Instructional Strategies
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This document discusses instructional strategies for training new hire engineers at ABC Corporation on occupational safety and health administration (OSHA) regulations. It proposes using a learner analysis to understand the target audience which includes their demographics, entry skills, and learning styles. The training would be delivered online through ABC's learning management system. Various instructional strategies are suggested, including a pre-assessment to evaluate learners' existing knowledge, an interactive activity where the trainer models improper PPE usage, and dividing learners into groups to reinforce concepts through peer discussion after completing online video lessons and assessments. The goal is to safely train engineers on OSHA regulations in an engaging and cost-effective manner.
Instructional Strategies
- 1. Instructional Strategies 1 Instructional Strategies: New Hire Engineer Lilly Cline EDU 433 Ryan Hickman 02/14/2014
- 2. Instructional Strategies 2 Instructional Strategies: New Hire Engineer ABC Corporation falls under the requirements of OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) governing laws and regulations. This means that for ABC to be compliant all employees of each department must be kept updated on the latest requirements and regulations for using PPE’s relative to his and/or specific job. OSHA is a federally regulated organization. After a needs assessment, I would do the related research that would include OSHA requirements that are relative to ABC Corporation’s engineering department. As a project manager I would delegate this to other team members. Under the OSH Act, employers are responsible for providing a safe and healthful workplace. I cannot assume that the client is up-to-date on the current regulations concerning PPE for engineers in their workplace. Any found related updates will be included in the deliverables (United States Department Of Labor, (2013, para. 2). As the instructional designer I will be completing a learner analysis. I would choose the Smaldino, Lowther, and Russell approach (2009, as cited in Brown & Green, 2011). The Smaldino, Lowther, and Russell approach (2009, as cited in Brown & Green, 2011) states, “They suggest that the learner analysis should focus on three aspects of the target audience: general characteristics, specific entry competencies, and learning styles,” (p. 78).
- 3. Instructional Strategies 3 The target learner group is relatively close in age range. The average student is twenty five to thirty years of age. In this given place of employment the learners are male dominant. Their academic degree is a Bachelor’s in mechanical engineering which entails CAD (computer aided drafting) training, knowledge assessments, and having no real world hands on experience in the engineering field. The target training problem is that none of the adult learners have any OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) knowledge relative to his and/or her new job. The learners are a “captive” audience because they are new employees and have to complete the training to keep and maintain his and/or her employment for the duration of his and/or her employment with ABC Corporation. He and/or she are “extrinsically” motivated as a requirement to maintain his and/or her job security. One incentive that ABC Corporation offers to all employees is an annual reward for zero injuries on the job per their department. This learner group is already knowledgeable of computer skills which make them ideal for an online learning environment. ABC Corporation likes this idea because it is cost effective and can be easily added into their LMS (Learning Management System) that is used at every work site nationally. Each employee just needs brief instructions to access the new training application within the LMS because ABC Corporation requires all employees to have specific knowledge of their system upon hiring. As the instructional designer, we know that the target audience knows their way around this computer system because they had to have a degree that included the use of ABC Corporation’s CAD program to graduate. We also already have knowledge that foreman assign knowledgeable peers to instruct new hires. Simple instructions to the foreman and established peers will be added to their update training so that new hire engineers can access the appropriate training modules.
- 4. Instructional Strategies 4 After we have identified that there is learning and/or training problem that can be solved with an instructional design strategy and have defined the learner group we move on to the planning phase. In summary of Cennamo and Kalk (2005) there are five phases of an instructional design project which include learners, outcomes, activities, assessment, and evaluation. At all times during the planning and design phase we, as instructional designers, must keep the target audience at the center of our end product goal. In this scenario the project manager will be assigning tasks to all the groups involved in the design project which includes an instructional designer. The first element is to define the learner outcomes. In short, learner outcomes are what we expect the target audience to be able to do upon the completion of his and/or her training. Our target audience, new hire engineers, will be able to demonstrate that he and/or she can strategically choose which PPE is best to use in what situation. In this scenario, engineers have their own department but, will be required to wear appropriate PPE’s in other departments to interact with other departmental employees. The learner will be able to identify damaged PPE’s that could create harm to him and/or her and/or others. The learner will know how to properly dispose of the damaged PPE’s, and how to get new ones. The learner will be knowledgeable of which PPE’s are to be replaced on a daily basis. The learner will be able to access information, play simulation games, take refresher courses, and be informed of updates after the entry-level training has been successfully completed. Each of these learner outcomes will ensure that each new-hire engineer will be safe on-the-job which meets OSHA and ABC Corporation laws, regulations, and rules. The target learner group is in a directed learning environment however, they will be taking this specifically designed course on ABC Corporations LMS system. With this in mind,
- 5. Instructional Strategies 5 this will still be considered an online learning experience. There will be a trainer in the room to supervise and interact with learners however; each learner will be working on his or her own assigned computer terminal and working at his and/or her own pace. The very first learner strategy will be a pre-assessment or pre-test. This will accomplish several things. First, the trainer will be able to evaluate the class as a whole to determine what is already known and what skill sets need the most work. This activity will also give the trainer a feel for the gap between the stronger and lesser knowledgeable students and what are the weaknesses of the individual learners. On an instructional design perspective, the trial(s) roll- outs will provide direct information from the learners as to where the project needs improvement. Using a pre-test continually gives ABC Corporation detailed information for future updates after the project is closed. After the initial roll-out(s) the instructional designer and web-developer, if not the same person, can tweak the end product for alternative lessons for the trainer to choose based on the pre-test assessment of the class as a whole. In this situation it would be easy to create a simple alternative course to suit the learner group from basic, intermediate, to a more challenging course option. An alternative that could be utilized, since this is also a directed learner environment, the trainer could choose to give an interactive lecture and group demonstration assessment to make sure that all of the students are starting at the same level of knowledge and skill sets. If ABC Corporation chooses plan B; using the trainer as the guidance to ensure learners are starting at the same level of knowledge and ability, then the instructional designer may choose an interactive strategy. A good interactive strategy to start the course off with something fun. This encourages learners to put away any pre-determined ideas of the course and creates curiosity. As an instructional designer, I could use a, not too lengthy, presentation lecture of all
- 6. Instructional Strategies 6 of the PPE’s relative to engineers. The trainer directions from the instructional designer may include for him and/or her to dress with the PPE’s inappropriately after a brief explanation of each one. There may be some giggling, jokes, pointing fingers, etc. at the trainer’s expense but, after all of the PPE’s have been presented and are on the trainer he and/or she may ask a fundamental question of the class. For example, what’s wrong with this picture? The trainer could then cue each learner to pick a PPE and explain why it doesn’t go where the trainer has placed it, what is the importance of proper PPE’s, and explain why safety on-the-job matters to them. After the learner group has had some fun it would then be appropriate to use a challenge strategy. We know our learners are intelligent, don’t want their time wasted, and are anxious to get to work in their new careers. The intent of the next activity to keep the learner group’s attention, not bore them, and teaches them what they need to know quickly but, thoroughly. This would be a good time to direct the learners to the online learning application within the LMS system. An instructional designer may choose instead of the boring read and test assessment method is a video, video related video test, and a physical demonstration assessment. The learners could be divided into groups by the trainer after the pre-test assessment without telling the leaners. Each learner would log into the system with his and/or her employee ID number which would trigger which video the individual learner is able to view. After each learner has completed viewing the video and doing an online timed fill-in-the-blank test, then the trainer would engage each learner by asking them to hold up his and/or her hand when a video title is called. The learners would break themselves into their groups as instructed by the trainer. There would be three to four tables; dependent on the size of the class, with PPE’s related to the video
- 7. Instructional Strategies 7 they viewed. Keep in mind that each group has been pre-determined by the trainer to be balanced groups with some learners more knowledgeable than others which create a peer-learning strategy. Together the group would discuss the PPE’s and determine which ones that would be used according to the video. The excess or non-relevant PPE’s would be disposed by a chosen group member in an appropriated container. Each group would then dress, present, and explain to the trainer and class the PPE’s that the learners are wearing and why. Intrinsic feedback for each group would be given by the trainer for the entire class to gain knowledge and skill sets from. In this strategy the group is assessed for its ability to recall information, make appropriate choices, and synthesize the lesson presented in the video. As the course progresses, over three eight hour days, each learners knowledge and skill sets would be continually assessed on a group and an individual basis. On the final day, the learner group will complete a post-assessment or post-test, be able to pass demonstration and verbal assessments, and complete an end of class survey of the course. In conclusion, this training problem can successfully train new-hire engineers to use appropriate PPE’s, identify and discard damaged PPE’s appropriately, demonstrate the ability to discern appropriate PPE’s for each situation, etc. so that each learner can be a safe team employee that could later be chosen to be temporary trainers for the next group of new-hire engineers. It is important to remember that information, laws, regulations, and corporate rules are always changing. With this project, making improvements, changes, and updates to out-dated material is important to ABC Corporation. Instructional methods to modify this project after its close should be written out, simple, and clear as should be the instructions for the trainer that accompany the end product.
- 8. Instructional Strategies 8 References Brown, A., & Green, T. (2011). The essentials of instructional designer: Connecting fundamental principles with process and practice. Boston, MA: Pearson. Cennamo, K. & Kalk, D. (2005). Real world instructional design. Florence, KY: Thomas Wadsworth Publishers. United States Department of Labor. (2013). Occupational Safety & Health Administration. Retrieved from https://www.osha.gov/law-regs.html.