Description of the Designing Learning and Development Activities Module

The unit on designing learning and development activities is for the learners who want to develop their knowledge and skills in the learning activities. The L&D practitioners work to design the learning activities towards understanding the learners’ differences, which are geared to ensuring that they achieve meaningful objectives. The unit provides insight to learners on the various L&D activities for individuals, and considerations of the various issues that support the L&D objectives for those individual learners.

Factors informing design of L&D activities

The unit provides information on the factors that should be considered in designing the learning and development activities. They include legislative factors such as the rules and laws related to the health and safety of the employees, welfare issues, data protection laws, and the laws guiding professionalism of the employees. Organisational factors include the L&D policies, practices, and procedures considered within the organisation, as well as the development of unique organisational structures and cultures that impact the nature of the organisational functions. Learners have the obligation to ensure that understand the important factors that impact the complexity of the organisation in providing learning and development opportunities for the employees.

Adult learning theories

There are various adult learning theories considered in the unit, which are significant in the designing of the learning and development activities. The learners should be aware of the individual learning differences based on the analysis of the theories. Some of the various learning theories explained in the unit include Bloom’s Taxonomy, Kolb Learning theory, and Gardner. All these theories are considered to be the source of insight on the learners’ experiences, which influence their decisions on the learning activities that they should take to ensure that the right actions are taken.

Learners’ factors in designing L&D activities

Some of the factors that the L&D practitioners should consider on designing the L&D activities include the learning needs as developed in the professional map. These relate with the behaviours, knowledge, and professional areas. These are considered in addition to the employee skills, and the desired points that are evaluated from the starting points that the learners engaged in. other factors include learning preferences, the logistics of the learners in ensuring that the learners are represented in the learning activities for a successful L&D objective to be achieved.

Devising objectives for L&D activities

In order to devise the L&D activities, the L&D practitioners have to ensure that they clearly state the learning objectives with the aim of ensuring that the learning objectives developed are achieved. In this perspective, it is important to ensure that the learners get to learn how to convert information into objectives. In order to do this, leaners should get involved in the designing of the L&D activities, before, during, and after the training and learning sessions given to the employees (Biginas, Sarantinos, and Koumproglou, 2020).

Learning method

The learning methods available in promoting learning have been well introduced and explained in this unit. Some of those learning methods include on-the job and off-the job learning, consideration of the external classes that are attended by the learners to enhance learning, distance learning, video conferencing among others. All these methods are meant to provide a good platform for learning among the employees with unique learning needs. The learners before designing the learning and development objectives should first identify their learning needs, and therefore before pursuing the unit and completing the activities in the unit, they should have an understanding of their learning needs. This provides them with an insight on the most important learning methods that they should take into consideration towards ensuring that they learn the significance of learning.

Designing L&D activities summary

The process of designing the L&D activities is therefore dependent on a number of factors. First, learners should have the understanding of the different learning method, which enhance presentation of information to those whose learning needs have been identified. Some of the issues to be considered in choosing the learning methods include the technology, purpose of learning, the type of learning, group learning among others.

In designing the L&D activities, the suitability of the learning objectives should be considered in the perspective of the learning theories, which seek to align the learning needs with the learning objectives and purposes. This helps the trainers or L&D practitioners identify the right forms of learning objectives, towards ensuring that they promote good learning to the learners.

Another important factor to consider is the selection and the sequencing of the L&D activities. This helps the learners as well as the L&D practitioners link the learning content and the activities that enhance improvement and successful provision of learning. Learner differences should be considered in designing the activities, and these relate with the preferences of the different learners on the learning methods, on their willingness to participate in the learning process, and in the skills levels among others.

Finally, the L&D experts have the responsibility of ensuring that they identify with the monitoring and assessment process to ensuring that they identify the learning progress for the individuals and for the groups as well. In order to obtain success in designing the L&D activities, the learning resources such as case studies, and exercises, technology, and other materials and videos needed in completing the learning exercise. L&D experts should make sure that the learner resources are provided and accessible by the learners. Therefore, the unit is the source of insight on the most important activities that the learners should engage in towards ensuring that they provide the best learning environment with the best resources needed to implement the learning process.

Learning objectives

By the end of the unit, learners should;

• Be able to understand the factors that impact designing of L&D activities
• Learn the adult learning principles that inform the design of L&D activities
• Be in a position to identify the factors to know about learners in order to design relevant L&D activity
• Learn how to convert information into objectives
• Understand the learning/training methods and their suitability for different learning objectives

Winding up;

The unit is suitable for the individuals inspiring to be L&D practitioners, and those who want to grow their careers in the field. The HR experts can also take the unit to ensure that they gain knowledge from the unit on how to promote the learning and development to the employees in the organisation. The learners gain the knowledge and skills from the unit, which help them, become aware of the learning and development activities that enhance learning among the individuals in the organisation. Learners have to engage in the L&D activities using formats that are well understood, towards understanding the designs needed to promote learning.