Training and Instructional Design: Creating a Lesson Plan

Audio Transcript

Introduction Creating a lesson plan.

Learning Objectives By the end of this unit learners will be able to:  Write measurable objectives for a training program  Write learning objectives that use Blooms Taxonomy to classify learning from the simplest to the most complex  Write learning objectives that are tied to needs analysis  Select appropriate activities for training objectives  Construct a lesson plan using appropriate instructional approaches tied to the ne eds analysis

Why Write Lesson Plans Lesson planning is an important core skill for teachers and trainers, yet many skip this st ep. This skill will take time to master, but the result will be that your courses and lessons will be better organized, and implementation will go more smoothly. Better organization l eads to more effective teaching and in turn, greater learning. The lesson plan will provide a pathway toward the attainment of the selected learning o bjectives. It will be your guide to answering the questions, “What are my goals for this le sson?” and “What do I have to do in class to achieve these goals?” This is also the time that teachers can show their creativity, and over time, lessons will be more interesting, a nd delivered with confidence. Writing lesson plans does not have to be difficult. In this unit we will look a systematic pr ocess to prepare a lesson plan that will help ensure success.

Anatomy of a Lesson Plan There are 3 main steps in preparing a lesson plan: In step 1, the topic and content to be covered are defined. Step 2 lists the instructional goals, learning objectives, and materials, and in step 3, the instructional and evaluation procedures are planned.

Writing Learning Objectives Let’s say the goal is to prepare a lesson for intake personnel on the Health Insurance P ortability and Accountability (HIPAA) Privacy and Security Rules, with a focus on the ne w EHR. All that’s known so far is the content area to be covered in this lesson, but this i

Health IT Workforce Curriculum Training and Instructional Design 1 Version 3.0 / Spring 2012 Creating a Lesson Plan

This material (Comp20_Unit3) was developed by Columbia University, funded by the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology under Award Number 1U24OC000003. nformation says nothing about what students will know, and what the learner is expecte d to do after instruction. For this information, we need to write learning objectives. Learn ing objectives define specific, observable, and measurable learning outcomes. What ab out the HIPAA rules should they know? How will they demonstrate this has been learne d? And, how will you measure that learning has occurred?

Objectives versus Goals Before we go any further, we should discuss the difference between goals and objective s. These two concepts are often confused; goals are broad, generalized statements abo ut what students will gain from instruction over an entire course or curriculum, but in ord er to better describe what kind of work is expected in the course and to more easily desi gn assessment, more specific statements of what the learner must “do” are desirable. T herefore objectives are specific statements describing what the learner will know or be a ble to do as a result of engaging in a learning activity.

Examples of Objectives & Goals Here are some examples of each. A goal for this unit you are currently taking is: “Stude nts will learn how to write lesson plans”. This tells you why you are taking this unit, but it does not give any information about the specific skills you need to write lesson plans an d will gain by completing this lesson. Here’s an actual objective for this lesson: “Student s will be able to write measurable objectives for a training program.”

Purpose of Objectives Objectives are useful for a number of reasons:  By plotting where you intend to go, you increase the chances of you and the lear ner ending up there  Guides the teacher; helps with the preparation of assessment tools to measure st udent achievement  Guides the learner; helps him/her focus and set priorities  Allows for analysis in terms of the levels of teaching and learning

Anatomy of an Objective Let’s focus in on how an objective is constructed. A well-written objective statement pro vides a clear picture of the outcome or performance expected as a result of the lesson. I t should be specific, concise, and, measurable.

Anatomy of an Objective (cont.) An objective statement has three parts, the behavior, the condition and the standard. Th e behavior describes what the students will be able to do and verbs that are specific and observable should be used. The condition under which the behavior is to be completed should be stated. Including what tools or assistance is to be provided, and the standard

This material (Comp20_Unit3) was developed by Columbia University, funded by the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology under Award Number 1U24OC000003. indicates the level of performance that is desirable should be stated, including an accept able range of answers that are allowable as correct

Objective Example Consider the following objective, given a normal clinical environment and using the new EHR, intake staff will be able to accurately create an electronic chart for all new patients.

This example describes the observable behavior (create electronic chart), the conditions (clinical environment and the new EHR), and the standard (all new patients). Often, learning objectives ignore the conditions and standards. When omitted, it is assu med that the conditions involve normal workplace conditions, and standards are set at p erfection. This is usually acceptable, but written indication of the behavior using measur able or observable verbs must always be included.

Measureable Verbs To find measureable and observable verbs, we refer to learning taxonomies such as Blo om’s. In the cognitive domain Bloom’s taxonomy identified and defined levels of mental skills from the lowest level of simple recall of facts, through increasingly more complex mental activities. There are 6 major categories.

Measureable Verbs (cont.) An added benefit is that you can use the hierarchy to help you chunk your modules and focus teaching to target the domains and levels of learning. We can group the six levels of learning into three categories. Level 1 is recall. Recall obj ectives are at lowest level and involve recall or description of information. The next level up is interpretation and involves application and examination of knowledge. Level 3, or p roblem-solving skills, test the highest level of learning and involve construction and asse ssment of knowledge.

Recall The following verbs can be used to describe observable recall behaviors. This first set o f verbs describes knowledge, the remembering of previously learned material.  Defines  Describes  Identifies  Knows  Labels  Lists  Matches Health IT Workforce Curriculum Training and Instructional Design 3 Version 3.0 / Spring 2012 Creating a Lesson Plan

This material (Comp20_Unit3) was developed by Columbia University, funded by the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology under Award Number 1U24OC000003.  Names  Outlines  Recalls  Recognizes  Reproduces  Selects  States This next set of verbs can be used to describe comprehension, the ability to grasp the m eaning of the material.  Converts  Defends  Distinguishes  Estimates  Explains  Extends  Generalizes  Gives an example  Infers  Interprets  Paraphrases  Predicts  Rewrites  Summarizes  Translates

Sample Objective Here’s an example of an objective that targets the recall level of learning: “After attendin g a HIPAA workshop, the student will state the policy on patient confidentiality.”

Interpretation Verbs The following verbs can be used to describe observable interpretation skills. These verb s are used to describe application, the ability to use learned material in new situations.  Applies Health IT Workforce Curriculum Training and Instructional Design 4 Version 3.0 / Spring 2012 Creating a Lesson Plan

This material (Comp20_Unit3) was developed by Columbia University, funded by the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology under Award Number 1U24OC000003.  Changes  Computes  Constructs  Demonstrates  Discovers  Manipulates  Modifies  Operates  Predicts  Prepares  Produces  Relates  Shows  Solves  Uses This next set of verbs can be used to describe analysis, the ability to break down materi al into its component parts  Analyzes  Compares  Contrasts  Diagrams  Deconstructs  Differentiates  Distinguishes  Identifies  Illustrates  Infers  Outlines  Relates  Selects

This material (Comp20_Unit3) was developed by Columbia University, funded by the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology under Award Number 1U24OC000003.  Separates

Sample Objective To target interpretation skills, this objective might work, “After attending HIPAA worksho p, the student will state the policy on patient confidentiality.”

Problem-Solving Verbs And, lastly here are verbs you can use for problem-solving skills. The first group are use d to describe synthesis, the ability to put parts together to form a new whole  Categorizes  Combines  Compiles  Composes  Creates  Devises  Designs  Explains  Generates  Modifies  Organize  Plans  Rearranges  Reconstructs  Relates  Reorganizes  Revises  Rewrites  Summarizes  Tells  Writes And this final set is used to describe evaluation, the ability to judge the value of learned material.  Appraises Health IT Workforce Curriculum Training and Instructional Design 6 Version 3.0 / Spring 2012 Creating a Lesson Plan

This material (Comp20_Unit3) was developed by Columbia University, funded by the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology under Award Number 1U24OC000003.  Compares  Concludes  Contrasts  Criticizes  Critiques  Defends  Describes  Discriminates  Evaluates  Explains  Interprets  Justifies  Relates  Summarizes  Supports

Sample Objective A suitable problem-solving objective is, “After attending the new EHR training, the stude nt will modify procedures to accommodate a patient without insurance.” Let’s consider this example of a task analysis. The objective here is for the learner to be able to accurately register a new patient in the electronic health record.

Non-Functional Verbs Often trainers use vague, non-specific, non-measurable verbs to describe behaviors. Th ese should be avoided. These are the most common offenders:  Able to  Shows interest in  Has knowledge of  Capable of  Learns  Memorizes  Conscious of Health IT Workforce Curriculum Training and Instructional Design 7 Version 3.0 / Spring 2012 Creating a Lesson Plan

This material (Comp20_Unit3) was developed by Columbia University, funded by the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology under Award Number 1U24OC000003.  Understands  Familiar with Avoid these verbs at all costs.

Objective Checklist To summarize, after you write objectives check them against these three questions:  Does the objective focus on student performance?  Is the task measurable or observable?  What criteria will I use to establish that the objective has been reached?

Needs Analysis Checklist Another check should be made against your needs analysis results. Well-conducted org anizational, learner, job, task, and instructional analyses should lead directly to the spec ific skills and knowledge that a training should target. Checking against the results will e nsure that nothing was omitted.

EHR Intake Task Analysis We’ll look at how you would use the result needs analysis to help write objectives, by ret urning to a previous example. In this example, the task analysis defined the tasks in acc urately registering a new patient in the electronic health record. This diagram illustrates a step-by-step process that defines that learning. The three main tasks are: 1. Collect Patient Information 2. Verify Patient Insurance 3. Schedule Appointment

And, these tasks are further broken down into sub-tasks. If you were developing a traini ng session on intake tasks, your training would have to consider these low-level proced ural tasks.

Other EHR Intake Skills But, you may also want to include content to answer the following questions. If you are training staff to work in the emergency room, what special protocols exist for when there is an emergency and the triage is flooded with new patients? Or, how do HIPAA privacy and confidentiality affect the patient registration process – fa ctors such as communicating with the patient in a public setting, computer screen orient ation, logging out when leaving the computer terminal?

This material (Comp20_Unit3) was developed by Columbia University, funded by the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology under Award Number 1U24OC000003. These are all examples of some higher-level knowledge and skills required to ensure th at the job tasks are completed adequately, so they would have to be included in the trai ning session.

EHR Intake Learning Objectives For your lesson on these intake tasks, you may write the following learning objectives:  Recall the steps of the intake process.  Assist patients who have incomplete information.  Select the appropriate registration protocol given the intake environment.  Apply HIPAA regulations to the registration process.

Instructional Materials Create a materials list and add to this as you write your procedure so that you know exa ctly what you will need for your class to run smoothly. Prepare your PowerPoint present ation, select and prepare your handouts, and make copies. What about the physical spa ce? Do you need computers? Make sure the A/V equipment works and software is insta lled on computers. Do you need additional personnel to assist you?

Instructional Procedures: Overview The actual lesson should be broken up into some discrete parts that progress through th e steps of introducing new content, allowing for practice and reinforcement of learning, f ollowed by assessment. The steps are:  Introduction: Focusing Event  Development: Modeling/Explanation Demonstration  Practice: Guided/Monitored Activity  Independent Practice: Assignments to Measure Progress  Checking For Understanding: Assessment/Feedback  Closure: Wrapping it up

Instructional Procedures Determine how you will introduce the lesson. You may want to use this time to introduce the objectives of this lesson and to set up your expectation for the learners. Decide the method(s) you will use to teach the content of your lesson. Will you lecture; have small or whole group discussions? Sometimes it may be best to use a combination of these methods: beginning with a couple minutes of lecture, followed by a discussion t o ensure that the students understand what you have taught them.

This material (Comp20_Unit3) was developed by Columbia University, funded by the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology under Award Number 1U24OC000003. You should plan and select the most appropriate approach for students to achieve each outcome. The instructional approaches chosen for one learning outcome may be differe nt from the approaches selected for other outcomes in the same lesson. For example, if students are to gain skill in performing a certain task, one of the activitie s should be practice in performing the task. If the desired outcome is knowledge, stude nts should observe, listen, or read so they can relate what they are learning to their own experience. If students must learn to apply a principle, the instructor should ask them to solve problems or perform tasks requiring an application of that principle.

Instructional Procedures (cont.) Determine how you will have the students practice the skill/information you just taught th em. For example, if you have taught them about the HIPAA rules, you will have them pr actice this with problem sets independently, or role-play in groups or some other cooper ative project. These are a few of many possibilities. How will you know whether your course is effective? You will need to gather some evide nce of their learning, and this is usually done by administering some kind of formal asse ssment and assigning grades to learners. If you choose this method, you will need to cr eate a grading rubric based on lesson objectives. If you have written speciﬁc, observabl e objectives it will be easy to turn this into questions for your assessments. You also tur n some classroom activities into tests, but expect learner s to complete them this time w ithout assistance. For workplace training, it may be necessary and appropriate to design assessments to measure workplace performance after training. Use the last few minutes of the class to assign homework or plan for the next session.

Example Lesson Plan This slide shows a simple lesson plan with a two objectives from our list. The first objecti ve, “Recall the steps of the intake process” uses two teaching materials, a PowerPoint p resentation and a handout of the intake workflow for a specific clinic. The Instructional P rocedures column suggests that the trainer do an introduction to the intake process and explain why patient confidentiality is important. After the introduction the trainer presents the lecture using the PowerPoint presentation and then distributes a self-test quiz so the student can test their knowledge. The suggested time for these actives is 15 minutes. The second objective covered in this lesson is “Apply HIPAA regulations to the registrati on process”. The materials used are a video of the patient registration process in a busy clinical setting and a flip board and markers for each group of students. The students ar e divided into small groups and asked to identify patient privacy methods and procedure s they saw in the video. The groups of students then share their results. This activity sh ould take 30 minutes. In this example each objective has a unique set of materials and instructional procedure s, but often you will have multiple objectives sharing the same materials and procedures.

This material (Comp20_Unit3) was developed by Columbia University, funded by the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology under Award Number 1U24OC000003. Remember to select the most appropriate materials and methods based on the verb in t he learning objective. Follow this link to see an example of another Lesson Plan Template: http://nwlink.com/~ donclark/hrd/templates/lessonplan.rtf.

Summary We’ve discussed the importance of lesson planning and how the quality of your lesson p lanning will affect the quality of the learner experience and the instructional results. But, even though you have spent hours developing and perfecting your lessons, during class time you should be flexible enough to adapt to unexpected events as they can and will o ccur. But, some of the best results will come from spontaneous, unplanned events, and you should be alert and flexible enough to respond to them; to use them to your learner’ s benefit. In any event, you should incorporate them when you are in your planning your next lesson.

References  Clark DR. Instructional System Design (ISD). Big Dog & Little Dog’s Performance Juxtaposition; c2004 [cited 2010 Jun 21]. Available from: http://nwlink.com/~doncl ark/hrd/ahold/isd.html.  Clark DR. Design Phase (ADDIE). Big Dog & Little Dog’s Performance Juxtaposit ion; c2004 [cited 2010 Jun 21]. Available from: http://nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/sa t3.html.  Carkhuff RR, Fisher SG. Instructional systems design: volumes I & II. Amherst, M A: Human Resource Development Press; 1984.  Carliner S. Training Design. Danvers, MA: American Society for Training and De velopment; 2003.  Gagne RM, Wager WW, & Golas K. Principles of Instructional Design (5th ed.). C alifornia: Wadsworth Publishing, 2004.  Reigeluth CM. Instructional-design Theories and Models: A new paradigm of instr uctional theory. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc, 1999.

This material (Comp20_Unit3) was developed by Columbia University, funded by the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology under Award Number 1U24OC000003.