An important goal of any course focused on the use of software programs is to offer students a chance to learn how to work with the software in a low-risk, supported learning environment.

Many clients use our Learning Content Management System for software instruction. The LCMS supports such training easily by allowing clients to use their choice of simulation tools to create their training.

Many clients use Captivate or Camtasia, outputting files as .swfs to upload into the LCMS. Flash-developers can use the Envision extension from Digital Curiosity, which allows software captures from within Flash.

These tools allow a range of instructional approaches to be supported, from animated demos to remarkably accurate active simulations that allow learners to work through process steps.

The dominKnow LCMS also allows instructional designers to control the software instruction to suit the potential learner.

If the training is aimed at learners with limited experience, navigation controls can be locked down at each lesson to ensure that all pieces of instruction are successfully competed.

Learners with substantial experience can be offered courses which allow them to navigate freely within the course, covering off topics that they feel are new first, for instance, to help them focus on the specific tasks they need to learn or relearn.

And the LCMS's reference feature supports learners after the training is completed, providing searchable access (much like an index) to specific tasks contained in the training. Months may pass between the training and the time a learner finally needs to carry out a task - and the reference function gives them an opportunity to review the task steps without having to re-take the full course.

An important thing to keep in mind for software simulations is the modality principle in e-learning. Software simulations benefit greatly from audio instructions, rather than text instructions. Using audio to guide the learner through the steps of a task helps prevent the confusion and learning overload that can result from trying to look at on-screen text instructions at the same time as trying to pay attention to the software tool environment.

The dominKnow LCMS's audio controls can help you tailor this approach further by triggering text versus audio instructions, just in case the learner does not have speakers or headphones or if the learner is hearing impaired.

The range of approaches has been quite varied, but we've found that the more robust We've found that a very effective approach for these projects is to structure the software simulations for each task-based lesson into two sections.
In the first section of each task, the student is offered a choice of:
1. Seeing a demonstration of the steps being taught in the LO, or
2. Trying the steps with on-screen guidance and corrective feedback.

Once the student has made a choice and the exercise has been completed the student will move to the second section of the task lesson, where they are offered the same two choices above as well as an option of:

3. Trying the steps without the on-screen guidance and corrective feedback.

Setting up software simulation lessons this way gives students a choice in how they wish to learn, based on their own level of comfort in the software environment.

Students with a relatively low level of computer experience, for instance, may wish to watch the steps before ever trying them out themselves while more experienced students may wish to try the steps immediately.

The "try without guidance" option is reserved until after a student has at least seen the steps or tried them with guidance, to ensure that he or she has been correctly instructed in the steps.

Giving students a choice in how they wish to begin and then continue in a lesson allows the student to work through the steps with guidance and corrective feedback until they are comfortable and confident enough to try the steps from memory.

This approach has been successfully used by GeoLearning in the creation of software training courses for many different sectors, from insurance benefits programs to legal software to government software applications.