Instructional Plan Overview

The training approach described in this book can be summarized in one word: active. The underlying philosophy, as described in Chapter 2, is that adult participants are actively involved throughout the training session. The design and development strategies, therefore, reflect an active, experiential approach to training, allowing participants to discover ideas, principles, and concepts through a series of well-planned and well-executed structured experiences. Because the adult, in particular, learns by doing, not by being told, the design and development process includes very few didactic elements.

Time Needed to Develop a Training Program

The most frequently asked question in train-the-trainer sessions is “How long does it take to design and develop a training program?” The answer: “It depends.” As frustrating as that might be to those who want and need to know how much time they must devote to this effort, there are just too many variables to give an accurate answer. A “rule of thumb” is 10 to 20 hours of development for every hour of delivery.

However, this figure can change dramatically. In the September 1996 issue of Training & Development, published by the American Society for Training and Development, author Karen White tells the reader that a good estimate is “forty to one hundred hours of development for each hour of an instructor-led course.” The May 1997 issue of Training magazine cites a study by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, which offers the following estimates for development hours per classroom hour for an instructor-led course (Zemke and Armstrong, 1997):

As you can see, all estimates have a wide range. Contributing variables include the designer's skill and experience, the complexity of the content, and whether one develops activities or uses those already developed. Will you use an “off-the-shelf” case study, or will you write your own? Do you have the skills to write a case study? If you choose to use one already written, will you use it as written, or will you modify it for a specific situation? Also, can you readily find an appropriate case study, or will you have to spend time looking through various resources to find one that serves your purposes? These are all critical decisions that involve varying amounts of time required to produce the training session.

The reality of life is that others will often dictate how much time is available to develop the training program. Because situations change so rapidly and unexpectedly, you may not have the luxury of developing a training program the way you would like. For a new product launch, for example, your client or decision maker may require you to put together a training session, sometimes literally overnight.

Also, like it or not, your client may also dictate how long the session can be. Based on your needs assessment and your training experience, you may know that a customer-service training program should be at least two days. This would give you enough time to present the content and give participants many opportunities to assimilate the information through experiential activities and to fine-tune their skills through a variety of skill-building activities. More often than not, however, you will be told that the training must be limited to one day. This is where it is extremely important for you to identify your objectives quite clearly. Be realistic about what you can and cannot accomplish within the prescribed time frame.

The time constraints will also impact your choice of methods. For example, if you had to deliver a time-management program in three hours, it is highly unlikely you would be able to use a structured experience that takes an hour and a half.

Cost Considerations

Cost is another factor in the design and development of a training session. For a customer-service program, you may want to demonstrate the proper way of handling an irate customer. In your research, you might have come across a video that would be perfect. However, a limited budget might preclude you from using it. Videos are expensive to buy or even to rent. Unless you can demonstrate that buying the video will be cost-effective because you will be using it numerous times, you may find yourself searching for another means of communicating your message. (Cost issues are discussed further in Chapter 7.) All is not lost, though. Fortunately, with the Internet and YouTube, you can often find a free video that will meet your needs. A less costly alternative is to write a scripted role play demonstrating the correct approach to handling an irate customer. During the training session, you can ask for two volunteers to read the role play, and then you can lead a discussion, just as you would following the video. The downside is that it takes time to write the script, and it probably will be considerably shorter than the video.

Major Components of Design

Designing a training program is much like planning a trip. In both cases, you must ask yourself the following questions:

An instructional plan identifies what you are going to accomplish (learning outcomes for the participants), what will be said or presented (content), and how content will be communicated (methods and media). The purpose of the initial design document is to organize one's thoughts and sequence the material and activities to create the optimum learning experience and meet learning outcomes.

After determining the objectives and before writing a detailed instructional plan, it is helpful to first design or lay out the course using a design matrix. This is truly the planning phase of the development process.

Creating a Design Matrix

A design matrix (Exhibit 6.1) is used to visualize the course or session. It enables you to take a broad view of what you want to accomplish and how to meet the learning outcomes. The design matrix provides a framework or skeleton for the course. You will then “put the meat on the bones” as you make decisions about methods and materials and prepare your instructional plan. The design matrix consists simply of four parts: duration, content or learning points, methods or activities, and materials or aids.

The design matrix is a rough sketch of the training session. Use it to identify and sequence content subtopics; estimate the amount of time devoted to each subtopic; consider the methods to communicate the content; and identify potential training materials and aids.

Creating a Detailed Instructional Plan

The instructional plan is a detailed guide to delivering a training program. It serves a number of purposes:

• It forces you to organize material or content and present it in a logical manner.
• It identifies what materials are needed, learning points, and how content will be communicated.
• It helps you stay on track, make the points you want to make, and avoid spending too much time on a particular topic.
• In the long run, it saves time. After it is created, file it away until the next time you have to present this particular subject. Rather than “reinvent the wheel,” review the plan, assemble the necessary materials, and go.

The ability to create a detailed instructional plan will also help you in your own career development. First, it gives you credibility, enhancing your image as a trainer. Second, once you have designed and developed a complete program, you will find it easier to create subsequent programs.

Components of an Instructional Plan

An instructional plan consists of two parts: (1) the program overview and (2) the instructional guide.

Part II—Instructional Guide

Part II is the real meat of the plan. It consists of the following four parts: time frames, content outline, training aids and materials, and trainer's notes. Let's take a look at each of these in detail.

Time Frames

Identify how much time each major content section takes. Indicate a time frame for each by listing the number of minutes required (for example, 15 minutes) or express time as a digital clock (0:15).

Content Outline

This section outlines in detail the ideas, principles, concepts, or skills the participants are to learn. There are many possible formats; however, an outline is best as it helps you see relationships as well as the sequence of topics and subtopics. Although you do not have to worry about adhering religiously to the rules of outlining, it is important to observe some basic rules or guidelines:

• Main points and subpoints follow the order of general to specific.
• Subdivisions or subpoints must flow logically from each main point.
• Use the standard system of numerals, letters, and indentations as follows:
  1. Roman Numerals
     1. Capital Letters
        1. Arabic Numerals
           1. Small Letters
              1. Arabic numerals in parentheses
                 1. Small letter in parentheses
• If you have the heading “I,” you must have “II.” By the same token, if you have an “A,” you must have a “B” and so forth. There cannot be just one point under a heading.

Training Aids and Materials

Training aids and materials include assessment instruments, videos, slides, computer-generated visual aids, audio recordings, games, and evaluation tools. Include brief notations to cue you when to use a slide, video, or handout. To make it easy for you (or someone else) to see at a glance what to do, you might use abbreviations or icons. The following are some ways to indicate your training aid without writing it out.

Training Aid	Abbreviation	Icon
Slide	SL
Workbook	WB
Flip Chart	FC
Handout	HO
Video	V

Trainer's Notes

In essence, your trainer's notes are your “stage directions” and methods. They tell you how you will communicate the content. They might include specific questions to ask the group or instructions for activities. Here are some possible “stage directions” you might choose to use:

Distribute…	Write…
Conduct role play	Show video
Demonstrate…	Ask…
Discuss…	Instruct participants to…
Break into subgroups	Explain…

Instructional Methods

Instructional methods are the various means by which content or material is communicated. They include the use of assessment instruments; activities such as role plays, case studies, and simulations; and a host of cooperative-learning or active-training techniques (which are explored in detail in Chapter 7). Some of the issues to consider when using some of the standard experiential methods are discussed below.

When selecting training methods, remember that there is no one best method; however, do try to use a combination of strategies. In selecting your methods of delivering instruction, consider the following:

• Subject matter
• Group's knowledge of the subject
• Training objectives
• Available time
• Group size
• Kind of participation desired
• Equipment available
• Type of room
• Cost
• Comfort zone of the trainer
• Comfort zone of the participants
• Participants' learning styles and perceptual modalities (see Chapter 2)

Table 6.1 lists the advantages and disadvantages of the various instructional methods. Study it to help determine which methods you want to use.

When deciding which methods to use, determine your purpose. Refer to Table 6.2 as another guide for when to use any particular method to communicate your content.

Always keep your objectives and desired outcomes in mind as you design a training session. Table 6.3 will help you match the methods to the desired outcomes.

Developing Materials

Writing training materials is a time-consuming process. Not only do you have to create the participant materials, but you also have to create materials for yourself—or for another trainer, if applicable. Always keep your purpose in mind. Don't get carried away by including everything you know about a particular subject. It is also a good idea to have someone who is unfamiliar with the topic take a look at the materials to determine whether they are understandable and user-friendly.

Before you complete the instructional plan, study and select from the many active training methods presented in Chapter 7 to help you create a training program that achieves the results you want.