Narrowing the Distance

We frequently hear designers claim to use research-based design principles when developing staff trainings (e-learning or face-to-face).   Without getting into the argument about what qualifies as research-based and what does not (we can save that for a later post), I recommend asking your potential designer to talk you through the research that is applicable to your particular project.  If that person knows it well enough to have a common sense conversation, then they should have a strong enough command to use it.  Unfortunately, “research-based design: has become a tagline from someone’s marketing department rather than the modus operandi of the training design team.  Over the next few months, we will share some of these practices supported by research that are not commonly understood in training design that we have utilized with our clients. Hopefully, you are using them already and just did not know the “name” of the particular strategy or design element.

In a recent online software training package we developed, the modules were created using the principle of errorless learning.  Errorless learning is one example of a design procedure that has been validated by a large volume of quantitative research across diverse populations (you mean we should consider people with disabilities when designing a training??? — YES!).  We were approached to developed a series of training to teach users how to use a software application.  To do this, we incorporated guided practice for the features throughout each module.  Using errorless learning meant that the user could only provide the correct responses during this time.    Here is how the guided practice was structured:  (a) the user was asked to complete a task using the software; (b) only the correct responses were allowed; and (c) if the user did not respond correctly within 4 seconds a visual prompt was provided that cued the user to engage in the correct response.

Here are 2 practical reasons for you to consider this design tip:

1.  The user does not constantly practice incorrect responses. What we know is that if we are allowed to do the incorrect thing repeatedly, we learn that incorrect response pretty well.
2.  Users remain engaged.  Repeated incorrect responses tend to reduce the likelihood that a user will continue on with training.  This is especially important to consider for the trainings that are not required, but are important for staff development.

This concept worked great for this project because the client wanted their participants to be able to USE the software rather than being able to just ANSWER questions about it.  So when working with your designer or developing your next training, consider errorless learning.

A contract is defined simply as an agreement between two parties to do something.  It can be used on anything from an agreement to buy or sell an item to an employment contract.  One thing many do not consider using contracts for however is with learning.

I just finished up doing a year long educational cadre on the use of Universal Design for Learning strategies in a classroom.  Part of the deal was that in return for strategies and software or devices to use in the classroom, participants would meet with me in person at least 3-4 times a year in addition to doing some web based stuff.  Sounds simple enough, but I’ve been in the game long enough to know things don’t always work out as planned.  The last thing I wanted was a project that started with 30 people and ended with five.  This can happen for a variety of reasons, so to help prevent it from happening this time around I created a contract that not only the participants had to sign, but they’re administrators (and sometimes their administrator’s administrator) had to sign.  No one could register before signing and returning this contract to me.  On the contract I included what the expectations of the participants were and what they would receive in return.  If someone did not show up, they would not receive the support and devices that everyone else received.  Also, if for some reason they were told they could not attend a training, I simply pulled out the contract for the administrator so they would realize this had been agreed upon some time ago.  Overall it was a huge success.

The purpose of this post is to get you to think out of the box and take this a step further.  It’s easy to use contracts if you are meeting face to face with people over a the course of several months, but what about using this in your online courses or trainings as well (even if it’s only a one time thing).  A contract immediately provides clear expectations of what is expected of the learner.  They know how much time it requires and have the opportunity to say no (or choose a different time to take the course/training) up front.  This will also help the learner understand what they will be gaining in return for taking the course (a certificate, mandatory training satisfied, a gift card, etc…)

I recommend giving a contract a try during your next training.  If nothing else, the simple act of signing an agreement is likely to increase the completion rate of any of your courses.

First off, apologies to anyone who still drops by to see if this blog is still being updated.  Our last post was around 6 months ago, but that’s all about to change.  In fact, Innovative Communications Group has been going through several changes recently.  In addition to expanding our services, we’ve re-designed our website (www.innocommgroup.com) and our blog.  Our new name is Narrowing the Distance, which we believe speaks to what we try to help people do.  This distance may be physical, such as training and support around the globe, or local and apply to effective presentation techniques, learning strategies, resources and more.

Start checking back often or just subscribe to our blog.  Our goal is to role a post out every week with an occasional update in between.