Creating a winning training plan is essential to ensuring learners acquire the knowledge and skills they need to succeed. The field of instructional design began during World War II, when America’s war effort demanded a highly effective, methodical approach to training vast numbers of people.
The first model used by Instructional Designers was called ADDIE. (Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation). Since then, instructional designers have used many different models to create a winning training plan.
One of the easiest ones for beginners is called Backward Planning Design. This approach has three key steps.
Step 1: Identify desired results
What are the goals and objectives of the program? Are there standards that need to be adhered to? Most importantly, what does the learner need to be able to do, now or apply?
Step 2: Determine assessment evidence
In this phase of the development, you want to be able to answer some key questions
- What types of assessment can be used to determine knowledge or skill transfer?
- What measures can be used to determine successful knowledge transfer?
- How can learners assess their own knowledge and skills?
When considering assessment evidence, you will want to include formative assessment and evaluation methods throughout the training to check learners’ understanding and provide feedback on their progress.
Step 3: Plan the learning experience and instruction
In this development phase, the instructional designer needs to focus on the activities that will engage learners in meaningful learning. Ultimately, the learning experience must provide learners with opportunities to apply their knowledge.
Those are the steps for the plan. Once the plan is in place, you can start creating training content. This includes creating the training materials, such as presentations, handouts, and online resources. It is important to use a variety of different media and formats to support various learning styles. Additionally, the content should be tailored to learners’ needs and take into account any special needs or accommodations that may be required.
Step 4: You need to select the right delivery method
Truthfully, when you are in the early stages of your career, someone else on your team is probably making that decision. What is important to understand is that each delivery method has its strengths and challenges. Your plan for in-person training cannot simply be used in a virtual environment by making some adaptations to maximize the learning experience on that platform.
Finally, it is important to evaluate the effectiveness of the training plan. This can be done through various methods such as post-training assessments, surveys, and focus groups to gather feedback from learners. This feedback can be used to identify areas for improvement and to make necessary adjustments to the training plan.
By following this step-by-step guide, trainers can design an effective and engaging training plan.
Ready to Build Training That Actually Sticks?
Whether you’re creating onboarding programs, leadership development, technical training, or a full-scale Train-the-Trainer initiative, a strong instructional design strategy makes all the difference. At TrainSMART, we help organizations design engaging, practical, and results-driven learning experiences that improve retention, performance, and real-world application.
From custom curriculum design and blended learning to facilitator development and instructional design consulting, our team can help you create training programs your employees will actually use.
References:
Kirkpatrick, D.L. (1994). Evaluating Training Programs: The Four Levels. Berrett-Koehler.
Merriam, S.B. (2009). Qualitative Research: A Guide to Design and Implementation. John Wiley & Sons.
Phillips, J.J. (2003). The ASTD Training and Development Handbook: A Guide to Human Resource Development. McGraw-Hill.