Scenario-based e-learning mission where learners secure critical knowledge before experts retire.
Title: Memory Vault Challenge. Securing Critical Knowledge
Format: Scenario-based eLearning module
Duration: ~22 mins (self-paced)
Target Audience: Managers, team leads, HR or L&D staff who support knowledge transfer
Role: Instructional designer, scenario writer, interaction designer, storyboard author
Tools Used: iSpring Max, PowerPoint, Canva, Amazon S3
Skills Applied:
Scenario design and branching structure
Needs analysis and task analysis for knowledge capture
Assessment design aligned to mission objectives
Application of Gagné and Merrill in a practical flow
Interaction design with decisions, hotspots, knowledge checks, and feedback
Focus:
Help learners spot at-risk knowledge before experts leave
Practice choosing capture methods under time pressure
Build habits for observation, prioritising risk, and framing urgency for leaders
Defined the core problem. Critical knowledge walks out the door when SMEs retire, transfer, or leave, and processes are only partially documented.
Wrote mission objectives that linked each vault to tasks such as identifying at-risk knowledge, observing work, and framing risk for leaders.
Framed the experience as a “mission” with three vaults. Process capture, shadowing and gap analysis, and leadership readiness. This created urgency and a clear narrative path.
Planned a slide-by-slide flow using Gagné and Merrill. Attention, objectives, demo, practice, feedback, assessment, and integration are tagged on each slide.
Built Vault 1 around Kayla, the onboarding expert. Learners see tacit knowledge surface through sticky notes, shortcuts, and unofficial steps, then choose a capture method under tight time.
Used a single best-answer decision for capture method. The success path uses a live process map. Suboptimal options leave gaps or create ethical risk. Immediate feedback shows the impact of each choice.
Built Vault 2 around Ravi, the operations coordinator. A hotspot activity asks learners to observe his workflow and click items that reveal hidden knowledge such as personal logs, batching habits, and shortcuts.
Followed with a prioritisation question. Learners choose which gap is highest risk. Feedback distinguishes personal logs and undocumented fixes from simple preferences.
Added a follow-up decision on how to act after shadowing. The best option uses a structured checklist and reflection while the session is fresh. Other options delay action or rely on secondhand information.
Built Vault 3 as a readiness dashboard. An accordion interaction lets learners explore process coverage, SME availability, tool readiness, and risk areas. This shifts from one workflow to an organisational view.
Closed with a role-play choice with the CEO. Learners pick how to present the dashboard. The best answer acknowledges strengths but highlights the biggest risk and links it to action. Other options downplay risk or stall.
Finished with a graded “Mission Debrief” quiz that checks core skills. Capture methods, high-risk gaps, urgency factors, stakeholder support, and value of interactivity.
Better awareness of how quickly knowledge becomes risky when only held in memory or personal files.
Stronger decisions about which capture tools to use first under time limits.
More consistent habits for observing work, recording what matters, and acting immediately after a shadowing session.
Improved ability to frame knowledge risk for leaders using simple dashboards and clear language.
Narrative framing matters. The “mission” structure grabbed learner attention and kept engagement high across each vault.
Realism improves impact. Scenarios with partial information, tight timing, and realistic personalities (e.g., Kayla’s “shortcuts” and Ravi’s personal logs) made decisions feel authentic.
iSpring’s branching features were robust. It was easy to simulate different paths and ensure feedback matched learner choices.
Consequences teach better than scores. Feedback showing what happens if a decision goes wrong helped reinforce the urgency of proper knowledge capture.
This project deepened my skill in designing fast-paced, decision-based learning in iSpring Max and demonstrated how scenario learning can shift behaviors around documentation, process sharing, and organizational continuity.
Deliverables included:
iSpring Max scenario-based module with three “vaults” and a graded mission debrief
Visual assets for mission branding, vault icons, and dashboard elements