The learning & development space is growing exponentially and it is time for learning solutions to get in pace.

Instructional Design is a step forward toward building a learning solution that fulfills interaction, engagement, implementation, and retention among the learners.

It is an essential tool for trainers who want to create training materials that the trainees can resonate with. The instructional design allows the training material to be flexible where it can help new hires as well as retrain existing employees

Instructional design is a process that is important while creating positive learning experiences. As the name suggests, it is the art and science behind creating instructional experiences that make learning more appealing and effective.

When implemented in learning materials, it offers a simulation and plays a vital role in designing the pedagogy, creating materials, and checking their efficacy in the form of knowledge retention.

Instructional design is based on various theories and models, using which, instructional designers create learning content that makes it easier for learners to understand the material and simplify training for the trainers.

Instructional design effectively enhanced digital learning and in these years, has been vital in building up the popularity of custom learning and training materials that are comparatively cheaper than their traditional counterparts.

When we talk about instructional design, the instructional designers follow a set path and guidelines. These guidelines are in compliance with the L&D professionals and their approach toward planning, designing, creating, and delivering their training programs.

Some of the most common instructional design models are ADDIE, SAM, Dick and Carey, and Bloom’s Taxonomy, to name a few.

However, most organizations have so far sided with ADDIE and SAM for their learning solutions.

ADDIE: Also known as the Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation, ADDIE is a milestone process in which the learner needs to achieve one phase of training and learning, before moving on to the next. While this linear model may seem very straightforward, it can be time-consuming, with little or no scope to backtrack on their respective milestones.

SAM: Successive Approximation Model (SAM) is considered more agile than ADDIE. In fact, it follows a cyclic process of planning, design and development phase which asks for greater accountability. One cannot skip one step unless the previous phases have been approved and signed off by the stakeholders.

Bloom’s Taxonomy: A hierarchical model, in this model, the complexity of the learning model is divided into three different levels — Cognitive, Affective, and Psychomotor.

Cognitive: It is a knowledge-based domain, comprising six levels of learning objectives — information, comprehension, implementation, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation.

Affective: It is the emotions-based domain where the learner’s attitude towards, learning, their growth levels, and recognition of the course material is observed.

Psychomotor: This is the action-based domain that observes the learner’s dynamism with respect to learning as well as their skills and behavior.

These models, in addition to many others, have been created to build accountability and leave minimal room for errors that do not hinder the final product and keep last-minute surprises at bay.

The instructional design strategies are all about planning, development, design, and delivery. It is a high-level assessment carried out by the top trainers and education experts who create the best learner’s material.

The strategies are based on critical thinking and decision making which includes answering the following questions:

For whom is this learning material being developed?

What learning theory would work best here?

What are the available resources?

What instructional design model would fit this learning material?

How can you customize this learning for the learners?

Here are some strategies that help ensure effective training.

In this form of strategy, the process is focused on bite-sized learning. Breaking down the material into small parts helps reduce the cognitive load that enables high knowledge retention and recall.

From the design point of view, the microlearning strategy is very flexible and responsive. As a result, it can be accessed via different devices allowing learning on the go.

The course content in such strategies is highly dependent on visual cues. These can be short videos, highly functional infographics, etc. that can up the effectiveness of the training and learners’ engagement levels.

Microlearning is often used to supplement fully-fledged training or to re-train existing employees to keep them in sync with the latest developments both within the organization as well as the industry.

Having said that, microlearning can also replace long courses but requires a lot of time and effort concerning the material.

The spaced learning strategy is all about repetition but in equal intervals of time. During this process, the material is repeated over time to keep the knowledge fresh and reduce the chances of a forgetting curve taking root.

For instance, easy course materials can be revisited 15 days later when taught while tougher material might require a 30-day revisitation since the day it was taught. This offers a lot of scope for instructional designers to plan the material but also creates caveats like excessive time consumption, and content overload to name a few.

This is an active learning strategy that is both interactive and engaging. As the name suggests, scenario-based learning places learners in real-time situations, coaxing them into practical thinking and decision-making, and helping them build their critical thinking and problem-solving abilities.

This type of learning strategy is great for contact center employees who are often at the forefront of customer support. It is also ideal for compliance training, onboarding, etc.

It is important to note that these scenarios are practical and exist in real time.

Gamification is one of the most sought-after elements of learning and development. Instructional designers are often inclined to include gamification as a part of the course material because it offers a lot of scope to include creativity as well as functionality.

A gamified learning experience is immersive and improves engagement, understanding, retention, and performance

Trainers, hiring managers, and business owners often confuse between instructional design and content authoring. The two elements are intrinsically linked, allowing learning professionals to design courses.

Where do authoring tools fit here?

Solutions like Nittio Learn are some of the few authoring tools that deploy the aesthetics of design to make courses informative as well as engaging.

In fact, one of the most common instructional design strategies; gamification, is an important part of the course material that allows trainers and learning professionals to create custom training programs for their workforce.

Course authoring can include instructional designing where content creators, L&D professionals, and graphic designers brainstorm to create materials that would work best. However, instructional design is not as inclusive and usually resides outside an authoring tool where the designs are created separately and then integrated into the course.

Having said that, instructional design is very important for learning and development teams as well.

Thinking about how instructional design can enhance learning? Here are some advantages of this concept:

User experience is important to build user engagement and their ability to retain knowledge during their learning process. The instructional design creates an interactive UX design that helps learners learn as well as apply their knowledge in real-time.

It is natural for new hires to get confused when it comes to training processes. An intuitive instructional design creates a clear user journey that helps learners map their learning path and optimize their training experience to the maximum.

Trainers need to be in constant communication with the learners. A visionary instructional design accommodates both learner and trainer requirements. From charting courses to communicating with the learners, instructional design helps trainers connect with the trainees easily.

Instructional design needs to be a mix of great designs, the right UX concepts, and an understanding of the course material. While all text does not create a high engagement, sole focus on designs will not reap benefits either. It is, therefore important to balance the scales of design and text with instructional design and course authoring to make the perfect learning solution.