Creating an eLearning module brings me immense joy. The process requires a thoughtful approach even when I am fluent in the topic. It begins with a Training Needs Analysis, ensuring I understand the learners' current knowledge, skills, and gaps. I carefully consider my audience—not just their prior experience but also their motivations, learning preferences, and potential challenges. Identifying the instructional gap is key; it shapes the structure and content of the module, ensuring that every element serves a clear purpose in bridging that gap effectively.
With the learning needs identified, I tailor my teaching style to enhance clarity, engagement, and retention, striking a balance between guidance and exploration for a meaningful learning experience.
A Training Needs Assessment identifies the critical performance gap between current organizational capabilities and desired outcomes, pinpointing the specific knowledge, skills, or competencies required to bridge that divide.
Our Functional Storytelling eLearning program was crafted through a comprehensive framework that prioritizes flexible, engaging, and accessible learning. By leveraging established instructional design methodologies like ADDIE, Bloom's Taxonomy, and the Successive Approximation Model (SAM), we developed a self-paced digital learning experience that transforms how participants understand and apply storytelling techniques.
The module is about a Purpose-driven narrative framework that transforms storytelling into a strategic tool. Through interactive case studies, multimedia content, and personalized exercises, participants learn to craft narratives that drive specific outcomes. With a focus on accessibility and practical application, the program empowers learners to develop meaningful stories across diverse professional contexts.
TEACHING STYLES
I see myself as a flexible instructor who adapts my teaching style to the context and audience. While I favor interactivity and learner autonomy, I recognize that different situations call for different approaches.
As Saunders & Wong (2020) suggest, even facilitators sometimes need to adopt an expert role to efficiently introduce new concepts or provide foundational knowledge. I integrate expert lectures when necessary, but shift toward a facilitator or delegator role when learners need hands-on practice and application. My goal is to create an engaging, student-centered learning experience that balances guidance with independence.
Narration have been incorporated into most of the slides to facilitate deeper audience engagement, enhance comprehension, and provide contextual depth to visual information.
INCORPORATING ADULT LEARNING PRINCIPLES
Based on William Rothwell's Adult Learning Basics (Rothwell, 2020), the Functional Storytelling eLearning module integrates key adult learning principles to enhance engagement and effectiveness.
Problem-Centered Learning is a core component of the module, focusing on real-world professional challenges that storytelling can address. Rather than presenting abstract theory, the content is structured around practical applications in fields such as marketing, education, and design. Learners are given an assignment to construct a story using a specific framework, providing a concrete problem to solve. This approach aligns with adults’ preference for learning that is immediately applicable to their work and personal growth.
Experiential Learning plays a significant role by leveraging adults’ accumulated professional experiences as a foundation for new knowledge. The module encourages learners to create their own stories using established frameworks, acknowledging and building upon their existing expertise. This process respects adults as autonomous, self-directed learners who bring valuable insights to the learning experience while guiding them toward new applications of storytelling techniques.
Relevance and Goal-Orientation ensure that the content connects storytelling techniques to professional outcomes. Adult learners are motivated by clear benefits to their work, so the module highlights specific applications across industries and emphasizes purpose-driven narratives. By making clear connections between storytelling skills and professional success, the module addresses adults’ need to understand why they are learning something and how it will help them achieve their goals.
Interactive elements transform eLearning from passive information consumption to an engaging, personalized learning experience that promotes active participation, improves knowledge retention, and enables immediate feedback and skill application.
ENGAGEMENT
The eLearning Module of Functional Storytelling engages adult learners through an interactive and structured approach.
Activating learners with multimedia, the module begins with a dynamic presentation that introduces key storytelling concepts. By incorporating visuals and audio, it captures interest and helps learners connect prior knowledge to new content, making the learning experience more engaging and relevant.
Demonstrating frameworks with video and visual aids, the module presents storytelling techniques in a clear and accessible way. Engaging videos and diagrams illustrate abstract ideas, helping learners understand how different elements of storytelling come together.
Applying the framework is a key component, as learners actively create their own stories through guided activities. This hands-on practice allows them to reinforce their understanding and apply concepts in a meaningful way, fostering deeper learning and creativity.
Evaluating knowledge ensures that learners grasp the storytelling framework effectively. Through interactive assessments, they demonstrate their comprehension of key steps, allowing them to refine their skills and confidently integrate storytelling into their own work.
REFERENCES
Saunders, L., & A. Wong, M. (2020). Instruction in libraries and information centers: An introduction. Windsor & Downs Press. https://doi.org/10.21900/wd.12
Rothwell, W. (2020). Adult Learning Basics. Association for Talent Development.
