The term ‘learning solution’ is used in a wide range of educational contexts, including employee onboarding and training, software or systems user support, school or college curricula, and public service. The term can refer to entire programs, individual courses, and workshops, as well as smaller learning units, such as educational games, individual learning activities, and microlearning units, for example.
In general terms, learning solutions provide opportunities for people to gain the knowledge, develop the skills, and shape the attitudes that will enable them to perform tasks and assume roles in specific contexts.
What are situations that require learning solutions?
Let’s consider a few situations that require learning solutions. Note that each example features a different agent that has identified a need for a particular learner population.
Software developers want to help their users master the various functions of a new application.
A hotel manager needs to roll out a new safety protocol for all employees and guests.
The principal of a school needs to ensure that all teachers align their curricula with a new policy.
A general contractor wants to train subcontractors to follow specific safety guidelines.
The HR department of a corporation aims to standardize the hiring practices of all managers.
A technical college would like to offer evening courses for career changers to the public.
The local chapter of a political party would like to train volunteers in effective canvassing.
A university seeks to foster the critical thinking skills of all first-year students.
Which learning solutions are appropriate for a given need?
Each of the above situations could be served by several different learning solutions. Here are a few examples.
The developers might include tool tips, context-sensitive help, step-by-step instructions, media-based tutorials, and even entire courses, depending on the complexity of the software.
The manager might provide informational posters, handouts to be included in the guest welcome packet, videos to be displayed in the lobby or shown on the hotel’s website or internal TV channel, and employee workshops or online training videos.
The principal might offer a teacher workshop, provide written guidelines, create a checklist for curriculum reviews, or provide an updated curriculum template that reflects the new policy.
The contractor might ask subcontractors to complete an online course, require a detailed report on services provided, and conduct random quality checks using a checklist.
The HR manager might create a hiring protocol to be followed, provide templates for communications and interviews, offer in-person or online training for all hiring managers, and ask managers to submit their documents for review.
The college might analyze job postings to identify technical skills and specializations that are in demand and work with specialized faculty to design courses or programs to match these needs.
The chapter might provide talking points and behavioral notes in a volunteer welcome packet, offer orientation videos or workshops, or team up new volunteers with experienced ones to learn by observation during canvassing drives.
The university might create a mandatory 1-credit course for freshmen that teaches critical thinking strategies, provide a collaboratively crafted series of learning activities that can be built into selected freshmen courses, share written guidelines on how colleges and programs might enhance their existing curricula to include critical thinking, or create a curriculum review process for affected courses.
How are learning solutions designed?
Although the organization or business will likely have subject matter experts that can be assigned to inform these efforts, these individuals may not have the necessary knowledge and experience to design effective learning solutions. It is therefore highly recommended that a specialist be assigned or hired to serve as the learning architect who will lead and coordinate the effort.
The learning architect should be using a method that allows for a systematic approach to designing the solution. This facilitates planning, coordination, and communication among team members and other stakeholders to ensure that the resulting learning solution effectively addresses the specified need. We will be using the Wise Design Method™ which consists of four phases: Want, Inquire, Solve, and Employ.
Figure 1. The four phases of the Wise Design Method™
In this blog post, we will walk through the method for the software developers who want to help their users master the various functions of a new application.
WANT
Before starting to design any learning solution, the learning architect must first clarify what the agent wants. According to this method, this is accomplished by following four steps.
Figure 2. WANT - the first phase of the Wise Design Method™
1. Align Concern & Goals
Concern. New users of the software find many of the functions difficult to use, which could prevent them from buying a license after the trial period ends.
Goals. This concern aligns with the company’s goal of “Providing software solutions that are easy to use.”
2. Identify Applicable Standards
Ease of Use. The company defines “Ease of Use” on a scale of 1 through 10, with 1 being very easy and 10 being very difficult. They assess their software during all phases of development by having a group of software testers apply a test protocol that includes an ease-of-use rating for each major function. In addition, the scale is shared with users during a software trial period. Users are also asked to provide verbal feedback describing their experience, any issues the encountered or questions they have, and suggestions for improvement. The company target is set at 90% of the functions being rated 5 or below.
Trial Conversion. The company defines “Trial Conversion” as the number of users who buy a software license following a trial period, divided by the total number of users who downloaded the software for trial. They set the target at 60% conversion.
3. Assess Current State
Ease of use. The software testers assess 93% of the functions at or below 5, which is in line with the company goal and target for ease of use. In contrast, the feedback collected during trial periods shows that most new users rate only 52% of the functions at or below 5 on the ease-of-use scale. In the comments, some users provide details about certain functions that caused them trouble. Several comments suggest that function-specific help and examples would be appreciated, or that tutorials for more complex functions might be useful.
Trial Conversion. The conversion rate during the first quarter is 30%. Analysis of the anonymous feedback surveys shows a moderate correlation between ease-of-use ratings and conversion, as measured by an item asking how likely the respondent is to buy a license after the trial period ends.
4. Determine Gaps & Root Causes
Gap. The gap for ease of use is 52%-90% (actual-target) resulting in a gap of 38%. The gap for conversion rate is 30%-60% (actual-target) resulting in a gap of 30%.
Root Cause Analysis. This analysis investigates alternative causes that would require different solutions. For example: Do the users have adequate prerequisite knowledge? Are there any bugs in the software? Does a competitor’s software offer better functionality or easier use? Is it a cost-benefit issue? Market research shows that the product is highly competitive in terms of functionality and pricing as compared to similar products. Acceptance tests with expert users confirms that the software is free of bugs and performs as expected. Additional research with trial users shows that they have the prerequisite knowledge but feel that it takes too much time to master the functionality given the current level of training and support. The issue does appear to be rooted in a lack of guidance and support of new users who are still learning the functionality of the software.
INQUIRE
The second phase of the method focuses on gathering detailed information to ensure that the content of the learning solution is relevant, accurate, and complete. According to this method, this is accomplished by following four steps.
Figure 3. INQUIRE - the second phase of the Wise Design Method™
1. Map Goals, Tasks & Procedures
Goals. The goal is for users to be able to utilize the software’s functionality with ease.
Tasks. Tasks are mapped as the main functions of the software. Each function is documented in detail including screenshots, descriptions of typical uses, and examples.
Procedures. Procedures are mapped to document automated series of functions that are triggered by events. For example, automated email responses to customer requests received by the system.
2. Describe Experts & Learners
Interviews are conducted with selected experts and learners to capture their experiences.
Experts. Experts inform model examples on how to use the software most effectively. They provide specific input that will be used for creating help screens, tool tips, and video tutorials.
Learners. Learners provide input and feedback on how content may need to be presented to avoid overwhelming new users. Additionally, they can inform about typical mistakes made by new users, misconceptions, or frustrations, which can then be addressed in the learning solutions.
3. Examine Performance Context
The results of this step show that users can utilize the software on computers, laptops, tablets, and phones. Each device requires customized presentation to maximize screen usage. Additionally, users will need to be supported online rather than in person at an office. Corresponding examples and screenshots are provided to ensure that all instructional materials reflect an environment that matches the typical user.
4. Write Outcomes & Objectives
As a result of steps 1-3 in this phase, the learning architect writes outcomes and objectives for the envisioned learning solutions. For example, the outcome of the planned tool tips (hover-over descriptions of all the available tools in the application) is “Users are able to identify the correct tool for each task and function in the software.” The main objective for tool tips is to “Provide concise information about a task or function.” The associated learning objective for users is “Given the information provided in the tool tip, correctly identify the function of a tool.”
SOLVE
The third phase of the method focuses on creating the learning solution. According to this method, this is accomplished by following four steps.
Figure 4. SOLVE - the third phase of the Wise Design Method™
1. Construct Assessment Instruments
In this case, the assessments are into the software application. The developers write code that logs the choices users make and analyze these logs to assess whether users were using the correct functionality most efficiently to complete tasks in the software.
2. Define Instructional Strategy
The developers decide to create tool tips, context-sensitive help screens, and a library of functions that users can consult. In addition, they will produce a series of short video tutorials that show the use of the software for selected complex tasks that were identified during the INQUIRE phase.
3. Develop Instructional Materials
The content for the tool tips, context-sensitive help screens, and entries in the library of functions, is created based on the detailed analysis that was conducted during the INQUIRE phase. The developers decide to store all content in a database that will automatically feed the content into the context-sensitive solutions.
4. Design Learner Experience
The essence of the learner experience is in the context-sensitive design of the learning solutions: users will have access to the information they need when they need it without having to look for it. On the other hand, users who prefer to browse the library and review the descriptions and examples out of context can do so as well. Appropriate care is taken to ensure that all solutions are optimally formatted to support users and ensure ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliance.
EMPLOY
The fourth phase of the method focuses on implementing and maintaining the learning solution. According to this method, this is accomplished by following four steps.
Figure 5. EMPLOY - the fourth phase of the Wise Design Method™
1. Implement Learning Solution
The code that includes the learning solutions is rolled out in the next software update. Users are alerted to their existence in a special email campaign and by means of messaging that is associated with the software upgrade. In addition, a video is provided that summarizes the newly available resources and encourages users to take advantage of them.
2. Collect Learner Analytics
The software was programmed to collect all relevant analytics automatically in logs. These data are linked to the user’s profile, which will allow cross-referencing to support calls and other user-specific information. Learners are differentiated from experienced users based on their usage of the software.
3. Evaluate Learning Solution
The effectiveness of the different learning solutions is determined by analyzing the logs for evidence of their use and associating it with subsequent clicks in the software that are identified as effective if they match the model usage defined by the expert users. The ultimate proof of effectiveness is a reduction in use of the learning solutions this is correlated with effective and efficient use of the software.
4. Maintain Learning Solution
The learning solutions are updated to reflect changes in the software such as added and retired functionality.
For more information om the Wise Design Method™ and the associated tools and services, please visit our website at https://www.wiselearningsolutionsllc.com/our-method.
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