Curriculum Design for Adult Learners

Are you tired of sitting through presentations or classes wondering how the content will ever apply to your real-life situations? You're not alone. Many of us have found ourselves questioning the relevance of what we're learning and craving practical skills that we can use immediately. As an instructor, you have the power to change this narrative. By shifting the focus you can engage your students, enhance their skills, and drive meaningful results both in and out of the classroom. So, how exactly can we make this shift, and why is it so crucial for adult learners? Let's explore these questions together.

As an instructor, can we fix this? The answer is simple, again, it is ABSOLUTELY! But the question is really how? A focus on the performance is one way to do this. I’ve said this before in other posts, but it is worth reiterating as many times as possible; if you, as an instructor, focus on the expected performance, and the skills that can be immediately applied outside of the classroom in the real-world environment your students are expected to complete the tasks, your students will not only pay more attention, but their performance will be better over time.

So why is performance-based learning important to adult learners? First, the ISPI defines

performance-based learning as an approach to education that focuses on achieving specific, measurable outcomes or performance objectives. It is here, that learning is not simply about acquiring knowledge but more about demonstrating competency in applying that knowledge effectively. The theory is backed by cognitive science, behavioral psychology, and educational theory.

Some benefits of this type of training are:

Reduction in training costs and time

Increase in employee productivity and performance

Enhanced customer satisfaction and increased profitability

Increase in employee engagement and improvement in employee experience

Improvement in business key performance indicators

What should you consider when trying to design a performance-based training program?

1.      Analyze and assess the skills required of the students to complete the task(s).

This may seem like a significant effort, but it is essential to laying out the foundation of your instruction. This will also allow you and your team to keep a focus on the product (performance) throughout the design process.

2.      Establish the acceptable quality for those tasks.

Can a checklist be used? Does the task require a memorization of a process? Are there critical safety factors in play with the task? All of these matter when establishing a baseline so that your instruction can be in-line with these quality indicators. (hint, this also establishes metrics for evaluation of task performance)

Finally, when you have the first two steps figured out, you can start to build your program with some simple guidelines in place:

1.      Chunk information into easily manageable pieces of information.

Try to not introduce more than 4 new pieces of information at a time. Ensure that the student is performing at the appropriate quality level prior to introducing the next set of information.

2.      Arrange learning sessions around real-world scenarios

As stated before, the adult learner thrives on information that is immediately applicable to their environment. For this reason, you have to give them a realistic scenario that can be almost immediately applied outside of the classroom.

3.      Provide ample opportunity for one-on-one feedback with the instructor and with peers

Self-assessment and learning are extremely important for an adult learner. Foster an environment in your classroom where it is acceptable to fail, so long as we are discussing it openly and honestly so that we can all learn from our mistakes. We do this through feedback during the practice sessions so that we see where we have all made mistakes, discuss them between each other, establish lessons learned, and use those in subsequent events.

4.      Establish assessments to test the quality-level established in the original design phase.

These graded assessments are extremely important. This allows authentic performance-based learning to occur. This gives students a chance to demonstrate their mastery of the skills in real-world contexts. In addition, it also provides an opportunity to be graded against the standard and institute feedback, as appropriate, for those not meeting the standard. It is here, that you hold the line with respect to the required performance. If the waterfall of skills is not being observed here, then the student should be expected to perform remedial training until the desired performance level is reached OR we must consider when to remove the student from training for failure to progress in the desired performance area.

Performance-based learning offers a powerful solution to the common disengagement and skepticism experienced by adult learners. By prioritizing practical skills and real-world application, instructors can not only capture students' attention but also drive long-term performance improvements. With careful design and implementation, incorporating elements such as chunking information, real-world scenarios, and ample feedback, educators can create an environment where failure is embraced as a steppingstone to growth. Ultimately, by ensuring that every learner meets the established performance standards, we empower individuals to thrive in the real world and contribute meaningfully to their organizations and communities.

If you have a better way, reach out. Let's have a chat about effective teaching.

As always, stay humble in your knowledge, approachable in your teaching, credible in your thoughts, and aggressive in your passion to teach others!