GUEST BLOGGER:
Molly Murnane, Learning Consultant, Humana | @MollyMurnaneID

Summer and superhero movies have always gone hand-in-hand with each other, and this season has been no different. There have been so many superhero movies released, that it has been hard to keep up with the prequels, sequels, trilogies and all the other films included in a series. It’s easy to get wrapped up in the stories, the drama and courageous protagonists. The films always have a crisis that no one saw coming and only the hero can save the day!

How does this relate to instructional design, you ask? Whether you know it or not, you and I have lived this storyline too: there is a crisis on the horizon; training has been tasked to change the course of history and in doing so prevent a major catastrophe! But wait… we’re not superheroes with secret identities; where’s our mask, cape and super powers? You’re right, there are no masks or capes, but we are like the caped crusaders we see in summer blockbusters. I’ll explain why I am an e-learning superhero and how you too can use the same secret super power to save the day.

Secret Identity

I’ve got a normal, everyday job and like many others enjoy my simple morning routine. My boss and coworkers have similar backgrounds and do similar things. My business partners depend on me to help deliver training that changes performance and provides value to the company. Like the metropolitan newspaper reporters, corporate industrialists, or demure secretaries of superhero movies, I go through my day under the radar, doing my job and fitting in with the crowd. But there is also another side of me—a side that gets really fired up when I see a “death by PowerPoint” presentation. This side of me commits to an eLearning Manifesto and watches TED Talks™ when I’m supposed to be reading training reports. This e-Learning Superhero side of me knows that the world would be a better place if we could all create training that uses appropriate context and challenges learners.

Secret Super Power

Like many of us, I didn’t end up in the training department on purpose. I fell into the job and stuck with it. Someone told me along the way that if I wanted to be great in my career, I would have to live and breathe the ADDIE model and write endless proof of concept documents referencing Bloom’s Taxonomy. These tools are useful and have gotten me this far, but now I know about the Successive Approximation Model (SAM), and I can’t go back! SAM, an agile development model, cuts through the red tape of analysis paralysis and provides learners with meaningful, memorable, motivational and measurable learning events.

Like other superhero powers, SAM may be a difficult concept to understand for those who don’t use it. Business Partners and even coworkers may reject a new instructional design model and be cautious of its ability to be implemented as easily as the well-established ADDIE. Knowing this, I use SAM as my secret super power. I enter my meetings with Business Partners, not wielding a SAM sword or a flashy new acronym. SAM’s power is so straightforward that it can go unnoticed to the untrained eye. From our business partner’s point of view, SAVVY Starts are similar to the last meeting, just more productive. e-Learning prototypes are now reviewed sooner and in smaller, dynamic pieces. The project requesters are more involved in the creation of training and are no longer surprised by the output three months later. They call on us in a training crisis; we are tasked with changing the courses in the LMS history and preventing a major catastrophe!

Be a SAM Superhero

For SAM supporters, use your secret SAM super power to your advantage. Shock and awe your project requesters with your increased resolve and confidence. Be faster than a speeding bullet with SAVVY Starts, more powerful than a locomotive with your prototypes. If you’ve tried to implement SAM and have been met with anxiety and rigidity, do not give up! SAM is a powerful tool that when used strategically can make huge improvements to your learner’s performance. Apply pieces of SAM when and where you can. Build the trust of your business partners and with each success story, implement another new concept of SAM. Fight the never-ending battle for context, challenge and activities along the way. I can’t wait to hear about your exciting adventures as SAM Superheroes.

Want to share this post? Here are some ready made tweets:

Click to Tweet: Find out how to use #SAM as your secret super power! "Be a Superhero with SAM" http://hubs.ly/y05KKb0 #elearningdesign #SAMvsADDIE

Click to Tweet: Be faster than a speeding bullet with SAVVY Starts, more powerful than a locomotive with prototypes.  http://hubs.ly/y05KKb0 #SAMSuperhero

Click to Tweet: Build the trust of your team and with each success story, implement another new concept of SAM. http://hubs.ly/y05KKb0 #SAMProcess

Molly Murnane is a Learning Consultant for Humana in Green Bay, WI where she is responsible for providing consultation and instructional design expertise to business partners, creating valuable, engaging learning experiences for classroom and virtual audiences. With nearly 15 years of experience, Molly has worked for organizations such as Zywave, Kohl’s Department Stores, and Shopko, and holds BS degree in Organizational Communications from the University of Wisconsin – Green Bay. With a passion for life-long learning, Molly also volunteers with Junior Achievement and facilitates experiential learning to inspire students to dream big and reach their potential.  Connect with Molly on Twitter and LinkedIn.