In this podcast episode, Clark Quinn, Executive Director of Quinnovation, joins Nolan Hout (SVP Growth, Infopro Learning) to explore how learning design grounded in scientific evidence can lead to meaningful skill acquisition in the workplace.
Key Points
What Is Evidence-Informed Learning Design
Uses insights from cognitive science, performance psychology, and instructional design to shape impactful learning experiences.
Moves beyond traditional content-driven approaches to focus on building real-world skills.
Why Traditional Training Often Fails
Many programs prioritize knowledge delivery rather than enabling application, retention, or transfer to workplace contexts.
Often lacks clarity on performance expectations or measurable success criteria.
Core Principles for Effective Skill Building
Clear objectives: Define what learners should do, under what conditions, and to what quality standard.
Practice & retrieval: Enable learners to apply and recall skills through active engagement.
Worked examples and models: Use examples to build mental frameworks before expecting independent execution.
Spacing, interleaving, and desirable difficulty: Spread practice over time, mix skill elements, and ensure challenges are engaging yet achievable.
Performance Support & Job Aids
When skills are used infrequently or involve complexity, job aids and performance support can enhance application at the point of need.
Role of AI & Technology
AI can accelerate design by generating examples, scenarios, and practice tasks.
Human oversight remains essential to ensure accuracy, alignment with evidence, and contextual relevance.
Iterative Design, Prototyping & Reflection
Launching learning experiences early, testing them, and refining based on feedback is more effective than over-planning.
Backward design and prototyping ensure learning aligns with desired outcomes.
Balancing Constraints
Budget, time, and organizational pressures are real, but even small evidence-based improvements can produce significant results.
Why It Matters
Skills represent a more durable measure of value than job roles, especially as the workplace evolves rapidly.
Without evidence-informed learning design, organizations risk investing in training that appears effective but fails to produce meaningful results.
Grounding design in research ensures learning is not only engaging but also improves performance and business impact.
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