Once Upon a Time, There was Interactivity

As can be expected, I can spend much of my time reviewing the many courses Allen creates for its clients. Over the past four years we have won 12 awards for courses on Sales and Marketing, Pharmacovigilance, Compliance and a variety of other topics. Most of these awards have been for superior use of media in an instructional manner and therefore can be defined as highly interactive courses. As we have pondered our award submissions for the upcoming year, it is interesting to note that while the number of courses we produced over the past 12 months is higher then ever, the level of interactivity seems to have changed.

Who of us has not become enamored with the buzz words like “rapid e-learning,” PowerPoint on steroids, content management systems, and rigid reusable templates? These tools are prevalent in some way or form in most large training rollouts. Yet at the same time we find our clients more than ever demanding virtual environments, highly interactive synthetic settings to connect with the Playstation generation.

It should not be a surprise that we are currently living in dissonance. While we demand new heights of interactivity, we are utilizing tools and methodologies to flatten and simplify the way we communicate with our trainees. Should such a trend concern a company like Allen? Our view has always been that interactivity is but one more tool in the arsenal of a good instructional designer.

How does one handle the issue of interactivity in a world gone passive. I am first and foremost a believer that complex solutions have simple problems, or at the very least that a simple solution can resolve most of the complex problems (the old 20/80 rule).

If we are to accept that most of the content we teach does not have the excitement level of the latest installment of Harry Potter, we must never downplay the importance of well-designed interactivity. Whether in the classroom or online, our training must be engaging and have some level of entertainment. A well written PDF (and I stress the value of good writing more than ever) can replace many of our page turning, uninspiring, self-running PowerPoints. Since it is the bane of our existence that we do not control learner motivation, the drive of managers to follow through with our training or the changing winds of corporate whims, we must compensate in some way. Well-designed interactivity will impact the learner. It will highlight areas that are important for the successful transfer of the training material or behavior. Does the term interactive equal engaging? In our world, I believe it does.

So next time you are creating your instructor and student guide or souping-up your PowerPoints with some pyrotechnics, ask yourself, “How have I engaged the learner in the content I have created?”