Building Effective Professional Development Programs One Step at a Time

Written by Dr. Diana Brandon

Organizations are under increasing pressure to offer professional development opportunities that meet the growing demands of their workforce. Whether in medical, legal, education, manufacturing, utility work, agriculture, automotive, or other industries, professional development programs are essential for helping employees stay competitive and compliant with industry standards.

So, you set out to eat the professional development “elephant”—but where do you start? The options seem endless:

• Which format should you use?
• How long should it be?
• What topics will resonate?
• Which platform is best?
• And what about the budget?

The sheer number of decisions can quickly overwhelm the initial spark of excitement. This blog will explain our approach to creating impactful, well-designed learning experiences that empower your members’ professional growth.

1. Start Slow: Prioritize Quality Professional Development Programs

A standard mistake organizations make when building professional development programs is offering too many courses (in whatever format) too quickly. Rather than focusing on quantity, prioritize quality from the start. Launching a few well-designed, high-quality courses that truly benefit your members is far more effective than overwhelming them with options that may not meet their needs.

Take the time to design your initial courses carefully and evaluate their success over time. Gather feedback from learners and adjust as needed. This approach helps build a solid foundation for future programs, refining your strategy and preventing wasted resources on courses that miss the mark.

💡Start with 2–3 flagship courses in your first phase. After a few months, assess learner satisfaction, engagement, and retention to guide your next steps. This measured approach ensures each course is optimized for success and allows for continuous improvement. It’s also a smart funding strategy, as revenue from the first courses can help fund future ones.

2. Know Your Members’ Professional Development Needs

Building successful professional development programs starts with a deep understanding of your audience. Different industries and roles come with unique educational needs and skills gaps, so take the time to assess your members’ needs before creating courses. Consider using surveys, interviews, or focus groups to gather insights.

Once you understand their needs, set specific goals for your program.

• What skills or knowledge do you want your members to gain?
• How will this training impact their job performance or career advancement?
• Are they looking for formal certifications or want to expand their general knowledge?

Defining these goals early on ensures that your program aligns with your organization’s mission and provides meaningful value to participants.

💡Make data-driven decisions by engaging directly with your members. Their insights will guide the training content and help you measure its impact.

⚠️While an off-the-shelf curriculum seems attractive because of its ready-format, it might not meet your learners’ needs. Understand what your members want before investing in third-party content.

3. Gather Your Experts and Professional Development Materials

A successful training program is only as strong as the expertise behind it. Once you’ve identified your members’ needs, it’s time to bring in subject-matter experts (SMEs)—those with deep industry knowledge who can provide valuable insights into the key topics and trends your training should cover.

Begin by gathering any existing educational materials, guides, or resources your organization has. This will give you a solid foundation upon which to build. From there, you can transform these resources into practical learning modules that address your members’ specific needs.

💡Form a team of SMEs from within your organization or industry. Their expertise is essential for creating courses that are both accurate and relevant.

4. Design the Curriculum for Engagement and Retention

Now comes the most critical part—designing the curriculum. This is where instructional designers play a key role. Turning content into an engaging learning experience is essential for improving knowledge retention. A well-designed curriculum guides learners through lessons and assessments in a way that’s both enjoyable and effective.

At this stage, focus on creating a clear learning path that includes structured lessons, assessments, and opportunities for real-world application. The program should be challenging enough to promote growth but not so difficult that it overwhelms learners. Above all, prioritize active learning methods that keep members engaged.

💡Leverage instructional design expertise within your organization in this step. Consider hiring or consulting with instructional designers to ensure the content is in digestible, engaging chunks. This approach will enhance both member satisfaction and learning outcomes.

⚠️While SMEs know the content, they may not have the expertise needed to organize it effectively for non-experts. Seek support from pedagogical and training experts to optimize content presentation and engagement.

5. Mix Up the Content: Engage Learners in Different Ways

Today’s learners want more than static reading materials or lectures—they crave engaging, interactive experiences. To keep them motivated, diversify your content offerings. Incorporating real-life case studies, simulations, discussion forums, and gamified elements can create a dynamic and immersive learning experience.

In fields like manufacturing or healthcare, simulations, and hands-on learning experiences are essential for helping learners apply theoretical knowledge to practical tasks. Case studies or scenario-based learning can effectively break down complex scenarios in industries such as law or finance. These varied approaches keep your members engaged and enhance their retention of key concepts.

💡Integrate interactive elements like quizzes, gamification, and real-world scenarios to boost engagement and deepen learning. Diverse content keeps learners interested and produces better results. Also, consider using microlearning as an alternative to traditional, longer training formats—it can offer flexibility and improve retention.

6. Price It Right: Consider Revenue Models for Professional Development Programs

Pricing can make or break the success of your professional development program. To attract non-dues revenue and incentivize participation, align your pricing with what members are willing and able to pay. Consider offering early-bird discounts, tiered pricing based on membership levels, and group rates for organizations that enroll multiple employees. Bundling courses can also create a clear learning path while enhancing value for participants.

Remember, the price should reflect the value you’re delivering. High-quality courses that meet your members’ needs can justify a premium price, but keeping pricing accessible will ensure broader participation.

💡Develop a flexible pricing strategy with discount options and tiered rates. Affordable options will encourage more members to engage with your courses. This is another question you can ask your stakeholders.

7. Deliver via the Right LMS (Make It Future-Proof!)

A critical component of delivering professional development programs is selecting the right learning management system (LMS). Look for an LMS that integrates seamlessly with your organization’s existing infrastructure, including your Association Management System (AMS) and payment gateways. An effective, future-proof LMS should be mobile-friendly, easy to use, and offer essential features like tracking, reporting, and interactive content options.

Choosing the wrong platform can lead to technical issues, poor user experience, and low engagement. With mobile learning on the rise, ensure your LMS supports on-the-go learning so members can access content from any device.

💡Choose a scalable, mobile-friendly LMS that integrates with your current systems. This ensures a seamless experience for both members and administrators. Consider adapting existing content (like webinars) to be evergreen, requiring minimal updates. We highly recommend selecting a SCORM-compliant platform, which allows you to upload interactive content outside the LMS.

⚠️If you’re new to online learning, consult experts unaffiliated with any particular LMS. This will provide unbiased guidance on your needed features as you move into the online learning space.

8. Evaluate & Improve: Continuous Monitoring for Success

Finally, no professional development program is complete without thorough evaluation. Monitor key metrics like course completion rates, learner engagement, and feedback to assess program success. Evaluation helps you understand what’s working and where improvements are needed.

Gather both quantitative and qualitative data to enhance your offerings continually. Regular feedback from learners and detailed LMS reports will enable you to adapt and refine your courses over time.

💡Establish a system for ongoing evaluation. Regularly check in with learners and use their feedback to make data-driven decisions to improve your program.

💎Quality Over Quantity Drives Real Impact

The key to success in professional development is delivering high-quality learning experiences that genuinely benefit your members. While rushing to produce a large volume of courses may seem appealing, thoughtful, well-designed programs provide lasting value. By starting gradually, understanding your members’ needs, and focusing on engaging, high-impact learning experiences, your organization can build a professional development program that supports both your members’ growth and your organization’s goals.

🏆 Get Creative with the Budget

For many, the desire to start is there—but the funding isn’t. Although online learning is generally less costly than sending employees to a conference or an in-person training session, it may still exceed your current budget. There are creative strategies to secure funding outside of existing resources to launch your first course and generate revenue for future offerings. Contact the DOC today to discuss your goals, and let us help you find innovative funding solutions.