You can use one-question mini-scenarios to make your assessments more relevant and valuable. Mini-scenarios are fast and easy to build. You don’t need any special tools, just the modlette multiple choice question in modlettes.
Imagine you’re creating a course for line managers on coaching for performance. The third and fourth steps in the Corrective Coaching Discussion Agenda are:
3. Clarify the performance gap (then ask the person’s thoughts and listen/discuss without getting side-tracked)
4. Ask the person what they will do to prevent the performance slip up from happening again.
This would probably produce a typical comprehension question like this:
“In the corrective coaching discussion you have told the person where you believe they have breached the performance standard. What should you do next?
- Write this down for them
- Show them the agreed performance standard
- Listen and discuss
- Go on to tell them how to prevent this happening again.
Re-written as a mini-scenario
Compare the question above to this one.
“John Appleton is a production line manager in a manufacturing plant. He has taken Sylvia Knott aside for a breach of safety standards. They have agreed that wearing a bangle while tending a cutting machine is against safety protocol.
Which question should John ask next?
- Are you going to do this again?
- What do you think might happen to cause an accident?
- Why do you think we have this standard?
In the second example, a mini-scenario sets up the question. This provides context. Now it’s a concrete situation with a problem to solve, rather than an abstract comprehension question. This question is about applying the concept as in a relevant situation rather than just remembering what you read or heard.
Using a mini-scenario added a total of four sentences but made the situation more relevant to the actual workplace.
Easy and flexible
These mini-scenarios are fairly easy to create. It doesn’t take much more time to write than a traditional multiple choice question. One-question mini-scenarios are also fairly flexible.
It is also easy to combine mini-scenarios with other instructional approaches. Even a fairly traditional linear modlette, you can use mini-scenarios instead of typical knowledge checks. This will make your assessments more engaging and relevant.