Structured Training Design and Delivery

by Tiffany Murray, Lead Trainer

OK, so you've just been informed that your organization will be deploying a new office automation application suite and you're responsible for developing training for the employees. At first, you may feel a bit overwhelmed; however, if you follow a systematic approach to developing the training, you can successfully accomplish this task. One such structured approach is a typical ISD model.

Instructional System Design (ISD)
The ISD model is the practice of arranging media and content to help learners and trainers transfer knowledge most effectively. The instructional design process is more than just a procedure to develop training; it can be used to uncover employee performance problems or potential problems and to identify solutions to these problems. Instructional design is a profession supported by a growing body of research in the way adults learn and how best to present learning experiences. Its success depends on a systematic application of a number of principles.

Perhaps the most common ISD model used for creating instructional materials and training is the ADDIE Model. This acronym stands for the 5 phases contained in the model:

Analyze - analyze learner characteristics, task to be learned, etc.
Design - develop learning objectives, choose an instructional approach
Develop - create instructional or training materials
Implement - deliver or distribute the instructional materials
Evaluate - make sure the materials achieved the desired goals

The ADDIE Process

• First and foremost, you will need to analyze the new application so that you have complete understanding of its function and business value within your organization. Meeting with the software developers or IT department is a great start. You will need to know how the software works and how it will be used within your organization. You will also need to know when it will be deployed so that you have an idea of when to schedule your training.
  
  Establish whether or not there is a legitimate need for training. One of the easiest ways to assess the need is to conduct a survey. Surveying the audience helps you assess what they already know and what they will need to know. Using the data gathered during the initial survey can help you decide what instructional format is best (for example, conducting formal, instructor-led course versus establishing computer-based training modules used independently) as well as what skills need to be taught. After you've analyzed the new system and assessed audience needs, you can now consider a tentative schedule, a training format, and begin to look at the costs involved.



• The next phase is to design your training. Based on your analysis, you will need to develop learning objectives. List what you, the eventual audience, and other stakeholders expect to gain from the training. Identify and list the learning steps required to perform the tasks to be trained. This includes developing exercises where the audience can gain practical experience and/or test their knowledge once learning objectives have been presented. You will need to sequence and structure the learning objectives so a skill set is developed from which to build upon.



• Everything created in design now has to be communicated in a format best suited for your target audience. It must be developed. This is where you will be creating and assembling all of the assets used to deliver the training. Here, you can use a number of resources within your organization. For example, if you create exercises that illustrate how to perform a certain task within an application, why not have the software developer or subject matter experts test those exercises and report areas where improvement is needed. Don't forget to review existing materials; you can save yourself time and effort by improving existing resources rather than starting from scratch. Take into consideration the schedule and budget you've established to complete your training, you may want to seek outside resources (materials, tools, or people). The most important thing is to validate whether or not the material you use accomplishes all of the desired learning objectives.



• Once you've completed the design phase, it's time to implement the training. If you are conducting an instructor-led course, it is time to teach it. If you have created computer based training, then you need to manage course progress. In either scenario, it is imperative that you collect feedback from your target audience to help gauge training success and lessons learned for the future.



• Once training has been implemented, it is time to evaluate what you've done. Did you accomplish the main goal? Were all learning objectives met? Did the training provide the audience with the necessary skills to perform their tasks? Assess all aspects of the training program, record any additional lessons learned, and adjust the training program for future use. It can be good to return to the first step of the process (analysis) once again to ensure you have been successful.

Remember, the quality of any training effort is based largely on whether it is planned and carefully designed before the first class is given. Using a systematic model helps ensure success.

Resources Consulted
Mastering the Instructional Design Process, William J. Rothwell & H. C. Kazanas 2nd. Edition (1998)
Online article, Introduction to Instructional Design and the ADDIE Model by Kevin Kruse on http://www.e-learningguru.com/articles/art2_1.htm
Various articles found via the American Society for Training & Development website (www.astd.org)