An interactive educational practice that I absolutely adore is the concept of the branching scenarios. They can be built into several different tools (Moodle, H5P, Articulate Rise, etc) and can be paired with a reflective activity that allows the student to analyse and reevaluate their choices. If you’re interested in speeding up the ideation process with AI, check out my post: AI generated branching scenarios: Brainstorm, refine, and design reflection and discussion.
What are branching scenarios?
A branching scenario is a “choose your own adventure” style case-based learning task where students can explore critical decision points within a scenario. The scenario evolves as a result of those choices and presents implications based on those choices. There are many benefits to developing branching scenarios and importantly, branching scenarios allow students to make decisions and explore consequences in a safe space. Masha’al & Rababa (2020) noted high student self-confidence levels, along with positive perceptions around immediate feedback. Other studies have indicated that branching scenarios support the greater development of decision-making skills, whilst also echoing the positive contribution of immediate feedback (Argueta-Muñoz et al., 2023).
What branching scenarios look like?
Most of my branching scenarios have been built into Moodle, which I can’t show on this platform. However, I find it easiest to build the branching scenario into a mind mapping/visualisation software first, as it allows me to see the branches and connections between ideas. This part has been developed into Mural and is linked via the image below.
This branching scenario is about a student who needs to write a literature review. It has ‘low success’, ‘medium success’ and ‘high success’ endings, and anything in between is presented with further choices. Ultimately, the student will continue to make choices until they have a ‘medium success’ or ‘high success’ ending. In the ‘low success’ option, the student can return to a previous point to try a different option. Ultimately, I want the students to cycle through until they reach a ‘high success’ ending. They are free to progress through all options as often as they like.
How do you design feedback and reflection in branching scenarios for maximum impact?
Branching scenarios are good tools for learning, but if used in isolation they may result in students clicking through the choices mindlessly until they find the ‘correct’ answer, which is not the purpose. Critical reflection pairs well with this activity, as it is in the decision-making process and the reflection on those choices that the learning happens.
The example above would be presented to the students early on in their studies when they are not overly familiar with academic research. The goal is to get students thinking about what a literature search looks like, what skills they have, and how to better develop those skills. After completing the branching scenario, students would be presented with a critical reflection activity that they could submit as part of low stakes early assessment geared towards early feedback and intervention.
- Were there any moments when you felt uncertain or hesitant?
- What would help you to make these decisions more confidently?
- How did you use the feedback provided within the scenario to guide your decision-making?
- What areas do you need to work on to enhance your literature search skills?
- What action can you take to improve your skills in this area?
How can I create branching scenarios myself?
Step one: Choose an authentic scenario
Select a scenario that aligns with your learning outcomes and/or your university’s graduate attributes. You could choose an authentic situation they will likely encounter in their workplace, or a skill-based activity, like starting a group assessment task or preparing for an oral presentation.
Step two: Storyboard the choices
Describe a problem, situation or challenge that the students will encounter, and create choices based on this. Any more than three choices would make it too complex to develop further branches as each decision point leads to different branches. Create further branches where appropriate. Some branches may stop immediately and others may continue depending on the idea you are presenting. This is the initial part that is often best completed in a mind mapping tool to visualise all the branches.
Step three: Write the feedback
Clearly define the consequences and benefits of each choice in the feedback. What are the implications of this choice? How does it impact the outcome? This is where it’s best to avoid language like ‘correct’ and ‘incorrect’, as you want the student to reflect on the implications, not select the ‘right’ answer. This is why branching scenarios lend themselves to scenarios that explore topics that are not black and white.
Step four: Get peer feedback
Share your scenario with the rest of the teaching team for feedback, particularly for scenarios that wade through the grey area. Ask questions of your teaching team, particularly around the implications and the progression of choices. We all make different choices and have different opinions surrounding ‘grey area’ issues, so it’s important to hear a diverse range of voices. If needed, refine the scenario by adjusting the wording, bolstering the feedback, and altering the branches.
Step five: Develop the branching scenario into the LMS
Select the tool you wish to use for the branching scenario (I use the Moodle lesson) and build the scenario into the tool. This part is complex and can easily go wrong, which is where having the mind map of the scenario can come in handy. Ensure all options have feedback, and all choices are connected to return to base.
Step six: Connect the scenario to a reflective activity
Depending on your teaching method you may choose to do this immediately afterwards in a text or assessment submission, or you may choose to discuss the results as a group in the class or virtual class. If you have the capacity, offering feedback for this kind of task would be an ideal way of guiding the student towards resources they could use to develop the gaps in their knowledge and skills. In the example above, I developed a feedback bank that linked into the different library and study skills pages and workshops that I knew would likely be identified as a gap, which sped up the feedback process.
The challenge of a branching scenario is that it is challenging to brainstorm a good quality scenario that can be explored and it is mentally exhausting thinking through all the options and scenarios, and takes a considerable amount of time.
Learn more about how to leverage AI to create branching scenarios.
References
Masha’al, D., & Rababa, M. (2020). Nursing students’ perceptions towards branching path simulation as an effective interactive learning method. Teaching and Learning in Nursing, 15(4), 218–225. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.teln.2020.05.002
Argueta-Muñoz, F. D., Olvera-Cortés, H. E., Durán-Cárdenas, C., Hernández-Gutiérrez, L., & Gutierrez-Barreto, S. E. (2023). Instructional Design and Its Usability for Branching Model as an Educational Strategy. Cureus, 15(5), e39182. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.39182
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