EDUC 765 Trends and Issues in Instructional Design

Final Reflection Paper

Student: Christopher D. Bland
Instructor: Nicholle Stone
Date: 2/26/16
When this project first started, I decided I'd focus on the environment I knew
best. I work at University Medical Center of New Orleans (UMCNO) which
is a teaching hospital that sees indigent citizens of New Orleans. UMCNO is an
extension of the second oldest hospital in America, Charity Hospital, which closed
after Hurricane Katrina. I am a credentialed trainer here and I cover all inpatient
physician training, therapists, and techs on the electronic medical record (EMR)
software. I figured that I know these learners so well, why not test my ability on
what I could come up with as a focus. I came to realize that I made the right choice
because I quickly understood how much more of the instructional design concept
and process I was familiar with. From there I decided on the topic to pay attention
to, which was proper use of the EMR. Our problems with orders and
patient satisfaction are real and they do need improving. Putting a mock plan
together to see how it could work in the real world was easy when it came to the
topic content. I just needed to understand how to outline the work and understand
the technical language and tasks as an instructional designer.
One of the areas that I was unfamiliar with designing training was how to
apply and use theories. Our assignment in the project was to pick a learning and
motivational theory to apply to the content and the learners. The motivational
theory I selected was the Cognitive Evaluation Theory. This theory states that either
internal (intrinsic) or external (extrinsic) motivating factors push an individual to do
well. The intrinsic motivators for this would be for the learner to take a personal
interest in improving themselves and increase independence. The extrinsic
motivators would be the external consequence, which was the low patient
satisfaction scores affected by poor orders usage. Learners would need to
know how low performance with orders impacts patient satisfaction and then should
understand why there is a need for additional training.
The learning theory I selected was Andragogy. I chose this because of my
audience, which are adult hospital employees, and the approach we currently take
with the training the end user. For example, Ive heard quite often about how
doctors, who I primarily, prefer to be taught like adults and not high school students
because of how they absorb and use the information to function daily. Adult
learners want to take the wheel, or be in control of their learning and come back
for help once theyve made a mistake. The Andragogy approach was perfect for
this because it emphasizes that adults are self-directed and expect to take
responsibility for their actions. When I consider how the four principles of
Andragogy apply to our training classes, I can't help but recall how the progression
of learning happens after each class. Most successful doctors, who truly show

interest in what they learned always come back to me after class for additional
understanding. They also tend to offer the statement "Ok I got it and I'll try this on
my own." I'm ok with this approach and understand that sometimes you have to let
them fail to help them succeed. At that point there is room to make small or large
improvements. Since I have experience with training and post-training support, I
often get to see the user go from new learner to skilled user. Its all about how what
is learned is used.
In my current position, Im not involved in creating the main training
materials I use in my classes. I always learn it and then teach it back therefore I
was not aware of what learning theories were used. Therefore, I currently do not
subscribe to any learning theories in particular but I will give a better focus
to Andragogy and Criterion Referenced Instruction. The combination of these two
will help support the focus on my adult target audience. When I train, it's not
a PowerPoint, video, or on paper. Instead, we do hands on training in real time and
the learners are given objectives/tasks to complete. This allows them to get used to
the EMR environment for patient care. Many of the tasks are repetitive in terms of
functionality with a variety of objectives to meet. This helps to build on what the
learner did in previous lessons or classes (doctors take up to three courses on the
EMR). At the end of class, there is a self-paced test that is graded with feedback
and corrections. This way we've tested what they know and can apply. Most of the
actual application is post-class in the live environment where there is still more
opportunity for correction and feedback. It is important to see that these end
users can follow a routine workflow or path to a goal and understand the impact it
has on patient care.

Next I had to take what I knew about the learner characteristics and create tasks
that that would support the main goal in the form of a task analysis. The task
analysis works cohesively with the learning theory helps give the
designer a focus on what the learner needs to be taught and which resources or
instructional technology is available to use. This helped me to understand how to
outline my goals and objectives. Afterwards I was able to determine which activities
would have the best impact on the overall goal. I could also determine what
experience a learner should possess prior to the instruction to completely
understand what to expect from the instructional material and set any minimum
requirements in order to attend the training. Minimum requirements are to at least
have attended the full EMR training after being hired.
The task analysis would also support the principles of Andragogy. Once the
adult learner properly understands that there is a problem to be corrected and why
they must pay attention to the training, or be oriented to learn, it would help
support the purpose of the instruction. Each task presented to be executed will help
set the proper understanding of how to make improvements. The learner must also
be motivated to learn the material given the foundation of the problem being
addressed. The problem in my project was patient satisfaction being low and being
tied to a problem with orders. Once the HCAHPS scores showed the relativity of the

issue, it should be easier for the learner to understand the need for training. This
could be viewed as an extrinsic motivator.
Not having prior understanding in instructional design but having experience
with training allowed me to further grasp what instructional design process is about.
What I have learned in this course is that it is difficult to take a problem, of any size,
and write up material with no consideration of the audience, the purpose, and the
expected outcome. The ADDIE model is a great example of what has to happen
when designing the instructional plan. The key things that I take away from a
systematic approach is that an instructional designer must identify the overall
problem(s), goal(s) and objective(s), and identify the target audience and
learner characteristics. They then must use all of that to create the tasks to
accomplish. Without it would be hard to keep focused on what an instructor may
want to achieve and what a learner actually gets to learn. Also, understanding
which learning method to use and what motivates the learners to learn plays
another key role. Without proper research and subject matter expert engagement,
it will be difficult to bring this all together for instruction. Lastly, we must consider
the technology and instructional tools we will use to teach learners. As a trainer, I
witness a lot of user issues that can be fixed with simple correction and I come
across larger scale problems that need other forms of instruction. Our approach to
training after the problem is discovered is nothing like what I've encountered in this
project but I see where we accomplish some of these things informally.
Now that the first course is completed, I see where I can apply the
information to my current position. I will expand the use of instructional design by
focusing more on writing out the goals and objectives, partnering more with the
subject matter experts, and utilizing more learning and motivational theories. After
going through most of the fundamentals of instructional design, I realize how much
of these approaches I've taken as a trainer unknowingly and how much I have done
that doesn't get proper attention. The conversations about goals and objectives are
not happening with our EMR trainers. This is because there Principle Trainers
(Instructional Designers) who currently take care of this prior to training in the
classroom. I also plan to give more attention to is to have more involvement with
subject matter experts (SMEs). I currently don't get to interact much with anyone
considered as a SME unless it is to troubleshoot problems. What gets missed here is
the opportunity to build working partnerships. By the time I have to work with them
there's no engagement beyond simple troubleshooting and workflow review.
Lastly, I'd also like to be able to help write out more training goals and
objectives. If the training is something quick and easy, it's not required of me to
take this step. If the training requires more time to build it then there are
opportunities to write these out. This course has taught me that clear goals and
objectives are vital to remaining focused on the plan and to build structured learner
content.
This first course has allowed me to get introduced to the role of an
instructional designer. The most valuable things I learned include the ADDIE model,
Andragogy theory, how to write the goals/objectives, and how to piece together the
entire instructional model. Learning about the ADDIE model helped me to gain a

solid understanding of how to build effective training following a five step process
that also helps with performance support. Learning about the Andragogy theory
helped me to best understand the training I do currently. This gave me insight into
how to approach training with my current and future audiences. The knowledge
and application of the ADDIE principles are important to translate into creating
training materials.
The most valuable activity was the Self Inventory. This activity allowed me to
write out my interests, strengths and weaknesses, and all available resources I have
access too. My list of strengths (positives) were quite long but I couldn't help but
to focus on the weaknesses (negatives). This activity helped me recognize many
areas that I need to shift my focus towards to improve as an instructional designer
and training professional. I haven't taken the opportunity to seek out additional
resources outside of the hospital to grow these skills and engage with others. I'm
also not aware of which organizations exist for trainers who want grow skills. My
goal now is to grow my resources and network. My strengths showed my best
assets which have shaped my experience. Overall, the Self Inventory showed me a
good reflection of where I am in my career and where I want to make
improvements.
This course will equip me with the skills to design full training from
conception to execution and final product. I've come across so much information
that helps me to understand how to put the plan together, which is the best part.
My first objective is to better understand learners and what motivates
them intrinsically and extrinsically. I take an interest in learners currently and this
will help me to gain more insight into what pushes them to learn. Secondly, I will be
better able to understand and utilize learning theories and apply them to building
the training. This will build off of understanding my learners to pick the right theory
to work with. Lastly, I will know how to engage other instructional designers
working on projects. The discussion board was a great example of how to engage
others in the conversation. Their insight and feedback was helpful to get questions
answered and support others in the class.
As class progressed, I started to wonder about many things that would happen
next. The current questions I have at this stage are:

How do I do this independently?

What's the best way to choose a learning theory?
How do I best assess what motivates learners to apply a motivation theory?
How do I transition from a Trainer to someone who designs training?
What's the biggest obstacle to overcome in ID?
How do I create eLearnings and educational games?

To get these questions answered, I will look to communicate with

peers, professional networks, classmates, mentors, and coworkers. I will find online
communities, local meetups, conferences, or other meetings. It's important to
speak with people who have experience in this field to get as much insight as
possible. I've learned that the immediate network, help to discuss discoveries,

experiences, feedback, and share ideas. I may continue to further my education

beyond the certificate and go for the Masters. I really just want to get into it and
then find out where I further seek interest. I like the corporate training environment
and working with adult learners. I just want to see which environment I work in best
or if I can establish some independent work. Im confident that at the conclusion of
this certificate, Ill be ready to use the tools that I've been taught.
References
ADDIE Model. (n.d.). Retrieved February 18, 2016, from
http://instructionaldesign.org/models/addie.html
Andragogy (Malcolm Knowles). (n.d.). Retrieved February 18, 2016, from
http://instructionaldesign.org/theories/andragogy.html
Criterion Referenced Instruction (Robert Mager). (n.d.). Retrieved February 18, 2016,
from http://instructionaldesign.org/theories/criterion-referenced.html
Motivation. (n.d.). Retrieved February 18, 2016, from
http://www.instructionaldesign.org/concepts/motivation.html
Theory. (n.d.). Retrieved February 18, 2016, from
http://selfdeterminationtheory.org/theory/
Theories of Motivation. (n.d.). Retrieved February 18, 2016, from
http://www.analytictech.com/mb021/motivation.htm
Extrinsic Motivation. (n.d.). Retrieved February 18, 2016, from
http://changingminds.org/explanations/theories/extrinsic_motivation.htm
Intrinsic Motivation. (n.d.). Retrieved February 18, 2016, from
http://changingminds.org/explanations/theories/intrinsic_motivation.htm