Hello, virtual classroom enthusiasts! Have you noticed a trend occurring with your learners? I have. Everyone is insanely, exhaustingly busy and they all have a lot on their minds. In times like these, I’m very thankful Langevin follows the rule of “one third, two thirds” when it comes to course design.
This model allows our mentally inundated learners to absorb and retain the course content. I like to think of it as a recipe for success. If you consider one of your favorite recipes, you have a list of key ingredients with specific proportions for each ingredient. It’s the same when we design training. Our ingredients are presentation, application, and feedback. The proportions are one third, two thirds. Let me share some of the reasons you should be applying this recipe for success to your own training.
Whether you design virtual classroom training or traditional instructor-led training, ensuring your learners can retain the knowledge and skills is integral to the success of your course. Simply transcribing your course content onto PowerPoint slides, and lecturing while your participants listen passively, will not guarantee performance improvement.
As we all know, no matter how visually compelling your PowerPoint presentations are, they won’t amount to much if they don’t help your learners store and retrieve the content back on the job (besides, there are a multitude of methods to choose from when presenting your content!). This is where the practice of allocating one third of your course to presentation and two thirds to application and feedback becomes key.
Presentation is the delivery portion of the model and can take place in a variety of ways. If you’re delivering conceptual or knowledge-based content, a Lecturette is the most commonly used method for this type of skill. The traditional lecture can be quite boring, so we have a toolbox of eleven different lecturette variations to pull from. They’re shorter, more interactive versions of what was born at Harvard University years ago. If it’s an interpersonal skill you’re delivering, then a Behavior Model is the most appropriate method. Finally, if you’re presenting a technical skill, a Demonstration would be the perfect method of delivery for this type of content.
Application and feedback are the most crucial components of the learning process. When you have your participants apply the knowledge and skill they acquired in training, it not only ensures they comprehend the course content, but it also increases the chance they’ll apply it back on the job.
The best way to test the effectiveness of your course, and the amount of content being retained by your learners, is by administering a test every time you present a new chunk of content (a.k.a. a subtask). For many of us, the word “test” harkens back to mentally groaning with angst at the back of a school classroom, so try varying the verbiage you use to introduce tests if you’re concerned about having this effect on your participants.
Performance- and non-performance application can be done using a variety of methods. Just like presentation methods, there are application methods that are best suited to the different types of skills.
For conceptual skills, the best way for learners to practice is by administering a Case Study or some kind of Quiz. Quizzes can be verbal or written. We like fill-in-the-blank, multiple choice, resequencing, or true/false quiz types.
Roleplay is the most commonly used application method for interpersonal content. Our favorite variation is the Traditional Triad, where groups of three take turns acting out a scenario. Two people interact, while one person observes and shares feedback.
Lastly, for technical skills, let your learners get hands-on with the materials by administering a Practice Exercise. By varying the methods you choose for application, you ensure retention and a good time all around!
Once you’ve had your learners practice after every subtask (referred to as a review test), you should then administer a performance-based test (a test of both knowledge and skill) of the entire task (referred to as a criterion test) to verify your participants can successfully perform the task from start to finish.
Finally, when designing your course, you need to integrate ample opportunities to provide your learners with feedback. Traditionally, we’re inclined to think of feedback given by a facilitator, however, feedback can be supplied by the facilitator, a peer, the learners themselves, or with an answer key.
If the task is considered high-risk, then feedback should be provided by the facilitator to minimize any chance of errors back on the job. However, if it is a low-risk task, using a combination of feedback methods can keep participants more engaged and accountable in the learning process. It also gives you the opportunity to design enjoyable, creative exercises where you can tap into your participants’ experiences. Your adult learners will appreciate the opportunity to share and be an active participant in the learning process!
It is essential to build feedback into your course to gauge whether your participants understand the content. It also allows you to find and correct anything that might need further explanation before your participants try performing the task back in the workplace. Your learners may not remember exactly what was said in your first lecturette, but they will remember completing a knowledge-based activity, reviewing and debriefing the activity, and receiving timely feedback.
With the one third presentation and two thirds application and feedback rule, your participants will get the maximum benefit from your training. A bonus benefit of this model is that you’re never working harder than your participants! As we love to say here at Langevin, “Never do for the learners what the leaners can do for themselves.”
Do you have a favorite creative presentation, application, or feedback method? Let us know what it is and why it works!
For simple, yet powerful tools and resources designed to ensure your courses are highly interactive, engaging, and lively, have a peek at our Instructional Design for New Designers workshop. Designing for the virtual classroom? Check out Instructional Design for the Virtual Trainer.
This article was first published June 28, 2021.
