Instructional Design Inspiration: Now Where Did That Come From?

wrightpamela
Jul 3, 2020
3 min read

Updated: Jun 17, 2021

By Pam Wright / Instructional Designer / LinkedIn / YouTube / Rumble

VACATION FRUSTRATION

Having been deprived of vacationing as a child I was excited, joyful, almost giddy, at the prospect of a holiday with my spouse’s family. So when we arrived in Cocoa Beach with its retro-fifties-vibe hotels covered in pink and turquoise, home to Ron Jon surf shop and the Kennedy Space Center, we lounged in the pool, body-surfed in the ocean, and bought tacos by the dozen. Life was good. And then one morning we inexplicably packed up and left for the allure of Fort Lauderdale with its gleaming high-rise buildings and perfectly manicured landscaping only to be defeated by the red neon-glow of the dreaded No Vacancy sign. After an entire day in the car, we found ourselves circling back to Cocoa Beach in hopes of reclaiming the rooms we had abandoned hours earlier.

Annoyed, okay furious, at the grievous loss of a precious day of vacation, my angry thoughts became a mantra, “How could my in-laws fail to organize and plan our trip?” With my first glimpse into the dynamics of my husband’s family, I realized that they lived spontaneously not by choice, but because they were simply unable to plan. Since research and planning skills are encoded in my DNA I had never considered that others might not be similarly blessed. That vacation provided valuable insight into the worth of my own capabilities and served as the inspiration that eventually led to my joining the ranks of instructional designers.

THE WORLD OF INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN

So just what is instructional design (ID) you may ask? When we plan a vacation (those of us that are planners) what is our goal? To have a good time and enjoy leisurely living! I encourage you to think of ID as just that, a plan for your learning event to achieve the best learning experience possible.

THE PLAN

The ID plan ensures that the necessary knowledge and skills areas are presented in a way that the learner GAINS new information and/or abilities because of the training event.

"We never know what experience in life will reveal that

nugget of wisdom, be it a vacation gone wrong

or a worldwide pandemic"

We can unpack this as:

Grow in knowledge and skills

Achieve the learning objectives

Implement what is learned

Navigate towards improvement

“G” IS FOR GROW

The result of any learning event is for the learner to come away with knowledge they previously did not possess and skills they formerly lacked. To succeed in achieving growth requires a design focused on the key subject knowledge and skills areas. This is achieved using a needs analysis (another blog topic for another day).

“A” IS FOR ACHIEVE

Learning objectives are essentially SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Action-oriented, Realistic, Timely) that outlines what the learner will achieve during the learning event. They serve as part of the instructional design framework including the means for learner goal achievement (learning strategy), and how they will be measured (learning assessment). Think of this framework as a level used to check that all three components, learning objectives, learning strategies, and learning assessments, are in alignment with one another, resulting in a solid foundation for building the learning event.

“I” IS FOR IMPLEMENTATION

To gain knowledge or acquire a new skill, the learner needs time to practice, preferably in a controlled setting where it is acceptable to fail as well as succeed. It is critical that the design for instruction allows time for the student to apply the concepts they have learned under the guidance of an instructor.

“N” IS FOR NAVIGATE

To navigate is to “to make one’s way over or through or traverse” (Merriam-Webster, 2020). Instructional Design assists the learner in navigating novel concepts and skills towards improvement through learning strategies and experiences based on the latest research in learning and training design. A well-crafted plan for instruction should include a means for the learner to make some discoveries on their own, rather than always being revealed by the instructor. Allow the learners to achieve their “AHA!” moment.

FINAL THOUGHTS

We never know what experience in life will reveal that nugget of wisdom, be it a vacation gone wrong or a worldwide pandemic. I encourage you to be on the lookout for those moments of insight and consider how they might be applied to better your world.

If you would like to GAIN more information about Instructional Design, feel free to contact me at IDPinnacle@outlook.com or subscribe to this blog!

References

Merriam-Webster. 2020. Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Retrieved from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/navigate.