Combining Instructional & Game Design (Part 1)

Games make great learning activities, IF they align with your learning goals and objectives. So let's talk about how to make sure they do. There are many ways to design a course, conceptualize a game, and build an integrated solution. In this post, I'll talk about backwards design. In the future, I'll cover the MDA framework for game design and how to put the two approaches together.

The Steps of Backwards Design

1. Start with a problem

Our work solves problems. Those problems may be glaringly obvious or may be identified only after careful needs analysis. Either way, Backwards Design starts with a problem and our Learning Goal is to solve it.

For today, let's pretend our problem is that some customer service representatives in your organization aren't acting in the customer's best interest. If you've been in sales long enough, you know that solving a customer's problem is the best way to make a sale. So it isn't altruistic or naive to say we want customer services representatives to take a long view and invest in the customer's well being.

2. Map a solution

With an endpoint in mind, we can begin roughing out a solution. Before a full plan is formed, we can come up with a list of needed ingredients or milestones we will pass in order to reach our goal.

In the case of the customer service reps, we'll need a few things. (1) We need them to recognize when their actions and recommendations align with their personal motivations or when they align with what's best for the customers.

(2) We need customer service reps to believe that serving the customer's best interest IS in their best interest. That will be hard to do if it isn't true. Training can't fix all problems alone. If incentive and promotion policy needs to be updated, let's get working on that as well. Once policy is aligned with our business goals, we need to communicate and convince our customer service reps.

(3) We need to equip customer service reps with the knowledge and skills needed to actually take care of customers. That could include making them familiar with various product solutions, teaching them to communicate with product development and manufacturing, or working with sales and marketing to provide the best solution possible to their customers. It might include training on active listening, asking drill down questions, and understanding a customer's business realities.

If solving the problem is our Learning Goal, the milesones explained here would be our Learning Objectives. We'll work on them to make sure they are specific and measurable. We'll be measuring them because we want to make sure reaching these objectives leads to the changes needed to meet our goal.

3.  Plan the details

Each objective could be met in a variety of ways. Usually, these will be through various kinds of instruction, learning activities, resources, or links to existing supports. We may use video, direction lecture, or read ahead materials. We may assign a project or ask learners to deliver a final presentation. Or we may use quizzes or tests. One way or another, we want to design the actual, nitty-gritty details of how this learning is going to happen.

For the example above, recognizing who benefits from customer support advice and actions could be as simple as using a matching exercise or facilitated group discussion.

4. Let the learning begin

Roll out your learning. If it is a web-based training, launch it. If it is synchronous with an instructor, schedule it. Since you are working with your leadership on this, have them do the messaging. It will mean more when they recommend and attend the course themselves.

5. Monitor

Check to make sure the training is doing what you'd hoped it would do. Collect data from students in class and back on the line. Have sales increased? Has customer satisfaction improved? What's different now? Were there any unintended consequences?

This information can inform improvements to your learning activities and even your learning objectives. Ideally, you can shorten the time it takes you to plan your course and analyze the results. The better you become at iterating before you make heavy investments in your training, the more efficient your training development will become.

That's it for today. In my next post, I'll talk about the MDA framework. Remember, just like the customer's needs, learner needs come first. You are improving the world with your designs because you are enabling your learners to do better work. Keep up the good fight and I'll see you next time.  

- Matt, Dungeon Learning Solopreneur