First of all, I told you that this blog would be haphazardly updated...I am sticking to my word, I guess.
Second, wanted to share one of the best pieces of instructional design I have ever seen. In a magical place called the Orlando International Airport, tucked between the security exit and the bathroom (!), there is an amazing little machine that teaches...wait for it..CPR.
Oh I was skeptical. "What is this gimmick?," I thought. But its bright colors and sweet UI drew me in. Oh, and the realistic looking avatar telling a story about how he needed CPR and how few people actually perform it - that was definitely eye-catching.
WIIFM? Check.
It gets instuctional design so right, people. It made me weep a bit actually. Instructions are available in either Spanish or English. It provides video tutorials on CPR (knowledge) and actual hands on practice.
I love, love, love, that it allows the learner to leverage what they already know (or think they know) by skiping the tutorial video and allowing them to go straight to practice.
Respecting the learner? Check. Immediate application/practice. Check.
And the practice - awesome. You literally put your hands on the machine and start doing compressions. Feedback on your compression depth and speed are provided in real-time.
Meaningful feedback? Check.
As you can see, my depth and rate were sub-par (but hey, try to perform CPR and take a photo with your iPhone at the same time!)
After you are done practicing, you can take a 30 second test to again do CPR. This time however, you don't get feedback until the timed test is all over.
These kiosks have been installed in a number of public locations around the United States. I was instantly curious about impact of these kiosks, which are a partnership between the American Heart Association and the Anthem Foundation. Do more people do CPR after stumbling upon them? Is there an uptick in CPR administered in the cities that they are installed?
The answer is...I don't know. I would have to do more digging on that. There was however, at least one news story that claimed a big payoff for the kiosk. According to the article, one man saved another's after a lightining strike. The rescuer had learned CPR only two days prior via the kiosk.