Continued from February 2008 Newsletter

TIPS, TECHIQUES AND IDEAS:

The "4 Ms" of course design

When it comes to designing training courses, there are a number of aspects to consider. While there are often controversies in the field of instructional design, placing your attention on the targets and design issues through use of the "4 Ms", ensures you focus on the heart of the matter.

1. Meaningful
2. Memorable
3. Motivational, and
4. Measurable

1. The first design prerequisite is "meaningfulness". It is the doorway to learning complex skills. If the content is not meaningful to the learner, they will have difficulty maintaining focus, practicing and applying the knowledge. It is the job of the designer to establish what is meaningful for the learner. Does the content make sense and build on their current knowledge and skills?

2. Make the course "memorable". Build in surprise, imagery, practice and any other element that will impact the learner. For example I once worked on a safety course which graphically portrayed work place dangers resulting in serious accidents. Some of these young adults were interviewed and video clips were interspersed throughout the course, in which each person shared aspects of their story. Memorable? You bet!

3. The third aspect to consider is "motivation". This element is two-fold. The learner must want to learn and they must want to transfer those skills to actual performance. For example, will successful completion of the training result in promotion or a salary increase? Another example is if a convenience store clerk does not understand that checking deliveries carefully could result in serious discrepancies or perhaps even cost them their job, they will not be motivated to diligently check each delivery. Motivation must be built into the course to ensure success.

4. The final "M" is the culmination of all the others. Are the results "measurable"? While the previous three elements deal with instructional design, this fourth one is the most important. How do you measure success? Were the course outcomes achieved? Has the learner successfully transferred the skills they learned to their performance? Seeing "pass" results on a report card does not necessarily mean the training was successful. If desirable results are evident in the learner's post-course performance, then it was effective.

These aspects of course design may appear simple and obvious, but keeping them in focus as your design your course will help keep you on track. Doing so will almost assure successful course design.