I love working with my SMEs. They know their subject matter, have been teaching it for a long time, and understand what they need to do.**
But oftentimes when an ISD starts to work with a SME in a training project the focus of discussion gravitates to what they want to cover. So I can go ’round and ’round trying to get to the point of creating an objective.
Perhaps it’s time to stop talking trainer-speak with SMEs. Perhaps we ISDs should refrain from talking about objectives, and keep the planning level at goals. Goals they know. They got that. Oftentimes, in our industry, we want to convince people to do something, or get them to understand why something is important. Hopefully, there is an ultimate goal of implementing something, but that’s post-workshop results. The goals all sound fuzzy because they are, but that’s okay.
If SMEs know the ultimate goals, and you have hammered out the main topic areas to cover, then the objectives can flow through. Perhaps add a question to the planning dicsussion: ”Yes, that’s great that you want them to understand it. But how do you know that they actually do, and that they’re not just nodding politely at you?” Normally a blank stare follows, if the SME is an academic, pontificating type (none of mine are**). Sometimes a reminder that students like to talk, share, recommend, and problem-solve is what it takes to align.
After a while, try plugging in a sentence that incorporates a “Bloom verb”, as I call them, as a suggestion, such as “How’s about ’students will list the components out’ to you?” or some such thing. Usually, eventually, an agreed-upon set of objectives emerge from here.
On a related note, I recently heard a suggestion that sounds equally interesting. That no one is really as obsessed with properly-worded objectives as ISDs. And I agree with that. Think of the last time you took a course. Did you really care how much care was taken on writing the objectives? Really? No? Me neither. Objectives help to guide your course-writing project, to keep it on topic, and to keep the materials relevant, to see the end-point and work in a straight line to get to them. The rest of the world only cares about what’s in it for them. This means that, instead of listing out those beautifully-crafted works of instructional design art in the materials book, on the PowerPoint slide, or in that first module of the e-learning course, remember to keep the student in mind even then. Write instead an overview of what they, the students, will get from the course, what they will accomplish, and how it will relate to their jobs and lives.
It’s as simple as re-wording your objectives sometimes in more of a marketing style, similar to how you would write for the back cover of your next book. Instead of listing an objective that says “Using a given set of four document layouts, participants will identify the layout that best matches the content style” how about “Select document layouts that will give your content impact.” The idea is that the second version tells your participants what’s in the course for them.
Ultimately, remember that objectives indicate an end destination. They drive the content, and student knowledge, to an ultimate ability. Make sure that everyone, instructor and participant, is on board with where they are going to the most successful learning destination.
** SME donations can be generously sent to my home address. Make checks out to “Cash”.
