Research on tools to enhance the story effects of story type teaching materials by e-learning

Abstract

E-learning, which essentially refers to learning digitally, has been around for some time, with the 'teaching machine' invented in 1954 to enable schools to administer programmed instruction to students and then, in 1960, the first computer-based training programme was developed. In the past decade, the potential for e-learning has blossomed, with the advent of more and more virtual spaces and resources. With more e-learning solutions now available than ever before, the phenomenon has never been more accessible but has the true potential of e-learning been realised and are people aware of what it can offer them? Dr Atsue Takeoka is a researcher working with the Graduate School of Instructional Systems (GSIS) at Kumamoto University, Japan, who is interested in exploring the true potential of e-learning and spreading the message of its importance. She has a particular interest in story-based learning. 'Enhancing the story using story-based teaching materials is not about making the story better, it is about finding the factors that bring learners closer to the story,' she highlights. 'Story-based learning is an effective way to maximise the potential of e-learning. I would like to find more ways to increase the potential of e-learning.' Takeoka and her team are interested in something called the story-based curriculum (SCC), which is a curriculum based on goal-based scenarios (GBS) that incorporates mistakes into a computer-based story. This led to the development of the GSIS-SCC, whereby instead of being done as a virtual simulation on a computer, GBS is done in real-world situations. 'SCC has three major features,' outlines Takeoka. 'The first is to use human teachers. The second is to use existing content without developing it as much as possible. The third is to learn from the team. And, GSIS-SCC has another feature. It regularly provides opportunities for reflection.'