TAADES402A
Design and Develop a Learning
Program
Participant Workbook
TAADES402A Design and Develop a Learning Program Participant Workbook
1
The Federal Government is driving major reforms in the training system which
requires Sydney Institute to be more competitive and to demonstrate our
responsiveness in addressing the needs of business and individuals. In order to
ensure our future sustainability, Sydney Institute needs to work in partnership with
industry, enterprise, associations and other training organisations. Staff at Sydney
Institute need to be engaged in meeting the challenges of growing the business and
increase their skills, confidence and business acumen to support this growth.
Program Goal
To improve our SI staff capability, capacity and confidence to:
 Increase learning program development skills
 Facilitate commercial business growth
 Build successful partnerships
 Increase levels of customer satisfaction
 Ensure return business by current and future customers.
Participants will receive a certificate of attendance after the workshop and have the
option of being assessed against the unit of competency if they choose. This option
will be explained by the facilitator at the end of each workshop.
The following units can be used as electives towards the Certificate IV TAA
 TAADES402A Design and Develop a Learning Program
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Contents
Contents ................................................................................................................ 3
About this workbook .................................................................................................. 4
Introduction ............................................................................................................... 4
General Theory ......................................................................................................... 6
Formulating clear understanding of client needs and expectations ........................ 6
Clients Vs Stakeholders ........................................................................................ 6
What is a Learning Program? ................................................................................ 7
Contextualisation ................................................................................................... 7
Task 1 – Identify a Context for your Learning Program .............................................. 8
Task 2 – Produce a Learning Program Outline .......................................................... 8
Issues that may impact on learning program design .............................................. 9
How do I determine Benchmarks or Competencies? ............................................. 9
Delivery Methods ................................................................................................. 10
Special Needs and Target Group ........................................................................ 11
Task 3 – Options for Designing a Learning Program ............................................... 12
About the author/ authors ........................................................................................ 13
Acknowledgements ................................................................................................. 20
Copyright................................................................................................................. 20
Disclaimer ............................................................................................................... 20
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About this workbook
This workbook contains introductory information about basic Learning
Program Development techniques and principles.
Predominantly, this workbook will act as a reference guide for you throughout
the workshop itself and afterwards as you Design and Develop a learning
Program.
Introduction
Design and Develop a Learning Program a core unit of the TAA40104
Certificate IV Training and Assessment.
Now that you have identified a Learning Program to Develop you will need to
ensure that it delivers the required outcomes for your clients.
This workshop is designed to ensure an interactive process-learning
experience. It will assist you to develop new methods and capabilities to
enhance your existing skills in the field of business development covering the
following elements of competency.
Topic 1 Define the parameters of the learning program in consultation with
clients
o The purpose and focus of the learning program is clarified
o Competency standards or other relevant specifications on which to
base the learning program are identified, accessed and confirmed
o Competency standards / other relevant specifications are read,
analysed and interpreted to determine specific learning objectives /
outcomes / goals, and language, literacy and numeracy
requirements
o The scope and breadth of the learning program is discussed and
interpreted
o The target group learners and their characteristics are identified and
considered
o Other sources of information to support the learning program are
identified and accessed
o The learning environment, operational resource requirements and
safety implications are identified
Topic 2 Generate Options for designing the learning program
o Relevant learning strategy documentation is accessed and used to
guide the learning program development, where appropriate
o The competency / educational profile and learning styles of the
target group learners are investigated to inform the learning
program design
o Research is conducted to identify existing learning programs and/or
learning resources and learning materials which could be used
and/or customised
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o A range of options for the learning program content is generated in
collaboration with other persons and based on research findings
and application of learning principles
o Broad time frames, possible costs and logistics of the learning
program are considered
o The information and ideas are evaluated and the most appropriate
option/s selected
Topic 3 Develop the learning program content
o The specific subject matter content is researched, developed and
documented in accordance with agreed design option/s and based
on application of learning principles
o Existing learning resources, learning materials are accessed and
evaluated for content relevance and quality
o Selected learning resources, learning materials are customised,
where appropriate, to suit the learning purposes and audience
o New, relevant and engaging learning activities and related learning
materials are developed and documented, based on application of
learning principles
o In a learning and assessment pathway, assessment requirements
for the learning program are specified
Topic 4 Design the structure of the Learning program
o The learning content is broken into manageable chunks /segments
of learning and sequenced appropriately to enhance and support
effective learning and to enable achievement of identified criteria
o The time frame for each segment is determined and the overall time
frame is finalised
o The delivery strategies and assessment methods and tools are
determined / confirmed
o Organisational requirements to implement the learning program are
identified and documented
o The learning program is finalised and documented, outlining each
part of the program
Topic 5 Review the Learning program
o The learning program draft is reviewed in collaboration with key
stakeholders using an appropriate evaluation tool
o The evaluation feedback is gathered, summarised and analysed to
enhance the quality of the content
o The draft learning program is adjusted to reflect the review
outcomes, where appropriate
o Final approval is obtained from appropriate personnel
o The learning program documentation is held in an accessible form
and updated on a regular basis following implementation and
feedback
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General Theory
Formulating clear understanding of client needs and
expectations
Many organisations, including government organisations, are focusing their
corporate strategies around providing excellent customer service. This
ensures all employees have an attitude of service not just an expectation that
they are running on their own schedule. Customers require a certain level of
service.
Ask yourself these questions:
 Who is the customer/client in relation to you?
 What is your current view of your relationship with them?
 What should it be?
Clients Vs Stakeholders
What does the word client or customer mean to you?
What does stakeholder mean to you?
Stakeholders and customers can include:





Students
Work colleagues
Managers
Outside agencies
The Organisations
The direct stakeholders of any project are those who are involved in the
project team, those who will be most affected by the project or who have a
financial and/or operational concern with respect to the project outcomes or
outputs.
These groups may have an interest in the following ways:



Project sponsorship
Resource provision
Benefit from or utilisation of the project or learning program
outcomes
The implementation of new ideas or changes should include a consideration
of the impact on stakeholders and customers.
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What is a Learning Program?
A learning program is a process platform to provide a cohesive and integrated
learning experience through a framework of processes of learning and
assessment in a specific context or generic form (it may be a segment of a
larger course or qualification).
Recognised Training Packages rarely come with defined delivery and
assessment methods and strategies. Generally they cover options for the
design and development of courses or programs that cover the critical and
essential benchmarks for competency in relevant skills. The delivery and
assessments are purposely left up to the facilitator and assessor allowing you
the freedom to determine the most relevant and effective ways and means to
ensure both learners and other clients and stakeholders gain expected
outcomes.
Learning programs in the TAFE context is generally related to a vocational
training program based around a unit, or units, of competency from a Training
Package. These can be delivered in a range of environments such as the
workplace, classrooms, in the field or in schools. However a learning program
may be designed or developed for any purpose such as induction purposes,
professional development or unrecognized skills and training.
In any case a Learning program needs to be explicit about:
• its purpose
• the target group, their needs and characteristics
• the outcomes to be achieved, such as the units of competency or other
benchmarks
• the learning and assessment activities including any flexibilities with this
• any required resources.
It should also include:
• learning objectives
• a plan of how the learners will achieve the objectives
• a structure and sequence for learning
• content of the learning
• delivery and assessment methods
• assessment requirements.
The components of a learning program can be seen diagrammatically below.
Contextualisation
Contextualisation is the process of making a learning program, tool or learning
material meaningful to the participants, some methods of contexualisations
include modest changes to the context to ensure relevance to:
• the workplace
• participant learning styles
• groups of learners who require a different learning environment
• learners with special needs such as language, literacy and numeracy
• learners with disabilities
• group age specific needs and experience levels
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Task 1 – Identify a Context for your Learning Program
In your job role and the section in which you work in (your practice
environment). Consider ideas for possible learning programs you may choose
to design. Write down any ideas about what you might like in it, subjects,
skills, knowledge, tasks or competencies that might need to be included. Keep
this information as a starting point for ideas of learning programs.
Research this need for learning programs in your area of expertise. Discuss
with your colleagues, manager, clients or other trainers to explore what
actually is required to be developed. You will need to develop at least two
learning programs to be deemed competent in this unit and it would be ideal if
they could be used by your clients or TAFE SI.
Perhaps there is a client request for a new learning program or a review and
update of an old program that is required. Is there a Learning and Assessment
already available that requires a learning program to be developed? Or Is
there a professional development need in your workplace? Try to exploit
opportunities to develop learning programs for actual workplace learning
needs.
NOTES
Task 2 – Produce a Learning Program Outline
In the process of designing a learning program, it is important to be certain of
what it is supposed to achieve, The outcomes of Task 1 should give you a
very clear purpose for the learning program to be developed.
For some participants who are working in a Registered Training Organisation
(RTO), there will be policies and procedures in place in relation to program
delivery and assessment. Learning programs will usually be required for
Training Package implementation and could be part of the RTO’s delivery
and assessment strategies required under the AQTF Standards for
Registered Training Organisations. In these cases the purpose and outcomes
of a Learning Program is usually very clear. In other circumstances the
purpose will be the answer to “What is it is the participants need to achieve
following the Learning Program?” that may some organisational change, OHS
awareness (as opposed certified and endorsed OHS training),
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It is therefore the educational program designers job to ask all the relevant
questions to ensure the solution is achieved through the development of the
learning program and are materialized by the outcomes which satisfy the
perceived organisational or educational needs.
NOTES
Issues that may impact on learning program design
In designing the learning program, there are various things that might impact
upon some or all of the ways you approach the development of the elements
of the program, some of these things may be knowledge of the relevant:
• national standards, codes of practice, and Commonwealth and
State/Territory legislation including licensing requirements, industrial relations
requirements and occupational health and safety (OHS) obligations
• organisational OHS policies and procedures not limited to internal policies
and procedures to meet OHS requirements in relation to the learning venues
or workplace.
• essential business or industry knowledge
• Training Packages and competency standards or benchmarks
NOTES
How do I determine Benchmarks or Competencies?
When using competency standards, you will need to clarify with the client
what competencies are required in the learning program. However at times
the training determined by the client may not actually be what they might need
to ensure satisfactory outcomes. As the educational expert it is your job to
ensure the right competencies or benchmarks meet the organisational
requirements or the clients desired outcomes. It is also important to remember
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the competency standards may be enough to structure an entire learning
program. You may need to work out what the competency standard means in
relation to the target learning group and their specific learning requirements. It
might be necessary also to be explicit about the competency standards in
language that might be easier for the client to understand and apply to their
industry.
In simple terms a Benchmark or Competency is just a minimum level of skill or
knowledge that can be measured or easily determined when achieved or not.
NOTES
Delivery Methods
When considering Delivery methods it is vital that the most relevant and
effective method is chosen, this is where sometimes, it is tempting to go via
the most cost effective that might be completely in appropriate for the
competency or benchmark. For example it would be extremely in appropriate
to conduct a driving school on theory, exam, classroom and distance learning
only. Some options for your program might include:
• face to face delivery
• online delivery
• distance learning
• coaching or mentoring
• workplace applications
• simulated workplace activities
• blended delivery.
NOTES
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Special Needs and Target Groups
Analysis of the learners or target group may have special needs in relation to
their:
• physical or psychological disability
• Language Literacy and Numeracy (you might need to employ a LLN for this
analysis)
• employment status
• learning experiences
• level of maturity
• cultural background
• level of formal schooling
• length of time as a resident in Australia
• place of residence.
To that end your program may need to include support such as:
• physical or psychological disability support
• support for Indigenous Australians
• ethnic support services
• interpreting services
• counselling services
• community support.
This support may be supplied by the facilitator or trainer only or may need
special resourcing, experts and investment or a combination of internal
support and the employment of specialist support. You may also need to
redesign activities or adjust sessions to suit these learner needs. It is essential
to ensure you are always sensitive to equity, diversity and access issues and
requirements and support mechanisms as well as keeping up to date with
changes with respect to these areas.
When you are developing learning program ideas, you need to keep the
learner in the forefront of your mind. The information you have gathered about
the target group learners will influence the development options. You should
know their existing skills and knowledge and the also have a reasonable idea
if not an exact analysis of any skills or knowledge gap between the existing
competence and the ones you are attempting to achieve through the
development of the learning program.
NOTES
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Task 3 – Options for Designing a Learning Program
All the information you have gathered so far, including, standards and
benchmarks will inform the type of learning program options you can develop
at this point. Already existing program may have a structure for you follow or
adapt to the purpose you have decided on. This is section of the development
process where you must determine the various methods of delivery and
assessment which are most appropriate to achieve the learning outcomes.
However you still need to provide alternatives where some elements may
need to be heavily resourced or other issues may occur that could greatly
impact on the actual delivery and assessments of the learning program.
Options and suitable fall back strategies should be included to include
flexibility for facilitators and learners alike.
NOTES
Timeframes
How much is spent on each element of the learning program will ultimately
influence what your learning program covers, the extent of detail and how it
can be broken down into sections or chunks to enhance learning. Your
planning may be guided by many factors.
• Training Packages and units of competency will provide guidelines, and
states and territories provide guidelines such as nominal hours.
• The client may specify the amount of time learners can dedicate to the
learning program.
• You may need to present options to the client and justify the time required
by learners in the suggested learning programs.
• Time estimations may be based on previous learning programs that have
similarities to the one you are designing.
• Your prior experience in designing learning programs and delivering
training will provide you with an estimated timeframe.
• Other experts may assist in estimating the timeframe for the proposed
learning program.
You need to plan what has to be done in the learning program and map this
Using Competency Standards as Benchmarks
Should you intend to use a Training Package that suits the needs of your
learning program, this will become the framework for your learning plan or
your “Learning Program Shell Document”. You can then list the skills and
tasks that the learners will need to perform to demonstrate achievement of the
units of competency or elements of competency and even the individual
performance criteria (if you need to cover something specifically) and also
document the individual attributes the participants should demonstrate whilst
performing the tasks associated with the competencies.
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You will find information in the competency standards to guide you, under the
heading ‘Required skills and attributes’. Consider how these attributes could
be covered in a learning program that supports these competency standards.
Determine the most appropriate elements and evidence required for the unit
of competency and how you might teach and assess these, including paying
attention to sequencing the sessions so that the outcomes are indeed
achievable when assessment is required.
NOTES
Resources
When developing resources, remember to investigate if there are existing
resources that can be contexualised or modified. When looking at already
established resources remember to evaluate the following:
 Currency
 Copyright and IP issues
 Value to the learning program
 Relevance
After the research and analysis of existing resources you will need to
determine who is the best person or team to produce new resources. Your
own instructional design skills, access to experts, scope of the materials to be
designed and budgets that will guide you in deciding the most suitable way to
have the learning materials designed.
NOTES
Task 4 – Develop the Learning Program Content
Subject matter content
Questions to ask yourself when determining content.
How will the material for this learning program be presented to the
learner? You have already generated ideas and may need to expand upon
these.
Are learners going to receive course materials, notes, books etc?
How will organisational policies and procedures; information via emails,
websites charts displayed in the workplace, etc?
Will you require assistance from a technical or subject matter expert?
What is the most logical flow of information for the learner?
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How will the learner be involved in the learning process?
Generate ideas for possible content for your learning program, using an
appropriate format to present your options. You should include:
• activities
• learning styles
• possible assessment methods
• delivery modes
• existing resources
• learning resources to be developed
• work-based tasks
• on-the-job learning.
NOTES
Adult Learning Principles and Styles
Generally Adults learning differently and may require different methods to
ensure a positive learning experience. Some learners are considered to be
Auditory, Visual, Kinesthetic.
Visual learners need to see what is going on. They will be attracted during
training to words like ‘see, look, appear, picture, make clear, overview,
imagine’. They may not talk much and dislike listening for too long. You can
support a visual learner best by using:
• posters, charts and graphs
• visual displays
• booklets, brochures and handouts
• variety in colours and shapes
• clear layout with headings and plenty of ‘white space’.
Auditory learners learn by listening. They prefer to hear things rather than
read them. You can train an auditory learner best by using:
• question and answer
• lectures and stories
• audio tapes
• discussion pairs or groups
• variety in tone, rate, pitch and volume
• music or slogans.
Kinesthetic learners learn by doing. They enjoy games and don’t really like
reading. They will remember best through practice. You can train a kinesthetic
earner best by using:
• team activities
• hands-n experience
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• role-lays
• note taking
• emotional discussion.
There are other considerations when designing programs for Adults some of
these include:
• Adults have a need to be self-directing.
• Adults have a range of life experience, so connecting learning to experience
is meaningful
• Adults have a need to know why they are learning something.
• Training needs to be learner-centred to engage learners.
• The learning process needs to support increasing learner independence.
• Emphasis on experimental and participative learning should always be
considered
• Use of modeling.
• Reflecting individual circumstances.
NOTES
Learning and Assessment Pathways
Your Learning and Assessment Strategy Document will need to show how the
learning process informs the assessment requirements and how these will be
conducted and administered, that is the learning needs to occur thoroughly
before the assessment can be conducted. Or the assessments may stand
alone and need to be documented as assessment only.
Assessment requirements may include:
• meeting the rules of evidence (
• physical or special resources and support requirements
• adjustments to the assessment process and how they are to be
administered
• assessment tools and methods
• formative and summative assessment processes
• regulation and legislation requirements.
Determine what assessment requirements need to be stated in your Learning
and Assessment Strategy. This information can then be used to gather the
resources and support required to assess the competence of the learners and
inform the development of individual sessions and lessons.
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Task 5 – Design the Structure of the Learning Program
Learning Program Structure
Your Learning Program Schedule and Session Plans needs to clearly state
the competencies or benchmarks to be achieved or trained and then show a
breakdown of the program into sessions or parts. This tool to use for
designing and developing a learning program. It outlines each component of
the program, so you can see a clear breakdown of the program. It may be set
against a timeline or it may show a series of sessions that make up the
learning program
For each part include:
• the competencies or other benchmarks to be achieved and how they need to
be sequenced
• the content and learning activities for each session along with delivery
methods and options
• the specific learning outcomes for each session or part of the learning
program
• learning activities for each session or part of the learning program
• delivery methods for each session or part of the learning program
• workplace tasks or applications
• practice opportunities
• identification of assessment points to measure learner progress
• assessment methods and tools to be used to gather evidence of
competency
• the personnel assigned to facilitate the implementation of each session.
The learning strategy may already contain information that can guide the
development of your program delivery. The program plan will also provide a
basis for designing individual session plans for delivery of the program.
NOTES
Sequencing Sessions and Assessment
As a learning program designer, you must structure the learning program in a
way that best supports learners to achieve the identified benchmarks.
• What should they learn first?
• What skills need to be developed and practised before moving to the next
stage of developing their competence?
• What is the logical flow of learning to be followed?
Remember that this step and the previous one need to be completed in
conjunction with the developing content step. When developing
content, you should consider how content will be delivered in a logical manner
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and how it is broken down or and split into a series of sessions. As you plan
assessment, consider what assessment methods and tools your program
needs.
Delivery methods
The plan needs to state the delivery methods to be employed in the learning
program. The learning may take place in the workplace or in a training room,
for example at a Registered Training Organisation (RTO).
Will the program delivery method be:
• face-to-face delivery
• online delivery
• distance learning
• coaching or mentoring
• workplace applications
• simulated workplace applications
or will a number of delivery methods be used in the program?
Assessment methods and tools
The program plan needs to include how the learners’ competence is going to
be assessed. What methods will be used in the learning program to assess
learners? Some methods you may wish to include in your plan are:
• evidence
• exams
• practical demonstrations
• questioning
You should always ensure the learner has the same value in your mind when
planning assessments. What type of assessment activity is most relevant to
the learners and their learning environment? Use a variety of assessment
methods to keep learners interested and to cater for the different learning
styles of your participant or target group. Your plan may include suggested
assessment methods and tools and they may be modified or contextualised to
suit the needs of different groups who undertake the learning program. For
example, a trainer may have a learning program plan they use to plan the
delivery of a program. Each time they deliver the program, they need to look
at the target group and make modifications to the delivery and assessment
methods and tools they employ when they actually deliver the program to the
target group. The learning program may remain the same, but the way they
deliver the program will differ each time, depending on the needs of the
specific learner group. Your plan may state specific assessment tools to be
used. For example, presentations, projects or discussion papers.. Determine
what tools are required and then clearly reference these in the Learning and
Assessment Strategy.
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Task 6 – Review the Learning Program
The learning program needs to be reviewed against criteria that key
stakeholders and clients determine to be appropriate. Quality criteria to
measure in a review process could include:
• content and structure addresses all aspects required by the units of
competency or other benchmarks
• sequencing and how it provides effective learning
• activities are interesting, relevant and appropriate to outcomes and learner
characteristics
• assessment points, methods and tools are appropriate and effective
• effectively addressing equity needs and regulations
• identifies risk areas and contingencies.
NOTES
Adjusting a learning program
After the review process, recommendations should be made by reviewers.
The designer of the program, together with the client or other appropriate
personnel, need to determine what adjustments are to be made to the
learning program to reflect the review outcomes. The recommendations need
to be analysed to determine whether or not making changes would improve
the program. The designer and review panel also need to determine if the
time and cost required to adjust the program is feasible.
NOTES
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Final approval
Once changes are made, final approval should be sought for learning program
from the appropriate personnel. Depending on your workplace they might be:
• head of department
• senior teacher
• apprenticeship or traineeship supervisor
• training coordinator, manager
• human resource manager.
NOTES
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About the author/ authors
All Sovereign Training personnel are experts in the field of adult education.
The focus is on providing experiential and process-learning models wherever
possible to enhance adult learning.
Acknowledgements
The lead author of the working team for this publication is Racheal Evans.
She was supported by Phillip Chambers (final layout and editing).
This project was initiated and funded by By TAFE NSW – Sydney Institute,
Learning and Innovation.
Copyright
This manual has been developed under the agreements and sponsorship of
the TAFE NSW – Sydney Institute. Copyright of this material is reserved to the
Crown in the right of the State of New South Wales. Reproduction or
transmittal in whole, or in part, other than in accordance with the provisions of
the Copyright Act is prohibited without written authority of the copyright
owners. (c) The State of New South Wales, Department of Education and
Training, (TAFE NSW Online Project, 35 Bridge Street, Sydney, 2001).
Disclaimer
In compiling the information contained the writers have used their best
endeavours to ensure that the information is correct and current at the time of
publication, but take no responsibility for any error, omission or defect therein.
To the extent permitted by law, the Department of Education and Training
(DET) and the NSW Commission of TAFE (TAFE NSW) and its employees,
agents and consultants exclude all liability for any loss or damage (including
indirect, special or consequential loss or damage) arising from the use of, or
reliance on the information contained here-in whether or not caused by any
negligent act or omission. If any law prohibits the exclusion of such liability,
DET and TAFE NSW limit their liability to the extent permitted by law, for the
re-supply of the information.
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