The Problem

Agape Animal Rescue and Training Center needs their new foster parents to be able to train their foster dog in basic skills such as stay and sit. In addition, they needed current foster parents to learn effective training techniques, which became apparent during the analysis stage. As part of training dogs, the foster parent must also recognize a dog’s body language to better understand the dog’s needs. Overall, good training reduces the dog’s anxiety and produces better behavior. The success rate of adoption is higher for well behaved and calm dogs.

The Solution

With the help of the Subject Matter Experts at Agape Rescue, I developed a scenario-based solution for new foster parents to practice following the proper routines for training their foster dogs. During my meetings with the SMEs, it became apparent that current foster parents also needed practice with appropriate dog behavior training. I developed scenarios with the incorrect choices that a foster parent most likely makes and incorporated real-life consequences for those choices. Because of this discovery during our analysis, Agape plans to implement this module of the training to current foster parents as well. I also developed a matching activity to help new foster parents identify a dog’s body language. The scenario-based learning allows for new foster parents to experience consequences for choices in a safe environment.

My Process

Using the ADDIE framework, I met with the SMEs at Agape to identify the problem, outlined the steps for dog training, and began the design process. I wrote a storyboard based on the information given by the SMEs, designed visual mock ups and a prototype, and fully developed the project using Articulate Storyline.

Action Map

Next, I guided the SMEs to identify measurable and actionable objectives. I used the actions written by the SMEs to establish positive and negative consequences for each decision the foster parent may make when in the middle of training their foster dog.

Text-based Storyboard

Once I had gathered all required information from the SMEs and established consequences for choices within that information, I began to write a text-based storyboard. This storyboard was the blueprint for the project. I included all content, scenarios with consequences, programming notes, and visual notes.

When writing the scenarios with the consequences, I made sure that each answer choice was equal in length and that the distractors were realistic enough, so that the correct answer choice was not obvious.

In an effort to avoid a lot of text, I designed a mentor character to help guide the learner toward the correct answer choice. I created the mentor to allow the learner to make mistakes while giving them the option to seek out information as needed. This strategy keeps the learner engaged while allowing for choice.

I reached out to my instructional designer community for feedback on my storyboard. They provided feedback which helped my scenarios become more realistic and concise. I then reviewed the storyboard with the SMEs at Agape and once approved, I began the next step of my process: visual mock ups.

Full Development

After receiving feedback throughout all of the above steps, I began to work on the final product. There were still many things to adjust along the way, but I was able to move through those adjustments quickly with the development process I followed. There are many sections of the project that I would like to highlight here.

First, I am very pleased with how effective the progress meter was. The learner was able to stay engaged by seeing their progress. They were also able to consider their mistakes if the meter went down with an incorrect response. If the learner was not engaged or not utilizing the mentor and continually chose the wrong answer, once the meter reached a certain point, the learner was required to restart the entire course.

Much of the training for the dog builds on the previous training. It was a challenge to keep all information within the scenario-based learning while keeping the steps in chronological order. Therefore, the learner is unable to proceed to the next step until they choose the correct answer. Some necessary information is given in these consequence slides, so no information is lost.

Agape requested that their “Clicker Training” remain optional. I included the video with closed captioning options, the necessary information, and one scenario but allowed the learner to skip if necessary. The scenario will still impact the progress meter but will not count against the learner if they decide to skip the “Clicker Training.”

There was a lot of information about dog behavior that needed to be given to the learner. I created a tab interaction slide that allows for learner choice. The learner is not able to proceed to the rest of the course until they have viewed all tabs.

Finally, the user is able to review information with downloadable job aids before exiting the course.