What Slot Machines, Video Games and Legos Have to do with E- Learning (Apr 08) Did you know that most slot machines have pay-outs greater than 90%? That means that for every dollar you put in, 90 cents gets returned to the player. While those aren t the best odds, they re still better than putting your money into Transmeta. Trust me on that one. Most players don t mind the risk of losing 10% because they think that there s a potentially large jackpot in the mix. The reality is that even if you do win 90% of what you put in, you stick it back into the machine and lose 90% of the 90%. This repeats until you have 90% of zero, which my daughter (who is a multiplication pro) tells me is zero. The gambling industry calls this the grind, because they eventually grind you down to become a "loser sausage." Despite the obvious fact that you re guaranteed to lose, people still play the slots. The reason is because the machine pays out a little bit here and a little bit there, so you always feel like the big one is just around the corner. However, it rarely is. With its spinning fruit and close calls, the machine conditions us to hang in there even when we re losing. The thought of being close to success, but not quite there is a great motivator. Good video games work in a similar manner. They get you to a certain level right before they kill you off. You get close enough to the next level of achievement that it creates an irresistible force to continue. Even though you don t have the skills or expertise to succeed yet, you re so close that you re convinced it s only a matter of time. So you sit there for hours playing and trying to get to the next level. Eventually your wife gets ticked off and goes out to eat by herself.
Can we create the same type of tension in our learning environments? One of my favorite learning experiences was during the first week of my Master s program at Pepperdine University. One of our learning activities was to create Lego Mindstorm vehicles for a competition at the end of the week. To accomplish the task, we broke into teams and had to deal with interpersonal issues. We also had to learn a simple programming language and figure out the physics of building these robot vehicles. It wasn t an easy challenge. However it was extremely rewarding and fulfilling. So much so that most of us stayed late to work on the Lego vehicles and also came in early before classes started. Here are three reasons the Pepperdine challenge worked and how you might be able to apply similar principles to your e-learning courses. Learners Need to Be Challenged The Lego exercise worked because it really was challenging. None of us were quite sure what to do and how we d approach it. At the same time, we felt comfortable enough with the Legos that it definitely seemed like something we could accomplish, albeit not easily. Many times our e-learning courses go through a less than engaging sequence of information, where the learner just clicks from one screen to the next. That usually happens because we just quickly convert classroom content for online delivery. And, we do this with little regard to how this information is used by the learner.
Information is good and most likely there s some value. However, just presenting the information is not the same as learning. Find a way to challenge your learners. What if instead of an information dump, you presented some sort of problem where the learner has to find a solution? Then you provide the information as a resource and let the learners figure it out on their own. A Safe Learning Environment Makes Room for Success AND Failure Slot machines and video games work because they create a tension between success and just missing the mark. Design your courses so that the learners are challenged out of their comfort zone, but not so much that they can never move forward. You want them engaged but not frustrated. We often err on the side of being too easy because of the negative feedback we get from learners at the first sign of the unknown. When I worked for an IT group, I was always amused when people (who were trusted with multimillion dollar IT centers) had problems clicking a next arrow because I didn t give them an e-learning course on clicking next arrows. If it s planned and part of the learning process, there s nothing wrong with having the learner fail or struggle through the course content. Not knowing is good and critical to real learning. It creates reflective thinking and helps us process our understanding.
The challenge for you is to make it real and engaging so that the learner is lured into the challenge. You also need to find good ways to provide feedback that lets the learner make adjustments and feel successful in the process. Many times the only feedback they get is at the end of the course in an all-or-nothing final assessment. Curiosity is Critical to Learning I spend a lot of time watching my children learn. Inevitably a lot of their learning is wrapped around this basic question, "What happens if I do this?" Normally this is OK unless it involves knives and the wood posts in my basement. Put them in front of a computer and they ll have no qualms about clicking all over the screen to see what happens. On the other hand, adult learners are a little slower to embrace that type of freedom in learning. As we gain experience, we become more inhibited and less inclined to "click all over the screen." We ve been conditioned to avoid the risk that leads to discovery. That s why the point about having a safe learning environment is critical. If you are going to challenge your learners, they need a safe place to fail. Once you have this, you open the door to discovery. And with that, you can leverage a person s curiosity.
One of the great values in e-learning is that you can create a safe environment. The learner is not restricted to time and place and has freedom to learn without losing face. Create a problem or opportunity for the learner to play around and test ideas. It doesn t need to be overly complicated. It can even be something as simple as the way Prometheus used the Engage interactions as mini assessments (slides 11-15). What s neat about the self assessments is that they re designed so that regardless of what you initially choose, you can always ask, "What would have happened had I clicked here?" You can create engaging e-learning courses if you find a way to challenge your learners. The key is to instigate problem-solving, provide feedback, and allow for adjustments. With some forethought, there s no reason why you can t apply similar concepts to your next e-learning course. Make that your challenge. Rapid E-Learning Blog, 2007 Creative Commons