Use SAM to create engaging learning

- You're a learning professional. You want to create meaningful training for your organization, but you're constrained by budgets, timelines, development tools, stakeholder expectations. The demands of the modern workplace stretch the abilities of available instructional design methods. We learned to develop instruction using traditional processes, but they continue to produce unsatisfactory results. We need a simpler, faster, and more collaborative model. We need a model that fosters creativity, and that's practical. For these and many other reasons, we've searched long and hard for an alternative that would provide significant advantages over existing approaches. Looking at successful models, they allow us to work within constraints. They investigate alternatives, deliver projects on time, deliver projects within budget, use available delivery resources, use labor-saving tools, and they keep stakeholders informed. Also, successful models achieve valued results. They develop learner skills, improve performance, deliver manageable programs, and provide sustained return on investment. Without a successful model in place, your training efforts miss the mark. They don't inspire change. They're not motivational, they're boring. Take content for example. These days, training provided by companies and organization is often burdened with content and lots of text, and it's much too light on learning experiences and opportunities to practice. Even e-learning technology that stands ready to present interactive video, animation, and graphics, tends to be laden with text-heavy presentations, delivered in a page-turning format. This type of learning is tiresome and boring, and sadly, that's not the worst part. Boring instruction is costly, damaging, ineffective, and wasteful. Consider the following effects that boring instruction has on learners. Lost learner attention. Gaining learner attention is critical to enabling instruction. No attention means no learning. Boring instruction dampens the learner's desire, ability to focus, and willingness to develop new skills and performance behaviors. Negative attitudes. If your instructional program provides learners a boring experience, it will likely result in both a lack of learning, and a dislike of the method of instruction. Many have learned to dislike classroom instruction, while others have learned to dislike e-learning or social learning events, because of boring experiences with them. Subject aversion, a bad experience carries an even greater likelihood that learners will come to dislike the material being presented. Deterring learners from acquiring critical skills and knowledge can result in failures, that in turn seriously hinder possibilities of future learning. Learner disrespect. Learners are annoyed, and even insulted, by the organization that is ready to waste their time, presumably, just to save instructional development costs. Learners may say, "They really didn't put anything "into this, and yet they require all of us "to agonize through it. "What a waste, I've got work to do." Learners typically look for easy paths, but when the pain is extreme, they'll find means to escape. They may even say, "This course is so bad, I'll pay someone to take it for me." This happens, and not infrequently. If you've been searching long and hard for a collaborative model to help you build training, something creative, something practical, your search is over. The process is called SAM. It's an iterative design and development process, and it's your solution for boring learning. It can help you to build better learning experiences on time, and on budget.