Learning-by-doing in the 21st century
by Tomas Dreifaldt

Today there are few who believe that education should be passive and boring. Study after study, verifies the assertion that we retain a far greater amount of knowledge if we are enjoying ourselves during a learning-by-doing process. By using revolutionary scenario-based simulation technology, Swedish-based Intermezzon have found an efficient and fun-filled way to combine interactive learning-by-doing and entertainment for the 21st century.

I’ve been in the business of training thousands of sales professionals in sales skills and behaviour for over a decade. Over the years, my colleagues and I at Intermezzon found that there is a limit to what one can achieve by using traditional classroom training. We knew from experience that the rate of knowledge retention increases dramatically through learning-by-doing. After all, that is how small children acquire skills like sitting, crawling, walking and talking. With the development of the Internet we saw a great opportunity to create enjoyable, efficient and truly interactive web-based eLearning for the business world by using new and revolutionary technology.

At Intermezzon we have developed a scenario-based eLearning simulation, complete with a host of realistic characters based on Myers-Briggs personality types in a computer game format. This format allows the adult student to learn from previous mistakes in a controlled virtual environment, without the costly and harsh consequences of the real world. Our version of eLearning also allows the student-user to individually allot time for practical training, and to train as frequently desired or needed, to learn a correct and reflex-like behaviour in a given situation. The more realistic the simulation feels, the greater the rate of knowledge retention.

Intermezzon has designed and developed eLearning to the stage where it is possible to create simulated environments and realistic scenarios as an aid to understanding and mastering entire spectra of complex processes and situations. We customise, and build, web-based and reusable simulations for the specific needs of each client. Clients can maintain and update their own custom-built simulated training in-house by using the authoring software tool Intermezzon Designer 3.0: an easy-to-use Windows-based programme that is operated via dialogues and therefore requires no computer-programming skills to run.

During July 2001, our client Compaq presented their Swedish resellers with a customised sales training to help them sell Compaq’s newly launched server solutions to small, and medium, sized Swedish firms. The objective of this investment was to not only increase reseller knowledge & understanding of Compaq’s new product, but to enhance Compaq’s image and position as market leader and leading innovator in their field. According to Kjell Ahlzén, Director of Partner Sales at Compaq Sweden:

“ We wanted to motivate our resellers to make better deals with affective and entertaining eLearning, so-called edutainment, instead of merely relying on annual kick-off events, complete with traditional classroom training, and the often unopened sales-pamphlet.”

Compaq’s scenario-based simulation, known as “The Sales School”, is part of a wider Compaq programme aimed at this group of resellers. This entire package, comprising 300 sales executives at 200 resellers, has been remarkably successful. As part of Compaq’s Sales School, student users were asked whether they would actively recommend the training to a colleague. Over 80 percent have done so.

At Intermezzon, we believe that our designer tools lend us the freedom to focus on the content and pedagogy of scenario-based eLearning simulations together with our clients (leading eLearning companies, large industrial conglomerates and IT-ventures), rather than limiting ourselves to a jargon-packed computer programming discussion.

Having fun is an essential aspect in all forms of education. Your self-motivations to learn, and your ability to retain the new information, increase substantially if you enjoy what you’re doing.