I’ve been thinking for a while about how to further enhance my BPMN Method and Style training. Even though we spend a LOT of time in class on exercises using a BPMN tool, either itp commerce or Signavio, students really need more practice to learn the material. To double the number of exercises would add a full day to the course, not economically justifiable. Also, there is a huge difference in the speed of completing exercises from one student to the next. An exercise that takes one student 2 minutes might take another one 10 or 15 minutes. It’s always a balancing act. So the idea of providing an online workbook or practice area has been in the back of my mind.
This summer I spent a few weeks in Italy, and to prepare I tried to learn a bit of Italian using the free iPad app Duolingo. This was a revelation, because it teaches a language entirely as a game. There is basically no explanation, just questions: Translate this into English. Translate this into Italian. Which of these is correct? Transcribe this dictation… I call it learning by making mistakes. If you get it wrong, no big deal. The same words and phrases come up multiple times in different forms. In each block of 20 questions you can miss up to 3; on the fourth one you have to re-do the lesson. It’s actually quite effective. At times I wish they would just add a bit of the old-fashioned way, like conjugation of verbs… but they don’t.
I have applied the Duolingo idea to learning BPMN. I’ve been building it using Articulate Storyline, an e-learning tool that supports a high degree of interactivity, output to html5 and iPad, and LMS integration…all without coding. Of the expected 9 or 10 modules, I have 3 done, or at least ready to beta test. Click here to see a short video clip. Some of the questions are basic multiple choice. Some are in the form of puzzles requiring assembly of tiles to create a correct BPMN diagram describing a scenario, or following some Method and Style principles.
Initially it will be offered to students of my regular training. The price is not yet determined, but I will make it available for free to anyone who signs up for my live-online class July 29-31.
love it! this would certainly help me a lot as an online student.
This looks really good having watched the video, particularly the puzzle one that involves dragging and dropping the tiles. This feels like a great way of keeping in step with changes in how people are interacting with media and to be able to bring something like BPMN into that environment could be a real win.
Nick
Ditto, Antigone! Will this be included as part of the online/web-based class offering?
I am still working on the registration details. The plan is to offer this to BPME students as a $49.95 add-on, but I may offer it as free incentive for some of my live or live-online classes.