Effective Instructional Materials

The best way to think about the development aspect of training design is to look at it from the point of view of your end product (Piskurich, 2005). The best way for your trainees to master their objectives is to have effective needs and tasks which are determined by your analysis and assessment (Piskurich, 2005). There are several training environments, Classroom training, On the job training (OJT), Self-Instruction, and Technology Based Training. From these four environments I have determined that there are elements found in each of them. Lesson plan (who’s doing the teaching), Training Manual (materials that will help the trainer teach), Performance check list/Evaluation, and Media (specific technology used for delivery).

 You must also make sure the objectives you have determined support the resolution of the instructional problem. Each objective should address either content or skill that will help the learner improve performance related to the problem (Morris, Ross, Kalman, Kemp, 2011). If the design of the strategy is correct, the performance recall or application, which is specified in the objective and will be reflected by the strategy you designed, to support the intended performance (Morris, Ross, Kalman, Kemp, 2011).

My training to become a certified phlebotomist was very effective. The course was designed by actual phlebotomists in conjunction with subject matter experts. We began the training by diving into course material so that we could become familiar with the terminology that would be used throughout the training. Included but not limited to were safety techniques, standard operating procedures (SOP’s), and active techniques which included graphics, videos, and animations. The resources available to us included but were not limited to were practicing phlebotomists, physical specimens, books, and ebooks. The corporate instructors used very good strategy in regards to implementing the best materials and resources based on training needs. One thing they could of done better is provide materials that could be reviewed outside of work, before or after trainings.    

References:

Piskurich, G. M. (2005) Rapid instructional design: Learning ID fast and right. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer

Morrison, G. R., Ross, S. M., Kalman, H. K., & Kemp, J. E. (2011). Designing effective instruction (6th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.