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Part 2, VC Scoping Plan, Wireframe and Design Plan

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Part 2, VC Scoping Plan, Wireframe and Design Plan

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The model shows blended learning encompassing virtual classroom, social learning and self-managed learning.

Social learning aims at engaging participants, whereas self-managed learning aims at active learning, combining independent learning, and interactive learning with others.

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As a training provider for high-level degree apprenticeships, we support apprentices in their learning, application of learning, and leadership development. Our Learning Coaches must be well-equipped with skills and knowledge to support apprentices in creating and undertaking impactful work-based projects.

Meet the typical learning personas for the Action Learning Set e-training course!

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Virtual Classroom model, recorded screencast

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Virtual Classroom model, recorded screencast

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This screencast is for course assessment only

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Our course participants are likely to have diverse lifestyles and preferences and be dotted around the UK working flexibly, possibly from abroad, and because the course demands practice, I've arrived at the blended learning mode of delivery. Next, I am presenting how participants will complete their learning.

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Problem & Business need

This section has been removed due to the sensitivity of the information.

Learning gap

This section has been removed due to the sensitivity of the information.

Action Learning Set course objectives

1. To introduce the methodology and concept of Action Learning Set.

2. To provide knowledge and understanding of the Action Learning philosophy, which can be used to encourage others to think differently about their challenges and identify underlying assumptions.

3. To develop active listening, questioning, and reflective skills.

4. To develop a critical understanding and application of the Action Learning Set dynamics.

5. To develop confidence in applying the action learning set methodology in practice.

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I chose to refer to the designed learning experience as an e-training course as there is a stronger focus on acquiring a skill than knowledge and also because there is a practical, synchronous element embedded in the design of the experience, the virtual classroom. This e-training course has recorded scenarios in Unit 3 and practice tasks to focus participants on immediate applicability to their role and hands-on experience in Unit 4

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Learning outcomes according to Bloom's taxonomy

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Learning outcomes according to Bloom's taxonomy

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Modular Framework for Action Learning Set 

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Modular Framework for Action Learning Set 

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Reflective Commentary of the How of Learning

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Reflective Commentary of the How of Learning

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Reflective Commentary of the Why of Learning

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Reflective Commentary of the Why of Learning

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Kurt, S. (2018, September 6). KirkPatrick Model: Four levels of Learning Evaluation - Educational Technology. Retrieved: 6th September 2023 from https://educationaltechnology.net/kirkpatrick-model-four-levels-learning-evaluation/

Kurt, S. (2021, January 1). Gagne’s Nine Events of Instruction - Educational Technology. Educational Technology. Retrevied: 6th September 2023 from
https://educationaltechnology.net/gagnes-nine-events-of-instruction/

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The Kirkpatrick Model is probably the best known model for analyzing and evaluating the results of training and educational programs. It takes into account any style of training, both informal or formal, to determine aptitude based on four levels criteria.

Level 1 Reaction measures how participants react to the training (e.g., satisfaction?). Level 2 Learning analyzes if they truly understood the training (e.g., increase in knowledge, skills or experience?). Level 3 Behavior looks at if they are utilizing what they learned at work (e.g., change in behaviors?), and Level 4 Results determines if the material had a positive impact on the business / organization.

This model was developed by Dr. Donald Kirkpatrick (1924 - 2014) in the 1950s. The model can be implemented before, throughout, and following training to show the value of training to the business.

As outlined by this system, evaluation needs to start with level one, after which as time and resources will allow, should proceed in order through levels two, three, and four. Data from all of the previous levels can be used as a foundation for the following levels' analysis. As a result, each subsequent level provides an even more accurate measurement of the usefulness of the training course, yet simultaneously calls for a significantly more time-consuming and demanding evaluation.

Undoubtedly, the most widely used and in-demand method for the assessment of training in businesses nowadays is Kirkpatrick's system based around the four levels as guidelines. The Kirkpatrick model has been used for over 30 years by many different types of companies as the major system for training evaluations. It is evident that Kirkpatrick's vision has made a positive impact to the overall practice of training evaluation.

See also: Instructional design models
Listed below is an in-depth look into the four levels of the Kirkpatrick Model:
Level 1 Evaluation - Reaction

The objective for this level is straightforward, it evaluates how individuals react to the training model by asking questions that establishes the trainees' thoughts. Questions will figure out if the participant enjoyed their experience and if they found the material in the program useful for their work. This particular form of evaluation is typically referred to as a "smile sheet."

As outlined by Kirkpatrick, each program needs to be assessed at this level to help improve the model for future use. On top of that, the participants' responses is essential for determining how invested they will be in learning the next level. Even though an optimistic reaction does not ensure learning, an unfavorable one definitely makes it less likely that the user will pay attention to the training.

Examples of resources and techniques for level one:

Online assessment that can be graded by delegates/evaluators.

Interviews

Can be done immediately after the training ends.

Are the participants happy with the instructor(s)?

Did the training meet the participant's needs?

Are the attendee's happy with the educational tools employed (e.g., PowerPoint, handouts etc)

Printed or oral reports provided by delegates/evaluators to supervisors at the participants' organizations.

"Smile sheets".

Comment forms determined by subjective individual reaction to the training course.

Post-training program questionnaires.

Verbal responses that can be taken into consideration and considered.

Especially encourage written comments

Try to get honest responses and feedbacks

Level 2 Evaluation - Learning
New skills / knowledge / attitudes? What was learned? and What was not learned?
Evaluating at this level is meant to gauge the level participants have developed in expertise, knowledge, or mindset. Exploration at this level is far more challenging and time-consuming compared to level one.

Techniques vary from informal to formal tests and self-assessment to team assessment. If at all possible, individuals take the test or evaluation prior to the training ( pre-test) and following training ( post-test) to figure out how much the participant comprehended.
Examples of tools and procedures for level two:

Measurement and evaluation is simple and straightforward for any group size.

You may use a control group to compare.

Exams, interviews or assessments prior to and immediately after the training.

Observations by peers and instructors

Strategies for assessment should be relevant to the goals of the training program.

A distinct clear scoring process needs to be determined in order to reduce the possibility of inconsistent evaluation reports.

Interview, printed, or electronic type examinations can be carried out.

An interview can be carried out before and after the assessment, though this is time-consuming and unreliable.

Level 3 Evaluation - Transfer
Was the leaning being applied by the attendees?
This level analyzes the differences in the participant's behavior at work after completing the program. Assessing the change makes it possible to figure out if the knowledge, mindset, or skills the program taught are being used the workplace.

For the majority of individuals this level offers the truest evaluation of a program's usefulness. Having said that, testing at this level is challenging since it is generally impossible to anticipate when a person will start to properly utilize what they've learned from the program, making it more difficult to determine when, how often, and exactly how to evaluate a participant post-assessment.

This level starts 3-6 months after training.
Examples of assessment resources and techniques for level three:

This can be carried out through observations and interviews.

Evaluations have to be subtle until change is noticeable, after which a more thorough examination tool can be used.

Were the learned knowledge and gained skills used?

Surveys and close observation after some time are necessary to evaluate significant change, importance of change, and how long this change will last.

Online evaluations tend to be more challenging to integrate. Examinations are usually more successful when incorporated within present management and training methods at the participant's workplace.

Quick examinations done immediately following the program are not going to be reliable since individuals change in various ways at different times.

360-degree feedback is a tool that many businesses use, but is not necessary before starting the training program. It is much better utilized after training since participants will be able to figure out on their own what they need to do different. After changes have been observed over time then the individual's performance can be reviewed by others for proper assessment.

Assessments can be developed around applicable scenarios and distinct key efficiency indicators or requirements relevant to the participant's job.

Observations should be made to minimize opinion-based views of the interviewer as this factor is far too variable, which can affect consistency and dependability of assessments.

Taking into consideration the opinion of the participant can also be too variable of a factor as it makes evaluation very unreliable, so it is essential that assessments focus more defined factors such as results at work rather than opinions.

Self-assessment can be handy, but only with an extensively designed set of guidelines.

Level 4 Evaluation - Results
What are the final results of the training?
Commonly regarded as the primary goal of the program, level four determines the overall success of the training model by measuring factors such as lowered spending, higher returns on investments, improved quality of products, less accidents in the workplace, more efficient production times, and a higher quantity of sales.

From a business standpoint, the factors above are the main reason for the model, even so level four results are not usually considered. Figuring out whether or not the results of the training program can be linked to better finances is hard to accurately determine.
Types of assessment strategies and tools used for level four:

It should be discussed with the participant exactly what is going to be measured throughout and after the training program so that they know what to expect and to fully grasp what is being assessed.

Use a control group

Allow enough time to measure / evaluate

No final results can be found unless a positive change takes place.

Improper observations and the inability to make a connection with training input type will make it harder to see how the training program has made a difference in the workplace.

The process is to determine which methods and how these procedures are relevant to the participant's feedback.

For senior individuals in particular, yearly evaluations and regular arrangements of key business targets are essential in order to accurately evaluate business results that are because of the training program.

References

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Kirkpatrick Model: Four Levels of Learning Evaluation - Educational Technology

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The Kirkpatrick Model is probably the best known model for analyzing and evaluating the results of training and educational programs. It takes into

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Digital Marketing Institute. (2018, May 17). What are the Benefits of Blended Learning? Digital Marketing Institute.
Retrieved:  8th July 2023 from  https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/what-are-the-benefits-of-blended-learning

Picciano, A.G. (2009). Blending with Purpose: The Multimodal Model. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 13(1), 7-18. Retrieved: 8th July 2023.

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Research Guides: Learning Outcomes: Bloom’s Taxonomy. (n.d.). Retrieved: 25th June 2023 from https://lib.guides.umd.edu/c.php?g=598357&p=4142337

Malamed, C. (2022). Design for Bottom-Up and Top-Down processing. The eLearning Coach. Retrieved: 25th June 2023 from https://theelearningcoach.com/learning/design-for-bottom-up-and-top-down-processing/

Core Instructional Design Models | Digital Learning Institute. (2023, May 12). Digital Learning Institute. Retrieved: 25th June 2023 from https://www.digitallearninginstitute.com/blog/what-are-the-core-instructional-design-models/

Kurt, S. (2020b, December 17). Using Bloom’s taxonomy to write Effective Learning Objectives: the ABCD Approach - Educational Technology. Educational Technology.
Retrieved: 25th June 2023 from: https://educationaltechnology.net/using-blooms-taxonomy-to-write-effective-learning-objectives-the-abcd-approach/

Backward design. (n.d.). Digital Learning Innovations.
Retrieved: 6th September 2023 from https://dli.kennesaw.edu/resources/idmodels/backwarddesign.php

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Core Instructional Design Models | Digital Learning Institute

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Find out what the 5 core instructional design models and learn about their systematic approach to designing and developing effective instructional materials

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Joan Keevill. (2015, March 11). Action learning [Video]. Retrieved: 25th June 2023 from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3rRHgAG.

E-learning industry (n.d) How To Use An Audience Analysis And Learner Personas. Retrieved: 25th June 2023 from: https://elearningindustry.com/steps-to-creating-learner-personas.

Leicestershiretextiles Hub. (2019, January 21). Action Learning Sets HD [Video]. Retrieved: 24th June 2023 from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNUIgG4T7RQ

Lofthouse, P. R. (2023, August 21). Making more sense of teacher coaching. Leeds Beckett University.

Action Learning sets. A pedagogic and professional tool:   Retrieved: 25th June 2023 from: https://www.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/blogs/carnegie-education/2022/03/action-learning-sets-a-pedagogic-and-professional-tool/.

Willis, V. J. (2004). Inspecting cases against Revans’ ‘gold standard’ of action learning. Action Learning: Research and Practice, 1(1), 11–27. Retrieved: 27th June 2023 from
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1476733042000187592

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Creating Learning That Resonates

"Design for your learner" has been a popular mantra in the L&D world and learner personas have been at the center of this concept. By taking a leaf from marketing's playbook and adopting personas to combat generalizations and stereotypes, user-centric learning has leaped to new levels. Organizations who have adopted this marketing-aligned method in creating personalized learning tend to see better learning engagement, improved learner responsibility and evolving growth mindsets in their employees.

Marketers have been employing customer-centered strategies in creating ads to specifically target segments of their audience. One of these involves using buyer personas that are prototypical representations of segments of their audience to create relatable ads that are more likely to incite action on the customers' end. The L&D equivalent of this is a learner persona.

Steps To Creating Learner Personas

Effective learning strategies do not stereotype learners, they employ learner personas to focus on targeting instead. This involves taking your learners' demographics, education and skill level, motivations, needs, goals, learning habits, online habits, etc., into consideration when designing instructional material.

If you are looking to move away from mediocre content toward more outstanding learning content, learner personas might be just what you need. Follow these steps to get you started:

1. Gather Information About The Learner Personas

The first step in developing a learner persona is gathering information about specific learners. The final learner persona will reflect a hypothetical archetype, rather than someone in reality. The information the persona is based on, however, should come from extensive interviews with sample audience members and supervisors, conducted by subject level experts.

The interview should ask the learner questions about:

Basic demographics including age, family, and where they live

A typical day for them, particularly related to the relevant eLearning course

The circumstances of their work environment including frustrations, relationships, and skill level

Their needs

Observing learners' behavior patterns and creating fitting learner personas give us a more in-depth perspective on unique learning needs that we can use in tailoring instruction to achieve proficiency in training. Demographics, education, employment and skill levels, online "watering holes," goals, and motivations are just some of the traits you need to consider in creating learner personas.

2. Analyze Information

After conducting interviews and collecting information, it's important to analyze the information with your audience members and supervisors. Analyzing the information should yield a selection of archetypal personas with similar characteristics, behaviors, and needs.

In the marketing world, we typically have several personas to reflect the different market segments. However, your information will have trends showing a primary learner persona, along with one or two secondary personas.

3. Write The Learner Personas

Once you've gathered and analyzed the information, your next step is to convert it into a more concise format that's useful to your team.

Learner personas are often shown to a team through presentation slides or printed and posted on a wall in the workplace for ongoing reference. When you create your personas, search for images that capture their essence and help you think of the real learners represented by the personas. Our company used a mannequin that felt omnipresent and was useful to infuse our learning with the persona's perspective.

A persona should include:

Behavior patterns

Goals, both long-term and short-term

Needs

Attitudes, beliefs, and opinions

Skills

Context and background information about those areas of the persona's life

4. Implement The Learner Personas

Having the full-sized mannequins in the office really helped our team remember the learner. When making decisions, the learner persona should be in everyone's mind. The persona should come into every conversation about course design as a member of the design team.

For example:

What does Ava already know about this topic?

What design elements will help Ava be successful in the course? In her life?

Does Ava care about the training?

Will she understand the jargon used?

Conclusion

By using learner personas, you can ensure that your learner engages with your content and feels heard and understood. Using them on a day-to-day basis will also ensure that your team stays on the same page with Instructional Design, producing high-value content beneficial to your learner, and simultaneously ensuring better outcomes for both learners and instructors.

Originally published at www.beyondthesky.ca.

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What is a learner persona and how do you create one? Read this informative article to learn how to create a learner persona in 4 steps.

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Shaw, A. (2020, March 17). Modular Course Design - Center for Teaching and Learning | Wiley Education Services. Center for Teaching and Learning | Wiley Education Services. Retrieved: 25th June 2023 from: https://ctl.wiley.com/modular-course-design/

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