What makes a training program excellent? How might the optimal delivery method be chosen? How are we, as diverse participants, engaged and inspired to learn at our best?

With advancing technologies and an increasing focus on work-place learning, more and more decisions need to be made about training design and delivery, and it is helpful to consider these and other questions before designing and delivering a training.

This guide is designed for those involved in the development of these programs, including content owners, course developers, sponsors and others. It is not a decision-tree, but rather a practical resource to assist in making training decisions. Indeed, there is usually no single “right” answer that enables programs to be both cost effective and highly effective for participant learning.

We would like to add that nothing can replace the wonderful human elements that truly allow for authentic learning. At its best, learning involves excitement, enjoyment, and a diversity of interests. We hope you will find this guide useful in the many details of your planning, and that you will also infuse your programs with the vibrant, magical energy of joyful learning.

Key features of this Guide

• Training Design and Delivery Framework. This visual framework serves to orient you to the site itself and can be used to navigate through the steps. While this is a linear model, it does not need to be used in a linear progression. It can be explored as you would like.

• Training Design Factors. Click on each of the eight training design factors in the framework. Here you will find topics and questions to enable thoughtful planning for your program. The more questions you can consider before final decisions are made, the clearer the design and choice of delivery method is likely to be.

• Training Factors “Key Questions Form” This form is intended to serve as a record-keeper of the main questions and answers in your decisions. It can be downloaded or printed and contains all the “Key Questions” listed in each of the training design factors. Customize it, too, with your own list or with “Additional Questions” which you will also find in each training design factor.

• Training Delivery Methods “Full Scale Matrix” This feature provides information about variables affecting “most” and “least” effective choices for delivery methods. It can also be downloaded and printed (as a PDF). Reviewing this information can provide assistance in choosing a delivery method. It is not designed to make that choice for you, but rather to give you information to assist in your own decision-making.

• Training Delivery Methods “At-A-Glance Matrix” also serves to assist in exploring delivery methods decisions. This version is designed to provide a quick guide to the key topics associated with what is “most effective” for key delivery methods options.

• Instructions. Here you will find detailed instructions for use of this site. If you have additional questions, please feel free to contact us.

About this Tool

This tool was developed in 2008 at MIT by Jeannette Gerzon (Human Resources) and Kate Kibbee (IS&T) as a project sponsored by the MIT Training Alignment Team.

The choice of delivery methods addressed in this tool was based on definitions and criteria used in the MIT Training Delivery Methods Survey. While more methods exist than are addressed here in this guide, we chose those that are primarily used at MIT at this time. In the future, more methods may be added to reflect changes in delivery methods use.

We want to acknowledge and reference the work of Jay Bahlis and the ADVISOR Enterprise regarding background materials that were considered in this site. For more information about this work and a highly practical, detailed decision-making tool with regard to choice of delivery methods, please go to   http://www.bnhexpertsoft.com/english/products/advent/overview.htm.

We would also like to thank Laurie Bryce and the members of the MIT Training Alignment Team, especially Meg Chute and Margaret Ann Gray, for all their time and insight on this project.

Contact us

Comments, questions, and suggestions are very welcome. Contact us.
For more about MIT staff responses and a survey on training delivery methods, please go to http://web.mit.edu/training/tat/tdmsurvey.html.