What? Focusing on the negative? Well...yes and no. While wading through stacks of research on creating a quality design, I began compiling a list of instructional design no-no's. Many tips seemed like common sense ideas, and others, food for thought. The more information I plowed through, the more workshops I attended, the more trainer notes I read, the more convinced I became that some of these no-no's might have a positive effect or an aha moment if brought to the surface.
No-no #1 Stating objectives of the event and then not meeting them
Create the learning you promise. Write into your trainer notes a mid-event recap of the objectives, reviewing what you have covered and what you will cover by the end of the session. Then at the end of the session, include a quick check of the objectives again and a reminder of how each was covered. Another way to keep participants in the loop is through your agenda. Create an agenda and ensure that your event follows the agenda. Participants like to know how the session will move along.
Begin with the end in mind. What knowledge, skills, behaviors, attitudes and/or aspirations would you like your participants to achieve as a result of your event? When you have that answer, write your SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and timely) objectives which are always based on a stated need. Then, design your training around those objectives.
Trainer notes should be designed with information in digestible chunks. Each portion will have a beginning, an ending and a smooth transition in between. Participants tend to remember beginnings and endings, but get hazy on the middle stuff. So chunk your content into manageable sections.
Scaffolding learning boils down to I do, we do, you do. When designing training notes, ensure that you include a modeling explanation of the content/activity portion, then a section for participant and trainer practice and finally allowing the participants to do the activity on their own. This practice also covers all learning styles (visual, auditory and kinesthetic).
If you use your PowerPoint presentation as one of your handouts, be sure to include lots of fill in the blanks in your particpant's copy. I always create a separate participant PowerPoint and take out much of the "answer" content. This allows participants to take notes and keeps them actively engaged in the session. Also, the actual act of listening then summarizing the information on their PowerPoint notes helps aid information retention.
The event should be designed as a resource for participant learning. If the designer creates an event with the message that he/she knows the right way, then even with the most skilled facilitator, that preachy-type message will come through to participants. Instead, think of your content as a guide to participant discovery.
While imitation is supposedly the sincerest form of flattery, it surely can get overdone. Some may disagree with my thinking, but when related events are presented to basically the same group of people, repetition of activities can cause boredom. For example, should every related event contain a nonlinguistic representation activity when there are many other types of graphic organizers one might use? If one event has an activity that groups people according to how they interact with others, should a related event include a very similar activity? There are a plethora of activity ideas out there. Try Ashmore Media Center, the Internet, or any bookstore. Using a variety of activities can help increase retention and increase the good buzz about your event.
These examples are just some of the yin and yang of worst design practices and possible solutions. I invite comment and additions to this list. If you are interested in learning more about design, please check PDSS for PD Design Essentials, PD Design Applications and PD Design Essentials Online events offered this fall and winter.
These examples are just some of the yin and yang of worst design practices and possible solutions. I invite comment and additions to this list. If you are interested in learning more about design, please check PDSS for PD Design Essentials, PD Design Applications and PD Design Essentials Online events offered this fall and winter.
See ya next time.
I'm blogging out of here.Kyna
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