Personality…
friend or foe?

Personality… an interesting, perplexing and complex phenomena. What is its importance in the context of web-based role-play for learning? As one who has taken on numerous personalities in the pursuit of exciting online learning experiences, I think I have a good idea of the answer to this question… but I’m sure that you do too, and maybe your answer is different to mine – based on your own experiences.

Consider this quote from an online learner surfacing from a role-play experience:

“ Taking on a whole new persona was really challenging for me initially, but after a few times online I really started to get in to the role. So much so that I was sad to leave it behind at the end!”

If you’re designing a web-based role-play for learning, what considerations do you need to make concerning the role of personality when developing the role-profiles for the players? Experience has shown us that a ‘properly prepared role-profile’ needs to include not only the black and white elements of each role, but also the various coloured hues and personal touches that individuals bring to the experience. Then of course there are those pesky questions to answer, like;

• Is it true that role-play really only works with those who are inclined to be extroverted actor types… or is this a myth?
• Can the responsibility of taking on a different persona/personality for the purpose of role-play actually be detrimental to the learning process?
• Is there an ‘ideal’ personality type and/or learning style for web-based role-play?

I have used role-play in a number of learning settings – in the early days of course it was all face-to-face and generally as part of structured learning in areas such as communication, teamwork and interpersonal skills. Now my learners include professional teaching staff, leaders and managers, mature-aged students and school-leavers – a diverse audience indeed – and my course delivery/design projects range from entry-level vocational courses through to higher education and professional development. My challenge now is to integrate more web-based role-play into my online teaching, and to design engaging learning experiences that appeal to all the senses whilst catering for a wide range of personalities and learning styles.

As Marie has mentioned in her introduction, we are all still learning about the application and effectiveness of web-based role-play in online learning. Since the success of a role-play experience depends almost entirely on the people participating, it’s important that we share our stories and experiences so that we can all join in the onward and upward march towards this seriously fun way of learning online. In the forum, you will be able to read more about our experiences with personality in web-based role-play, and meet some of the characters that we have inhabited from time to time.