Instructional Edit

An instructional edit, as the term is used here, means an examination of job-task-training related materials to verify instructional-design integrity.

Businesses with sizable training departments usually have one or more experienced instructional design specialists who perform this work on every project thus inferring that every training development effort should undergo periodic instructional design edits or reviews.

For businesses low on instructional design experience, or for those who simply seek "another opinion," I can provide this instructional design review service.

An Instructional edit should identify problems while they are still small and before they have the opportunity to become resource wasters. Developing and implementing training is expensive. If done well, and for the right reasons, training has a positive return on investment and adds to the overall "bottom line." Poorly done, or done for the wrong reason, training can quickly become a bottomless pit, sucking up resources like a sponge, yielding little or nothing in return.

Instructional edits, or reviews, are usually performed periodically throughout the training development process beginning with initial design efforts and continuing though the course material development stage. For organizations with pre-defined and established phases or mileposts for development of training material, a review should be done as a part of each phase, through the development or production phase. I can better determine optimal time(s) for review based on client processes and schedules and the nature of the project itself.

One fundamental rule to keep in mind is that the earlier weaknesses or problems are identified, the cheaper they are to correct! Seemingly small instructional design problems detected and fixed on the front end can save a fortune on the back end.

Following is a list of items to consider for an instructional edit:

• Needs analysis (Is this training being developed to satisfy a situation that unconditionally dictates training?)

• Audience Analysis (Is the audience analysis is complete enough to make satisfactory decisions related to scope, depth, content, and delivery methods of training?)

• Task Analysis (Is the task analysis, upon which this training will be based adequate to promise prudent design, including development of any required job aids?)

• Objectives (Are stated objectives congruent with task analysis and desired job performance?)

• Content (Is the content congruent with course objectives without introducing irrelevant material?)

• Course Delivery Note: This applies more to print-based self-study, computer-based, and web-based training. (Do the methods and format of content delivery facilitate learning, or do they hinder learning?)

• Trainee (or student) Interactions including questions, activities, simulations, test items, and performance evaluations (Are interactions congruent with objectives, and will they enhance objective mastery?)

As a part of an instructional edit, I will document problems and notes in a separate document and return those via email, U. S. Mail, or FAX, or other means, as required.

Contact me with a description of your project. I can help you identify the specific items for your project  recommended for review (there is no charge for making the recommendation).

Note: I don't check for such things as grammer and punctuation, but if something jumps at me, I'll bring it to your attention. The edit is from an instructional design viewpoint to maximize continual congruence between worker performance goals and training efforts so that development efforts are optimized..

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