Introduction
Learning guides are a very useful medium for delivering flexible delivery when the topic and circumstances are conducive to it. Agreeing to Bruhn and Guthrie (1994), a learning Guide is a 'structured booklet designed to direct the pupil straight through a series of learning activities and to a range of resources to perform specified competencies or learning outcomes".
A learning guide is not a 'how to' hand-operated like manuals that accompany television sets, microwaves and computers etc, but they may be used in conjunction with them. The key focus of learning guides (hereafter 'guides') is that they guide users straight through a structured learning experience. Manuals don't do that, they simply supply a estimate of activities users can result to get safe bet outcomes. An example will highlight the difference.
Example:
On one opening I used guides to cover a half dozen or so small topics that were important, but which did not certify group training sessions (I later redeveloped them as computer based education modules delivered online). This was in an organisation that had six offices spread throughout the Northern Territory (Australia), two of which were remote. Costs for training delivery were often very high due to the need for travel, therefore, it was desirable to find alternative delivery modes in order to keep costs.
One of the topics my guides covered for example, was titled "Using Delegations" and consisted of only 16 pages.
Note: For those not well-known with delegations, they refer to the acts or omissions a someone holding a exact job can do or not do eg, approve leave of absence for a staff member, buy goods and services valued up to ,000, or conclude an employee's service. People exercising a delegation are called delegates. If you don't hold delegation, then you can't lawfully execute a task.
It was important that delegates knew what they were, or weren't authorised to do. Non-delegates had to know who had delegation to carry out the tasks required. My short learning guide included the following parts:
A Module summary setting out the purpose, delivery strategy, learning outcomes, how to perform the outcomes, resources required, and details about how the topic was to be assessed
Five learning activities
An appraisal questionnaire
A summary and divulge page
An attached answers guide for the intermediate appraisal topics (self assessment)
Learning operation one detailed the framework in which delegations exist ie, Constitutional and other legislative matters that allow delegation. There were two activities at the end of learning operation One. The first required learners to procure a copy of an Act of Parliament and study some sections (about delegation). The second required People to read a description, find the section of an Act that linked to that record and write in the answers on a blank table. (This was my way of production sure People positively read exact sections).
Learning activities two straight through five all had a similar process of getting learners to do something followed by a short self-assessment.
Finally, learners were thinkable, to write back 10 "fill in the answer" questions and supply answers for two small case studies animated real life delegations activities. The old required learners to refer to the organisation's Delegations hand-operated and record which delegation (if any) fitted a exact circumstance. When learners completed the appraisal questionnaire, they would fax it to the Training Department. One of my People would mark it and supply feedback about the result.
Each learning operation covered a separate, small part of the whole topic. (People learn in small bits). I provided feedback straight through self-assessment and faxed assessment. (People need feedback). Topics were logically sequenced. (People need to work from general concepts to exact concepts). Learners used the manuals and legislation that positively applied to them in their everyday jobs. (Adult learners particularly want to learn 'real', practical solutions, not deal with fiction).
You'll understand now how the structure in a learning guide and the use of instructional manufacture law makes them separate from a approved operating manual. One key advantage of learning guides is that you don't have to combine documents that are elsewhere ready ... All you do is reference them. If they change, it's not that difficult to update your learning guide.
Conclusion
Just as there is a time and place for all things else, there is a time and place for learning guides. If you use them on the right opening And your target audience is conducive to self-directed learning, they can be an exquisite explication to some of your training delivery challenges. manufacture lead time is relatively short and they can be effectively delivered using electronic or printed media; they can be used for just-in-time training.
However, like any training intervention, they need to be 'designed' using approved instructional manufacture principles. That means that it is a specialist job to yield capability guides, not the role of a someone who is a 'presenter' or 'facilitator' having completed a two or three day procedure in workplace training and assessment.
Most of the learning guides I produced were based on Bruhn and Guthrie's work, although I had used other methods during my teaching/training vocation and read many other texts. For example, Derek Rowntree's book, details of which appear below, also comprise exquisite guidance and facts for anything wanting to learn the art.
When next you need to deliver numbers of small, concise, varied topics, think about using learning guides to accompany your organisations operational and procedures manuals.
References:
Bruhn, P and Guthrie, H (1994), Designing learning Guides for Tafe and Industry. National Centre for Vocational education investigate Ltd, Victoria.
Rowntree, D (Latest edition), Teaching straight through Self-Instruction: How to manufacture Open learning Materials. Kogan Page Publishing, New York.
Copyright 2005 Robin Henry
studying Guides a Great addition to Procedures Manuals
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