302 The Powerful Webcomic Approach – Learning from the Smithsonian Daniel Bliton, Booz Allen Hamilton and Robert Costello, Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History July 16 & 17, 2009 Produced by Not Just a Pretty Interface: Visuals and Graphics that Enhance Learning Not Just a Pretty Interface: Visuals and Graphics that Enhance Learning July 16 & 17, 2009 1 The Powerful Webcomic Approach – Learning from the Smithsonian Robert Costello, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History Dan Bliton, Booz Allen Hamilton 2 Hey. I am Dan. Hi. I am Robert. Go on. Tell them.. [email protected]@si.edu [email protected][email protected] ReferencesReferences at: at: http://del.icio.us/Learning2007 http://del.icio.us/Learning2007 Session 302 – The Powerful Webcomic Approach – Learning from the Page 1 Smithsonian - Daniel Bliton, Booz Allen Hamilton and Robert Costello, Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History Not Just a Pretty Interface: Visuals and Graphics that Enhance Learning July 16 & 17, 2009 3 Agenda I. Stories Compare a typical case study approach and more sticky story-based approach (see your hand out for Case Study One) The sticky story checklist II. Visual Storytelling at the Smithsonian Why use visual storytelling, like Webcomics? Example design from the Smithsonian’s Webcomic – The Secret in the Cellar Results and Lesson Learned StoriesStories areare experienceexperience simulators.simulators. TheyThey provideprovide thethe information,information, thethe context,context, andand thethe modelsmodels thatthat peoplepeople needneed toto makemake decisions.decisions. 4 How familiar are you with Storytelling and Visual Storytelling approaches? Why did you choose this session? PleasePlease type type your your replies replies into into thethe chat chat window. window. Session 302 – The Powerful Webcomic Approach – Learning from the Page 2 Smithsonian - Daniel Bliton, Booz Allen Hamilton and Robert Costello, Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History Not Just a Pretty Interface: Visuals and Graphics that Enhance Learning July 16 & 17, 2009 5 Approaches for Making Your Learning Stick! Storytelling Visual Storytelling Improves retention Makes oral and written text more concrete Engages learners Increases the number of concepts learned Yields deeper, more accurate learning Improves recall Enables emotional connections and Taps into existing visual acuity skills advocacy Offers knowledge instead of data Facilitates action-based stories with limited text Impacts affective domain 6 How do you turn a boring story about a machine into a sticky story that will produce action? An example from Sources of Power, by Gary Klein http://www.decisionmaking.com Using a Stephen Denning storytelling approach www.stevedenning.com Session 302 – The Powerful Webcomic Approach – Learning from the Page 3 Smithsonian - Daniel Bliton, Booz Allen Hamilton and Robert Costello, Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History Not Just a Pretty Interface: Visuals and Graphics that Enhance Learning July 16 & 17, 2009 7 We are going to present the same basic information it two ways First - A typical case study Second – A more sticky story-based approach 8 Malfunctioning Heart Monitor - a case-study story Session 302 – The Powerful Webcomic Approach – Learning from the Page 4 Smithsonian - Daniel Bliton, Booz Allen Hamilton and Robert Costello, Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History Not Just a Pretty Interface: Visuals and Graphics that Enhance Learning July 16 & 17, 2009 9 Read the case study below targeting new neonatal nurses and offer suggestions for improving the instructional intervention. Case Study: Malfunctioning Heart Monitor Teaching Point: When a patient is suffering a pneumopericardium, the heart rate monitor does not reflect the real heart beat. Definition: pneumopericardium (new – mO – perI – cardium) - A condition of new-born babies: Air fills the sac that surrounds the heart and turns it into a balloon. The heart is essentially paralyzed. Scenario: A nurse in a neonatal unit notices a baby having subtle color changes over a period of several hours. Then in a matter of seconds, the baby turns blue-black… The Goldway 4000F Vital Sign Monitor shows that his heart rate drops but then holds steady at eighty beats per minute. The nurse assumes it’s a collapsed lung. He calls for X-ray, and a doctor to come and puncture the baby’s chest wall to relieve the lung. Because neither the doctor nor the nurse recognizes that a pneumopericardium is present in time, the baby dies. Source: adapted from Klein, Gary (1998) Sources of Power : HowHow would would you you improve? improve? Please Please type type How People Make Decisions. MIT Press youryour replies replies into into the the chat chat window. window. 10 Action story Session 302 – The Powerful Webcomic Approach – Learning from the Page 5 Smithsonian - Daniel Bliton, Booz Allen Hamilton and Robert Costello, Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History Not Just a Pretty Interface: Visuals and Graphics that Enhance Learning July 16 & 17, 2009 11 12 Session 302 – The Powerful Webcomic Approach – Learning from the Page 6 Smithsonian - Daniel Bliton, Booz Allen Hamilton and Robert Costello, Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History Not Just a Pretty Interface: Visuals and Graphics that Enhance Learning July 16 & 17, 2009 13 14 A case study is made interesting The boring story of a malfunctioning machine The courageous story of Karen The story now provides simulation (knowledge about how to act) and inspirationinspiration (motivation(motivation toto act).act). Session 302 – The Powerful Webcomic Approach – Learning from the Page 7 Smithsonian - Daniel Bliton, Booz Allen Hamilton and Robert Costello, Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History Not Just a Pretty Interface: Visuals and Graphics that Enhance Learning July 16 & 17, 2009 15 Answer the ABCs to turn a case study into a story Action - What is the starting event? Background - What is the situation? Conflict - What needs to specifically happen? Development - What happens and who is involved? End - Why is this valuable? 16 Sticky Story SUCCESS Checklist Simple Unexpected Concrete Credible Emotional Sparks Action (or provides Solution) Source: Adapted from Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die www.madetostick.com Session 302 – The Powerful Webcomic Approach – Learning from the Page 8 Smithsonian - Daniel Bliton, Booz Allen Hamilton and Robert Costello, Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History Not Just a Pretty Interface: Visuals and Graphics that Enhance Learning July 16 & 17, 2009 17 18 Can you predict the most effective communication method for an organization? A study analyzed the effectiveness of four different methods of persuasion - when given the task of communicating that an organization really practiced a policy of avoiding layoffs. Which was the most effective method? A. A story alone B. Statistical data alone C. A combination of statistics and story D. A policy statement by senior company executive Source: Martin, J. and Powers, M. "Organizational Stories: More Vivid and Persuasive than Quantitative Data." Session 302 – The Powerful Webcomic Approach – Learning from the Page 9 Smithsonian - Daniel Bliton, Booz Allen Hamilton and Robert Costello, Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History Not Just a Pretty Interface: Visuals and Graphics that Enhance Learning July 16 & 17, 2009 19 Trouble at Checkpoint 4 was used to kick off discussions in online Army forums Source: Command Performance Research, Inc. StoriesStories provide provide the the context context for for learners learners to to make make decisions. decisions. WithinWithin 48 48 hours, hours, Trouble Trouble at at Checkpoint Checkpoint 4 4 was was the the highest highest ranked ranked contributioncontribution of of the the 5705 5705 knowledge knowledge objects objects posted posted in in the the discussion discussion forum.forum. 20 Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History We inspire curiosity, discovery, and learning about nature and culture . 6 – 7 million onsite visitors and 30 million online visitors in 2008 Session 302 – The Powerful Webcomic Approach – Learning from the Page 10 Smithsonian - Daniel Bliton, Booz Allen Hamilton and Robert Costello, Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History Not Just a Pretty Interface: Visuals and Graphics that Enhance Learning July 16 & 17, 2009 21 The Museum needed to expand reach and teach scientific learning objectives STUDENT RESPONSES Percent of students that selected “Very – Extremely Well” on the • Increase public question - How well did the Webcomic understanding of the inform you on: process of science The scientific process 67% • Increase public awareness of NMNH The practice of archaeology 57% research The practice of forensic 85% • Increase understanding Anthropology of forensic science Colonial Chesapeake 52% history 22 Audience characteristics – middle and high school students • Very computer savvy and connected • The members of the EYE generation are visually acute. They play video games, watch movies, and read comic books. Session 302 – The Powerful Webcomic Approach – Learning from the Page 11 Smithsonian - Daniel Bliton, Booz Allen Hamilton and Robert Costello, Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History Not Just a Pretty Interface: 23 Visuals and GraphicsJuly 16 &that 17, Enhance 2009 Learning Design idea: Webcomic with a main storyline and links to additional informationScene 2 – The and hook other activities