A Rose by any other name? Instructional Design and Technology

My job as Customer Publications Manager requires me to be a part of projects being completed by almost every department in our company. This includes our Training dept.   My definition of Instructional Design Technology as it relates to Training would be the identification or our customers’ needs, primarily as they learn to use our program and reports.  We will design the presentation based on the specific needs of the customer we are training.  During implementation of the training we will evaluate and make changes to ensure the best learning outcome possible.  

Instructional Design is Learner Centered - We must analyze the needs of the particular customer needing the training. How can we best meet their needs? How can they absorb the maximum amount of knowledge?

Instructional Design is Goal Oriented - What does the customer want to be able to do at the end of the training?  If that goal is reading data then we will gear our training toward reports and what they all mean.  If the customers goal is to have a better implementation of the program throughout their district then we will gear our training to show the benefits of time in the program and how to implement with fidelity.

Instructional Design Focuses on Meaningful Performance - No matter what the goals are within a particular training we always want to provide the customer with time to "explore" the program and reports.  We want them to be able to login and actually extract information required in order for them to modify their teaching in the classroom.  This also serves as an assessment period.  If they are not able to perform any of the activities required we can immediately "reteach" that skill and then allow them more time to perform.

Instructional Design Assumes Outcomes Can Be Measured in a Reliable and Valid Way - If a teacher has been through our training, then we expect that he has the knowledge to use our program effectively.  If the administrator views reports and sees that the teacher's students have little to no usage time on the program or that the teacher himself has not viewed the data for his students then it is a reliable assumption that the teacher has not used the knowledge he gained through our training or did not gain knowledge through our training and therefore needs to receive additional instruction.

Instructional Design is Empirical, Iterative, and Self-Correcting -  A very essential part of conducting effective training sessions is the prior knowledge of what the learner (teacher) does and does not know about our program.  This knowledge is gathered in a variety of ways.  We may send out a survey prior to our session asking questions related to familiarity with basic technology to how the teachers plan to use our program in their classrooms.  This knowledge helps us determine what we can "skip over" and what we really need to focus on.  We also typically have a KWL type conversation with our participants at the beginning of the session.  This gives considerable information on how we should direct the training.  Gaging the questions we are receiving throughout the training is another valuable way to gather data (knowledge) about which areas our participants need more instruction in.  It is a sure sign that learning is occurring when fellow participants start answering the questions.  

Instructional Design Typically is a Team Effort - In order to create a training that will best meet the needs of the customer we need input from a variety of people.  We need input from the administrator that is requiring the implementation of our program in their schools.  We also need the input of the Technology Coordinator that will be overseeing the installation and maintenance of our program.  Lastly we need the input of the person that will actually be conducting the training on site.

I remember being in Kindergarten and getting so excited every time my teacher pulled out the filmstrip projector.  (My favorite part was the end when she would "rewind" the film and we got to watch it go backwards.) 

As a teacher myself, I was able to use technology with my students to enhance their learning.  Watching a caterpillar actually build its cocoon and then emerge a butterfly on a streaming video was incredibly more descriptive than me just telling them it happens.   Now, students "research" computers and are able to discover on their own new information.  They then take this information and instead of getting out their spiral notebooks, they log into their blog and write about what they have learned. (so exciting!!) Their teacher and fellow students can subscribe to their blog and leave comments which promotes further discussion and in turn more learning!  (yea!)

Colleges and Universities are conducting more and more online courses or independent study classes that would not have been possible 15 years ago.  Continuing Education is becoming more accessible to a greater number of people due to the use of technology.