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Whether you’re building classroom training, an e-learning
curriculum, or a blended environment, our Instructional
Design Experts will combine their experience in traditional
design methodologies with leading-edge technologies and
industry standard “Best Practices” to build tomorrows
training programs today.
Our Designers approach every development opportunity
with and open mind, creative attitude, and a systematic,
step-by-step approach to designing effective objectives-
based instruction. Our phased process can be applied in
whole or in part based on your unique needs. Following is
a brief description of each step of our methodology.
Assess Needs
Needs Assessment the first phase of instructional design. If
your group has already identified the needs, Impact
designers will start by validating that information.
However, if Impact is responsible for course creation from
the ground up, conducting a needs assessment will be a
necessary first step.The motivation behind conducting a
needs assessment is to identify the gap between what the
learners know now, and what the learners need to know.
We strive to keep the potential learners, as well as
management, involved with the process. During the
assessment phase, our designers seek answers to
questions like…
- Who is affected by this need?
- Who are your potential learners?
- What prerequisite knowledge, skills, or
understanding do your learners need? - What is and what needs to be? What is the
instructional goal?
Additionally, we gather information about the learning
environment…
- What internal and external guidelines and
requirements already exist? - What is the availability of technical equipment and
resources? - What facilities are available?
Analyze Learners
Whenever possible, Impact Designers will spend time
thinking about and researching your target learners. Our
objective, whenever possible, is to create instruction for a
particular audience. We also take into consideration the
learning context…….
- Where will the instruction be offered?
- Will the environment adequately support the
intended instruction?
Adult learners take classes for a specific reason; we always
make sure that we can articulate the relevance of our
course materials and how your learners will be able to
apply what is presented.
We also take into account the learners:
- Cognitive characteristics, such as learning aptitude,
learning styles, prior knowledge of topic. - Psychosocial characteristics, such as motivation,
attitudes, socioeconomics. - Physiological characteristics, such as age, race,
ethnicity, cultural and linguistic background.
Our Designers are always cognizant of the diversity of
today’s work place. They are highly sensitive to cultural
differences that may impact the training effectiveness.
Creating Learning Objectives
The most critical step in instructional design is developing
learning objectives. A learning objective is a clear, concise,
objective description of what your learners will be able to
do at the end of a given instructional unit.
When composing objectives, our Designers:
- Determine the goal of the learning activity.
- Determine what learners must demonstrate to
achieve that goal. - Write objectives based on the above skills, task, or
knowledge. - Keep objectives clear, honest, complete, and
correct. - Develop objectives such that well-written objectives
should serve as the basis for test items. Well-written
objectives tell learners how their performance will be
assessed.
Select an Instructional Strategy
As part of the process of formulating an instructional
strategy, Impact’s Designers will analyze the most
effective approach to incorporate the following activities
into the training:
- Gain attention
- Inform learners of objectives
- Stimulate recall of prior learning
- Present the content
- Provide learner guidance
- Elicit learning/practice
- Provide feedback
- Assess learning
- Enhance retention and transfer
As part of the instructional strategy, Impact will build
testing and assessment techniques. Impact feels that the
best time to develop test items is after developing learning
objectives. This way, assessment instruments will be more
likely to actually measure what you want your learners to
accomplish. Additionally, assessment doesn't only occur at
the end of an instructional unit. Assessment should be
integrated throughout the instruction. We design
instruction such that students are frequently asked
questions and feedback is solicited.
determining Delivery Mode. Will your delivery mode be
self-paced and instructor-independent, such as online
learning? Will your delivery be a combination of
instructor presentation and use of materials? Think
about how you will cover all required instructional
events. Some of the information that must be taken
into consideration when determining delivery mode
include the:
- Geographical distribution of the audience
- Size of the audience
- Amount of development time
- Amount of training time and deadlines
- Nature of the material
- Availability of implementation resources and
facilities - Type, availability and quality of computing and
audio/visual resources - Budget
Additionally, an instructional event should be considered
a package of training. A training package can include
many tools: i.e., student manual, instructional
materials, pre- and post-tests, and an instructor's
manual. Additionally, the course being developed may
require worksheets, handouts, job aids, computer-
based training, the Internet, laboratory work, learning
portals, and audio/video material. Identifying the tools
required for a specific instruction is part of developing
the learning strategy.
Develop Instructional Materials
Instructional Materials are any tools used during the
instructional process. These tools are identified as part
of the learning strategy step. Prior to developing your
instructional materials, consider your intended delivery
mode selected during the strategy development.
When developing your instructional material, Impact will
consider the following steps:
- Review your instructional strategy.
- Research existing literature or fellow subject
matter experts; determine what material is
available. - Consider how you can adapt existing material.
- Determine whether you need to design new
materials. - Consider the best media for presentation. How
can you best monitor practice and feedback,
evaluate learner learning, and guide student
learning? - Based on your instructional strategy, build your
instructional material. - Review each completed instructional unit for flow,
clarity, and information-chunking. Keep your
learner analysis in mind. - Develop a student manual or student
instructions; provide a syllabus or outline that
informs learners of objectives and assignments.
Impact makes every effort to create learning objects
that can be flexibly linked together and reused to create
different training activities that have similar but different
objectives. Our Designers use many tools, many of
which are dictated by the chosen delivery mode. They
can include Prototyping, Flowcharting, Storyboarding,
Outlining, Authoring Software, Rapid Development
Techniques, Learning Management Systems (LMS) and
Learning Content Management System (LCMS). No
matter what tools we use, our Designers are committed
to developing instructional materials consistent with our
development principles.
All materials must include the following elements:
- Explanation/presentation of instructional content
- Appropriate opportunity for practice
- Assessment of progress
All materials must follow these general guidelines:
- The writing is effective writing
- Readability is ensured
- Graphics are effective and serve a specific
purpose - Information is organization for ease of access and
retention - Materials are consistent with principles of adult
learning theories
All materials must be developed with sufficient attention
to:
- Learner characteristics
- Resources and/or constraints of facilities
- Content analysis
- Learning objectives
- Instructional strategies
Evaluate Instruction
The purpose of this step is to make sure that the
instruction that we build for our customers is effective.
As part of the learning strategy we developed a system
of evaluation for testing our instruction. In addition to
the learners, Impact also asks available subject matter
experts to provide a peer review of all instructional
materials and strategy.
Impact separates evaluation for assessment.
Assessment methods concentrate on learner learning;
evaluation has a wider scope. Evaluation implies an
examination of the entire instructional unit you have
been developing. Impact builds evaluating into the
development and delivery process. Using formative
evaluation, evaluating instruction as we develop them,
through delivery with pilot classes, formal and informal
evaluations, and postmortem reviews, we are able to
make critical decisions on how to revise and thereby
improve your instruction. This will help us more
effectively meet the needs of your learners. We also use
summative evaluation after delivery or after full
development of the instructional unit.
The Bottom Line
Impact's Instructional Designers are experts in the
science of instructional design. They are knowledgeable
of the newest methods for effective adult learning.
They are current in the principles of organizational
development and techniques for analyzing training
requirements and identifying and building appropriate
training materials and activities. Let Impact build “World
Class” instruction that will empower your employees
and help them reach their potential.
