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Are you validating your design choices throughout the instructional design process?
During a recent virtual classroom design project, our team met to validate the instructional methods that had been chosen for the workshop. Our conversations reminded me of how critical this validation is as we prepare for the development phase of our workshops.
To ensure the effectiveness of your training, you should be validating your design choices and decisions throughout the process, not waiting until the end. This will save you time and prevent a lot of rework or lost design time.
To validate the method selection, I like to keep these things in mind:
Variety – You want to have variety in your methods, but not so much that it interferes with the flow of the course.
Time – Some methods take more time than others, so if you’re short on instructional time, you should consider more efficient methods.
Design Time – Some methods may be excellent choices, but they might not be feasible if you’re pressed for design time.
Learner Experience – If learners are all novices, some methods won’t work. For example, a discussion on a topic that is brand new to all the learners may not be as effective as another presentation method like a lecturette.
Knowing your target audience and considering their demographics and learning preferences can also impact your design decisions, as well as the complexity of the content.
Be sure to validate the presentation, application, and feedback methods you’ve chosen with some colleagues before you move on to development.
Additional Resource: How to Validate Instructional Methods [Video]
In our Instructional Design for New Designers workshop, you’ll learn 50 instructional methods you can use in your courses, how to incorporate a variety of methods, 12 guidelines for selecting the most appropriate methods, and more. Are you designing for the virtual classroom? Then, Instructional Design for the Virtual Trainer is for you!
