Plan the learning
The tool guides show you how to build a lesson. This section helps you decide what to build, so that learners don't just see an impressive scene, but leave able to do something they couldn't do before.
Every guideline here is based on learning research, and every one links to the ALF tool that puts it into practice. You don't need a background in teaching to use them.
The big idea: the same task, with less and less help
ALF lessons follow one idea: learners do the same task several times, and each time
- the help goes down: fewer instructions, shorter hints;
- the realism goes up: from a virtual room, to digital help on the real object, to the real object alone;
- the learner takes over more decisions.
| Stage | Where | Help | What it's for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orient | At the start | Full | See the whole task, the goal and the background. |
| Practise in VR | A virtual room | High, then less | Learn the task safely. Mistakes cost nothing. |
| Transfer in AR | The real room, with digital help on the real object | Low | Do the task on the real thing, with help where it's needed. |
| Perform for real | The real object, no headset | None | Show you can do it. This is where you check the goal. |
Not every lesson needs every stage. Choose the stages helps you pick.
Answer eight short questions about your goal, your learners and your equipment, and get a plan with the stages, the learning path and the tips that fit your lesson: Plan my lesson.
The guidelines, in planning order
| # | Guideline | The question it answers |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Start from the goal | What should learners be able to do at the end, and how will you know? |
| 2 | Choose the stages | What happens in VR, in AR and on the real object? |
| 3 | Plan the support, then fade it | How much help do learners get, and when does it go? |
| 4 | Design each step | How do you keep a step clear and easy to follow? |
| 5 | Let learners act | How do learners do, not just watch? |
| 6 | Plan for mistakes | What goes wrong, and how do learners find out? |
| 7 | Close the loop | How does the lesson carry over to the real task? |
| 8 | Motivation, comfort and inclusion | How do all learners stay in, and stay well? |
Then, while building:
- Which tool for which teaching goal: start from what you want learners to do, and find the tool.
- Checklist before learners try it: go through it before the first real session.
- The theory behind the guidelines: where each recommendation comes from.
How each guideline is written
Each guideline has the same parts, so you can scan them quickly:
| Part | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Do | What to do, in plain words. |
| In ALF | Which tool and guide put it into practice. |
| The learner experiences | What it looks like from inside the headset. |
| Avoid | The mistake authors often make here. |
| Why | The reason, and the research it comes from. |
Some guidelines need features ALF doesn't have yet, for example feedback when a learner does something wrong. Those are marked Not built in yet, with a workaround you can use today.
Where this fits in your work
- Plan with these guidelines, on paper: the goal, the stages, the steps.
- Build with the tools, in the order of Building a lesson, in order.
- Check with the checklist, then try the lesson yourself and with one learner.