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Employing Stories to Teach:

Storytorials as a Framework for Learning

Kevin Cassel and JC Kinnamon, Ph.D.

SAI Global

Plainsboro, New Jersey, USA

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Questions to Answer

What are the benefits of story-based online training vs simpler instructional methods? And who says there are benefits?

Is story-based training worth the extra instructional design effort? And what exactly is involved?

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Who’s talking about the power of a story?

Storytelling and learning are popular subjects for authors…

… in the general press ... in business … in education … for corporate training … for selling … for convincing juries

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Our Story

Context: – Fulfill mandate to provide “effective”

training…

… in a subject area that is usually considered boring

– Training is compulsory

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Our Story

Goals:– Insure learner engagement (make it interesting)– Optimize understanding and remembering– Optimize knowledge application

Scene from Global Antibribery, SAI Global

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Storytorials

An instructional strategy

– Combines a narrative as a motivational and structural device…

… with tenets of cognitive load theory

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The Storytorial: Our brand

45-minute online course On one topic Single narrative Video-based story leads Linear structure Common framework

– UI– ID

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The “story-telling” effect on Instructional Design

Adds interest– Built-in motivator

Brings order and structure– Teaching gets spread out

Focuses on examples– Reduces reliance on exposition

Aligns training with real-world context– Sharpens focus on transfer

Scene from Global Antibribery, SAI Global

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Applying a story-based approach to instruction

Q: When do stories work as an instructional device?

A: It depends on the subject matter!

Identify the best instructional approach given the nature of the subject matter

Scene from Global Antibribery, SAI Global