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Instructor(s): Ashley Babjak, Luciana DelGuercio, Jaclyn Forshay, and Julianna Pansini
Course: GMOT 7320 Research Methods II
Class meeting’s leaning outcomes:
By the end of this class meeting, students will be able to:
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Timeline Objective Content Learning Teaching Classroom Materials

activities strategy assessment
(from
linkedIn
learning)

The anatomy of an effective lesson plan, I argue, is composed of a number of key components
which are: introduction,body, assessment, and closure. The introductory section
which sets the scene for the learning that is going to take place. It covers things such as the goals and
objectives of the lesson, and a general overview of the lesson, topic of the lesson, etc.
The body of the lesson is composed of different components including the actual subject
content to be taught together with the different activities accompanying it.
The procedural section is all about teaching methodology, that is, the different strategies
and methods to be used in the teaching of the topic. These include guided and
independent practice, group work activities, etc.
The assessment section outlines the formative assessment methods to be used to check for students comprehension
(e.g.m exit ticket, questionnaires, quizzes, open discussions, review activities, etc).
The final section is closure. It wraps up the learning that takes place and creates connection to future learning experiences.

Welcome
Hi, my name is Jeff Toister. Welcome to Adult Learners, part of the Instructional Design Essentials series.
In this course we'll explore the fundamental principles of adult learning. I'll show you how to use these
principles to design impactful training programs. The adult learning principles we'll cover are based on
industry standards, proven best practices, and my own experience as a certified learning and
performance professional who has spent more than 20 years designing training programs. This course
has three major focus areas. First, I'll introduce you to a set of adult learning principles that are widely
used by instructional designers. Next, I'll show you how to apply these principles to create an active
learning experience. Finally, I'll share some common learning barriers and show you how an
understanding of adult learners can help you overcome these challenges. As an instructional designer,
I've always found the process of learning to be fascinating. It's a lot of fun to find ways to make learning
happen faster and better than ever before. My hope is that this course will help you discover ways to
align your training programs with the needs of your adult learners.

What to know before watching this course

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I'd like to share a few things to help you get the most out of this course. The primary purpose of this
course is to show you how to apply Adult Learning Principles to the Instructional Design Process.
However, you might still find this course provides helpful insight if your role involves delivering classes or
facilitating one on one training. The course content is based on training industry standards developed by
the Association for Talent Development, or ATD. This organization used to be known as the American
Society for Training and Development, or ASTD. Until it changed it's name in May of 2014. Even within
ATD, there's a wide body of research on adult learning theory. And new studies are being released all the
time. This course attempts to narrow it all down to a set of practical concepts that you can apply to your
own training programs. Many of the videos in this course contain specific activities to help you build your
knowledge and skills. Whenever possible, I encourage you to apply these activities to one of your own
instructional design projects, so you could experience the impact of learner focus training in a real world
setting. To help you complete these activities, I've included exercise files that are available for all
lynda.com members to use. The exercise files include templates and resources that I'll reference
throughout the course. The exercise files also contain a reference guide that lists books, websites, and
other resources that can help expand your knowledge of adult learners even further.

Understanding the importance of adult learning

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>> To understand how adult learning principles play a role in good instructional design, it's helpful to
look at an example. Imagine a group of new managers are given a choice of two training programs. Each
class covers five fundamental manager roles. Both are online and self-paced. Based on a short
introduction to each one think about which of the following programs most participants would prefer.
Here's the first example. >> The five roles that every manager must know and understand. Producer,
achieve goals and accomplish results for the company through the tasks and work that you do.
Administrator, oversee systems, policies and procedures to ensure the company is running at peak levels.
Innovator, use creativity and ideation to delineate new opportunities to improve the business or resolve
problems. Mediator, help your people work through conflict between themselves and with employees in
other departments. Culture builder, create a positive work environment that engages employees and
aligns with the company's objectives. >> Now, here's the second example. >> As a manager, you'll play a
few different roles. As I go through the five primary roles, think about how you play them over the
course of your work week. The first is producer. You must produce the desired results and achieve the
organization's goals through projects and tasks. Second is administrator. You must administer systems,
policies, and procedures so that the organization runs efficiently. Third is innovator. In order to enact
change that serves the organization's future, you'll need to be creative and innovate new ideas or
solutions. Fourth is mediator. Not only will you need to help your employees work through conflict, you'll
also mediate any tensions between the employees needs and the organization's. And fifth is culture
builder. You must build a work environment and culture that values it's members and supports the
organization's goals. >> It's a safe bet that most participants would prefer the second program, but why?
Let's see if we can identify some specific reasons why the second program was more engaging. If you'd
like to try to create your own list before seeing mine I invite you to pause the video now, you can also
re-watch the two examples while taking notes. Okay, let's look at a few differences between the two
training programs. The second example was more visually dynamic. The presenter in example number
two was more engaging. The onscreen text was also simpler in the second example. These are just a few
examples. And you may have come up with even more. What's most important is that the differences
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between the two examples reflect the impact of adult learning principles. Adult learning principles are
the concepts and theories that tell us how adults learn. Understanding these principles can help us
design training that's more engaging and more effective. No matter what type of learning you design,
whether it's classroom-based, e-learning video, or blended, applying adult learning principles can make
it better. These concepts aren't just about designing training that's more appealing to learners. You can
use them to accelerate the learning process. Understanding adult learners can ultimately help you design
training that gets better results. While completing this course, try to think about your own needs and
preferences as an adult learner. Understanding how we learn can provide us with insight about helping
others learn. As you'll see throughout this course, one of the fundamental principles of adult learning is
that adults must play an active role in their own learning process. You might start by reviewing the
course description and writing down a few specific learning goals. You could download the Learning Plan
worksheet to use as a guide. Having this list of goals will make it easier to spot the specific concepts that
are most important to you. It will also help you make decisions about how you can apply these concepts
to your own work.

1. applying adult learning theory

Introduction to Malcolm Knowles's andragogy theory

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Here are two terms that every instructional designer should know. Andragogy and Pedagogy. Andragogy
is the process of helping adults learn. Pedagogy is the process of teaching, particularly children. One of
the biggest differences between the two is that Andragogy emphasizes learner motivation by connecting
it to practical application. While a Pedagogical approach can emphasize learning for the sake of learning.
Why is motivation so important? Might be helpful to think of a filing cabinet. When it's new, you can put
a file in a drawer then open the drawer again and have no trouble finding the file. But things get
different when the filing cabinet is stuffed full of files. Now it takes extra effort to put a new file in. And
you'll need a good indexing system to be able to find that file once again. In some respects, our brains
are like filing cabinets. As adults, when bombarded with new information while feeling pressed for time.
Our brains feel full. So it takes effort to cram new information in there. Malcolm Knowles is widely
credited with identifying Six Principles of Andragogy or adult learning. That can help us address this
challenge. The first is need to know. Learning takes effort and concentration. So adults need to know the
reason they're being asked to learn. That's why it's often helpful to share the purpose of an activity or its
objectives. The second principle is Experience. Learning is easier when we can build on existing
knowledge. So participants prior experience should provide the basis for many of our learning activities.
The third principle is Self-Concept. This means that adults need to be responsible for their learning
decisions. For example, you have the ability to skip around from video to video within this course or try
or not try various activities. The fourth principle is Readiness. Adults learn best when a training can be
used to help them solve an immediate problem. Try to imagine a time when you were really motivated
to learn something. You might have been taking skiing lessons so you could go skiing. Or perhaps, you
took driving lessons so you could get your drivers license. You may have even taken music lessons so you
could play your favorite song. Motivation increases when there's an immediate reason to learn. The fifth
principle is Problem Orientation. Adults learn best when training is problem oriented rather than content
oriented. That means the training is focused on helping participants acquire specific knowledge, skills or
abilities rather than generic content. Adults are much more likely to learn when they feel the training can
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really help them. The sixth principle is Intrinsic Motivation. Adults learn best when motivation comes
from within, rather then relying on external motivations such as prizes or incentives. Let's use a
Presentation Skills Class as an example to illustrate how applying adult learning principles can improve a
training program's effectiveness. The class originally began as a corporate training program offered on an
open enrollment basis. Just in case you aren't familiar with open enrollment. It refers to a course where
anyone in the organization can sign up. The course received decent reviews from participants. But there
wasn't a strong connection between people taking a class and actually giving better presentations. A few
learner focused adjustments were required to make the training program much better. For Need to
Know, the course was offered to particular departments. That way, the department leader could help
align the training with the department's business goals. For example, the Marketing Director wanted her
team to take the course so they could give better presentations at conferences. For Experience, a survey
was used to learn about participants past experience given presentations. This enabled the training to
build on what they already new. For Self-Concept. Participants were asked to identify the specific
presentation skills they wanted to improve. For Readiness. Classes were scheduled at a time when
participants really needed it. For example, the marketing department attended the class as part of their
preparation for their biggest conference of the year. For Problem-Centered. The training was focused on
helping participants prepare and develop a specific presentation. Each participant from the marketing
department used the class to design their presentation for the upcoming conference. For Intrinsic
Motivation. The course design connected the content with the participants work goals. Members of the
marketing department were highly motivated to take the class, because they saw how it could led to a
much better performance at their big conference. Applying Malcolm Knowles principles to the
presentation skills class transformed it from a generic course to a program that helped participants do
their jobs better. Now, it may be helpful to apply these principles to one of your own training classes. You
can download the Learner Motivation Worksheet for this video and use it to review an existing program.
See if you can identify adjustments that will increase participant motivation. And make your program
even more engaging.

Preparing learners for instruction

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This video will introduce you to three primary learning approaches to adult learning. Which one you
select often depends on what needs to be trained. Let's say you were designing a workshop on meeting
management skills. Would you have participants memorize a set of meeting management principles?
Focus on building specific skills such as writing a meeting agenda. Or would you ask participants to
brainstorm a list of best practices based on their own experiences? Each of these strategies reflects a
different approach to learning. Asking participants to memorize a set of meeting management principles
reflects a Cognitive approach. This learning theory emphasizes the acquisition of knowledge.
Demonstrating proficiency with various skills reflects a Behaviorist approach. This learning theory
emphasizes the acquisition of skills through the achievement of performance objectives. Brainstorming a
list of best practices based on prior experience reflects a Constructivist approach. This learning theory
emphasizes experiential learning where lessons are learned through the process of discovery. Many
instructional designers use all three, often within the same course. Let's take a closer look at each
approach and see how they could be incorporated into a meeting management workshop. We'll start
with the Cognitive approach. This approach is effective when participants need to memorize and retain
information. Examples include work procedures, product knowledge, or organizational policies. In a
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meeting management workshop, we might want participants to memorize the components of an

effective meeting. Instructional strategies might include repetition. And now this is the process of
repeating information until it moves into long-term memory. We could incorporate key terms into a
variety of activities throughout the course, so participants are constantly reminded about them.
Chunking is another strategy. This technique reduces concepts to smaller pieces of information that are
easy to memorize. We might divide the meeting management class into several modules that focus on
one component of an effective meeting at one time. Job aids can also be very helpful. These are quick
reference guides that lessen the need for a learner to memorize information. For the Meeting
Management class, you might provide a quick reference card that participants can use to incorporate the
effective meeting principles into their own meeting planning. Now let's take a look at the Behaviorist
approach. This approach works well anytime learners need to acquire specific skills. Examples might be
operating machinery, using computer software, or learning to make a perfect cup of cappuccino. For a
meeting management workshop, we might have participants create a sample meeting agenda. We could
also design a simulation to have them practice facilitating a meeting in the class. Finally, let's look at the
Constructivist approach. This approach works well for any skill where people rely on their instincts and
intuition. Examples include team building, leadership, and customer service. For a Meeting Management
workshop, we might use this approach to help participants discover typical causes of poor meetings. The
Experiential Learning Model developed by David Kolb provides a great framework. The starting point is
concrete experience. For participants in our Meeting Management class, this would come from meetings
that people had attended in the past. The next step is Reflective Observation. Our participants might
think about examples of meetings they managed that didn't go as well as planned. The third step is
Abstract Conceptualization. This is where participants would set new intentions for handling similar
situations in the future. The fourth step is Active Experimentation. This occurs when participants tryout
their new ideas back on the job. Okay. Now that we've covered the three primary approaches, I have an
activity that can deepen your understanding of each one. Select a training class offered by your
company, or if you prefer, pick a few additional courses in the lynda.com library. Conduct a high level
review of each one and try to determine which type of learning approach is used. You may find it helpful
to download the Learning Approaches Worksheet that comes with this course and use it as a reference
guide. Remember, there isn't one approach to learning that's better than others. What's most important
is selecting an approach that's most appropriate for the situation. Instructional designers who are
flexible in their approach can do a better job of meeting the needs of their adult learners.

Understanding the four stages of learning

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People often refer to the learning curve. This curve really does exist. There are four steps along the way
that are collectively referred to as the Four Stages of Competency. These steps were originally identified
by Noel Burch and have become critical to our understanding of the learning process. I'd like to give you
an overview of each stage and share some specific places on the learning curve where instructional
designers should pay careful attention. The first stage is called Unconscious Incompetent. In this stage,
learners don't know what they don't know. It's sometimes called the bliss stage, because learners can
appear to be overconfident in their abilities. A great example is learning to drive a car. You don't know
exactly what's in store for you until you get behind the wheel and start driving. The time before a new
driver starts their hands-on training is the unconscious incompetent stage. The next stage is called
Conscious Incompetent. This is when learners become aware of what they don't know. It's common for
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learner confidence to drop dramatically when they reach this stage. To use the driver training example,
this might the first time someone gets behind the wheel and starts driving. For me, I learned to drive on
a manual transmission, so my conscious incompetent moment happened the very first time I tried to
drive and immediately stalled the car. The third stage is called Conscious Competent. This is when
learners can do something at a minimal level, but they feel overly self-conscious about it. This is an
uncomfortable feeling for many learners. So, it's not unusual for learner's self-confidence to remain low
at this stage even as their ability improves. In the driver training example, conscious competent might be
when someone takes their driving test. It can be a nerve-wrecking experience to try to remember when
to signal or how to parallel park while someone is sitting next to you taking notes on a clipboard. The
fourth stage is called Unconscious Competent. Learners at this stage know something well enough that
they no longer have to think about it at a conscious level. This stage is marked by high confidence and
high ability, so they need very little training at this point. Many drivers reach this stage shortly after
earning their licence. Driving a car becomes instinctive and requires very little attention. There are two
places along this learning curve where instructional designers should pay careful attention. The first is
the transition from Unconscious Incompetent to Conscious Incompetent. I call this transition the Magic
Window. Learners must make this transition in order to learn, because they can't engage in learning if
they don't know what they don't know. As instructional designers, it's important that we create some
challenge for learners to help them get through this Magic Window. For example, we might give them a
hands-on activity where they can try out a new skill. Challenge is essential to learning. We also have to
be careful not to make the challenge too difficult. Facing a tough challenge may cause learners to
experience negative emotions such as fear or embarrassment. They may even decide to check out of the
learning process entirely if they perceive the challenge to be too great to overcome. The second place on
the learning curve where instructional designers need to pay careful attention is the Conscious
Competent Stage. Here, learners build both skills and confidence. But many learners have a strange
reaction to the process. They often perceive their lack of mastery as a sign that either the content is
ineffective or they themselves are unable to learn. This makes it important to design training where
learners can easily identify their own progress. A good example might be learning to type. Typing courses
will often incorporate games and other fun skill building activities to help learners build confidence with
skills they already have. If a lesson had just covered the keys on the home row, learners might be asked
to complete a timed activity where they only need to use those letters. Here's an activity you can try to
match learning activities to the appropriate place in the learning curve. Download the learning curve
worksheet that comes with this course. Use it to align the activities in one of your own training courses
with what learners need at that stage of their developement. Understanding the four stages of
competency can help you preserve learner motivation throughout the entire learning process. And
keeping learners motivated while they develop new skills will help them achieve a higher level of
mastery.

2. active learning techniques

Comparing active versus passive learning

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This video explores the difference between active and passive learning. Adult learners need an active
learning experience to aid with both retention and motivation. To understand the difference, imagine 2
learners taking this course. The first learner is passive, watching all the videos straight through without
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pausing to try any of the activities or reflect on how the concepts might be applied. The second learner is
active, watching only short segments of the course at a time, and then pausing to apply those concepts
to a real training project before returning to watch a few more videos. Which learner do you think will
learn more? Research and our intuition both tell us. The active learner will gain much more from the
class. They'll be more likely to retain information presented, and they'll understand the concepts at a
deeper level than the passive learner, because they've applied them to their own work. Of course, is not
fair put all the responsibility on the learner, as instructional designers, It's important that we create
training programs that are active by design. This approach gives us three distinct advantages over passive
learning. The first advantage of active learning is challenge. Adult learners need to be challenged so they
can move through the various stages of the learning curve. Passive learning falls short, because learners
aren't challenged. They aren't asked to use new knowledge or skills in any way, so the training never
moves from theoretical to practical. The second advantage of active learning is confirmation. We can see
evidence of the knowledge, skills, or abilities that learners have gained through their participation in the
learning process. Passive learning doesn't allow us to see whether a participant has actually learned
anything. The third advantage of active learning is feedback. Active learners can get feedback on their
performance that will reinforce what they're doing well and help them improve what they're still trying
to master. Passive learning doesn't provide any opportunities for feedback, since learners are never
asked to demonstrate their capabilities. The three primary adult learning approaches are all active. The
Cognitive Approach focuses on helping participants memorize information through active participation.
The Behaviorist Approach focuses on having participants demonstrate their skills. And the Constructivist
Approach focuses on helping participants discover new ideas or concepts through experiential learning.
Active learning comes in many different forms. In classroom based training, it might be a hands-on
activity, a group discussion or even a quiz. A webinar might replicate activities we'd see in a classroom
with interactive tools, such as audience polling, chat, and the ability to create breakout rooms within the
webinar. E-Learning might include quizzes, games, and simulations to test the learner's knowledge and
skills. The common thread throughout all of these examples is learner involvement. Adult learners need
to be active participants in the training process in order for learning to occur. By creating active learning
experiences, your training will be more engaging, and will ultimately result in better outcomes. So now,
we need an opportunity for you to be actively involved. If you haven't done so already, download the
Learning Plan Worksheet that's included with the resource files for this course. Take a moment to answer
the discussion questions, and then think about some of your learning goals for this class. If you've
already completed the Learning Plan Worksheet, I encourage you to take a moment to review it. Try to
identify which of your learning goals you've already achieved and which ones you still have to
accomplish. Using the learning plan worksheet as a guide can help you take an active role in your own
learning while completing this training.

Aligning training with learning styles

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Adult learners have different preferences when it comes to how they learn. Surprisingly, research shows
that adapting training to individual learning preferences has no impact. However, researchers do agree
that incorporating a variety of learning styles into training programs can make training more effective for
all learners. Let's take a look at the three basic learning intake styles or modalities. The visual style
prefers seeing. This includes pictures, demonstrations, and video. The auditory learning style prefers
listening. This includes lectures and group discussions. The kinesthetic learning style prefers doing. This
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includes hands-on practice and activities that require movement. Learning often improves when you use
more than one style at a time. The GPS system in a car or on a smartphone is an excellent example of all
three learning styles at work. It gives you audio directions to alert you to the next turn. A display gives
you visual cues about where you're headed, and the guidance system gives feedback based upon where
you actually drive. So it will provide the next turn if you're on track, or reroute you if you get off course.
Using multiple approaches also adds repetition without being boring. We know that repetition helps
learners retain information. But repeating the same activity over and over again isn't very fun. For
example, let's say you wanted people to learn the PASS acronym for operating a fire extinguisher. You
could use multiple learning modalities to repeat key lessons while making the topic quick and engaging. I
have two challenges for you while you watch the following example. One, is to count how many times
the four steps in PASS are repeated. The second, is to see if you can identify the different learning
modalities that are used. In this lesson, I'm going to show you the PASS method for operating a fire
extinguisher. P.A.S.S. is an acronym for Pull, Aim, Squeeze, and Sweep. First, pull the pin. This unlocks the
trigger mechanism. Next, aim the nozzle at the base of the fire. Squeeze the trigger to discharge the
extinguisher. And sweep from side to side. You may have noticed that the four steps in the PASS
procedure were shared three times. They were displayed in an on-screen visual. I said them out loud
while they were on screen. And then I described each step one at a time while demonstrating with the
fire extinguisher. That's a lot of repetition for a very short segment. But using various modalities makes it
possible. Let's look at the different modalities used. I used a verbal explanation to introduce steps, and I
gave a verbal description of each one. The four steps were visually displayed on the screen, and then I
provided a visual demonstration of each one. Now, you might be wondering, what about kinesthetic?
That part was up to you. If you were counting the number of times the past steps were repeated, you
were actively involved in the training. Trying to spot the different learning modalities used was also
active learning. I encourage you to try this activity with one of your own training programs. Look at a
particular module and see how many different learning approaches are used. Try to determine whether
each one is an example of auditory, visual, or kinesthetic. You may want to download the Learning Styles
worksheet as a guide. It contains additional examples of activities for each learning style. I've also
included a link to an online assessment where you can learn more about your own preferred style.

Creating active learning techniques

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In this course, we've touched on a few things about how adults learn. For instance, active learning is
more effective than passive because it involves the brain. We also learn that it's best to use a variety of
delivery methods. Using several delivery methods can improve learning and retention. Regardless of a
person's preferred learning style. In this video, we're going to talk about how to create these activities.
I'll give you three strategies you can use to quickly develop active learning. The first strategy is Borrowing
activities from other trainers. Many trainers are happy to share the activities they've created. It's a
source of pride to develop an activity that someone else can use. There are books and websites full of
training activities. There's even an app, where you can quickly find an interactive activity. So don't be
afraid to use a really good activity that you saw somewhere else. I encourage you to download the
Training Activities Reference Guide,. On it, you'll find many sources of great Training Activities. The
second strategy is to Reuse activities for a variety of purposes. For this one, I'd like to give you an
example of one of my favorites. Of course, you are welcome to borrow this one for your own training
programs. Look at the graphic on the screen and try to read the words out loud. Even though the bottom
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half of the letters are covered up. There's a good chance you are able to read the words. GOOD TIMES
ARE HERE AGAIN. But what if I told you that's not what it actually said? Let's take a closer look. When
you reveal the bottom half of the words, you see the phrase is really nonsense. If you thought, you saw
GOOD TIMES ARE HERE AGAIN. It was because your brain tricked you into seeing something that wasn't
there. The reason this happens is our brains instinctively look for familiar patterns. When it sees
something it recognizes, it fills in the blank and tells us the answer. This comes in handy in a variety of
ways. It helps us make quick sense of large amounts of complex information. But occasionally, it can lead
us to the wrong conclusion. Okay. Let's end the activity, so I can describe how I use it in a variety of
training classes. I use it in a customer service workshop to help people develop active listening skills. I
use it in a problem solving workshop to help leaders understand the dangers of jumping to conclusions.
And I use it in a train the trainer workshop to show participants how our brains like to organize
information. As instructional designers, we often find favorite activities like the one I just shared with
you. It's okay to reuse content like this. In fact, it can save you a lot of time. As long as the activity is
appropriate for the situation, it can work well. In some cases, we can't find the perfect activity to borrow
and we don't have one of our own to reuse. That's when we have to turn to a third strategy which is to
create a new activity. Here's how you can do it. Start by focusing on a learning goal. For example, if you
were creating a new employee orientation program. One of your learning objectives might be to have
participants correctly identify the various pieces of the company's uniform. Next, determine the best
learning approach. Here's a reminder of the three primary learning approaches. Cognitive focuses on
memorizing information. Behaviorist focuses on demonstrating skills and Constructivist focuses on
discovering knowledge. For the uniform example, participants are expected to identify the correct pieces
of a uniform. I'd probably take a cognitive approach since they must memorize the various uniform
components. The final step in the process is to create activities that will help learners achieve their goals.
There are many possible ways to do this. And the approach you take might depend on many factors such
as, whether the training is classroom based, E-Learning or on the job. Here's one set of activities that
would work for a classroom training. We start by explaining the the learning objectives for the activity
and the rationale. So participants know why this content is important for them to learn. Next, we give
participants a handout for reference and then combine verbal lecture with visual examples to describe
the various components of the uniform. The next step involves the learners by having them decide,
whether various examples are correct or incorrect. Finally, learners identify the components of their own
uniform using a blank worksheet. I want to leave you with one word of caution on creating learning
activities. Instructional designers can sometimes find themselves caught up in creating fun learning
activities. Fun and creativity are good things. But what's most important is designing activities that will
achieve the intended outcomes. You can design better training when you focus first and foremost on
what you'd like participants to be able to know or do. From there, you can use your creativity to find
effective ways to achieve the goal through active learning.

3. overcoming learning barriers

Identifying common learning barriers

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Adults can face a lot of obstacles when learning something new. As instructional designers, we can
improve the effectiveness of our programs by planning for some of these challenges. I'd like to share
with you five of the most common obstacles that adult learners face. Squish, No Proof, I sort of Got It,
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The Vortex, and Use It or Lose It. Let's start with Squish. This challenge comes from Squishy Learning
Objectives. This type of training is often referred to as soft skills training cause learning objectives aren't
clearly defined. This makes it hard to determine whether training participants actually required any new
skills. For example, let's say you were designing a course to show leaders how to build cohesive teams.
How would you know if the training was successful? This would be pretty hard to do with Squishy
Learning Objectives. A better strategy would be to focus on a specific set of skills. You might design the
curriculum around the four stages in Bruce Tuckman's group development model. Forming, Storming,
Norming, and Performing. The training could then be targeted towards helping leaders identify which
stage their team was in and selecting an appropriate strategy for guiding their team forward. The next
obstacle is No Proof. These are activities that don't really tell us whether or not someone has actually
learned anything. Lecture and other passive learning approaches offer a great example because
participants never actually do anything. However, active learning can fall into this trap too. A
brainstorming session on how to develop cohesive teams won't tell you much about learning if half the
participants are silent and don't contribute any ideas. A better approach is to design activities that
require participants to demonstrate their new knowledge or skills. If you're designing a team building
course, you might ask participants to read a shot scenario, and then access which of Tuckland's for stages
is being described. Then next challenge is I sort of of Got It. This occurs when participants get stuck on
the learning curve. A sales department once reorganized individual sales people into self-directed work
teams. They were initially excited after the sales VP gave them a short lecture on the benefits of working
in teams. However, the sales people struggled to work together once the teams were actually formed.
Some of them reached the conscious incompetent stage and mistook that uncomfortable feeling as a
sign that the concept couldn't work. Others never progressed beyond the unconscious incompetent
stage, so they didn't adapt their behavior to their new working arrangement. A better solution is to
design training that moves participants along the learning curve until they can demonstrate the required
knowledge or skills at a high level. Sometimes, this involves looking beyond a single training event to
build in a blended approach. For example, the sales team would've benefitted from addition check-in
sessions with the sales manager to help them stay on track. The next obstacle is what I call the Vortex.
The vortex is all that work that's piling up on your desk while you are being trained. When participants
experience this, they return to work right after training in a state of elevated stress. And when stress
levels are high, we tend to revert to out most instinctive behaviors. This is counter productive to training
where participants had just learned new skills. The Vortex creates a situation where, instead of
developing new skills right after training, elevated stress levels and high work loads cause participants to
reinforce their old skills. One way to overcome this obstacle is to design training with the Vortex in mind.
You might show participants how to immediately apply their new skills, so they can get work done faster.
Or you might include additional follow up check-in sessions and practice opportunities after the primary
learning event has ended to help keep them on track. The final obstacle we'll cover in this video is Use It
or Lose It. Many of us had a locker in high school. At the time, we could dial the combination, open the
lock in just a few seconds. However, if we were standing in front of that locker today, most of us wouldn't
be able to get it open, even if the combination hadn't changed. That's because knowledge and skills get
harder for adult learners to access the longer it remains dormant. If we give people team-building
training six months before they're organized into teams, they'll probably forget a lot of what they
learned. The solution is to deliver learning right when people are going to need it. For example, we might
provide team building training as part of a transition into team-based work. The five obstacles I've
covered here don't represent every challenge adult learners faced. As instructional designers, it's up to
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us to be on the lookout for obstacles and try to make it easy for our participants to learn. You may find it
helpful to examine some of your own courses to see if any of these obstacles exist. Download the
Learning Obstacles Worksheet for this video, and use it to help you spot the five obstacles, and then
design a strategy for overcoming each one you observe.

Incorporating the 70-20-10 rule into learning design

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If you had to guess, when does most adult learning occur? Is it through formal training courses like this
one, or does it come from the employee's manager? A 2009 study by the American Society for Training
and Development revealed that most learning occurs informally through an employee's own
experiences. The study also described the untapped potential of planning for formal learning as part of
the overall instructional design process. The 70-20-10 rule is a popular model that can help you account
for informal learning in the training programs you design. It provides rough estimates for the percentage
of learning that occurs from each source. Seventy percent of learning occurs informally from an
employee's own experiences, 20% of learning occurs through coaching and direction from the
employee's manager, and only 10% of learning occurs through formal training. It's important to keep in
mind that the 70-20-10 rule may be a bit of a misnomer. It's not really an absolute rule of adult learning,
but rather, a helpful guide for designing more effective training. This guide is important to consider
because informal experiences and and participant's managers will influence our training, regardless of
whether we plan for it. Let's look at an example to illustrate how the 70-20-10 rule can either hurt, or
help, our training. Imagine you were designing a safety training program, and had to create a module on
conducting workplace safety inspections. If you don't use the 70-20-10 rule as a guide, the participants'
managers, and their own experience, might influence a different message. Our training might focus on
conducting workplace safety inspections, but the manager could derail that effort by telling participants
they don't have time to conduct the inspections. Participants might even be discouraged by coworkers,
who make fun of them and call them the safety sheriff, if they try to address workplace safety hazards
that others view as unimportant. The safety training program could easily fail in this environment. But
things can change for the better if we include managers and employee's own experiences in the training
process. Here's how that might look. We'd start with the same formal training component, but
employees would get a different reception from their managers when they went back to work. In this
example, the manager could reinforce the training by assigning participants to inspect different work
areas and track their progress. Involving coworkers in this process could help create a more constructive
attitude toward safety, where they encourage each other to practice safe behaviors. This safety training
program has a much better chance of success, because the learning is reinforced every step of the way. I
encourage you to practice applying the 70-20-10 rule to one of your own learning programs. Select a
particular program and identify whether leadership messages and employee's own experience are
deliberately aligned with the course content.

4. turning theory into practice

Applying adult learning theory in instructional design

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Applying adult learning theory to instructional design can be both art and science. The art comes from
using your creativity and intuition to apply adult learning concepts to training programs in new and
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effective ways. The science comes from carefully observing how well your ideas work and honing them
through an ongoing process of trial and error. I'll give you an example from my own career. Years ago I
read several studies that described how music can enhance learning. One of the studies mentioned that
classical music from Baroque era composers such as Bach, Handel, or Vivaldi was particularly good for
helping learners retain information when they were completing self-study activities. So armed with all
this research I decided to give it a try. I went to my music collection and selected the first Baroque
composition I could find, Toccata and Fugue in D minor by Johann Sebastian Bach. Now, a strange thing
happened when I tried using this music during a training class. Instead of improving participants'
concentration, I noticed they became increasingly distracted. Finally someone asked, why are you playing
that weird funeral music? You see, Toccata and Fugue in D minor is organ music. This particular piece has
often been used in horror films. So people have come to associate it with Halloween and other macabre
forms of entertainment. My plan to use music backfired. It wasn't because music doesn't help learning. It
was because I hadn't fully discovered how to use it. As instructional designers it's not uncommon for us
to have moments like this where a concept doesn't work. What's important is that we learn from these
experiences to make our training as good as it can be. There are key moment in the design process that
can help you make better choices for your learners. These include analysis where you gain an
understanding of what your participants really need to learn. Design, where you create a learning
approach that will help participants achieve the program's goals. And development where you create
specific activities and training materials to help participants learn. It's also important to test new
concepts to determine whether or not they really work. Many training programs are put through a beta
test where concepts are tested with a group of learners to see whether they work as desired. In other
cases instructional designers will evaluate courses on a continuing basis and adjust content to meet the
changing needs of their learners. When you are testing and evaluating a learning approach it's important
to remember that a good activity isn't just one that participants like. It must also be an activity where the
desired learning objective is achieved. I'd like to give you three reminders that can serve you well when
applying adult learning principles to your training programs.

Additional resources and references

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This course is focused on the fundamental principles of adult learning. Now I'd like to share a few
suggestions to help you deepen your understanding of these concepts and apply them to your own
instructional design projects. First it may helpful to revisit specific videos as you're working on a project
of your own. They can be used as a quick reference for ideas or techniques that you'd like to incorporate
into training You Design. Second, I encourage you to use the downloadable worksheets that come with
this course to help you apply these concepts to your own work. Finally, I've included a reference guide
that lists books, websites, and articles that can give you additional insight into adult learners. As we
conclude this course, I'd like to issue a challenge. Too many instructional designers are creating poor
quality training programs. Their e-learning is tedious. People attending their webinars tune in and then
immediately tune out to work on other activities. Their classroom training results in a lot of wasted time.
My challenge to you is to raise the bar high by designing great training. Use your knowledge of adult
learners to create engaging training experiences. Develop active learning programs that result in
measurable improvements in knowledge and skills. Help participants overcome obstacles so they can
apply what they learn back on the job. If you can do that your training programs will be invaluable to
your participants and your organization.