I Soon After Redeveloped Them As Computer Based Instruction Modules Delivered Online
Educational guides are a very useful medium for delivering flexible deliverance when the topic and circumstances are conducive to it.
According to Bruhn and Guthrie (1994), a Educational Guide is a ’structured booklet designed to direct the learner through a series of learning activities and to a range of resources to achieve specified competencies or learning outcomes”.
A learning guide is not a ‘how to’ manual like manuals that accompany television sets, microwaves and computers etc, but they may be used in conjunction with them. The key focus of educational guides (hereafter ‘guides’) is that they guide users through a structured learning experience. Manuals don’t do that, they simply a number of activities users can follow to get certain outcomes. An example will highlight the difference.
Example:
On one occasion I used guides to cover a half dozen or so small topics that were important, but which did not warrant group training sessions (I redeveloped them as computer based instruction modules delivered online). This was in an organisation that had six offices spread throughout the Northern Territory (Australia), two of which were remote. Costs for training were often high due to the need for travel, therefore, it was desirable to find alternative modes in order to keep costs.
One of the topics my guides covered for example, was titled “Using Delegations” and consisted of only 16 pages.
Note: For those not familiar with delegations, they refer to the acts or omissions a person holding a specific job can do or not do eg, approve leave of absence for a staff member,buy goods and services valued up to $30,000, or terminate an employee’s service. People exercising a delegation are called delegates. If you don’t hold delegation, then you can’t lawfully execute a task.
It was important that delegates knew what they were, or weren’t authorised to do. Non-delegates had to know who had delegation to carry out the tasks required. My short learning guide included the following parts:
A Module Overview setting out the purpose, strategy, learning outcomes, how to achieve the outcomes, resources required, and details about how the topic was to be assessed
Five learning activities
An assessment questionnaire
A summary and review page
An attached answers guide for the intermediate assessment topics (self assessment)
Educational activity one detailed the framework in which delegations exist ie, Constitutional and other legislative matters that allow delegation. There were two activities at the end of Educational Activity One. The first required learners to obtain a copy of an Act of Parliament and study several sections (about delegation). The second required people to read a description, find the section of an Act that related to that description and write in the answers on a blank table. (This was my way of making sure people actually read specific sections).
Learning activities two through five all had a similar process of getting learners to do something followed by a short self-assessment.
Finally, learners were expected to answer 10 “fill in the answer” questions and provide answers for two small case studies involving real life delegations activities.
The former required learners to refer to the organisation’s Delegations Manual and record which delegation (if any) fitted a specific circumstance. When learners completed the assessment questionnaire, they would fax it to the Training Department. One of my people would mark it and feedback about the result.
Each learning activity covered a separate, small part of the whole topic. (People learn in small bits). I provided feedback through self-assessment and faxed assessment. (People need feedback). Topics were logically sequenced. (People need to work from general concepts to specific concepts). Learners used the manuals and legislation that actually applied to them in their everyday jobs. (Adult learners particularly want to learn ‘real’, practical solutions, not deal with fiction).
You’ll understand now how the structure in a educational guide and the use of instructional design principles makes them different from a standard operating manual. One key advantage of educational guides is that you don’t have to incorporate documents that are elsewhere available … all you do is reference them. If they change, it’s not that difficult to update your learning guide.