Mobile, Online Role Play for Learning: KLM’s experiences

At KLM, trainers constantly travel around the world to offer specific training sessions at each location. This means that every specific training session will only be given once every four years at the same location. Using online applications, a more effective solution was found. Together with my colleague Hans Broos, I hosted a session on Learning2016 in Orlando, titled ‘Mobile, Online Role Play for Learning’. Here, I will summarize our experiences.

Our central question was whether you can learn from a role-playing game when there are no actors or other participants present. We provide programs where a trainer goes to different places in the world to provide a training session every four years, consisting of information and communication. However, the training results are not very high. If the trainer returns four years later, the population that has to be trained appears to be completely new and as a result, we’re back at the start. We therefore focused at the following questions:

• Why should you train information? Could this be changed?
• How can you train communication outside a classroom?
• How do we make sure everything is mobile?

Information via app and web

We figured this out soon enough for the information part. Information can be accessed very well in an app or via a website. We chose a solution where the website and app contain the same information, with additional push functionality for the app. A simple solution which, once installed on your mobile device, forms a performance support tool. All important information to perform the tasks is in the app, as well as scripts for conducting conversations.

Video simulation

For the communication part, we eventually developed a solution by ourselves (with the help of Movietrader) in which the participant can test different possibilities to see what response he receives. The video starts when walking to the front door of a house. The occupant opens the door and looks at you. Then the video stops and you have to choose between three opening sentences. After making a choice, the choice is read aloud. Then the video goes on and shows you how the resident responds to your opening line. In order to keep the participant on the right track, a digital coach has been added to provide feedback. In the development, the following steps were taken:

• Writing the scripts;
• Making the recordings;
• Processing the raw film material;
• The logical ordering of the learning material.

I think it's a very nice way to show someone a complete process or story. However, there is a disadvantage: you can walk through the entire story in just a few clicks. You can see what reaction your choice sorts, but you are still quite passive. It remains limited to awareness. But if we talk about behavior, we should not stay passive. Therefore, we kept searching for a solution.

Hands-on training

People need to get hands-on experience. To achieve that, we offer video-based exercises on the tablet after completing the video simulation, through TrainTool. This is a very interactive way of working with behavioral situations. The participant is given exactly the same situation as in the video simulation. The advantage of this is that he already knows how the story will develop. The video also stops in exactly the same spot as in the simulation.

The big difference now is that there are no more possibilities shown. Instead, the screen says "rec". You will now be prompted to respond directly to your tablet's camera. If you think you've finished your response, you save the recording and review it. In practice, it appears that you won’t be satisfied after the first try. You notice your voice sounds weird, for instance. So you just repeat the exercise, until you're satisfied. That’s the big advantage of this system: without feeling like it, you are constantly exercising until you found the perfect response. This in contrast to an ordinary role-play, where you can usually only practice once. People often find it scary or difficult in a group, and rather skip their turn. The online way is much safer and independent of location: people find their own safe environment to practice.

Giving feedback to each other

After the recording has been made, a number of appraisal questions help you determine whether the answer you provided is as required. However, you still do not know if the intonation was good and how your facial expressions came about. For that, you can send your recording to someone else. Within the platform, you can choose the videos to be submitted to a coach by default. Peer feedback consists of answering the same appraisal questions and an open remark about intonation, facial expression, sentence construction, etc.

More frequent exercises and higher productivity

The overall package of video simulation and video exercise is a very nice way to make people exercise regularly within a safe environment, I think. An additional advantage is that the participant is less away from their  workplace, which benefits the organization's productivity. As an extra, you could organize a live session, where you walk through the same scenarios with the help of actors. This adds another dimension: the reaction of the other person. Because you've been practicing often, it becomes less difficult, since you already know how to respond and you can focus more on listening to the other person.