Design, Step 4 – Prototype, Step 5 – Create, Step 6 – Evaluate
Consider using less information presentation, more scenario-based and simulation-based decision-making.
© copyright 2008 by Will Thalheimer Phone: 617‐666‐9637 Email: info@work‐learning.com Work‐Learning Research, Inc. www.work‐learning.com www.willatworklearning.com