Developing and Documenting a Plan of Instruction
A plan of instruction (or
training plan) is a document that lays out the intended approach to training
before the training is actually developed. Instructional designers routinely develop training plans as a means of ensuring everyone involved is on the “same page.” It is much easier to revise a one-page plan for a unit than a completed module. A training plan can be used in these ways:
- To coordinate a team development effort.
- To achieve a wider consensus (beyond the development team), especially when there are many stakeholder groups or key players who need to sign off.
- To get funder agreement with a proposed direction that is clearly documented.
- To get input from important stakeholders or target audience members.
- To check for acceptability and relevance to target audience members in different geographic areas, types of communities, organizations, etc.
- To save money on revisions, which are more expensive by far than revisions at the planning stage.
A plan of instruction for training programs typically includes:
- Rationale for training
- Target audience
- Goals and objectives
- Instructor qualifications
- Description of materials to accompany training (e.g., manuals, copies of PowerPoints, etc.)
- Sample agenda
- Overview of units (e.g., time, objective, methodology, content).
It is also helpful in many cases to address specifically how training follow-up supports the trainee in applying new skills. For example, are supervisors or mentors tasked to observe the new trainee, provide helpful guidance, and encourage him or her to make needed changes?
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