It is hard to teach a first class for the first time. There might be exercises and activities that don’t work as planned, things can take more time than expected, or the content may not resonate with the audience.  Planning ahead, knowing the goals for the training, and assessing what went well versus what didn’t go well are essential parts of the training process.

Any training we develop should account for the basic tenants of instructional design, which is a formalized process for creating training. Following this process helps us develop sound training that is effective and relatable for the intended audience. It also helps us ensure that training activities and objectives are clearly defined and make sense.

In this post, we will discuss the instructional design process and what it means for you when choosing courses for your personnel.

Education vs. Training

You might receive training from many sources, such as in-house training staff, academies, private companies, or government entities. But there seems to be misconception as to what “training” really is. For example, there are differences between attending a presentation, taking a course, and receiving training, but people often lump these experiences together or confuse one for another.

• Presentation of Information is when you attend a lecture or presentation and listen to someone discuss a topic. You may ask questions, but there is no assessment regarding what you learned. This is a relatively passive experience.

• Education is similar to presentation, except you are assessed about the topic that you are learning about, usually in the form of some written test. But this measures knowledge transfer, and there is no assessment of actual skills performed.

• Training is where knowledge and skills come together, allowing you to apply what you have learned while practicing a certain skill or set of skills. It requires more critical thinking than simple memorization. You also learn to apply the skills in different contexts and scenarios and are eventually assessed in your proficiency in performing that skill.

Simply put, training implies certain performance objectives. But, if trainees are not actually assessed on their skills, there is no way to know if the training was effective. Thus, if no task is performed or evaluated, then the program cannot be considered training.

At Second Sight, our advanced online and instructor-led training classes involve practicing and applying observation skills. Learners are evaluated on their proficiency and given the tools they need to succeed. Exercises and exams are based on scenarios in different contexts.

Think of it this way: you are held accountable regarding how you perform, not based on whether you learned something. In this way, picking out the right training is very important to protect yourself from liability and ensure that you are actually proficient at the skills that you are trained on. If not, this could lead to complaints or lawsuits.

Instructional Design

When it comes to developing effective training, using a formalized instructional design process is critical.  Training objectives, goals, and activities must be clearly outlined, and the content needs to be consistent across different training modules and across trainers. Similar themes, objectives, and soft skills might be buried in different curricula but taught or explained differently in one course versus another. For example, in the academy you are likely taught by many different instructors on a wide range of topics. Yet there are similar themes that come up across the modules.  When this happens, the underlying definitions and conceptualizations of key themes should still be the same.

Personally, I had no idea about the benefits of working with an instructional designer until I had the opportunity to partner with one in the creation of the 40-hour Identifying Threats training program we developed as part of the Just Doesn’t Look Right Project. We developed this in coordination with the Global Peace Operations Initiative at U.S. Southern Command, who helped us identify our training goals, develop training that engaged our participants, and helped us improve our training based on lessons learned. All of our courses at Second Sight use a formal instructional design process to teach topics ranging from threat assessment, investigative interviewing, and situational awareness.

There are many different models of instructional design, but the underlying tenants focus on the development of consistent, effective, efficient, and reliable training. These models are iterative and cyclical with constant data collection, updates, and revisions. It makes me think about the intelligence cycle.

One of the earliest and more comprehensive models is ADDIE, which has five stages: analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation. Other well-known instructional design models can be used in combination with ADDIE, such as Bloom’s Taxonomy for identifying goals and objectives, or the Kirkpatrick model for evaluating and revising training.

The ADDIE Instructional Design Model

1. The analysis phase involves identifying major objectives, assessing the current skill level of your future participants, and determining what must be done to get your participants from Point A to Point B.

2. The design phase involves determining the exact tasks that will be followed and how outcomes will be measured, which informs what delivery methods and materials should be used to best align with what an individual would be doing in the real world.

3. The development phase involves determining the course content and class activities, designing scenarios and exercises, and preparing instructional materials. Scenarios should reflect real-world situations, but can be altered to reflect different contextual factors that can affect their perceptions and decisions when applying the skills.

4. The implementation phase focuses on logistical aspects of the training, like preparing learners for the course, preparing instructors to teach the course, and deciding how to optimize the learning space. Of course, this phase also includes the implementation of the training itself and making adjustments accordingly as needed.

5. The evaluation phase involves determining whether the course met objectives. Part of this involves assessing participants to see if they improved on their skills. There are also different ways to get feedback from participants regarding their experience and whether the training resonated with them. During this stage, instructors can conduct an after-action review to determine what went well, what didn’t go well, and how the course could be made better.

For more resources about ADDIE and best practices in instructional design, visit IADLEST for a series of videos on the analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation phases.

Benefits of Instructional Design

The instructional design process helps ensure that training delivery methods are appropriate to the skills intended to be trained. Through the instructional design process, instructors develop discernable goals for the training and a clear understanding of the real-world skill they are trying to impart.

Part of this process includes developing assessment metrics, which can be used to collect empirical skill-based data throughout the training process. This allows for an evaluation – first to determine if the instruction did what it was supposed to do, and second, to determine if learned skills impacted trainees’ performances while on the job. This is important for knowing whether the training is meeting its goals. Data can also be used to revise the training and increase its effectiveness (cue the beginning of the next intelligence cycle).

Training, whether online or instructor-led, is expensive. Even if the instruction is provided “free” by a government entity, you still have to pay for your officers’ time. Thus, making sure you get value for your resources is paramount. By engaging in training that uses the tenets of instructional design, you can feel confident that you are spending your resources wisely. 

Active Threat Assessment

Second Sight offers both online and instructor-led active threat assessment training that is informed by the tenets of instructional design. Our 8-hour law enforcement course is certified through IADLEST’s National Certification Program. In this training, students learn through practice exercises and practical exams.

In our in-person and online versions of active threat assessment, trainees first repeatedly practice and gradually develop their observation skills. They learn how to systematically observe their environment, establish a baseline for their surroundings, and look for deviations.

This type of gradual skill development is called integrated training, which has been found to increase knowledge transfer and retention in both online and in-person formats. In addition to the research, we also found this to be true upon assessing our evaluation data and soliciting feedback from our trainees.

For more information, check out our companion posts: The 2023 Guide to Threat Assessment Approaches for Law Enforcement and Active Threat Assessment: Identify Potential, Imminent, and Immediate Threats.

We recently began instructing two new instructor-led courses on the use of evidence during investigative interviews. Visit our instructor-led courses page to learn more about this and our other instructor-led offerings.