- Learning Design
- January 14, 2024
Turning subject-matter expertise into useful learning
Subject matter experts are often the worst people to teach their own subject because they suffer from the ‘curse of knowledge’. This is the inability to remember what it is like not to understand the foundational concepts.
Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) are the lifeblood of any organisation. They possess the deep, nuanced knowledge that gives a business its competitive edge. But when tasked with training others, the results often fail.
This is not a failing on their part; it is a cognitive bias. When you understand a subject deeply, you skip foundational steps. You speak in acronyms. You assume context that the novice simply does not possess.
What is the role of the learning designer?
The role of the learning designer is not to be a graphic designer for the SME’s presentation deck. Our role is to act as the translator and structural engineer.
We must take the raw material of their expertise, dismantle it, and reassemble it in a way that aligns with human cognition.
How do we translate complex expertise?
- The Interrogation: A good learning designer asks the questions the novice is afraid to ask. We must push back against the instinct to “include everything just in case.” We relentlessly filter the need-to-know from the nice-to-know.
- The Scaffolding: We build cognitive scaffolding. We introduce mental models and visual analogies before we introduce dense technical specifics. We provide the map before we ask them to navigate the territory.
- The Application: Information is not learning. We must design spaces where the learner can immediately apply the newly translated expertise in a safe environment.
When we get this translation right, we achieve something practical: we take the isolated capability of a few experts and build it into the broader workforce.
Jason Baker, Founder, Snowfish Learning
Published: 14 January 2024