Guiding Principles of Effective Instructional Design

Learning is a complex process that requires a repertoire of multiple types of instruction.

To help formulate an effective instructional strategy that addresses the changing needs of business and learners, consider the following guiding principles:

• Foster a culture of learning
• Translate expertise
• Measure, re-evaluate and measure again

These principles form a framework to help increase workplace performance while driving business results.

Foster a Culture of Learning

Learning is a process, not an event, so a move from “delivering training” to fostering continuous learning is critical for a pervasive culture of learning. Typically, people commit to learning when they are given opportunities to learn by doing, to engage in collaborative construction of knowledge, to participate in meaningful activities, and to experience mentoring relationships. Start with these design ideas as you begin to evangelize the need for continuous learning:

• design rich learning environments that include challenge and the possibility of failure
• avoid the use of “slide junk” — presentational material flows through the learner’s mind and is retained just long enough to perform on a test, and then forgotten
• allow learners to engage in participatory, memorable experiences instead of merely listening to or reading others’ materials
• provide opportunities for immediate feedback and discourse via social networks

Also consider more systemic changes in your process:

Move Beyond Classroom Thinking

• Research shows that on average classroom instruction does not lead to increased performance over other forms of instruction. Social learning mediated by technology can provide opportunities for continuous learning that move beyond the formal classroom setting. Much of higher-level processing and learning comes from discussion and exploration in unstructured social interactions. Create opportunities for learners to seek out experts to consult with outside of their learning cohort and reward the efforts of both parties.

Enable Self-Directed Learning

Provide learners with contextually meaningful tools and resources and deliver it to them just-in-time based on who they are, where they are, and what they do. Leverage tools such as:

• Customizable learning paths. Learners can use custom learning paths to build knowledge bases, synthesize research, and prepare project-based work to present.
• Blogs. Blogs provide learners an audience for their writing, encouraging thoughtfulness and clarity, and enable learning through online debate, peer modeling and peer review.
• Journals. Journals are effective tools in learning retention. Use journals to engage participants in reflective writing within their own private space.
• Podcasts. Podcasts facilitate learning-on-the-go by disseminating recorded lectures and supplemental course material.

Over-reliance on technology to help solve instructional problems will only make bad instructional design more apparent.

Translate Expertise

Instructional designers create a bridge between the experts’ and the learners’ knowledge. Experts don’t often know how they know what they know. Work closely with experts to translate their knowledge into content that learners can fit into their own knowledge base. Expertise is not just about “doing the job” — it is also about providing the opportunity to achieve maximum potential. Not everyone will become an expert; in fact, it is not necessary or desired in a high-performing workplace. For those who can and should achieve expertise, mentoring and performance are crucial, so you will want to identify and leverage them. Consider these design techniques to help translate expertise across your organization:

Encourage Learners to Model Mastery. Developing in learners the ability to use problem-solving processes similar to those of experts is challenging, but provides powerful evidence that learners are gaining the skills they need.

Build Immediate Feedback Loops. Instigate immediate feedback via social utilities, face-to-face, or another channel. Immediate feedback loops should be provided as often as possible.

Place Learning Technology in its Proper Context. Many instructional designers tend to rely on learning technology (authoring tools, learning management systems, content delivery systems) as a crutch merely because of visibility, resource allocation, and convenience. Not too many years ago a VCR was considered the latest learning technology; overhead projectors, film projectors, audiotape, even chalkboards. There is no substitute for quality instructional design and over-reliance on technology to help solve instructional problems will only make bad instructional design more apparent. If you start with learner needs and desired outcomes, the use of technology is more likely to end up in the proper context and the learning outcomes you seek will more likely occur.

Measure, Re-evaluate and Measure Again

Measurement provides data about what the learner needs to learn and has learned. Each kind of measurement provides important information that should influence the design of the instructional material. While multiple-choice, true/false and fill in the blank are typical assessment items, they are not the only way to measure learning, and certainly not the most effective. Simulations, portfolios and writing can be used to assess deeper understanding. The best measurement tools can actually create further learning opportunities:

• Simulations. Simulations dramatically raise engagement and motivation levels. With learners assuming authentic roles within the experience, learners can demonstrate successful task completion.
• Portfolios. Portfolios collect and display artifacts created by the learner. This provides a real look at work the learner has completed.
• Writing. Writing in the form of short essays, blogging, or even tweeting, can focus and reinforce learning while demonstrating mastery of the subject matter.
• Real-Time Observation. When possible, observe performance in real-time. Feedback at the time of performance is one of the most powerful instruments in changing behavior. You’ll need management support, but this is a powerful measurement tool.

Using the measure, re-evaluate and measure again sequence allows training to be responsive to learner needs. By measuring first, with a variety of tools, re-evaluating and re-applying instructional methods and material and then measuring again, it becomes a learning track rather than a series of disparate training sessions.

Summary

Learners get excited when exposed to learning experiences that go beyond teaching-by-telling. However, learning is a complex process that requires, for each learner, a repertoire of multiple types of instruction. The instructional designer’s role is to discover what motivates people to increase their knowledge and skills and improve their performance. Before and during design ask yourself, “I am creating a learning experience. Experiences change people. How is my design changing people for better or for worse?”

Reference: Evaluation of Evidence-Based Practices in Online Learning A Meta-Analysis and Review of Online Learning Studies (https://www2.ed.gov/rschstat/eval/tech/evidence-based-practices/finalreport.pdf).