Tin Can Learning Design – Andrew Downes

ELN – April 2014
Tin Can Learning Design
Andrew Downes
Solutions Architect
@mrdownes
andrew.downes@epiclearninggroup.com
@epictalk For all the latest news , follow us on twitter @epictalk

> Introduction (this bit)
> SCORM limits your design
> A Tin Can mindset
> How to
> Challenges
Agenda
Assumptions:
You know what Tin Can is and what it can do.
You’re interested in learning design rather than development.

SCORM limits
your design

What is
it?
What
does it
do?
When
was it
created?
What’s
changed
since
then?
Do you
like it?
What do you know
about SCORM?

SCORM is an
e-learning
standard.
It provides a
common way
for e-learning
to be added
to an LMS.
SCORM 1.2
was released
in 2001. That’s
ancient in
technology
terms.
Lots has
changed since
then:
broadband,
mobile internet,
Facebook ...
It can be very
inflexible and
difficult to
work with.
What do you know
about SCORM?

How SCORM works...
E-learning
Data
base
The LMS
Reports
Other
experiences
SCORM

Tin Can you spot the difference?
E-learningLRS
The Internet
Reports
Other
experiences
Tin CanTin Can

Andrew’s
success status
for the quiz is
passed.
Andrew
passed the
quiz
yesterday.
vs.
vs.
Status Events
SCORM Tin Can

vs.
Track a fixed set of metrics
(and design next-next-quiz learning to fit)
Design your tracking to suit the
experience

Activity!
How has SCORM restricted
the learning you have
created?
Do these requirements sound familiar?
It must be SCORM compliant!
It must be tracked!
It must be launched from the LMS!

A Tin Can
mindset

I did this
A learner
A manager
A customer
Think in terms of events
What is the result of that event?
What happens next?
A group
Succeeded at
Experienced
Liked
Completed
A work task
Some e-learning
Their personal goal
Me

Track blended learning
LRS
E-learning Game Simulator Blog YouTube
Customer
feedback
Face to
face Mentoring
Performance
support
Work
task
KPIs Native
mobile
You already know this...

Puréed learningBlended learning
(in practice) Events in one activity can be
tracked and responded to in
another.

Branching based on real world
events
The learner is able to ‘test out’ of a
piece of e-learning by
demonstrating a competency in
their job.
Classroom groupings based on e-
learning success or completion
Learners are grouped with others
with similar knowledge or skills gaps
More tightly knit blends of learning
In a desktop e-learning course the
learner is asked to go and speak to
a particular key person and upload
an audio recording via their mobile.
When they return to the course, the
next step has unlocked.
Events in one activity can be
tracked and responded to in
another.
Puréed
Learning

0
20
40
60
80
100
Category 1 Category 2 Category 3
Series 1
87%
63%
52%
Learning Analytics design
A new job role?

Discuss!
How could you purée your
blended learning?
Think about...
What different experiences do or could make up your blend?
What needs to happen in experience X to trigger a change in
experience Y?
What’s a natural flow for your learners?

How to

Who are your stakeholders and
what do they want to know?
Identify learning
and reporting
requirements
1

Examples
> The learner
> Their manager
> HR/ L&D
> The CEO
> The auditor/regulator

Design experiences to meet your
learning and reporting objectives.
Design your
blend
2

Examples
A learning game to meet
your learning requirements.
An assessed simulation to
meet your reporting
requirements.

Identify your events.
What happens next?
Map out
interactions
between the
experiences
E-learningLRS
Other
experiences
3

Example
Event: A customer complains about a
product Joe has produced.
What next: Joe’s annual assessment
selects more questions relating to that
product.
Why? Joe is tested on the area the
complaint suggested he was weak in.
This will help to reduce complaints in
future.

Example
Event: Joe completes an e-
learning course, but Bill doesn’t.
What next: Joe and Bill are
grouped together in a classroom
activity.
Why? Joe can teach Bill what he’s
learnt, improving the learning
experience for both of them.

Example
Event: Joe’s data suggests Joe is the
top performing member of his team.
What next: Joe receives a small cash
bonus and is given additional
responsibility in mentoring new starters.
Why? Joe is rewarded for doing well
(encouraging everybody) and his
expertise is passed on to new starters.

How will the data become
information?
Design
reports
4
0
20
40
60
80
100
Category
1
Category
2
Category
3
Series 1

Example
A colourful at-a-glance
dashboard for the board of
directors.
An Excel download for the
L&D department.

Involve a Tin Can expert to help with
the technical details.
Involve an
expert
5

Example
> Should the learner’s score be
included in the statement, stored in the
State API or both?
> Which properties of the statement’s
context are relevant for this event?
> What’s the most appropriate verb id
to use?
>Should we define an extension or not?

Activity!
How do you need to change
your design processes?
Think about...
What are your current design processes? What do you do when you design?
Which elements do you already do for SCORM e-learning?
What do you need to change when designing Tin Can experiences?

Design
challenges
and
stakeholder
concerns

Reliability
of self-
reporting
I did this. Prove it!

Reliability of
self-reporting
Think creatively – can the
event be confirmed
automatically?
Tin Can systems can be more
reliable than SCORM
Any distance learning is
vulnerable to buy your mate
a pizza.
Managers, trainers and peers
can confirm the event.
Use the authority property –
who said ‘I did this’?
Recruitment relies on self-
reporting e.g. CVs/ interviews

Will
learners
report their
learning?
Please complete
this form.
No.

Will learners
report their
learning?
This is a real issue and needs
to be considered.
With Tin Can much more can
be tracked automatically
than with SCORM.
Provide incentives.
Link to job progression.
Points mean prizes.
Example from Ellen Meiselman at
University of Michigan Health System:

Privacy
concerns
We are tracking
everything you do. Um....

Privacy
concerns
With Tin Can, learners can
have greater access to and
control of their data.
Tell learners what is being
tracked, how it is used and
how their data is protected.
Consider anonymous data.
Learning data is less personal
than Facebook.
This is a particular issue in
some European countries e.g.
Germany.

Interoperability
It’s not working,
is it?
No.

Interoperability
It is possible to be Tin Can-
compliant and have tools still
not work together.
For traditional e-learning
courses, there is clear
guidance.
For new ways of tracking and
designing learning, we need
to consider this issue.
Read my blogs and How To!

Too much
data
Joe moved his
mouse 1 pixel.
Which direction?

Too much
data
If we track everything, the
important stuff will be lost in
the noise.
However, very detailed, click-
level tracking can help to
inform design.
Design reporting tools
carefully; only show the user
what’s relevant to them.
Consider performance; can
your servers handle that
much data?

Correlation
is not
causation
This proves my
learning worked!
Correlation does not
prove causation.

Correlation is
not causation
Correlation doesn't imply
causation, but it does
waggle its eyebrows
suggestively and gesture
furtively while mouthing
'look over there'.
Randall Munroe
Cartoon and quote from xkcd.com

Final
questions?
Andrew Downes
Solutions Architect
@mrdownes
andrew.downes@epiclearninggroup.com

Tin Can Learning Design – Andrew Downes

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