Know Who You are Training – Not All Trainings are for Everyone

When designing training for the education community, it is natural to design the content to be broadly applicable to benefit as many users as possible. However, successful courses often do not work with a “one size fits all” approach. General introductory training may attract a broad audience, but it may not engage learners who already have foundational knowledge and are looking to develop or refine specific skills. On the other hand, highly technical trainings can frustrate more novice learners who may need more background knowledge and support.

The most effective training does not try to capture everyone, but instead meets specific learner needs. QIP maximizes engagement by creating targeted training for specific learners and the skills they want to develop.This allows them to self-select whether the course is a good fit for their learning needs. 

Define Specific Learners

Before designing a course, identify the specific type of users who would benefit from the course. QIP designers start by establishing 2-3 specific user personas to target. Instead of saying a training is aimed at “teachers and administrators,” our training is targeted for a more specific group of “data coaches” or “department chairs.” We then talk to multiple individuals in the targeted roles to ensure we understand their background, skills, challenges, and needs. Narrowing the audience means being able to use realistic data and examples so that learners can directly apply what they are learning to their current challenges. When considering specific learners, each example, activity, and quiz question will feel relevant to their specific learning objectives, increasing engagement. 

Let Learner Needs Drive the Content.

Subject matter experts often have valuable knowledge they want to share, but available expertise does not indicate a need for training. QIP’s instructional designers start by identifying a specific learner need—for example, teachers who need support using data visualizations provided by their schools or districts. Next, we identify the learning objectives needed for proficiency in that topic. At that point, we develop the content based on the learning objectives. Even if the expert creates an engaging and targeted course, if it doesn’t match the need, few users would take it and even fewer would remain engaged and refer others to take the course. For example, if the training is targeted to data coaches, there is no need to explain introductory concepts like mean, median, and mode. Instead, we can assume learners share a common vocabulary and skill set and tailor activities to help learners develop specific new skills, such as how to take student performance data and turn it into a Power BI dashboard. 

Test and Refine.

Once a course is developed, seek candid feedback from people who represent the target audience. Rather than simply asking whether learners liked the course, ask whether the examples felt realistic, the level of difficulty was appropriate, and the activities reflected challenges they encounter in their work. The feedback can be used to iteratively refine the content, ensuring that objective goals have been met and that the course is meeting audience needs. 

Be Clear About Prerequisites.

Finally, it is important to be clear in advertising, who is the audience of the course and any background needed to be successful. Include a “target audience” section in the course description that clearly describes the background, skills, or experience learners need. For example, note whether learners need a statistical background, proficiency with a particular software program, or experience performing a specific task. This information helps the target audience identify training that is at the appropriate level and improve satisfaction. 

A narrower audience does not make a training less valuable—it makes it more useful. By designing around specific roles, needs, and skill levels, course developers can create learning experiences that feel relevant, appropriately challenging, and immediately applicable to learners’ work.