Scenario-Based Learning

See also: Critical Incident-Based Learning, Design-Based Learning, Problem-Based Learning (PBL), Scenario Planning, Scenario-based Assessment.

Characteristics and advantages of SBL:

• It usually sounds like a story or a narrative of common occurrence (a case or problem that is commonly encountered in the workplace) with a specific plot, context and characters;
• It can have a game-like appearance;
• It is presented from the learner’s perspective;
• It involves a “precipitating event” which places the learner(s) in a role;
• It focuses on performance improvement rather than correct answers;
• It filters out theoretical information;
• It makes learner reflects engaging him in realistic situations;
• It has high instructional interactivity if learners are required to collaborate with their peers.

Scenario-Based Learning can be useful to:

• Let learners become aware of gaps in learning;
• Help learners to surmount difficulties in learning;
• Help learners to change their behaviour in specific situations;
• Assist teachers and tutors in describing difficult concepts.^[1]

• Determine if Scenario Based Learning is the best choice for your audience and type of subject

SBL generally works with tasks which involve judgement, decision making and problem solving skills and with learners who already have a relevant professional background.

• Determine the best scenario for the skills you want to develop

The main goal of SBL is building and improving expertise in a selected field. You can invite experts to list challenging situations they already experienced in job domain and their decisions and actions.

• Build your own learning environment/scenario

Identify a typical trigger event and give learners all necessary details (documents, data, and interviews). Moreover, you should design instructions and learning resources.

• Define your media

Define if you want to present your SBL task on a face-to-face or e-learning environment. In the former case, consider synchronous forms of collaborations such as discussion groups and decision making while in the latter case, asynchronous forms such as blogs, forums, or wikis would better suit your needs.^[2]

Job Aid