Training Industry Magazine - November/December 2020 - 24

The sequence in which an exhibit is
experienced can also add meaning. Is
there a set route established, or is the
participant invited to explore at their
leisure? Curators can segment exhibits
into a series of rooms, with each room
building on the previous. Sequence
impacts the meaning and experience
for each participant.

SOUND
Sound can also add meaning to a
primarily visual exhibit. Ambient sound
- including music and natural sound
effects - can alter patrons' experiences.
Imagine a haunted house with no
spooky soundtrack; the experience
loses almost all emotional impact.

Pacing is often left to participants, but
curators can manipulate a space to
encourage patrons to move forward
or linger in specific spot. Often, turns
and corners build anticipation for
what lies ahead.
For learning modules, content should
be grouped to reinforce similar
information or contrast dissimilar
information. Learning should be
sequenced so concepts build on one
another. These practices will focus
learners' attention and help learners
manage cognitive load.
If you expect learners to build skills,
learning content should be paced to
allow for spaced practice and reflection.
Often, learners are simply fed content
and expected to immediately apply new
skills on the job. Skill building requires
repeated practice and opportunities
for self-evaluation and reflection.

SENSORY
COMPONENTS
LIGHTING

Lighting in an exhibit serves a
functional purpose: to illuminate
pieces on display. However, it
can also modify the experience.
For example, consider how the
experience of Michelangelo's David
would change if it was not lit by
natural light through the glass dome
of Galleria dell'Accademia.
Lighting and sound can be powerful
components of instructional media.
Important information can be visually
"lit up" to focus learner attention. For
live training events, opening a room
to natural light can support learner
engagement. In contrast, having
learners sit in dim, windowless rooms
following a projected presentation
can decrease energy and attention.

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Music and ambient sound can add
appropriate context to learning.
Playing up-tempo music at the
beginning of a live session can capture
learner's attention and help learners
feel at ease talking with each other.
Including a "tense" soundtrack in an
eLearning course can underscore
the importance of topics, such as
compliance and security.

ACTIVE COMPONENTS
INTERACTIVITY

Curators take great care to
encourage participants to interact
with exhibits in specific ways. Do
they observe passively, or are they
prompted to view from different
angles?
Sometimes
interactivity
is constrained to a single choice.
In contrast, sometimes the exhibit
allows the participant to interact
freely, even taking part in the creation
of the exhibit.

DISCOVERY
Some exhibits include an active
discovery component. That is, all
participants may be expected to

experience some parts of the exhibit,
but other parts may be left for
participants to discover by chance
or through intentional chance.
Disney properties are famous for
including "hidden Mickeys" - the
shape of the iconic mouse's head
- in exhibits, architecture, decor,
artwork and landscaping. Attention
is never called to these components.
Indeed, their purpose and function lie
purely in the delight of discovering
something nonobvious.
Though
many
courses
allow
learners to interact, the component
of discovery is often overlooked.
Learners should have the opportunity
to experience discovery, surprise and
delight. Try embedding an "easter
egg" in the materials for your next
training initiative: i.e., the date your
organization was founded or the
founder's name. Then, launch a "spot
the easter egg" contest the week
after initial launch. This provides the
opportunity for learners to engage
with learning content with fresh eyes.
It's fun to find the hidden content, but
viewing the content again will also
spark recall and increase retention.

APPLICATIONS
TO LEARNER
EXPERIENCE
Curation is one discipline that seeks
to affect a participant's experience.
Learning and development is another.
For museum curators, an emotional
response, a gift shop purchase or
perhaps a generous donation are the
desired outcomes. For learning and
development, a change in on-thejob behavior and a corresponding
improvement in business metrics
are desired. Whatever the desired
results, we can create an experience
more likely to achieve them by
caring for each component of the
learner experience.
Christopher Adams is a principal
consultant at Performance Change
Strategies LLC. Beth Hughes, CPT,
is a principal consultant at Strategic
Learning Solutions. Email the authors.
Training Industry Magazine - November/December 2020

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