10.3. Effective Lesson PracticesLessons can be an interesting change of pace for your students. They may require more upfront development time than many other types of tools, but they do provide some benefits. The two basic lesson types, branching quizzes and flash-cards are relatively easy to set up. 10.3.1. Branching QuizzesThe most basic lesson structure is branching quiz. You use branches to organize sets of questions around different topics or concepts in your course. Each branch of the quiz leads to a linear series of pages and test questions and then returns to the main branch. The main-branch page acts as a table of contents for the lesson, as shown in Figure 10-4. Figure 10-4. Branching quiz schematicIf you decide to build this type of lesson, be sure to include a link to the end of the lesson on the main page. If not, the students will have no way of ending the lesson and recording their score. If you create a lesson with a branch table and strings of questions, be sure to set a reasonable minimum number of questions. Otherwise, students will be able to visit one branch and receive a maximum score for the lesson, even though they didn't look at any other branches. To create a branching quiz:
10.3.2. Flash CardsFlash cards can be a useful way to practice recalling basic facts and definitions. As we discussed in Chapter 9, learning vocabulary can be one of the most difficult tasks for novices in any field of study. Flash cards allow students to practice rapidly recalling definitions as an initial step toward learning how to communicate in a new field. The lessons module can act like a deck of flash cards, presenting either the whole deck or a subset of cards to students when they want to study the new terms. Each question page is a separate card, and students can rapidly react to each one in turn. This is a very different structure than the branching quizzes. Setting up a flash-cards lesson requires specifying options when you first create the lesson. To create a flash-cards lesson:
Once you've created the deck of flash cards, you can release it to your students so they can practice answering the questions you've created. 10.3.3. Creative Lesson UsesWhile branching quizzes and flash cards are interesting applications, there is a hidden potential in the lessons module that makes it much more interesting than it at first appears. If we take advantage of the ability of each answer in a question page to link to any other page, we can create branching Choose Your Own Adventure -style simulations or case studies. 10.3.3.1. Simulations and case studiesA branching simulation can be a great learning tool. On each page, the student reads some information or looks at a picture (or both) and makes a decision about what to do next. For example, a medical simulation may start out by presenting a patient's complaint and then asking what should be done next. Possible choices could be to order a test or to do nothing. If the student orders a test, each branch would present the results of the test and asks the student what should be done next. Each page could include an option to switch from diagnosis to treatment, which would branch the student to a different set of options. To successfully create a branching simulation, you will definitely have to map out each page in advance. The first page should introduce the situation. You'll need to include enough details in the first page to get the students started. If you have other materials you want them to use in the simulation, you may want to create a resource link the students can access before they start the lesson. If you just want students to engage in the decision-making process and not receive a grade, simply create a series of branch tables. Otherwise, you can create a combination of branching tables and questions. To create a simulation:
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