About
This quality assurance checklist for instructor-led training (ILT) courses - online and face-to-face - serves as a structured guide for fostering high-quality, impactful training, enhancing the learning experience and ensuring compliance with industry standards. It is edorsed by the ITU Inter-Sectoral Task Force (ISTF) and builds on the ITU Capacity Development Manual (SO 24/07) to promote a high standard of training excellence.
Structure
The checklist covers eight dimensions including instructional methods, activities design, instructor intervention, reflection and peer learning, application of skills and knowledge, as well as assessment mechanisms.
1. Well-defined learning objectives ☑
Training accurately formulates the learning objectives, so that these:
• Are aligned to Bloom’s revised taxonomy
• Are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound (SMART)
• Capture the level of knowledge and/or skill transfer for the training: Remember – Understand – Apply – Analyse – Evaluate – Create (and use action verbs specific to that respective level, avoiding verbs such as “understand” “know” “learn” or variations e.g. “gain an understanding of”)
2. Instructor ☑
A. Facilitation: Instructors serve as facilitators (guiding role) and subject matter experts, rather than didactic teachers.
B. Engagement: Training is not overly reliant on a lecture-style approach and includes learner-centred activities (actively involves participants).
C. Feedback:
• Synchronous sessions: instructor allows sufficient time for Q&A, provides inputs to participants (on presentations, projects)
• Asynchronous sessions: instructor provides consistent feedback to learners via forums, chat
3. Relevance ☑
A. Training provides content that is varied, allowing participants to engage with the items they feel most relevant for them (e.g. explores both national- but also regional-specific contexts, presents a multi-disciplinary approach).
B. Training proposes concrete, practical tools and takeaway resources which will help participants in their real-life job role.
4. Peer learning ☑
Training encourages collaboration and idea-sharing among learners by making use of group activities (discussion groups, forums, breakout rooms, debate, groupwork).
5. Concrete experience (discover) ☑
A. Training immerses the participants in real-world case studies, examples, demonstrations.
B. Training exposes the participants to relatable scenarios that learners will face in their day-to-day roles.
6. Reflection ☑
The training design incorporates opportunities for individual reflection (e.g. learning journal, guided pauses, or prompts for personal analysis). Where time during facilitated sessions is limited - particularly in synchronous in-person or online formats - reflection may instead be encouraged through peer exchange (see item 4) or suggested as pre- or post-training activities.
7. Application of knowledge ☑
A. Training presents situations, exercises, activities that challenge the participants and require them to make decisions and problem solve similarly as they would in their work through individual or group tasks, interviews, assignments.
B. Training builds in space for learners to apply and practice their new knowledge/skills e.g. uses individual or group projects/presentations, hands-on exercises, role-play (also: tabletop exercises, simulations).
C. If training uses knowledge assessments (quizzes/tests), these should becombined with either elements in this category (A or B) and also meet the following conditions:
• Contain minimum 2 questions per learning objective (if modularized structure, ensure a minimum of 5 questions per module)
• Are applied preferably both at end of module (quizzes) and / or at end of course (final test)
• Have a passing threshold set to minimum 70%
• Mostly use multiple choice single answer (MC-SA), multiple choice multiple answer (MC-MA) questions, answer matching (avoid: fill in the blanks, true/false questions, “all/none of the above” answer options; consider also: open answer questions, essary submissions)
• (optional) Use a question database and randomization
8. Pre- or Post- training actions ☑
Contains actions that encourage a continued learning experience, for example:
• Training uses learning materials to encourage self-study (either in preparation for the training or to further deepen learning after completion)
• Engages learners in advance initiating the learning process via either individual or group tasks, challenges, reflections or mini-assignments.
• Includes (pre-training) initial knowledge checks to assess current mastery of the subject and help establish a baseline of knowledge/skills.
• Offers follow-up session(s) to check on the application of learning or address any emerging questions/issues.
• Implements an alumni community of practice for continuous learning (if applicable).