The crucial, yet frequently underestimated, component of crafting a training program is the learning outcomes. Many training program creators, heavily influenced by marketing strategies rather than educational expertise, overlook this vital part of the development process. This oversight could negatively affect both the learning experience and your sales.
Bypassing the step of crafting learning outcomes in your course is like trying to drive and sell a car built without a manual and missing its steering wheel.
In this blog post, we’ll explore how to create learning outcomes for your training program that will not only elevate its quality but also attract the right audience and convince them to invest in your program.
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Why are Learning Outcomes Essential?
- They provide a clear understanding of what your training program intends to teach and the skills they stand to acquire - simplifying your offer for potential participants.
- They highlight the benefits, results, and rewards the learner will receive from the program, thereby acting as a selling point.
- They help filter out unfit candidates for your program and minimize refund requests by eliminating ambiguity, which often leads people to form false assumptions about your program.
- They keep you focused while developing your training program content. You only need to produce content that aligns with a learning outcome. This helps prevent program creation burnout and ensure efficient use of resources.
- If you aim to create training programs for formal tenders, businesses, corporations, or government clients, having solid learning outcomes or a curriculum plan is mandatory. It's a professional standard that, when met, could increase your chances of securing contracts.
Ultimately, you want to develop a training program that resonates with, transforms, and captivates your learners. Your learning outcomes are your tools for accomplishing that.
Embark on a Transformation Journey
Start crafting your training program by first determining how it will enhance the lives of your learners. As an educator, your primary goal is to positively impact your students.
So, if your motto is to leave your students better than you found them, what exactly does that entail?
Remember, our effectiveness as educators isn't measured solely by financial success but by how significantly we can improve people's lives. How will you achieve that?
Will your participants depart with:
- Enhanced happiness
- Greater confidence
- Expanded wisdom
- Improved skills
- Increased independence
- Fresh perspectives
- Inspiration and motivation
- And much more?
Let's dive deeper into transforming these aspects into learning outcomes to highlight the benefits, results, transformations, and rewards that your participants will gain from your training program.
Understanding Aims, Objectives, and Outcomes:
When you're a training program creator, it's important to distinguish between program aims, objectives, and outcomes. These aspects form the backbone of your program development process.
- Program 'aims' focus on your intentions as the training program facilitator. They are more 'instructor-centered' and illustrate what you aspire your participants to learn or achieve by the end of your program. They provide a general direction for the learning experience.
- 'Objectives' remain somewhat instructor-centered and help you map the path from where your learners currently stand to where they will be at the program's conclusion. They define HOW the learning outcomes will be achieved and how your program's 'success' will be measured.
- 'Outcomes' should primarily be STUDENT-centered. They should communicate to the learners what they will gain from your training, hence, they should feature on your program's sales page. They employ clear, measurable verbs to articulate what the learners will know, do, or feel by the end of the program. They focus on the skill, knowledge, and emotional growth that the participants will experience by the program's end.
Deciding What to Teach
Now, consider what you want your learners to take away from each 'learning outcome.' Are you aiming for them to understand, do, become aware of, analyze, feel, or adjust something? Knowing what you wish to accomplish for them allows you to provide the most suitable teaching content.
Crafting Your Learning Outcomes
As we start drafting your learning outcomes, remember that there's a particular way to structure them. Here's what you should consider:
- What skills (practical abilities) will your participants gain?
- What knowledge (concepts) will they comprehend?
- How will their emotions, attitudes, and behaviors change?
Be Specific
A crucial aspect of crafting excellent learning outcomes is making them explicitly measurable. Utilize verbs in every learning outcome as this specifies WHAT they will do.
Steer clear of vague and indefinite terms like 'understand' and 'learn' in your learning outcomes. These terms can be interpreted in numerous ways and are challenging to measure. Instead, use them in your training program aims and objectives, which are broader statements about your program's overall intentions.
Crafting Learning Outcomes
Here's a simple formula for creating engaging learning outcomes: VERB + What they will do (with a measurable factor, if possible) + how they will do it. Keep this structure in mind when crafting your learning outcomes.
Examples of Well-structured Learning Outcomes:
- Assemble at least 3 income-generating products and services
- Determine if you are an Entrepreneur or an Edupreneur
- Recognize the 5 main elements of a profitable and global business model
- Construct your ‘Sales Funnel’ using John Doe's ‘Sales Blueprint Training Program’
- Craft your Strategic Plan for the next 12 months
- Uncover your perfect training program idea using John Doe's ‘ideal training program topic’ method
Remember to add numbers where possible, such as 'By the end of this program, you will demonstrate the 6 steps of making a coffee' instead of just 'demonstrate the steps of making a coffee.' This adds clarity and leaves no room for misinterpretation. Here's one live example for you from one of our registered sellers on TalentStore.
By following these guidelines, you'll be well on your way to crafting engaging, informative, and effective training programs.
Here are some more examples of verbs that you can use:
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