Drawing from my 10+ years of experience coordinating, managing and directing educational programs, I am excited to share ideas that will enhance your clients’ educational programs and offerings.
Formalize the Process for Educational Content Development
Expert opinion is no longer sufficient as a sole means to develop content – data is essential. A step by step process that begins with the identification of the desired outcomes is the key to developing optimal education. Track informal conversations, manage structured interviews and focus groups, administer questionnaires and tests, maintain SWOT analysis and publish thorough post-meeting reports. This data will guide your organizers through the needs assessment, gap analysis and learning objective development will help your organization’s leaders develop content that is relevant and timely.
Update Educational Format, Delivery & Environment
Think beyond the podium! Shift the focus of your events away from speakers and onto the learner. Creating learner-centric events will make a lasting impression on your attendees, and will help them to learn faster and more efficiently. Experiment with hands-on learning and interesting workshops. Engage the audience through audience response questions, host event-specific online communities or shorten lecture duration to allow more time for Q&A. Shake up your room sets and play with lighting – take into consideration not only what your attendees with learn, but also what they will feel. Create an experience, not just a meeting!
Engage & Leverage Your Faculty
Once faculty have accepted your invitation to participate, send them welcome letters accompanied by speaker agreements, which outline expectations and material deadlines. Then, continue to engage them before, during and after the event! Send them actual registrant demographic information in advance of the event, so they may ensure that the content of their presentations are aligned with the audience. Send a ‘know before you go’ email or video, containing all of the important details that will assist them onsite – time, location and even the line-up of the entire session so they can see how their presentation fits within it. After the event, send them individualized evaluations so they can see how their presentations were perceived by the learners.
Standardize Evaluations & Outcomes Measurement
Did your attendees actually learn what you wanted to teach them? Collect data to answer this question through event evaluations, pre and post-tests and follow up surveys. If your organization has multiple annual programs, use the same evaluation template for all activities, so that you can aggregate the data easily to analyze your educational program as a whole. Focus on program objectives that were rated as poorly met – these represent educational gaps and can be used as needs assessment for future activities!
Most importantly, be creative and open-minded! When planning a new activity, don’t start with preconceived notions of what education is “supposed” to look like. Start with the end in mind and the learner in the forefront.