Roll Up Your Sleeves and Get to Work
Whenever I tackle a new instructional design project one of the first things I do is look through my files for old instructional design projects. Where is that audience analysis checklist I developed? In what folder is that chart I use to explain concepts to new designers? Where is my template for creating and teaching a software procedure? (actually you can find that here.)
It gets tough when I have to start from scratch. Creating a tool or instrument I haven’t before is a long, careful process.
This is where I have to roll up my sleeves and get busy. I’m always thinking…Wouldn’t it be great if I could look to my book shelf and find an example of needs analysis questions or e-learning storyboards? And wouldn’t it be even better if I could then have an electronic version of the tool so I wouldn’t have to re-type the entire thing again?
Well, my colleague and fellow writer Jane Bozarth has done just that…she has created a valuable resource containing all kinds of examples of tools used in the instructional design process. The book is titled “From Analysis to Evaluation.”
Jane goes through the ADDIE model and provides practical tools and examples for every step from analysis tools to evaluation tools and everything else in between. And the templates and tools are on a CD-ROM (how quaint) that comes with the book so you can take those samples in MS Word and get to work modifying and changing them.
These are sample audience surveys, data gathering worksheets, checklists, tips on getting management buy-in, templates for conducting risk assessments and cost analysis and other really valuable materials. It is a great book of samples and examples that any designer, seasoned or wet-behind-the-ears would love to have. It is a toolbox of instructional design tools ready to open so you can begin building effective learning events. A great concept.
I contributed a few tools to the work as did many, many other people. These multiple contributions give you a wide range and perspective on the various tools. A great supplement to any ID text book.
But alas in reading the introduction to the book…one of the laments of Jane was that she didn’t get many ROI tools submitted to the book, so here is a contribution which for some strange reason, I didn’t send Jane this material for the current edition but will send for the next. In the meantime, you can readHow to Conduct a Performance-Based ROI.
So a great book and I suggested anyone designing instruction to pick it up. You’ll find it very helpful.
As a side note, I had so much fun on my Blog Book Tour that I’m trying to talk Jane into a Blog Book tour. So if anyone is interested in joining the tour, let me know and I’ll pass the word to Jane.
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Leave a Comment (8) ↓
Thank you for posting about this book. This book seems like the perfect tool for a beginning Instructional Designer. As you stated, developing new tools can be a very curious, time-consuming process, so having a guide such as this will drastically cut development time. Any Instructional Designer, novice or veteran, can focus more on content and rely in the templates/examples set forth by Ms. Bozarth. I look forward to purchasing my copy and seeing what’s inside.
Btw, Investigative Eye is Sarah Peters.
This was exactly what I was looking for! Wow, the one thing that has been getting me a little worried as I’m looking for jobs is “Do I really know what I’m doing? Have I learned everything I need to know to get this job do? Am I setting myself up for failure?”
With a guide like this – which makes it easy to remember that YES I DID LEARN THIS, and gives the novice ID person some very important tools for creating design, it’s a little more comfortable to get working on a project. One of the time consuming things that would have bogged me down was just that: “Where are my templates” and “Please no, it’s going to seriously cut into my time if I have to create new templates form scratch”
I’m going to put in my order for this book ASAP – and carry it secretly in my bag for the first year of my career.
Being an Instructional Design student is time consuming, to say the least. This book sounds like the perfect resource for anyone earning an MSIT degree. Much of the semester is spent creating things from scratch. It’s so nice to have something to reference when making some of the more difficult decisions and this book sounds like that perfect something.
Jane, Love to kick off your blog tour…enjoy the sun. Let’s pick a date.
Why thanks very much, Dr. Kapp! And greetings from Sint Maarten, where just yesterday I was sitting in the sun by the pool, thinking cerebral thoughts, pondering the plan for a blog book tour…. There’s no talking me into it, it’s just with two new books out this year I was trying to calculate the best timing. Shall we start with Kapp Notes, perhaps in June?
Also: response to “From Analysis to Evaluation” has been wonderful. I am hoping that we may see a “part 2” someday so encourage readers to start thinking about what they might be willing to share.
The one thing I have held onto since my years as an undergrad design (fashion design that is, not instructional) major is my need for inspiration. Inspiration was one of the first concepts that we were taught. It was made clear to us that looking at examples is not cheating, as many felt, but necessary to fuel your ideas and creativity.
I feel this book will be able to provide the ID inspiration, which at times can be hard to find, and will be a wonderful addition to any instructional designer’s toolbox.
What a great resource this book will be. Although I am a novel Instructional Designer about to enter the field I believe it will be less time consuming to modify pre-existing templates for your specific project needs. We all understand how valuable time can be in a corporate setting. A resource like this with contributions from credible professionals will provide us with reliable and valid tools which we can use and reuse.
Dr. Kapp I concur that creating a book review blog is a great idea. This will allow for Instructional Designers and other professionals to ask questions concerning the book as well as contribute ideas.