Magic Mirror on the Wall...

If only instructional design were as simple as looking into a mirror and saying "Magic Mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all, " to determine which delivery system would provide the best results. Unfortunately, there is no magic mirror that one can look at and ask which delivery system is "the fairest one of all", however, if you keep in mind the training...

• Needs 
• Tasks
• Skills
• Competencies

 According to Piskurich (2015), then you can become one step closer to finding the most effective way to deliver your training. There are seven different delivery strategies that one can select from, however, depending on the needs, tasks, skills, and competencies, of who you are training, that will determine which one will be the most appropriate. The seven delivery methods are as followed...

                    1. Instructor - Led Classrooms 

                    2. On-the-Job Training 

                    3. Self Instruction 

                    4. Rapid Design Shortcut 

                    5. Technology-Based Training 

                    6. Job Performance Aids 

                    7. Training by Documentation 

With this many options, it becomes overwhelming to decipher which one is the most appropriate for your product, however, the author provides a chart in the textbook which provides which method best fits different training goals, which is illustrated in Figure 1. The more dots present, the better that method is for that specific goal. 

Figure 1

It can be observed through figure 1 that some methods are better suitors for specific goals compared to others, however, you are not limited to how many methods you use. You can combine methods and according to Piskurich (2015), the trainings that are the most successful are the ones that combine methods. One can not just simply look at figure 1, and come to a decision, figure one is a good start to selecting how you will deliver your training, however, there are a series of questions that you should ask yourself as well, which Piskurich (2015) provides in the book, which is depicted in figure 2.1 and 2.2. 

Figure 2.1

Figure 2.2

Many instructional designers are under a tight time frame, and if that is the case then the training method selected can be implemented. According to Piskurich (2015), for those who have the time, it is advised to consider some restrictions you might have such as...

• Logistical: 
• How many trainees will you have? 
• What is the budget? 
• Where will the training be held? 
• Stakeholder: 
• Who is the stakeholder?
• Who are the stakeholders' expectations of the training? 
• Design: 
• How much time do you have to create the training? 
• What materials are currently available for the training?
• Training Method: 
• With the current training environment, what can you do?
• With the current training environment, what can you not do? 
• Resource: 
• Are trainers available? 
• What resources are already available? 

While there isn't a magic mirror available, the author does provide a lot of recourses for new and experienced instructional designers to use provided through chapter 4. It might seem as though we are getting no closer to designing, however, it is important to note that all of these steps are necessary, and if done correctly you can begin designing.

Objectives: 

 Has it ever been stated to educators how objectives can be beneficial for them? For the time I have been in the classroom, it has never stated how objectives can benefit teachers, we hear how it can benefit students, but never educators. After further reading, the section allowed me to shift my perception of objectives and understand how objectives can be beneficial for educators (even designers). Rather than viewing objectives as only benefiting the learner, the author allows opportunities for readers to view objectives as benefiting both learners and designers, whether the designer is an instructional designer or an educator. Sometimes the most challenging thing about creating content is knowing where to start, however, if you can predetermine your objectives, then knowing where to start comes easily. Objectives can also be used as a way to stay organized as one is creating their lessons and/or trainings. Objectives allow for designers and educators to create lessons and/or trainings that according to Piskurich (2015), provide information that learners must know, rather than having information that is just good to know. 

Which delivery strategy is the fairest one of all? 

    

    In terms of delivery, there is no "right" answer, however, I would use a mixture of the delivery strategies. The reason I would suggest using a combination of the strategies is because not every learner is going to learn the same way. Using a combination of strategies will increase the chances of every learner grasping the information being presented to them. Furthermore, there isn't one strategy that is perfect. 

Resources: 

magic mirror on the wall - Google Zoeken. (n.d.). Retrieved October 1, 2022, from https://www.google.com/search?

George M. Piskurich. (2015). Rapid Instructional Design: Learning ID Fast and Right: Vol. Third edition. Wiley.