After many years in custom content development for eLearning, I am convinced that there are as many successful ( and unsuccessful) approaches to instructional design as there are IDs! However, the one common thread between successful courseware is to consider the end user as a human being with many distractions, low motivation for training, a frenetic daily schedule, and the need to be engaged, all while juggling emails, meetings, reports, and other daily tasks. The objective of good ID is to connect with users to give them a short, concise, encompassing, and targeted learning experience that has clear learning points, outcomes, and professional impact.
How this is accomplished depends on the ID and their understanding of the learner. KMi believes in a multi-disciplinary approach to eLearning, combining three distinct backgrounds critical in a successful project team: business savvy to fully comprehend learning content and the need for the bottom-line impact of training, instructional expertise to understand the fundamentals and nuances of the learning process, and web design mastery to exploit the full advantages of the power of web-delivery. Accordingly, the backgrounds of an instructional design team can be varied: graduate degrees in education and instructional design, marketing, advertising, professional coaching, skills assessment, organizational psychology, and classroom training. This diverse perspective can lead to innovative and compelling custom content development.
KMi has six questions that instructional designers ask themselves upon embarking on any given course.
- What is the user’s motivation for taking this course?
- Will the user see something within the first 30 seconds that will entice, excite, and draw in him or her?
- Would I want to take this course amid a hectic daily business schedule?
- If a colleague asked the user about the course upon completion, what highlights would the user convey to the colleague?
- Are the key learning points prominent and effectively presented to ensure that the learner identifies, comprehends, and retains them?
- Will the course have an actual impact for the user at his or her job? (Is the connection between the training and the real-world job clear and compelling?)
It is only after thoroughly understanding the answers to these questions that we decide the approach that is best for our custom eLearning solution. We employ a number of principles and methodologies as the basis for instructional design. While these theories are not exclusively used to define rigid parameters, they do provide a system of basic recommendation in the creation of any eLearning content development. We may employ one of or a combination of these (and other) ID approaches throughout the customized eLearning project.
- ADDIE
- Formative Summative Model
- Cognitive Load Theory
- Morrison, Ross and Kemp Model
If you would like to learn more about the KMi instructional design approaches, our learning content development process, or our online learning platform, eLMS, please contact Margie Herron at mherron@kmionline.com. Be sure to check out our website at www.kmionline.com