This week’s E-Learning Heroes Challenge is Using Random Number Variables.
‘Using random number variables is just another way to design more dynamic e-learning,’ David Anderson wrote in his introduction to this week’s challenge – perhaps anticipating that many designers are unfamiliar with this feature of Storyline.
Adding the element of chance to your design can make your training simulations more realistic, increase the replay value to your course, and challenge and entertain your learners in new and exciting ways.
If you’re not used to working with number variables, or tend to think of e-learning as a linear experience, deciding how and when to use random number variables can be a confusing – even daunting – prospect.
This is because the impulse to create tightly controlled learning experiences that anticipate your learner’s every move is strong. Relinquishing some of this control, and letting fate decide the flow, appearance or content of your course can create a much richer experience.
Rather than asking your learner to ‘click next’, why not ask them to pick a card, flip a coin or roll a dice instead?
This is a great technique to build anticipation, engagement and participation.
This week's @ELHChallenge is 𝗨𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗥𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗺 𝗡𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗩𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲𝘀. What could be more random than a 'whack-a-mole' style interaction that presents random facts about the classic movie, Caddyshack? pic.twitter.com/2NgQzaR8jd
— ᴊ ᴏ ɴ ᴀ ᴛ ʜ ᴀ ɴ_ʜ ɪ ʟ ʟ (@DevByPowerPoint) July 10, 2021
Pick a card, any card
A common use of this feature is to present a random selection of content to the learner. This is useful for chunking material that doesn’t need to be read in a particular order, such as facts about the movie Caddyshack.
Setting this up is simple. You only need two triggers: one to generate a random number and another to change your content based on that number.
In these screenshots, you will see that I have used state changes to alter the appearance and content of a single object on another layer. But you could achieve the same effect by using the random number to trigger a jump to different slides too, somewhat like a branching scenario.
Whatever route you choose, your button or trigger must include a condition based on the random number. I.e. Change state of Scorecard to 5 if Random_Fact = value 5 or Jump to slide Scorecard 5 if Random_Fact = value 5.
Déjà vu
Versatile though it is, the random number trigger does have one drawback: it doesn’t remember if it has chosen a number before and the chance of it picking the same number again is high if you are working with a smaller range of numbers.
For instance, if you are working with a range of ten numbers, the chance of picking the same number again rises to 50% or more once five of the numbers have already been chosen.
If you’re working with just three numbers, once two have been picked the chance of picking the same number again leaps to 66%.
Version 1 of That Darned Gopher was a short ‘one and done’ demonstration of randomised content. However, some empty space in the layout was bugging me, so I added a tally feature to Version 2. This also created an incentive to keep playing and complete a ’round’. But I found that it could take as many as 20 attempts to reveal all 10 facts, as the random number trigger does not remember its previous selections.
What are the chances?
When I tested Version 2 of my demo I found that the first four or five selections usually played out without repeating. Thereafter, the experience became a bit more frustrating. As fun as repeatedly stomping the gopher is, re-reading the same facts about Caddyshack isn’t nearly as engaging.
The math supports these observations. The table below shows when the chance of seeing the same content twice rises above 50%. Working with ten options makes this easy to calculate, but the same logic can be applied to different sample sizes.
Once you have identified this ‘tipping point’, you need to modify or supercede the random number variable to take into account the previous selections.
| 1 Picked | 2 Picked | 3 Picked | 4 Picked | 5 Picked | 6 Picked | 7 Picked | 8 Picked | 9 Picked | 10 Picked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1/10 | 2/10 or 1/5 | 3/10 | 4/10 | 5/10 or 1/2 | 6/10 or 3/5 | 7/10 | 8/10 or 4/5 | 9/10 | 10/10 |
| 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% | 100% |
The illusion of choice
With the help of Bill Murray’s character in Caddyshack, here’s how I eliminated repeat selections once 50% of the options had been chosen.
Because the first five plays are completely random, the switch to the ascending or descending checklists for the remaining plays is not noticeable, as the overall pattern of each round will be shaped by those first five plays.
However, you could easily expand this concept to cover all ten plays, with several checklists that analyse the available options in many different orders.
The trick here is that only the first and as yet untaken option is actioned by each ‘CPU’ when it is activated. If each ‘CPU’ is activated at random, the overall sequence will be completely unpredictable.
Here’s a simplified copy of Version 3 that illustrates this technique in action for you to download and experiment with.
Gopher it!
Version 3 was a much slicker and satisfying experience. Although there was still a small chance of seeing the same selection twice during the first five plays, this was offset by the playfulness of the ‘whack-a-mole’ interaction.
This is why I always try to emphasise the ‘fun’ in functional, by replacing ‘click next’ with something a bit more surprising where appropriate. This helps to fulfil Gagne’s First Event of Instruction – to stimulate and gain the attention of students.
But the ‘whack-a-mole’ interaction provides only a short term hit of endorphines. What Version 3 lacked was an ultimate reward for completing a round.
Version 4 of That Darned Gopher includes a funny scene that rewards the learner for reading all ten facts about Caddyshack.
Eliminating the possibilities
What if you want to eliminate the possibilty of seeing the same selection twice. Can this be done?
In short, yes, it can!
The steps outlined in this blog will take you most of the way there and I encourage you to experiment with this method further. If you want a complete solution, you may be interested in the session I presented at DevLearn 2020.
My 25-minute tutorial, No AI? No Problem! How to Build a Computer Opponent in Storyline Without Javascript, will show you how to create a non-repeating random number generator to power an intelligent but fallible computer opponent.
For the price of a coffee I will send you a password to view the full presentation, with links to the supporting resources.