Analysing and adapting communication scenarios in virtual learning environments for one-to-one communication skills training

Studies show that pre-game content that is customized to fit a player could lead to better learning than a fixed sequence of worked examples and problem solving. A scenario is a description of a series of interactions between a player and a virtual character for one-to-one communication skills training, where at each step the player is faced with a choice between statements. A communication skills teacher/expert (author) develops a scenario in an authoring tool. A simulation presents such a scenario to a player. In this paper we apply the concept of code- smells [2] to a scenario. We define a scenario-smell as a symptom of a scenario that could be an indicator of an error or incorrect design. We use scenario-smells to evaluate a scenario pre-game. A scenario author can use an evaluation to assess and adapt a scenario to better train a player in a game/simulation. This paper presents work in progress.