“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.”
— Often attributed to Benjamin Franklin
When designing an engaging eLearning experience, scenario-based learning often stands out. Scenarios offer a practical and interactive way to help learners connect with the material on a deeper level. They answer the age-old question we’ve all asked during mandatory training: “What does this have to do with me?”
The Essentials of Scenario Design
The good news is that building effective scenarios doesn’t have to be complicated. The key is to focus on three essential elements:
- Alignment – Ensure the scenario is aligned with your learning objectives and reflects real-world expectations and challenges.
- Specificity – Target specific, measurable skills or tasks that learners need to perform in their roles.
- Relevance – Design scenarios that are meaningful and applicable to learners at different career stages or experience levels.
How to Build Purposeful Scenarios
Let’s walk through the process of building a purposeful eLearning scenario using the Core Competencies for Public Health Professionals (Core Competencies) as an example.
Six Steps to Building a Purposeful eLearning Scenario
Step 1: Identify the Competency Focus
Start by selecting a domain that reflects your training goals. For example, suppose you’re developing a course on community engagement and health equity. You might focus on the Community Partnership Skills and Cultural Competency Skills domains.
Example Competency (Practice-Level):
“Engages with community members to identify and address public health concerns.”
Step 2: Define the Learning Objective
Now translate the competency into a clear, actionable learning objective that can be measured.
Objective:
“Apply culturally appropriate communication strategies to build trust with a hesitant community group during a public health outreach event.”
This sets the foundation for an authentic challenge.
Step 3: Create the Scenario Context
Situate the learner in a realistic public health setting. Use details that reflect actual challenges and dynamics they might face.
Scenario Context:
You’re a program coordinator at a local health department preparing to host a flu vaccine clinic at a community center. A recent uptick in misinformation has led to hesitancy among residents in the neighborhood. You’ve been asked to lead outreach and boost attendance.
This immediately invites the learner to step into a professional role that demands action.
Step 4: Introduce Decision Points
At key moments, offer branching or multiple-choice decisions that force the learner to consider cultural, ethical, and community dynamics. Link these back to the competency you’re targeting.
Decision Point Example:
You’ve gathered your outreach team for a planning meeting. What’s your next step? Choose the best answer.
A. Translate your existing flyers into the local language and distribute them at the community center
B. Invite trusted community leaders to co-host the clinic and help deliver messaging
C. Post general information about flu shots on social media and tag local groups
D. Hold a meeting with your internal staff to role-play potential Q&A
While several answers may seem plausible, B aligns most directly with engaging community partners and applying cultural competency.
Step 5: Offer Consequences and Reflection
Purposeful scenarios provide meaningful feedback. Go beyond “correct/incorrect,” by explaining the rationale and connecting it back to the targeted competency.
Feedback Example:
Correct: Involving community leaders helps build trust and ensures that messages are culturally relevant. This aligns with the Community Partnership domain by engaging stakeholders in addressing local health concerns.
Step 6: Wrap with a Summary
After completing the scenario, summarize the key takeaways and reinforce how the skills apply to the job.
Summary Example:
In this scenario, you practiced applying community partnership skills to a culturally sensitive outreach effort. These same strategies can be used when addressing vaccine hesitancy, program rollout, or health communication initiatives across diverse populations.
Scenario-based learning offers learners an opportunity to increase their knowledge in an engaging way while fostering critical thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
How PHF Can Help
PHF’s eLearning development services transform training into engaging, practical experiences that drive real-world results. We work with public health organizations to:
- Align scenarios with workforce goals and Core Competency domains.
- Design interactive learning experiences that promote decision-making and critical thinking.
- Develop customized eLearning solutions that are measurable, sustainable, and impactful.
Visit PHF’s eLearning Development Services page to learn more.
Want to explore the Core Competencies further?
Visit PHF’s Core Competencies page and take our new introductory course, Introduction to the Core Competencies for Public Health Professionals, developed by PHF’s eLearning team.
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Ready to get started?
Visit PHF’s eLearning Development Services page to learn more and contact us today!
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