Prior to learning to perform certain job-related tasks or to sell a product solution, students need to learn specific knowledge about the tasks and perhaps the features and benefits of the product solution. Traditionally, in many training programs this knowledge transfer occurs in the classroom through the time honored instructional method called “lecture”.
Lectures are typically delivered by knowledgeable individuals who explain their expertise to the audience. Depending upon their lecture style, the time spent can be quite rewarding or it can seem like an “information dump” which buries the audience in too much detail and not enough relevancies.
For self-paced courses, on-line or web-based training, instructional articles are the preferred instructional method to be used in place of the lecture. An instructional article is a short and concise document conveying relevant, critical information to support concepts, procedures, and/or performance-based skills. The instructional article is written specifically to enable learning to occur.
Key to the learning success of instructional articles are two words in the above definition: relevant and critical. As you are developing course content, ask yourself, what types of information and knowledge will the learner need to comprehend a concept or to later perform a certain task or skill.
Remember the old instructional design distinction between “need to know” and “nice to know.” Learners will only be attentive to self-paced instruction if the content is relevant to them and they see the knowledge as critical to their master of the desired skill. Save the “nice to know” material for the web site reference section.
