NEW! Scenario-Based eLearning Design Certificate:
Strategies to Engage, Motivate, and Transfer Skills

A Series of 3 Online Sessions Starting August 5, 2026

Register Early! Course size is limited.

 

Certificate Overview

In this interactive certificate, you’ll learn to design scenario-based learning to increase participant engagement, provide relevant practice, and change behaviors. This program provides criteria to help you determine when and how to use scenario-based learning (and when you should pick another instructional approach). Gain strategies for working with SMEs and stakeholders to gather stories and relevant details. You’ll practice creating believable characters, meaningful challenges, plausible distractors, and constructive feedback. These elements of scenarios can grab your learners’ attention, emotionally engage them, and increase their motivation. You’ll build decision-making scenarios that improve skill transfer, accelerate expertise, and assess higher level skills. With hands-on exercises, you’ll craft one-question mini-scenarios and plan more complex scenarios. You’ll also compare the advantages of various tools and multimedia options for scenarios. By the end of the program, you’ll have a practical toolkit for designing scenario-based learning that is realistic, scalable, and aligned with real performance outcomes. You will work on your own scenario-based learning project throughout the course to produce a highly effective end product.

Bonus Items:

• Comprehensive digital workbook with resources, templates, and checklists.

Prerequisites:  

• At least a foundational level of instructional design and elearning skills (writing objectives, storyboarding, designing multiple choice questions, working with images and multimedia).
• Basic skills working with word processing documents such as Word or Google Docs.
• Familiarity with working with SMEs and stakeholders.
• Familiarity with at least one elearning authoring tool (access to a tool is not required, but participants should be familiar with the capabilities of at least one tool while planning a scenario).

Technical Needs:

• Computer with a reliable internet connection
• Updated web browser (Chrome, Firefox, or Safari recommended)
• Word processing tool (Word, Google Docs, or similar)

Participation:
Plan to participate in lively discussions, live Q&A, and hands-on activities during each session. 

Application Assignments: 
Between sessions, plan to spend one to two hours working on a scenario-based learning project related to your own work.

Who Should Attend:  

• L&D professionals who want to create realistic and relevant decision-making practice activities.
• Instructional designers who need to create more engaging and motivating eLearning.
• Learning experience designers who are ready to improve their skills in writing and designing scenarios.
• Managers and leaders who lead and manage design and development of scenario-based learning.

Course Objectives

In this certificate, you will learn to:

• Determine when scenario-based learning is an effective instructional method and how to apply scenarios for various training needs.
• Gather stories and key information from SMEs, stakeholders, and other sources to make scenarios realistic and relevant.
• Create believable characters and dialogue that reflect authentic workplace situations.
• Write plausible choices and meaningful consequences that show learners the impact of their decisions.
• Provide instructional and intrinsic feedback to guide learners and improve performance.
• Design one-question mini-scenarios that fit easily into existing eLearning and assessments.
• Plan complex scenario-based learning for strategic skills.
• Develop eLearning that addresses multiple dimensions of learner engagement (behavioral, cognitive, and emotional).
• Compare tools and approaches for building and delivering scenarios.

Instructor

Christy Tucker
Learning Experience Design (LXD) Consultant, Syniad Learning. 
Christy has more than 20 years of experience helping people learn. She specializes in using scenario-based learning to engage audiences and promote skill transfer to real-world environments. She has created training for a wide range of clients, including Fortune 500 companies, nonprofit associations, state and local government agencies, universities, and more. Christy has also been blogging about instructional design and elearning for more than 15 years and is a regular speaker at industry conferences and events. You may find more insights on her blog Experiencing eLearning.

Course Dates

AUGUST 2026: 

Session 1: Wednesday, August 5, 2026
Session 2: Wednesday, August 12, 2026
Session 3: Wednesday, August 19, 2026

Each session is 2 hours in length

All sessions start at 1:00 pm Eastern Time (New York time). Here is the time of the sessions listed in various time zones:

• 10:00 am - 12:00 noon Pacific Time (PT)
• 11:00 am - 1:00 pm Mountain Time (MT)
• 12:00 noon - 2:00 pm Central Time (CT)
• 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm Eastern Time (ET)

 

Course Rates

Early Bird Registration 30+ days prior to course start date: $745

Registration within 30 days of course start date: $895

Train as a Team and Save!
For questions on group discounts, visit fees & discounts.

Course Equipment

IMPORTANT - You'll participate in online and collaborative activities in a number of ways, each designed to provide a unique means to interact and learn from experts and colleagues. All course delivery software operates at Internet connection speeds of 56.6 kbps or better, on PC, Mac and Unix platforms. Courses will use teleconferencing or VoIP (voice over Internet Protocol.) The login instructions emailed to you approximately one week prior to the start of the course will outline platform use as well as any headset requirements or suggestions. Each registrant must provide their own laptop or desktop computer and other equipment (such as a headset, if noted in your login instructions) in order to fully and successfully participate in the course. Please test your login information a minimum of 48 hours in advance on your course start date on the computer you will be using for the course. 
 

ATD Initial Eligibility and Recertification 

Training Magazine Certificates have been pre-approved by the ATD Certification Institute to offer educational programs that can be used towards initial eligibility and recertification of the Certified Professional in Talent Development (CPTD) and Associate Professional in Talent Development (APTD) credentials.  For questions on initial eligibility and recertification, visit ATD Certification Institute. 

This program has been approved for a maximum of 6 points.