Training Design

Here are proven methods to aid in the most efficient development time and to ensure an effective quality product.

  • Audience

    In addition to the content you believe you want to transfer, it is important to consider who will receive the training. A course for an experienced or expert scientist is different from a course for a novice or newly hired assistant. Both audiences might be accommodated, but their needs should be accommodated through the course design or through a series of courses.

    Your instructional designer (experienced course developer) will ask you questions such as:  

    • Where are your learners starting (prior knowledge, some past level to build on, mixed audience)?
    • What are the unique audience needs or strengths (accessibility, language, devices, location, time, attitude...)?
    • What needs to be learned (gross or fine-motor skill, detailed or broad knowledge, or attitude, repetitive, creative, analytical, process...)
  • Learning Objectives

    It takes time, but saves time if your unit has already discussed the observable change they expect to see after training. What are the learning objectives -- the very specific behaviors that your learners will be able to demonstrate by the end of the training.

    It helps to ask,What areproblems that we hope training will solve? What results do we want to change? What will the training specifically be doing to change behavior?

    Learning objectives can cover skills (technical or psychosocial), knowledge, and attitudes. Seek to make them actionable and observable. It can help to structure each objective as What the learner will be able to DO, to What LEVEL of expertise, and under What CONDITIONS. Putting definition and boundaries for realistic expectations on a single course is often the most challenging part of the development process. However, the effort put in at the beginning will save re-work time and produce a more effective course that integrates with other training over time.

    Examples:

    • "Employees will understand waste management procedures.” How do you know if they "understand?" What would yousee that on the job?
    • Employees will be able to apply waste management procedures as outlined in their safety manual/SOP.” Good.
    • "Employees will be able to identify and safely respond to injurious objectson the waste sorting conveyer belt." Better!
    • "Employees will always placebiological hazardous waste into the proper labeled container." Also Good!
    • "Employees will respect patients' privacy."What does that look like?
    • "Employees will be able to keep patients' bodies covered." Good.
    • "Employees will be expected to use techniques to avoid exposing a patient's torso and open wound areasto other patients, visitors, or other non-essential staffduring examinations, care activities, and transport." Better!
    • "Employees will be friendly." How is 'friendly' defined? What should change?
    • "Employees will be able to appropriately greet all visitors encountered in the entry lobby, at elevators, hallway intersections, and the chapel." Better! What is 'appropriate'?
    • "Employees will be able to greet all visitors encountered and offer additional assistance if it appears they are having trouble as assessed by their facial expression or overheard comments." Also good.
    • "Employees will be able to give all visitors encountered a sense of positive assurance of what they need to do, how to find a location or service, and what to expect for a process, procedure, or wait." Best? Or just results in different instruction to address the organizational goal?

    Let this tool ask you questions to guide you through creating your objectives -https://teachonline.asu.edu/objectives-builder/

  • Other Course Standards

    Your audience and your learning objectives will drive the selection of most elements of your training. See details in other tabs. 

    In general, a course includes:

    • Use an effective delivery mode.
      • synchronous (e.g. in-person instruction and coaching, hands-on skill demonstration and practice, webinar, online breakout activities, scheduled emails),
      • asynchronous (e.g. on-demand online course, PDF reading assignment, desktop guide, posted equipment instruction labels). Your audience needs and learning objectives will also drive the selection of course development software. 

    • Assessment of knowledge, skill, attitude (SKA) required and should measure achievement of the learning objectives -- preferably on-the-job tasks and responsibilities. Learner needs can vary widely in their ability to absorb information so consider optional self-checks leading up to formal graded assessments. If you are assessing skill based on a observation, be sure to re-run the assessment after providing any coaching on the first attempt. See more detail below. 

    • Course architectures can vary: from exploratory to linear, from independent to collaborative. Learners do absorb and retain new information better if they can connect with the content through activities and assistance. While exploratory navigation provides the learner with full choice on the order and time spent on each part of the course, it can also confuse and even annoy learners. Content required by law may be skipped over to quickly. 
      • Avoid links to external resources. Most learners will struggle to find their way back to the course window, expending cognitive energy that could have went to the course content. 
      • Test on-demand courses early and often with inexperienced people.

    • Time-on-task for the transfer of required SKA (rather than an arbitrary duration goal). Training time can be shortened with well-designed training, but new SKA requires a specific amount of time for scaffolding and cementing new skills and knowledge. 

    • Provide other learning support: Use research-based methods to address short-term and long-term working memory constraints, leveraging of prior knowledge, building mental models, directing attention, and managing cognitive load.

    • Visual, audio, and interactive experience that leaves a modern, reliable, attractive and accessible impression upon learners, and leverages the use of well-designed graphics, animation, video, narration and other audio to increase absorption and retention of new SKA. Interactions with content (practice using new information) do build expertise, but as noted above some online interactive features can actually drain your learner's cognitive energy away from your subject.

    • Universal design: Effective training does not seek to accommodate individual 'learning styles.' Instead courses should use a design that has universal appeal, effectiveness, and accessibility for a broad range of physical abilities and cognitive and preferences and job-related success.
    • Course titles: The title should reflect the subject covered and to what level of expertise. The training subject may include the specific audience if that same subject could contain very different information for another audience. Track titles are focused more on the audience for the training requirement, but can sometimes reflect a single topic. 
      • There isn't need to include the terms course, lesson, class, training, or education into the title. Nor do you need to include delivery mode terms webinar, on-demand, online, instructor-led, etc. as modern LMS provides a field for recording what delivery mode.
      • The course title should sustainably provide meaning to someone reviewing a transcript a few years after the training.
      • Specificity is usually better (e.g. Cooking versus Cooking Basics versus Cooking Outdoors Basics versus Cooking: Frying and Baking for Small and Large Groups). Given compliance training records are kept for 30 years, this takes careful consideration for possible future courses.

    • Just say No to nice-to-know information. Your learners have limited cognitive energy, limited time, limited attention, and limited motivation. Bear in mind that for every non-critical piece of information risks the learner not hearing/seeing/absorbing required information or practice. Learning objectives should be given the most space and time. Resist the temptations (which may come from all sides) to add in side information. 
      • Review of expected knowledge and skills helps build a bridge to new information, but limit and label any 'optional review' or 'background.'  
      • Preferably, leave out nice-to-know items (those unconnected to learning objectives list) entierly.
      • Offer 'extra' references or resource items outside of the course (on the course description page or in the Documents tab of the Ability system).
      • New content suggestions that are essential can be added to the learning objectives are important enough to have their own assessment of the learner's skill or knowledge. 

Online On-Demand courses benefit from using research on effective online communication and learning processes.

  • Graphics for Learning

    Use images for good. Images can be a powerful and efficient way to build understanding but can also distract, detract, confuse the learner. Check with your instructional designer and artist.

    Plan Graphics that:

    • Direct the Learner's Attention (introduce information to the most important info)
    • Leverage Prior Knowledge (remind the learner of the edge of their knowledge; bring the learner's thinking to the point where they are ready to absorb new info)
    • Minimize Irrelevant Mental Load (don't introduce unnecessary information; delay some information for appropriate point).
    • Help Learners Build Mental Models (give them a picture of the system or process and where the new info fits into what they know or will be learning).
    • Support Transfer of Learning (keep it practical and minimize decorative images) 
    • Do not use unnecessary images that may distract the learner's eye/attention from important text.
    • Place labels or explanations as close as possible to the relevant part of the graphic.
    • Animate text to highlight text-to-graphic elements if there are many details. Consider laying additional detail through a gif series. 
    • Consider audio to focus the learner's attention, to give background, or a summary of a complex image and/or to guide the learner to see information in an effective sequence. Audio timed with animation fits learner's attention span. 

    Art Elements & Layout Design

    Refer to the research on how to effectvely place content on the page and how to design "graphics for learning" particularly eLearning projects. Refer to basic art principles such as balance, flow, and light. 

    Find Free and Low Cost Images

    Ownership or permissions must be established and documented. We recommend any Google search for images is done by selecting the "Tools" option and then the "Usage Rights," and only going for Creative Commons options. These images are free to use and you don't have to worry about potentially infringing any copyright laws or asking for permissions. Images from .gov and .edu are typically in the public domain.

    Collect and share communication resources with other ORRS developers. Ask for access to the ORRS network drive Communications Resources, typically labeled V: drive) which includes permissioned images. This is where your course developer stores purchased image and audio files collected from iStockphoto, DepositPhoto and other sides.

  • Word Crafting

    The goals of the training entirely drive the style, sequencing, and navigation oftext content. Instructional content does not follow the traditional structure of expository writing, research publications, government regulations, rules, standard operating procedures,technical journals, equipment or assembly instructions. The writing style also differs from websites and most newsletters.

    Organize the content into digestible chunks that naturally flow (e.g. the order in which a worker does a task or from big picture to details). Try to sequence content to provide quick understanding of where the information sits in the learner's mental model of the course and the subject. Sometimes giving the overview prior to specific details is better than waiting to explain how how information or processes are inter-related.

    Use plenty of meaningful headings and sub-headings to get across key messages. Adult learners are busy and have learned habits of skimming content. Adult learners are busy and have learned habits of skimming content. Your instructional designer and novice reviewers can provide feedback to improve organization of subjects or to add transitions that make sense to more learners.

    Second person active voice (Do this thing in this way) can be more concise and clear. Research shows that even highly educated people benefit fromshort words and simple sentence structurewhen learning new information. Audio narration can be more friendly and wordy than on-screen text as long as the same information is provided. Scripts for instructor-led lesson plans are typically brief and allow the instructor to ad lib encouragements and anectdotes as time allows. Your instructional designer can work with you to convert regulatory, academic research, or legal text into practical, easily-digested instructions for the target audience that still brings your audience along to the final technical understanding they need. They can use on-screen mouse-over definitions and pronounciations or images.

    Text planning considers coordination withother instructional elements like graphics, animations, and auditory support. Choose terminology that is more universal to different learners' background/s. Even very educated learners benefit from simple words and consistent terminology during adoptionof new concepts. Offer easy-access definitions if any of your audience will need reminders of technical words to keep learning even more information from the course.

    There is also some research that indicates it is easier for many people to absorb text on a narrow column over a wide-space.

    Instructional designers and other communication experts have experience in copy-editing,line editing, and proof-reading. However, all publications should be proof-read by multiple reviewers.

    See alsohttps://www.plainlanguage.gov andhttps://knightcenter.jrn.msu.edu/lessons/write-stuff/passive-voice-squash-it/

All formal training includes verification that it is having the desired impact on the learner's behavior or attitude and/or desired positive outcomes for the organization. If it is not worth verifying the training is effective, then the training is probably not important enough to use valuable time in development, delivery, or tracking.

  • Learner Assessment

    If the training is worth investment during development and the time for people to complete, then it is worth ensuring the training is effective. Your learning objectives are directly tied to your assessment. Typically, training is not considered "passed" unless there is some confirmation of successful transfer of the needed skill, knowledge, or attitudinal change. 

    Assessments should be: 

    • Reliable – A graded test needs to be consistent and free from errors.
    • Valid – A graded test needs to measure what it is supposed to measure -- the achievement of the learning objectives. Measurement should match the expected job performance as closely as possible. 

    Assessment Verifies the Desired Outcome

    Choose assessments that will verify whether the learner has reached the level of skill, knowledge, or attitude needed for their work responsibilities. Types of assessments range: small group scenario practice, large group call and response, formal paper or online based quiz, demonstration/observation, scenario or stepped questions, etc. 

    Practice activities and final assessments should be matched to the job performance: in-person observaton or computer simulation of job task or series of tasks; true/false, multiple-choice, multiple-select, or fill-in-the-blank for memorization; scenario resolution with any expected job aid, case study analysis for open-ended knowledge synthesis. 

    Scenario-based learning can provide information on higher-level skills such as risk assessment and response. Using characters, background sounds, and time-limits for responding can make scenarios assessments more realistic to actual job performance. A series of options using branching extends the realism with real-life type repercussions and chances to re-think choices. Work that requires collaboration and effective communication can be best assessed through small-group planning or problem-solving scenarios.

    Hands-on tasks and tasks with equipment may be more economically done in-person or on-site, but may be designed for online practice and assessment with enough time and commitment of resources.

    Short-Answer Questions

    There are rooms of research on how to most effectively format written questions and answers to focus on course content and to avoid confusion. Best practices include:

    • Take considerable time in revising and having others review and recommend improvements to each question and each answer option.
    • Questions should be actual queries with a question mark at the end, preferably so the learner can tell what the problem is without reading the response options.
    • Strive for short questions and short answer options.
    • Font and other formatting has impact on readability. Use a clean and slightly larger font. It is okay to bold or italicize key words for help the learner focus on the point you are trying to assess or to differentiate very similar options.
    • Keep multiple-choice options reasonable and realistic. Three to four options is ideal. You don't need or want a None-of-the-Above option or All-of-the-Above option with a multiple-select function. Distractors are not necessary. Don't try to trick the learner.
    • Avoid redundant questions for the same subject.
    • Limit the number of questions to just the number needed. It is better to draw a sample set from a pool of questions if you are concerned about people memorizing the same answers. Online quizzes can scramble questions and scramble the order of responses. Make and distribute two versions of your classroom quiz to discourage cheating.
    • Yale resource (web) and USF (pdf)
    • Lastly, don't use a multiple-choice quiz if it doesn't effectvely assess the skill or knowledge you are trying to develop.

    Pre-Test or Test-Out Option

    Some performance experts and human resource leaders strongly support test-out options for training to reduce distractions from productive work for those employees who demonstrate they know the material and are job-ready. Of course, this requires confidence in the assessments. Some training experts point to the value of assessments as learning tools themselves -- allowing learners to make mistakes and get feedback in a low-stakes environment. The volume of the content that is being transferred in a single course may be the main driver in whether a test-out option is desirable and practical. If you are not sure, check with your regulatory agency for confirmation of whether test-out questions with feedback are an acceptable format for training. There may be minimum score requirements. 

    Brief information about on-going training program evaluation is found below.

  • Course Testing

    All new courses and course revisions are tested thoroughly in the Ability Staging environment before being approved for moving into the Production environment. Once in the live Ability system, it is tested again. Any revisions to the course require additional testing. 

    There are some keys to making your testing effective.

    Some testing can be conducted by people familiar with the course -- to purposefully pass and fail the quiz for example.

    Some testing should be conducted by testers who have never seen the course at all. Use testers with characteristics representative of your expected audience (e.g. knowledge of subject, computer saavy, native language, reading level,...). You'll get even better assurance if you have time to prep these testers in advance to fully document their experience.

    • Do not give them any tips or advanced info on the course itself that your future learners won't also have. Advise them they are helping by identifying the places where other users might have trouble.
    • Do give them instructions to fully communicate places where they are confused or frustrated or cannot move forward. You can sit and observe them take the course while they think aloud -- telling you what they are thinking as they go through the course. This takes time, but watching them work their mouse or device is useful. Or you can tell them to write everything down in the form themselves, taking screenshots of problem areas.
  • Program Evaluation

    The Ability LMS includes features for surveying the learner about their impressions of a training (Kirkpatrick's level 1). 

    Following roll-out of your new training program, you can view completion records including scores and detailed SCORM data for each learner. When ready, the Ability helpdesk can provide information. An effective training quality assurance plan includes investigating impact on-the-job as well as completion rates and assessment scores. Reach out to your training professional or instructional designer for planning the right level of evaluation for your program and resources.

    Higher level, on-going evaluation of your training program's impact will rely upon checking with the work unit to confirm on-the-job adoption of new learning and impacts on the organization. This can include interviews, accident reports, inspection results, productivity-increases or cost-savings. 

See also pages on Inclusive and Trauma-Informed Training and Course Development Process.

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