Do these five things to write a learning strategy now

So, you are looking for a way to turn your training into online learning courses. But the question is: How do you make online learning that can be used for a long time? And, how do you measure its success? Do these five things to write a learning strategy now

In this post, I’m going to show you 5 actionable steps that will help you write a learning strategy now.

The Instructional Design Process

To make a course or a program of courses, good instructional designers follow a linear yet iterative approach. Phase one includes developing a learning strategy, which is the focus of this three-part series of posts.

Phase 1: Discover & Prepare

• analyze the training need, create a learning strategy, map the content

Phase 2: Design & Author

• design how the training will be effective, write a script, create a prototype

Phase 3: Review & Iterate

• ask for feedback on prototypes, edit, improve, repeat

Phase 4: Deploy & Evaluate

• distribute to a focus group, review & iterate, deploy to the full learning audience, measure success

 

Name your program or course

Choose a name for your program or your course that is self-explanatory to your learners and the administrators. For example, if you are creating onboarding training, Then use a term like onboarding or orientation in the title. It’s easier to learn from something easy to find and understand.

Write a high-level overview

The overview is a high-level description of company goals. It should include the rationale for creating the training content. An overview may also include a description of past or current training and why it’s not meeting the needs. Remember, the overview should be brief and allow the reader to understand what the program is about in a few sentences.

Define the business need

The business need starts with the name of the company, defines what is needed, and provides the reason or reasons why it’s needed.

Structure: [name of the company], needs to create [name of course/program], [reason training is needed]

Example: Learning Carton needs to create instructional designer (ID) onboarding to increase the number of deliverables it can produce each quarter.

Next, the business need should include a sentence that explains how the course or program will connect to the learning culture.

Structure: [A sentence that explains how the course/program will connect to the learning culture]

Example: ID onboarding will help new hires understand the processes, expectations, and social norms utilized by all employees and contractors. Once you are on board, you are helping fly the ship.

To conclude the business need paragraph, state, or restate the overall purpose of the course or program.

Structure: [State or restate the overall purpose of the course/program]

Example: ID onboarding will enable the company to grow rapidly while maintaining the high level of professionalism and expertise that has defined the company since its inception.

If it’s relevant, your business need could conclude with a statement about the key performance indicators (KPIs).

Structure: Upon completion of [name of course/program], learners will:

[list high-level goals or KPI gains]

Generate performance objectives

Writing performance objectives is a required skill for any training or learning professional. These are an essential part of every learning strategy. Whether you follow the SMART model or one of the many checklists out there, the formula is threefold: performance, conditions, and criterion. Ask yourself these three questions:

1. What is the condition under which your employee needs to perform?
2. What task, duty, skill, or knowledge demonstration do they need to perform?
3. How accurate do they need to be when they are performing it?

Use this Structure:

Upon completion of [name of course/program], the learner will be able to:

• [verb followed by a task/duty/skill/knowledge/performance]
• [list as needed]

Target your learning personas

A learner persona is a fictional profile of the type of person you are trying to teach or train. It includes their skill and knowledge level, educational background, and their goals.

If you create these personas, then your training and learning development will improve.

You can focus on what specific people need when they need it, and how to help them when they can’t get it the first time.

What’s a Learner Persona? – VIDEO

 

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Helpful Links

The Best Video for Learning Guide to Make Training Videos
How to Edit Learning Video: The Ultimate Checklist
Video Editing Workflow: How to Do it Properly
Guide To Writing Effective Performance Objectives

Conclusion

Writing a learning strategy is a lot of work. It can take several days or weeks to complete. If you use a template and follow this checklist you can reduce the planning time. After you Do these five things to write a learning strategy now, I want to hear from you! How did it go?

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