3 August 2024
Instructional Designer? What is it?
Most of the time, people don’t know what an instructional designer does. The short answer is that instructional designers design training programs for various companies. Usually, this answer satisfies curiosity, but it might be helpful to explain in more detail. So, in case you’re wondering too, here’s…
Instructional Designer? What is it?
Where andragogy, a company’s training needs, and technology come together.
Instructional design and andragogy have many points of intersection, particularly in optimizing adult learning.
Suppose you need to train your staff on the best way to provide outstanding customer service in your establishment. Several reasons lead you to choose online training.
Identifying Training Needs
The specific role of Instructional designer is to support you throughout this project.
We will ask you many questions about what your company does, the values it upholds, and what you want to see in terms of tangible results once the training is completed.
We will also work with you to create a profile of the people the training is intended for: who they are, what they know, what they lack, what they think, whether they have accessibility needs, what motivates them, etc.
We complement the preliminary analysis with a thorough understanding of the learning context of the individuals who will take the training: how much time they have, what devices they use to access the training, what resources are available, etc.
Targeting Learning Objectives
We then ensure that the objectives are clear, well-constructed, observable, and measurable.
It must be clear what people will be able to do.
Since the context is not that of a school, but rather a business, the learning objectives differ slightly from those used in the educational system. We focus on actions and behaviors, although objectives related to attitudes are also possible.
For example, in the case of your company, the objective will be to help employees adapt their interactions according to the type of clientele and in all circumstances.
Choosing the Approach and Activities
Based on the project’s budget parameters, we will propose a pedagogical approach that integrates the visual design (provided by our UX/UI designer colleagues!) and supports the learning experience.
In your case, a photo or video-based approach to demonstrate how to do things would be the most appropriate. Interactive activities for integration, discovery, and role-playing would complement the learning.
Determining Assessment Needs
We work with you to determine if you need to validate the mastery of the necessary skills at the end of the training, how the assessment should be conducted, and what it will focus on.
These assessments can take place online in the form of interactive quizzes or role-playing scenarios. They can also be administered in person by a supervisor who evaluates whether a customer is having a customer service experience that meets your company’s standards.
An Optimal Learning Experience
Whatever options you choose, technopedagogues always keep the learning experience of the person taking the training in mind.
Is it intuitive? Is it effective? Is it clear? Is it engaging and motivating?
Finally, online training courses are designed to meet the specific needs of learners, highlighting their individual strengths and challenges. It is essential to place them at the heart of the instructional design to help them refine their knowledge and skills, ultimately enhancing their productivity at work.
So, for the next online training you want to develop, it will be both a pleasure and a duty for a technopedagogue to bring you the best of their expertise!