• Home
  • Free Resources
    • Storyboard Depot
    • Instructional Design Programs
    • Best Stock Photo Sites
    • PowerPoint Grids
    • eLearning Examples
    • Glossary of Online Learning Terms
    • Graphic Editing Tools
    • Icon Collections
  • My Books
  • About
  • Book Store
  • ON-DEMAND COURSES

The eLearning Coach

For designing effective learning experiences

  • Podcasts
  • LXD
  • eLearning Design
    • Audience
    • Instructional Design
    • Learning Objectives
    • Storyboarding
    • Tests
    • User Interface
  • eLearning 2.0
  • Cognition
  • Multimedia
    • Audio
    • Graphics
    • Video
  • Reviews
    • Book Reviews
    • Software Reviews
  • At Work
You are here: Home / Podcasts / ELC 047: The Action Mapping Alternative

ELC 047: The Action Mapping Alternative

by Connie Malamed

Tweet8
Pin7
Share28
Share
43 Shares
http://traffic.libsyn.com/theelearningcoach/elc047.mp3

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Google Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Podchaser | RSS | iTunes

The Action Mapping Alternative

If you are frustrated with the limited models available for instructional design, then you’ll be interested in this conversation with Cathy Moore. She is the creator of Action Mapping and author of Map It, a model of training design that focuses on improving workplace performance. Cathy is a training designer, teacher, speaker and author. Her advice and designs have been used by many organizations and the U.S. government. She also teaches online workshops on scenario design.

Map ItCathy has made it her mission to save the world from boring instruction. In this conversation, we discuss her book, Map It!. We also talk about the changing role of learning experience designers, measuring the effects of training, how to tell whether training is the solution to a performance problem, tracking practice activities (or not), creating prototypes and much more.

WE DISCUSS:

  • Providing effective solutions that go beyond training
  • Action Mapping process
  • Using business metrics to measure performance improvement and behavior change
  • How action mapping has evolved and changed over the years
  • Criteria to determine whether a performance problem can be solved with training
  • Action mapping as a method for practicing instructional design
  • When to use and not use action mapping
  • How to choose the tasks that require practice activities
  • Advantages of branching scenarios
  • Technical implementation of practice activities
  • Prototyping guidelines

RATE: Rate this podcast in iTunes

TIME: 24 minutes

TRANSCRIPT: Download the ELC 047 Transcript

RESOURCES:

  • Map It by Cathy Moore
  • Cathy’s website
  • Is training the answer? Use this flowchart
  • Will Action Mapping work for my project? (interactive flowchart)
  • Action Mapping
  • Cathy’s Scenario Design Course
  • Balsamiq (mockup tool)
  • Twine (for telling branching stories)

Get the latest articles, resources and freebies once a month plus my free eBook, Writing for Instructional Design.

Comments

  1. Connie Malamed says

    September 10, 2022 at 5:32 pm

    Hi Tony,
    I’m glad you found this episode so useful. Sometimes I feel that we need ID Support Groups 🙂 It sounds like you are doing the best you can within the constraints you face and I applaud you for that. Funny about Balsamiq. I find it’s ease of use and the way it looks hand-drawn to be so appealing. I’m sure there are some who prefer a more mechanical look. I use it more for app and website design than eLearning, but I’m not sure why. It would be good for eLearning too. Thanks for sharing.
    Connie

  2. Tony DeRose says

    September 9, 2022 at 11:06 am

    Hi Connie- Great Podcast! I’m a former Technical Writer and, for the past several years an Instructional Designer/Developer. For the past 3-!/2 years, I’ve been designing safety trainings for my client. Many of the trainings are already created, and I’m asked to “update this old PowerPoint version from 10 years ago.” It’s a struggle because of government regulations and requirements around training. I’m slowly trying to move away from the “tell them information” style of design and more into getting to the root-cause to change their behavior. I loved how the two of you discussed various pain points in our industry and ways to change them. I’m currently reading Cathy’s “Map It” and your “Visual Design Solutions” book. I have sooo much to learn. I must say, one of my favorite parts of the Podcast was when you discussed prototyping tools. In my head, I was saying, “Please say Balsamiq, please!” LOL, I’ve used that tool since inception and LOVE it for low-fidelity prototyping simply because you can add the links so the client can see outcomes.

  3. Connie Malamed says

    June 17, 2020 at 1:34 pm

    I don’t know the capabilities of specific apps, but I’m guessing their websites have that information or contacting support. Also, a search for “Teaching Using [Appname]” might help. I’m guessing you can at least text short lessons, perhaps ask questions and get replies, and link to podcasts. Good luck!!

  4. Akila Devi V says

    June 17, 2020 at 2:13 am

    Thank you so much. I’m a professor. My students have limited access to Internet and mobile phone.I need some suggestions regarding my online teaching. What all resources can I use to teach students using whats up.( Apart from using ms word,pdf, you tube videos, sound files,etc) Can we share podcasts through whatsup ?

  5. Connie Malamed says

    April 4, 2018 at 12:07 pm

    Hi Angela,
    Glad you found it useful!
    Connie

  6. Angela Jimenez says

    April 3, 2018 at 10:12 am

    Great podcast. Thank you for sharing, Connie!

  7. Connie Malamed says

    March 5, 2018 at 11:34 am

    Hi Sridhar,
    Great story. Thanks for telling us what it was like for you in 2006! Shows that a great method is going to work in many situations.
    Best,
    Connie

  8. Sridhar S says

    February 27, 2018 at 6:32 am

    Connie, Thanks for this insightful podcast (ELC 047). The reverse ID method (in Action Planning) as Cathy mentions is many a times a ‘make or break’ factor in the creation of a learning intervention. From being a Trainer in soft skills, i ventured in creating ‘Training – content’ (Facilitator led sessions) for my then Training Organization, way back in 2006!! …I was raw (not certified)..but my products were impactful, they were different and challenged the status-quo!! And i attribute the success to such reverse technique that i tried. (just commonsense..i guess!!)… Customers/ Organization may have a wish list of topics to be downloaded on unsuspecting victims (calling them participants would be wrong).. As Cathy said, sometimes there is little analysis that Customer’s management / HR/ L&D, may have done.. simply because they love their perception prisons. Which only a rank outsider can notice and highlight!!… I’d check this Book! Appreciate your efforts and podcasts.

Trackbacks

  1. How to design software training, part 1: Do everything except “train” says:
    March 5, 2018 at 11:46 am

    […] also asked good questions about action mapping and the state of the instructional design world for her podcast. We considered whether instructional designers should be responsible for “solving all […]

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Writing for Instructional Design

Subscribe to my newsletter AND get my eBook, Writing for Instructional Design.

Get the latest articles, resources and freebies once a month plus my free eBook, Writing for Instructional Design.

CSUN Instructional Design Program

CSUN Instructional Design Program

Fullerton Instructional Design Program

Fullerton Instructional Design Program

University of Denver

university of denver id program

Learn ID at University of San Diego

u of san diego id program

The Learning Guild

ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS ABOUT A CAREER IN ID

answers to 5 key questions about a career in instructional design

BREAKING INTO ID NOW AVAILABLE AS AN EBOOK (PDF)

You can now buy the email course as an eBook to get all the lessons at once and for future reference. Price: $12.50 US.

eBook Cover
Click the image to buy the book.

SITE MENU

Home
Resources
My Books
About
Book Store
Membership Community

TOPIC MENU

Podcasts
LXD
eLearning Design
eLearning 2.0
Cognition
Multimedia (Graphics & Audio)
Reviews
At Work

RESOURCES

Storyboard Depot
Instructional Design Programs
Best Stock Images
PowerPoint Grids
eLearning Examples
Glossary of Online Learning
Graphic Editing Tools
Icon Collections

© Copyright 2021 Connie Malamed · All Rights Reserved