How Instructional Design Will Improve Your Training Program

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Instructional design is the systematic development of training to facilitate learning and improvement among individuals by providing an opportunity to be creative and innovative while producing effective learning that meets your learners’ needs and that of your organization. Learning the latest theory can enable you apply very small changes to your work, which will in turn make all the difference. Regardless of the idea or project you are working on, choosing the right training methodology and applying relevant learning theories can help to greatly influence the change you are after. The work of instructional design is to guide you through planning of learning experiences and developing of resources that will help to not only inspire, but also engage your learners. You will also meet your learning objectives in the process of helping learners transfer their newfound skills and knowledge into the workplace. Whether you wish to specialize in instructional design or you are just a trainer producing your own materials, being fully equipped with useful ideas and practical tips can help you get behavior change. The following should attend this training program: Learning & Development Programme Developer, Learning & Development Consultant, Learning Delivery Designer, Training Development Specialist, Training Manager, and so on. In instructional design, you will learn:
  •  Activities that enliven training to improve learner-retention
  •  How you can use in-depth analysis to establish training needs
  •  Ways to quicken the development process without compromising quality
  •  How to properly design various types of instructional formats
  •  How to test or measure training impact
  •  Overcoming the skill transfer problem
  •  Setting the stage for creation of relevant content
  •  How to use maps, outlines and any other relevant tools to control the design process
As an organization, you cannot afford to train just for the sake of it. The main purpose of training is to build new skills or improve job performance, or both. Training must bring value to the bottom line; otherwise your organization will be throwing away valuable time (resources). Instructional design provides you with a systematic process to cover all the complex tasks needed: conducting needs analysis, working with SMEs, writing learning objectives, design, and evaluation, engaging participants in an interactive session, creating CBT, and many more. It equips participants with essential skills required to improve participation during training, double up retention of valuable skills, and attain results that will endure even long after the training course is over. As a professional trainer or one charged with the development of training programs, you will find that developing training modules that transfer successfully from the learning environment or classroom to the workplace can be very difficult. Professionals from every aspect of the field, including program development, needs analysis, platform speaking, and training facilitation, will benefit from the program. It does not matter whether they are developing training full-time or are only there occasionally, you will gain a firm foundation in the needs analysis process and align your training initiatives with organization’s goals. You will also develop engaging / interactive instructional events with an account of human memory and various learning processes. In addition, instructional design will enable you to create participant guides, including supporting materials to ensure your training has the right impact that both you and your organization would expect.  
Jason is the former Lead Author & Editor of TrainingStation Blog