This post is about Subject Matter Experts and their design of learning content. I start off with the problem of stretched resources. I ask if we care about Instructional Design. Then I mention SMEs and how they could help. I give some basic hints for helping them create content then conclude with the concept that we are Helpers and Facilitators.
Read on for the interesting stuff…
Here’s a thing – subject matter experts (SMEs from now on) know their subject. Learning folks might not know it so well. Learning people (that’s you and me) are being more and more stretched to design and deliver more and more learning solutions. We have to get informal, we have to facilitate collaboration etc etc.
The solution is often seen as getting the SMEs to develop the content themselves. Is this good? Is it bad? What about our precious Instructional Design, our well thought out content designs?
Well – frankly; who cares?
(Pause while you all gasp and throw socks at the computer screen)
You see – when it comes to learning, poeple don’t always need the big, structured stuff. What they need is the right information at the right time. What they need is that nugget of knowledge, that droplet of demonstration. Formal learning departments struggle to develop and deliver that. We’re good at big. We ain’t so good at small and timely.
However, there are a few things that it would be worth persuading your SMEs of before they reach for PowerPoint and start pouring the contents of their head onto slides:
Consider the audience
Who is going to receive this content? What do they NEED to know to do their jobs?
Keep it really short
Are you doing demonstrations (using Captivate, Qarbon, Camtasia) – they should be no more than 15 – 20 clicks. Each module of slides/eLearning should be no more than 15 minutes.
Keep it structured
Learning people – create a really simple template for the SMEs. Have in it an Introduction, some Objectives, and Overview of what you’re going to cover, some Content areas, a Summary and a sample test/evaluation.
Make them interactive
Give the SME some help on how to make their audience do something rather than just click next. Even if it’s just exploring an animation or doing a simulation. Don’t let them just watch.
Make it relevent
This is similar to know the audience. Make them appreciate that the audience is busy and only needs to know a small amount of what they know.
I’m not suggesting that they use slides. I’m not suggesting that they use Flash, Articulate or any of the tools out there. These concepts work if you’re producing a training Wiki or using a Social Network too.
I’m not suggesting that we throw out sound instructional design, just that we can build up a big library of content quickly by getting the people who know to do most of the work. So what do we do? (i.e. learning poeple)
We guide, help and facilitate.
Posted by Andy 