Chapter 1: Teaching with Branching Scenarios
Today’s university classrooms are dynamic, diverse, and increasingly oriented toward preparing learners for complex, real-world challenges. Traditional teaching methods are being reimagined to support more active, authentic, and flexible learning experiences. Among these innovative approaches, branching scenarios stand out as a compelling way to help learners apply knowledge, build decision-making skills, and reflect on their choices in safe yet realistic environments.
This chapter introduces the concept of branching scenarios and explores how these tools can enrich teaching and learning across disciplines and modalities.
💡Tip
Branching scenarios may be used for both case-based and scenario-based learning – it just depends on how you choose to design them.
In case-based learning, a branching scenario will allow learners to explore different perspectives of a static case which encourages analysis through a variety of inquiry paths.
- For example, a case-based branching scenario on the Trans Mountain pipeline might allow students to choose to explore the impacts of a specific oil spill from an ecological, economic, or political perspective, and later explore legal challenges to the pipeline from the perspectives of the Crown, oil and gas lobbyists, or specific First Nations groups.
In scenario-based learning, branching scenarios allow learners to actively make decisions that shape the narrative, receive immediate feedback, and experience different outcomes. This supports in-the-moment problem solving and reflective learning.
- For example, a scenario-based branching scenario on how to deal with an angry customer returning a damaged product will allow learners to navigate through interactions with disgruntled clients to choose the best course of action to deal with the complaint to best satisfy the customer.
Branching scenarios are a flexible instructional approach that can showcase both case-based and scenario-based learning, making it valuable across disciplines.
✏️ Branching Scenarios Design Worksheet
To help you capture your developing ideas as you proceed through this guide, refer to the downloadable Branching Scenarios Design Worksheet. You may wish to complete each section as you go through the guide, or do it all at the end. This worksheet will help you translate the concepts from this guide into actionable next steps for you to create your own branching scenario.
