Instructional Design: Case Study and Solution Report

This report analyzes a case study involving a manufacturing plant facing challenges in training new recruits to operate blanker machines. The stakeholders include the plant manager, a blanker machine operator, the vice president of design, and an instructional technology master's student. The primary issue is the lack of experienced employees willing to train newcomers, coupled with a need to maintain productivity. The report explores various solutions, including observation of experienced workers and incentivizing them to participate in training. The optimal solution suggested is allowing new recruits to observe experienced employees under supervision, despite potential challenges. The report emphasizes the importance of practical demonstration due to the absence of written instructions and highlights the need for effective communication between old and new workers. References from instructional design literature support the analysis and proposed solutions.

Running head: INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN
INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN
Stakeholders
From the above case study, stakeholders can be categorized such as internal and external
stakeholders. The internal stakeholders are Fritz David manufacture’s plant manager Andrew
Thomas and blanker machine operator Big Jon and the external stakeholders are Vice president
of design DR. Joyce Abbott and Abby Carlin a master’s student in instructional technology in
Learning Together Through Training, Inc. (Tracey & Boling, 2013).
Their issues
Plant manager Andrew Thomas wants to train their new recruits to make them familiar to
the blanker machines and teach them to operate such machines while continuing the productivity.
The main issue is he does not even know how all machines can be operated and has not faced
this issue before because old employees were always been helpful and taught the newcomers
previously. This time, situation is different, as old employees are retiring and have no interest to
train new recruits. While Big Jon has not much of concerns as he is retiring and had no interest to
cooperate with Abby. Dr. Joyce Abbott, vice president of design, is certainly wrapping up
another project therefore, refers Abby to visit the site and analyze the steel stamping plant. Abby
is responsible for training new recruits while continuing the productivity in 90 days. Although,
she is a fresher as she does not have any experience of such situation.
The primary issues
The primary design issues I analyzed after describing every stakeholder's issues, is that
the company is facing issues to provide the training to the new recruits as they do not have any
idea how to operate the equipment and does not have enough resources and time to provide
certain trainings. There are several issues as well, like, time management. Andrew wants to train

2INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN
the new recruits under 90 day and also they do not have enough resources to provide the desired
training because experienced workers are retiring and do not have any interest to train
newcomers. Another aspect is to consider the productivity scale. The production should maintain
their productivity through the training process.
Solutions
For solving these critical issues, they hired Dr. Joyce Abbott and he recommended Abby
to analyze the solution. For providing proper training, Abby needs to talk to the old workers in a
suitable place where they can communicate efficiently (Ertmer, Quinn & Glazewski, 2014). The
key to the success is to make a suitable relationship between old and new workers so that new
recruits can learn and observe the techniques required to operate the equipment. The only way to
learn is to manually operate the machines as no instructions are written. Andrew can propose to
pay incentive to some old workers to provide instruction to new recruits and include them in the
training process.
Solution Pros. Cons.
Let the new recruits
observe old employees
in the plant.
New recruits can take
notes and observe the
operations that will
help them to
understand the
machines.
This process can
lessen the
productivity and old
worker may not be
comfortable to share
their experience.
Pay some extra money
and include some old
workers in the 90 days
training procedure
It will make the
suitable relationship
between old and new
workers and lessen
Andrew’s anxiety.
The company needs
to invest more
money
Cognitive and learning styles have not proven to be robust; on which to customize
instruction to accommodate individual differences, but intelligence, motivational, goal

3INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN
orientations and prior knowledge have demonstrated significant effects (Larson & Lockee,
2013).
Optimal Solution
The best possible way to solve the issues is to let the new recruits observe old employees
work under Abby’s supervision. However, old workers may not be cooperative. Still, I found this
solution relevant and most efficient to solve the issues. As there is no instruction written on any
document and even Andrew does not have the full knowledge to operate the equipment. There is
no other way than taking help from old workers. By choosing the other solution as paying some
extra money to some experienced worker to include them in training procedure may not be a
suitable solution because old workers cannot demonstrate every process in a training hall as the
practical demonstration is required to understand the operation efficiently. The company also has
to pay more money to those workers for providing extra help.

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Reference
Ertmer, P. A., Quinn, J. A., & Glazewski, K. D. (2014). The case-learning process: Strategies
and reflections. In P. A. Ertmer, J. A. Quinn, & K. D. Glazewski (Eds.), The ID
CaseBook (4th ed.). (pp. 2-11) Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Larson, M., & Lockee, B. B. (2013). Streamlined ID: A practical guide to instructional design.
Routledge.
Tracey, M.W., & Boling, E. (2013). Preparing instructional designers and educational
technologists: Traditional and emerging perspectives. In M. Spector, D. Merrill, J. Elen,
& M.J. Bishop (Eds.), Handbook of Research on Educational Communications and
Technology (4th ed.). (pp.653-660). New York: Springer.