Need a new direction

Hey, Mike -

The time measure is a sticky one. I work for the government so I have a little more flexibility in that area. We've moved to a multi-tiered model and adjusted the way we present information for mandatory training products as well as the way we approach designing for the outcomes.

We ask: Is 'amount of time spent in the training product' really what you want (or are required by outside entities) to measure? 'cause that really is a goofy measure. So is short term retention of a multiple choice test. Likely beside the point in your case - since you likely have an exposure requirement.

I wouldn't give up your PDF's just yet. You can use the Lectora timers and STILL utilize the PDF format to more naturally transport the information to the learner. Please, in the name of all things that are good, avoid putting that stuff on a back-next-conveyer. Let's say your design looks something like this:

1. What you need to know about XYZ

1a. Three things that will keep you out of trouble.

1b. Case Study: XYZ (A link to a PDF)

1c. Reflection

1d. Discussion

1e. A few tools you can use (PDF's for some job aids, flow charts, etc.. that can be printed out or saved)

2. Recognizing XYZ

2a. Signs of XYZ Activity

2b. Expert tips

2c. Case study 1: BBB (PDF)

2d. Reflection / Discussion

2e. Case study 2: CCC

2f. Reflection / Discussion

2e. Signs practice activity.

This is still pretty linear, but cuts to the chase and enables the use of inline reading assignments and peripheral materials that prevent the endless use of next. This moves towards an activity centric presentation vice a screen centric presentation. Screens are the work of the devil, look at most of the products that come out of our industry...

To describe the implementation of timers. Take a look at 1b above. The learner enters the screen, they see instructions something like 'The PDF below contains the description of an actual event. Read about how Bob ruined his career by ignoring each of the tips we covered before. You have five minutes to read the case study. Click next when you are ready to continue.'

When the student enters 1b you would capture the current elapsed time in the course. When the student attempts to leave, if they haven't met the time requirement, you can either send them to a page that says 'Hey now, we really do want you to read that material.' or pop up a similar message in a JavaScript alert. You could get cute and actually put a stopwatch on the screen that counts down the amount of time remaining in 'reading time' and not even show the advance to next activity button - or clearly indicate 'xx minutes: xx seconds until next activity is available'. The follow-on reflection, questions, and possible discussion connects with this content and should provide a better learning experience than screens-on-conveyer. This also doesn't just float the PDF out there by itself.

As a learner I hate having reading assignments broken up into fifty bits. Or worse having them read to me by a narrator. See the above reference: Screens are the work of the devil.

We're trying to shift from information to value. Building up skills and attempting to influence values with focused concept activities. We also reallize that it's folly to expect that a mandatory training piece will have any impact if its sole method of delivery is a self-directed package. To expect otherwise is short sighted (we've been doing this for awhile - the long term observation is pretty evident). So... we frame things this way 'each thing we do online IS part of something BIGGER'. We try to provide tools that will be useful on the job site, stuff that the programs can reuse in site visits and auditorium style follow-ups at all hands meetings. We figure if we can provide some of the lower levels of the scaffolding - we're good.

Attempting to upload oodles of information in the 'nice to know' category into the brains of our performers is a prospect for failure and frustration. We run through multiple challenge iterations with our SME's to ensure that the need to know category is as lean as it can be.

This may be a hard sell for you. Folks are so used to seeing the typical 'e-poop in my soul please, one screen at a time... next' pattern that the proposal of anything different may fire up feelings of anxiety. We expected trouble going in so we prepared our case, laying out the deficiencies in the typical self-directed package model and clearly articulating the idea that if we respect the learner's time and focus on value and relevance we truly will have a more effective product. In the end, the customer agreed that effective > pile of irrelevant garbage.

You have your work cut out for you. Good luck:)