Efforts to apply Design Thinking to Instructional Design fail when they try to force fit Design Thinking concepts into the ADDIE process or visa versa. The front-end of ADDIE (analysis and design) is where Design Thinking is most useful. It can help to break through listless approaches to learning design and replace it with user...Continue Reading
This is a re-post based on a article I wrote for CSTD Learning Journal back in 2013. It’s posted here in three parts. Part 1 introduced the signature skills demonstrated by experts that separate them from novices. Part 2 presented the type of practice that develops experts. This post discusses implications I see for Learning and Development and makes the connection...Continue Reading
This is a re-post based of a article I wrote for CSTD Learning Journal back in 2013. It’s posted here in three parts. Part 1 introduced the signature skills demonstrated by experts that separate them from novices. *** The signatures skills of expertise I described in Part 1 are the result of years of effortful, progressive practice...Continue Reading
This is a re-post based on a article I wrote for CSTD Learning Journal back in 2013. It’s posted here in three parts. *** We know well-designed practice is a critical for effective training. It’s what differentiates meaningful learning from passive information. But as work becomes more complex and knowledge-based, are the practice activities we design for...Continue Reading
For years the eLearning industry has categorized custom e-learning into three or more levels of interactivity. The implication also being that that learning effectiveness increases with each higher level of interactivity. You don’t have to look hard to find them: > 4 Levels Of Interactivity In eLearning And Its Advantages > Levels of Interactivity in...Continue Reading
My son is in a graduate program in Medical Physics at the University of Toronto. I sent him this recent article from the Atlantic on the concept of the flipped classroom (in higher education). The Post-Lecture Classroom: How Will Students Fare? He sent a thoughtful email response which was interesting from a student perspective (in...Continue Reading
We all make mistakes. We know better, but we follow old ways or accept cultural practices that don’t work. There are patterns that produce successful projects and those that lead to failure (see the project death march). I did a recent presentation on the classic mistakes we make in the planning, design and implementation of...Continue Reading
If you’ve been in the learning business for a while you’ve likely seen a few examples where learning initiatives have simply missed the mark. They didn’t produce the anticipated return on investment. Planned performance improvement did not materialize. Learners didn’t develop the skills targeted by the program. Or if they did they certainly aren’t being...Continue Reading
The Learning End GameTrap Perhaps you’ve re-committed to improve learning as the mission of your department (or next big initiative, or…). It’s well meaning but can be self defeating (or worse, self-fulfilling). The term leaves the impression that learning is the end game, your raison d’être. The real end game is performance; individual and organizational,...Continue Reading
Advocates of the most laissez-faire approaches informal learning suggest that given the right tools employees will do just fine without all the interference by the learning department. No one can argue that experience is not a powerful teacher, or that our most valuable learning occurs while working. But it’s pretty broad generalization don’t you think? Some...Continue Reading
This blog contains perspectives on the issues that matter most in workplace learning and performance improvement. It’s written by Tom Gram.
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Here are some popular posts from Tom’s former blog, Performance X Design. Some older posts contain inactive links and unedited formatting while they wait impatiently for him to update them.
