Context

Context

Need
Designers of instructor-led training courses rely too heavily on topic-based instructional strategies. These rely primarily on a “data dump” of content to ensure learners have been exposed to virtually everything known about a topic. The learner leaves these experiences with knowledge in their heads, but little ability to apply what they have learned. Experts, such as Neil Rackham and Sivasailam Thiagarajan, argue that content-dump training is a waste of time since it is not possible for learners to remember a vast portion of what they are taught.

Instructional Context
This hour-long instructional module will contribute to achieving the learning goal in an online web environment. This module shall consist of three self-paced lessons.

Transfer Context
Job aids provided to the learner within the instruction as well as process learning can be applied to various contexts where creation of instructor-led training must be developed. The movement toward performance-based instruction puts enhanced emphasis on enabling people to perform key tasks well, while sacrificing a wide breadth of knowledge. Medical schools such as McMaster’s University in Canada have experimented with problem-based learning. Corporations such as Learning Tree International have integrated a blend of problem-based learning and goal-based scenarios into their lines of training products. These kinds of learning experiences, while more resource-intensive to develop, have shown marked improvement in terms of learner performance and learner satisfaction.

Internal links

 * Design Document
 * Topic:Instructional Design
 * Syllabus Description
 * Project Description