In a previous post on How to Select an Instructional Strategy I said I wanted to introduce a structured approach for selecting instructional strategies. The structure comes from some job aids like decision trees and checklists. This post presents the decision tree that is based on the four dimensions of the Instructional Strategy Framework (ISF) and adds one additional decision about whether there is a requirement to develop specific learning resources. A formal learning solution does not always need the development of new learning resources. We have worked on projects where existing resources, such as procedure manuals, were used to support learning and we did not have to develop any new learning materials.

The size of the tree necessitated splitting it on to two pages. The first page is the ‘Facilitated’ branch. The second page is the ‘Not-facilitated’ branch; please see below.

Facilitated Options Decision Tree

Not Facilitated Options Decision Tree

Decision trees assume that some analysis has been done and the required performance has been documented. Contact usto receive a PDF of the decision tree. The decision tree is the primary job aid. In a subsequent post I will introduce some checklists to provide guidance in making the instructional design decisions.