Preeti Singh 12/30/2023
If you have ever sat through a learning session, whether real-time or self-paced, and felt bored, not interested or simply waiting for it to end, then rest assured that you are not alone. A critical problem with training programs is often the way information is presented. Lengthy, word-heavy or visually unappealing learning materials can take away the fun from learning. This is why job aids play an important role in making any training program a roaring success.
A job aid is a physical or digital information artifact that acts as a
support material for any training or learning program.
They are suitable for use in instructor-led, face-to-face or virtual
sessions, or self-paced online sessions.
For example, during an instructor-led, face-to-face learning session,
the presentation deck that the instructor refers to while teaching
acts as a job aid.
Ideally, every job aid should be visually appealing, well organized,
structured to suit the training program, and have a balance of design
elements and text to avoid cognitive overload.
They can be shared with the learners for reference even after the
learning session is complete.
At Accuracy, we create a host of helpful job aids that facilitate the
use of our products.
These job aids can be used as references for synchronous and
asynchronous study, thus promoting a continuous learning
environment.
To learn more about synchronous and asynchronous study, read our
article.
Our reusable formats can help you ensure that a standardized approach
is employed across your learning programs.
Examples of job aids that we can create to support the end-to-end
Instructional Design-led training and curriculum programs we create
include:
The most effective job aids are designed using a healthy combination
of Instructional Design and User-Experience Design principles.
The key to creating effective learning material is to know who you
are creating it for.
Drill down on the client brief to understand your learner’s
profile.
At Accuracy, we lay emphasis on the importance of creating job
aids based on the preferred learning style of the majority.
If most of your participants are visual learners, choose a blend
of video-based or simulation scenario-based learning.
Just using a single type of format can be monotonous and
confusing.
It is always prudent to choose from a variety of formats to cater
to all learning styles so that you miss no one.
Collect all relevant content to start designing your job aids.
Any effective job aid is the work of a well-organized information
architect.
Before you start scripting your job aid, plan its structure,
information flow, design elements, and formatting elements.
Remember, the manner in which your information is presented plays
an equally important role in helping the learner absorb your
content.
Once you have created your desired job aids, refer back to your
learning objective for the entire program and ensure that all
content is aligned to the objectives.
Make relevant changes, if required.
Edit your job aids to remove all redundancy and fluff to make them
succinct.
Share them with your desired audience.
Don’t forget to gather post-training feedback to assess how you
can improvise your existing job aids.
To learn more about comprehensive tips on how to create effective job
aids, read our article.