PREREQUISITE SKILLS

In the process of designing and developing this learning module, one of the first steps was to identify the main steps that led to the instructional goal. Within those main steps, I had to break down the subordinate skills that were the building blocks of each concept. Similarly, the instructional goal includes prerequisite skills necessary to access the rest of the main steps. This project suits the criteria for this challenge since it required a detailed analysis in the planning stages of instructional design. 

The best investment a designer can make to ensure a successful learning product is to devote time to carefully analyze the many components that factor into the learning experience. When this occurs, they are more likely to achieve the instructional goal because all angles have been considered. The stepping stones that pave the path toward this goal are the various skills and knowledge that learners need to grasp to reach the final destination, the instructional goal. Page two of my design document contains a flow map that breaks down the main steps, their subordinate skills, and prerequisite skills that help learners access the content. For this module, leaders had to come to the training with an understanding of their management role, the different types of feedback they provide their teams, and a general concept of emotional intelligence. To execute each main step, most of which were higher-order thinking skills, learners needed to first identify concepts (subordinate skills) that would then support their analysis (main step). A learner analysis conducted through a Google Form survey helped determine these entry skills and subordinate steps based on learners’ prior knowledge. The survey results are located on pages four through six of the design document. With this understanding of the learners’ backgrounds, I used Bloom’s taxonomy to build upon the skills and knowledge they already had and then carefully scaffolded the complexity of the instructional activities to align with the appropriate thinking levels. 

I have used Bloom’s taxonomy for over a decade as a classroom teacher, so it is a natural thinking process to break down more complex main steps into subordinate steps, even if I never had the official design terms for these components. The practice of mapping out each step in a flow chart was a helpful visual aid that allowed me to structure the module most effectively. It was easy to reconfigure each main step and subordinate skill to work out the best techniques to achieve the instructional goal. This reminded me of the thinking process typically involved in putting together a lesson or unit. However, teachers typically use templates to write lesson plans. A more visual, flexible tool, like a flow chart, could help educators identify the important building blocks to effectively approach instruction. 

Creating this design document was a useful practice to prepare me for the strategies I will be using in a professional context. It is proof that I have experience determining subordinate and prerequisite skills during the analysis and planning stages of design. As I develop more learning products, I will take what I have learned from this experience to conduct in-depth learner and instructional analyses that help me map out the appropriate techniques to reach instructional goals. Going forward, I will remember to keep the scope of my project focused, which was an aspect of the project that I found challenging and impacted this particular part of the design process. Originally, I had too many ideas, which would have been detrimental to my learning product because it would not have allowed learners to gradually work through the material and build on each subordinate skill to achieve the main step. I am currently working on another project for my portfolio and using this technique to continue to develop this critical professional skill and improve my instructional design.