Chapter 05 – Program Design
© 2013 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not authorized for sale or distribution in
any manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
5-1
Discussion Questions
1. What is a design document? What is included in a design document? How is it useful for
training?
Answer: A design document can be used to guide the development of training and to explain
the training to managers, SMEs, reviewers, or other trainers. Information for the design
document is based on the information obtained from the needs assessment. The level of detail
in the design document can vary. A design document includes scope of project includes the
Delivery includes what the course will cover, how it will be delivered (e.g., face-to-face or
online), an estimate of the training time, and the identification of any special conditions or
Objectives refer to the course or program objectives. Those are broader summary statements
of the purpose of the program. Resources refers to the materials—cases, DVDs, videos,
models, process maps, podcasts, lesson plans, or guides for use by the facilitator or
2. How might course design differ for baby boomers compared to GenXers?
Answer: Baby boomers prefer classroom learning. Baby boomers respond well to interactive
training activities—they like group activities and well-organized training materials with an
Chapter 05 – Program Design
© 2013 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not authorized for sale or distribution in
any manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
5-2
Members of Generation X (Gen Xers) prefer a self-directed learning environment that
includes technology-delivered methods. They respond best to training methods that allow
3. How does a concept map help learners?
Answer: The overall concept, usefulness of a course, the objective, and its relevance to the
job should be presented first, followed by an explanation of how the course structure to
achieve its objectives. This is important to get learners into the appropriate mental state for
4. Explain the three phases of the instructional process, which phase do you think is most
important? Why?
Answer: Student answers would vary.The three phases of the instructional process are:
pretraining, during the learning event, and post-training. Phase 1, pretraining, involves
preparing, motivating, and energizing trainees to attend the learning event. Phase 1 also
involves ensuring that the work environment (i. e., climate, managers, and peers) supports
learning and transfer. Phase 2, the learning event, involves preparing instruction (classes, the
5. What could be done to increase the likelihood of transfer of training if the work environment
conditions are unfavorable and cannot be changed?
Answer: One way to prepare trainees to deal with the obstacles that they may face in work
Chapter 05 – Program Design
© 2013 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not authorized for sale or distribution in
any manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
5-3
The self-management module begins with a discussion of lapses, emphasizing that lapses are
not evidence of personal inadequacy; rather, they result from habits of usage of knowledge
and skill that have developed over time. Lapses provide information necessary for
improvement. They help identify the circumstances that will have the most negative
6. Customer service training involves far transfer. What design features would you include in a
customer service training program to ensure that transfer of training occurred? What is a
curriculum road map? Why is it important?
Answer: Programs that emphasize far transfer should include the following:
Teach general concepts, broad principles, or key behaviors.
A curriculum road map refers to a figure showing all of the courses in a curriculum, the paths
that learners can take through it, and the sequences in which courses have to be completed
A brief statement of the course purpose, including why the course is important.
Prerequisite skills needed for the course.
7. What is an application assignment? Why should it be considered in designing a training
program or course?
Answer: Application assignments refer to assignments in which trainees are asked to identify
work problems or situations and to apply training content to solve them. The use of
Chapter 05 – Program Design
© 2013 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not authorized for sale or distribution in
any manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
5-4
8. How might you motivate managers to play a more active role in ensuring transfer of training?
Answer: There are several ways to gain managers’ support for training. First, managers need
to be briefed on the purpose of the program and its relationship to business objectives and the
business strategy. Managers should be given the schedule of topics and a checklist of what
they should do after the training to ensure that transfer occurs. Second, trainees should be
9. If you were asked to implement a knowledge management system, what would you
recommend to ensure that employees shared and accessed knowledge? Explain your
recommendations.
Answer: There are several ways to help create, share, and use knowledge:
Use technology, e-mail, and social networking sites (such as Facebook or MySpace) or
Publish directories that list what employees do, how they can be contacted, and the type
Develop informational maps that identify where specific knowledge is stored in the
Create chief information officer (CIO) and chief learning officer (CLO) positions for
Require employees to give presentations to other employees about what they have
Allow employees to take time off from work to acquire knowledge, study problems,
Create an online library of learning resources, such as journals, technical manuals,
Design office space to facilitate interaction between employees.
Create communities of practice (COPs) using face-to-face meetings, wikis, or blogs for
Use “after–action reviews” at the end of each project to review what happened and what
Chapter 05 – Program Design
© 2013 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not authorized for sale or distribution in
any manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
5-5
The other key considerations for effective knowledge management include collaborating
between training and the information technology department, creating leadership positions in
10. What type of seating arrangements would you choose for a training course that involved
small-group case discussions? For a lecture including Powerpoint and use of YouTube
videos? Explain your choices.
Answer: For small-group case discussion a conference-type arrangement may be most
effective. Fan-type seating is conducive to allowing trainees to see from any point in the
hence it will be the most appropriate seating arrangement for a lecture including Powerpoint