Lesson Mode Overview
Skyllful Lesson modes are built around the Gradual Release of Responsibility framework, and this overview explains what the five Lesson modes are, what every mode has in common, and why learning by doing works, for Content Developers and Instructional Designers.
What is the Gradual Release of Responsibility?
Skyllful Lesson modes are designed around the Gradual Release of Responsibility framework. This approach mirrors how people naturally learn, moving from full support to independent action, and it makes sure every Lesson aligns with real world performance expectations.
What are the Lesson modes?
Skyllful has five Lesson modes. Four of them form the Gradual Release of Responsibility progression, moving a Learner from full support to independent action.
Lesson mode |
Role in the framework |
|---|---|
| Talkthrough | The Learner watches the full workflow with spoken narration and captions. This mode gives the most support. |
| Walkthrough | The Learner follows guided prompts through the workflow with support. |
| Practice | The Learner performs the workflow with reduced support. |
| Knowledge Check | The Learner completes the workflow independently to show mastery. |
The fifth mode is Video. Video is a bonus mode: it sits outside the progression and is used for specific situations. See "When should you use the Video bonus mode?" below.
Note: Lesson Builder's View Steps row lists seven entries: All, Talkthrough, Walkthrough, Practice, Knowledge Check, Quick Reference Guide, and Video. Five of those are the Lesson modes. Quick Reference Guide is not a mode.
Note: You can change how a mode's name appears to Learners using Mode Name Override in that mode's Lesson Mode Settings. For example, you can rename Knowledge Check to Assessment.
Where is a mode built?
The foundation of every mode is built on the step's General tab, not on the mode's own tab. That is where the step's name, its description, and the control the Learner acts on are set. All five modes are built on top of them.
The step description does the most work. It becomes the narration in Talkthrough, the prompt in Walkthrough, and the feedback in Practice. Each mode can reword it to suit without changing the original.
Each mode's own tab is where that mode is then set up or adjusted. How much work that takes varies.
Mode |
How much its own tab needs |
|---|---|
| Talkthrough | A lot. You build the step's actions and write the narration there. |
| Walkthrough | Very little. A well written General tab has already done most of it. |
| Practice | Very little, beyond the hint and any expected text. |
| Knowledge Check | Very little, beyond the expected text and the limit on incorrect actions. |
| Video | A lot. You write the voiceover script for every step there. |
Note: If something is wrong for every mode at once, such as the wrong control on a step, fix it on the General tab. Fixing it on one mode's tab changes only that mode.
What is the same on every step?
Whichever mode you are in, four things behave the same way.
What you see |
What it means |
|---|---|
| Include in lesson mode | Whether this step is part of that mode. Clear it to leave the step out. |
| A crossed out eye on a mode tab | That step is excluded from that mode, so it will not run for Learners. |
| A red mode tab | Something on that tab is missing or needs fixing before the Lesson can be updated or published. |
| Update | Your changes are saved only when you select it. Leaving Lesson Builder without selecting Update discards them. |
What do the modes have in common?
Every mode is set up the same way in Lesson Builder. In the Lesson, choose the mode in View Steps. That opens the mode's own Lesson Mode Settings panel and switches every step to that mode's tab.
Four of the five settings panels hold the same fields:
Setting |
What it does |
|---|---|
| Estimated time | The time in seconds you expect a Learner to need for this mode. It feeds progress tracking in Skyllful IQ and is required before you can publish. |
| Skills Covered | The skills this mode builds. |
| Background image | The image Learners see behind this mode in Skyllful Simulator. Choose or upload an image, or select Generate Thumbnail to create one. Images cannot exceed 5 MB. |
| Mode Name Override | Renames the mode for Learners. |
| Title Override | Replaces the title Learners see for this mode. |
| Description Override | The description Learners see for this mode. Write it for the mode rather than reusing the Lesson description. |
Two modes differ. Knowledge Check adds Number of Incorrect Actions Allowed. Video has no estimated time field, because the video's own length sets the time, and it adds a panel for uploading the finished video.
When should you use the Video bonus mode?
Video is a bonus mode. Learners complete it in Skyllful Simulator the same way they complete the other modes, and it is the most technically demanding mode to build.
It is the one mode whose content is made outside Skyllful. There are two ways to get a video into a Lesson.
Source |
What it involves |
|---|---|
| Built from Skyllful assets | Skyllful produces every screen and a voiceover for every step. You download them and assemble the video in the video tool of your choice. |
| A video you already have | A message from a leader, a vendor video, or a recording from another team. Upload it and Skyllful delivers it to Learners. |
Use Video as an exception, when a workflow needs more context than the other modes can carry, or when a change management message needs to reach Learners alongside the training. For everyday training where Learners watch a full workflow, Talkthrough is the better choice and takes far less effort to build.
Why does learning by doing matter?
Learning by doing is a research based learning principle: direct experience is the most effective way to build knowledge.
Benefit |
Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Cognitive development | Each mode gives Learners more practice with the task. The more they see and try it, the better they remember what to do. |
| Data driven learning | Learners who work through a task step by step reach competence far faster than they do with traditional training. |
| Designed for doers | Skyllful's learning environment is built for audiences who learn best by doing, not just by watching or reading. |
Is Quick Reference Guide a Lesson mode?
No. Quick Reference Guide appears in View Steps and as a tab on every step, but it builds a guide the Learner reads rather than an activity the Learner completes. It has no estimated time and no skills, so it has no place in the Gradual Release of Responsibility framework. Its own article is Create a Quick Reference Guide.
Where can you get help?
If you need help, start with your manager, then your Local Administrator. If additional assistance is needed, your Local Administrator can submit a support ticket to Skyllful.
Skyllful Knowledge Base | Content Developers, Instructional Designers