Adult learning theory recognizes that adult learners bring a wealth of experience to the training environment. In addition, adult learners have a complex set of needs and presentation requirements that must be fulfilled for learning to occur. One of the most respected names in andragogy—the theory and practice of adult learning—is Malcolm Knowles. In 1970, Knowles wrote a book titled “The Modern Practice of Adult Education” that introduced the four principles of adult learning. Thirty years later, this book is still the leading resource for adult education theorists. (The real question is why every training company doesn’t follow these basic principles.)

     Knowles’ four principles are at the heart of Design Insite’s design model. All of our training deliverables have been designed to ensure compliance with these four basic tenets. The following outline describes how deliverables are designed to comply with these adult learning principles.

1. Adults need to be involved in the planning and evaluation of their instruction.
* Interview “power users” identified by the client to gain background information and determine the scope of the training.
* Provide multiple navigation controls that empower students to pursue their own learning path.
* Include review questions and exercises throughout the training that provide students with immediate feedback on their learning progress.
* Include mastery tests for clients that are concerned about certification.

2. Experiences (including mistakes) provide the basis for learning activities.
* Include simulations that give students the opportunity to perform tasks in a safe practice environment and then apply their new knowledge immediately.
* Provide multiple levels of feedback that guide students to the correct actions.

3. Adults are most interested in learning subjects that have immediate relevance to their job or personal life.
* Customize all deliverables to reflect the client’s business processes.
* Work closely with clients to build workflows, examples and scenarios that represent the day-to-day lives of their end-users.
* Include best practices that detail the client’s preferred business processes.

4. Adult learning is problem-centered rather than content-oriented.
* Include simulations that present the student with role-based scenarios built around the real tasks they’ll need to perform on the job.
* Place tasks in a real-world context to create learning that the student can use immediately.

     In these days of economic downturns and tighter budgets, it’s important that the training solution you choose is the right one. The success of your company’s implementation depends on it. In fact, recent research shows that the failure rate for CRM projects will rise from the current 65 percent to more than 80 percent by mid-2003 (Gartner). Your best bet for a successful training solution (and thus a successful implementation) is to find training that is based on solid instructional design and adult learning principles.

     At Design-Insite, we do more than practice these concepts...we perfect them.