WIDS Helps New Instructors Redesign Program

Regardless of their professional expertise and enthusiasm, new technical instructors often need the right support and tools to adopt effective curriculum design. WIDS provided the right tools and support to new instructors who were redesigning the eight-week Truck Driving program at Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC).

Instructors’ experience informs content

Dan Zdrojewski and Piotr Jelen are truck drivers with more than 20 years of professional experience—and were new Truck Driving Instructors at MATC.

“When you love your job, you want to pass on those skills to the next generation,” Zdrojewski says.

The pair was tasked with redesigning the college’s eight-week program that prepares students to pass the Wisconsin Commercial Driver’s License exam. Their combined professional expertise influenced how they prioritized content.

“Of course we need to teach the required regulations,”Zdrojewski shares. “But there is so much more we want to cover. “

“We wanted it to align [the program] to the real-life tasks people have in the trucking industry,” Jelen adds.

WIDS helps instructors convert content into curriculum

Zdrojewski and Jelen knew from experience which tasks and topics to cover but not how to convert the topics into curriculum designed for performance-based learning—until they attended a WIDS training session at their college.

“Once we saw what we could do, we thought [WIDS] is pretty cool.  We started from scratch and found it very easy to navigate,” Jelen shares.

WIDS consultants helped the instructors use WIDS software to convert their expertise into curriculum by:

• Developing performance-based competencies
• Defining the criteria for successful completion of each skill
• Using competencies to design learning plans and assessments

Because WIDS software is designed to show the “big picture,” it helped the instructors see how student learning outcomes reflect industry expertise and then served as the basis for instruction and assessment.

Whether new or seasoned learning designers, all instructors benefit from using WIDS software features:

• A built-in tool helps instructors avoid vague outcomes by using measurable, observable verbs
• Learning plan creation prompts instructors to target specific competencies
• A learning and assessment database helps instructors write assignments and assessments

Revisions reflect informed workforce demand

Jelen and Zdrojewski looked forward to launching the revised program, and the timing was ripe.

“There is a huge demand for truck drivers right now,”Zdrojewski emphasizes.

“… it’s so important for our courses to reflect what students should actually be doing in the field,” Jelen concludes.

Informed by professional experience and developed with WIDS tools and guidance, the revised program demonstrates how occupational expertise paired with the right support produces curriculum designed for performance-based learning.

WIDS (Worldwide Instructional Design System) is a nonprofit organization that provides curriculum design software, consulting, and training services. Download the free Competency Checklist.

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