Introduction

Avoid Boring Training Ask Your Learners To Do Something

• Motivation for the SLD Checklist
• Overview of the SLD Checklist

Review Your Training Use the Strong Learning Design Checklist

• The SLD Checklist Structure
• Action-Oriented Training
• Information Dump Training
• Your Turn: Practice

Assess Your Skills

• Final Exam

Go Forth! Create Great Training

• Lesson Review
• References and Materials

Action-Oriented Training

What is Action-Oriented Training?

Action-Oriented Training materials ask learners to DO something, or engages them in a way that respects their intellect and challenges their ability to think. In this section of the lesson, we present some examples of action-oriented materials that fit within the 4 categories of training materials assess in the Checklist for Strong Learning Design

Action-Oriented Examples

This section provides some examples of training materials that are action-oriented.

Objectives

The following objectives for a lesson on how to build a container garden are action oriented. Note that the learner is asked to be able to DO something at the conclusion of the lesson:

Materials

The following describes training materials that are action-oriented. Note that these materials ask the learner to DO something after viewing them:

• You are learning to use a new software package. You access the product features page and find short videos that demonstrate the major feature of the software. In addition, you are presented with a scenario that asks you to use several features of the software. You complete an assignment and receive a "badge" for completing the tutorial.

Activities

The following describes an activity associated with training materials that are action-oriented. Note that the activity provides the learner with a job aid to DO something at the conclusion of the lesson:

• You have completed a course on Office Ergonomics that outlines the best setting for your office set-up. In the course, you learn how to set-up your work-desk, chair, keyboard, mouse, and monitor. At the end of the course, the final assessment requires you to change the set-up of your personal workstation based on the course content and a job aid.

Tone and Esthetics

When using illustrations in action-oriented materials, realistic photos are more powerful than cartoon drawings. For example, the following illustration is from a lesson on 4-mallet marimba technique: