Let the Learner Play a Role in your Program Design

A few years ago I was charged with the task of developing an orientation and professional development curriculum for newly hired sales people. Given that no program had previously existed, I was required to build one from the ground up … an exciting and challenging prospect.

Joseph Schwab, an educator who developed a program design approach based on curriculum deliberations, believed that the lead curriculum-making specialist required input from subject matter experts, learner representatives, milieu residents (e.g. customers), and instructor-facilitators. And he cautioned that subject matter experts typically want to either control the curriculum making process or will discount input from others (learners, milieu residents, teacher-facilitators, and of course, the curriculum-making specialist). My previous experiences have only reinforced this perspective for me.

If you find yourself taking on the role of curriculum-making specialist, it is important to ensure that any one party in the process (e.g. subject matter experts) doesn’t take over; it is your responsibility to have the wherewithal to guide this process. In particular, you must ensure that learners are involved, heard, and active in the design process. It is after all the learner that is expected to benefit from the program.

The earlier the learner becomes involved in the process, the more likelihood that you will have a successful outcome. Wouldn’t you rather have the learner involved at the beginning of the process than simply as a passive recipient of training? Wouldn’t you rather ensure that your program avoids common or potential pitfalls before rolling it out? Wouldn’t you rather minimize potential missteps that could cost you unnecessary money, money that could be used elsewhere in your training budget?

I’m not suggesting that the learner should be designing your program, just that you should consider using the learner as a key resource on your design team … in addition to subject matter experts, instructor-facilitators, and milieu residents.