This training and development glossary defines 41 core L&D and instructional design terms. The essentials: andragogy explains how adults learn, TNA finds the real performance gap, Bloom's Taxonomy shapes learning objectives, ADDIE structures design, and the Kirkpatrick Model evaluates results. Every term below has a direct anchor link you can share.
Jump to: 0–9 · A · B · C · D · E · F · G · I · K · L · M · P · R · S · T · V
0–9
70-20-10 model
The 70-20-10 model is a learning framework suggesting that roughly 70% of workplace development comes from on-the-job experience, 20% from relationships such as coaching and feedback, and 10% from formal training. It is a guideline, not a precise ratio, and reminds L&D teams to design beyond the classroom.
A
ADDIE model
ADDIE is a five-phase instructional design model: Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation and Evaluation. It gives trainers a systematic way to move from a business need to a tested training program. Read our ADDIE model explained guide for each phase in detail.
Andragogy
Andragogy is the theory and practice of teaching adults, popularised by Malcolm Knowles. It holds that adults learn best when learning is relevant, problem-centred, draws on their experience and respects their autonomy. It is the foundation of Day 1 in the Bodhih TTT curriculum. See Knowles' six adult learning principles for workplace examples.
Asynchronous learning
Asynchronous learning is learning that participants complete at their own time and pace, without a live facilitator present — for example e-learning modules, recorded videos, discussion boards or micro-learning nudges. It offers flexibility but needs good design to keep learners engaged and accountable.
B
Blended learning
Blended learning combines two or more delivery modes — typically classroom sessions, live virtual sessions and self-paced digital content — into one designed journey. Each mode is used for what it does best, such as theory online and practice in the room.
Bloom's Taxonomy
Bloom's Taxonomy is a hierarchy of cognitive levels — remember, understand, apply, analyse, evaluate and create (in the revised version) — used to write learning objectives. Choosing the right verb at the right level makes objectives observable and helps trainers match activities and assessments to them. See 60 Bloom's Taxonomy action verbs by level.
C
Cascade training
Cascade training is a rollout approach where a core group is trained first and then trains the next layer of employees, who may train others in turn. It is how the Train the Trainer model scales learning across locations; see our corporate TTT program.
Case method
The case method is a teaching approach in which learners analyse a realistic business situation, debate options and recommend a decision. It builds judgement and applied thinking, and works best when the case reflects the participants' own industry and is followed by a structured debrief.
Competency framework
A competency framework is a structured description of the knowledge, skills and behaviours required for a role, often with proficiency levels. L&D teams use it to identify gaps, design training and assess progress. Bodhih assesses trainers against 12 skill areas in its Trainer Competency Matrix.
D
Debrief
A debrief is the guided discussion after an activity, role play or simulation where participants reflect on what happened, what it means and how it applies at work. Much of the learning from experiential activities happens here, so skilled trainers plan debrief questions as carefully as the activity itself. Our guide to debriefing a training activity includes 40 ready-to-use questions.
E
Energiser
An energiser is a short, active exercise used to lift a group's energy and attention, typically after lunch or a long content block. Good energisers take a few minutes, involve movement or quick thinking, and ideally connect back to the session topic rather than being purely a break.
Experiential learning
Experiential learning is learning by doing and then reflecting on the experience. Instead of hearing content first, participants engage in an activity, analyse it and draw principles they can apply. It underpins practice-heavy programs such as Bodhih's TTT, which is 80% practice.
F
Facilitation
Facilitation is the skill of guiding a group through a learning or problem-solving process so that participants do most of the thinking and talking. A facilitator manages time, energy, questions and group dynamics rather than simply presenting content. It is a core module of any Train the Trainer program.
Flipped classroom
A flipped classroom reverses the traditional order: learners study the content beforehand through reading, videos or e-learning, and live session time is used for practice, discussion and problem-solving. It makes contact time more valuable, provided pre-work is short and genuinely completed.
Forgetting curve
The forgetting curve, first described by Hermann Ebbinghaus, shows that people forget much of new information quickly unless it is revisited. It is the reason trainers build reinforcement, spaced repetition and on-the-job application into programs rather than relying on a single event.
Formative assessment
Formative assessment checks learning while it is still happening — through questions, quick quizzes, practice tasks or observed exercises — so the trainer and learner can adjust. Unlike summative assessment, its main purpose is feedback and improvement rather than a final grade.
G
Gamification
Gamification applies game elements such as points, levels, challenges, leaderboards and rewards to learning activities to increase motivation and engagement. It works when the game mechanics reinforce the learning objective; it fails when competition distracts from the skill being built.
I
Icebreaker
An icebreaker is an opening activity that helps participants get to know each other, feel comfortable and start talking. Effective icebreakers are short, low-risk and linked to the session theme, setting a tone of participation for the rest of the program. Bodhih's Trainer's Toolkit includes 100+ such activities.
ILT (Instructor-led training)
ILT (instructor-led training) is training delivered live by a trainer to a group, traditionally in a classroom. It allows real-time interaction, practice and feedback, and remains the preferred format for skills such as facilitation, leadership and sales that depend on observed practice.
Instructional design
Instructional design is the systematic process of creating learning experiences: analysing needs, setting objectives, sequencing content, designing activities and assessments, and evaluating results. Models such as ADDIE and SAM guide the process. It is covered on Day 2 of the Bodhih TTT.
K
Kirkpatrick Model
The Kirkpatrick Model evaluates training at four levels: Reaction (did participants value it?), Learning (did they gain knowledge or skill?), Behaviour (do they apply it at work?) and Results (did business outcomes improve?). See our guide to the Kirkpatrick four levels.
Kolb's Experiential Learning Cycle
Kolb's Experiential Learning Cycle describes learning as four stages: concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualisation and active experimentation. Trainers use it to structure sessions so participants do something, reflect on it, draw a principle and then try it again differently.
L
Learning objective
A learning objective is a clear statement of what participants will be able to do after the training, written with an observable verb, a condition and a standard where possible. For example: "By the end, participants will write three measurable objectives using Bloom's Taxonomy."
LMS (Learning Management System)
An LMS (Learning Management System) is software that hosts, delivers, tracks and reports on learning — e-learning modules, assessments, enrolments and completion records. Organisations use it to manage compliance and blended programs, though an LMS alone does not make learning effective.
LXD (Learning Experience Design)
LXD (Learning Experience Design) is an approach to designing learning that centres on the learner's full experience — needs, emotions, context and workflow — borrowing from user-experience and design thinking. It complements instructional design by focusing on engagement and real-world usability.
M
Microlearning
Microlearning delivers learning in short, focused units — usually a few minutes each — such as a video, quiz, tip or scenario. It is well suited to reinforcement after a program; Bodhih TTT participants receive a 40-day micro-learning reinforcement journey after the classroom.
P
Parking lot
A parking lot is a visible space, such as a flipchart, where a trainer notes questions or topics that are valid but off-track, promising to return to them later. It keeps the session on time while respecting participants' input — a handy tool for handling difficult participants.
Participant guide
A participant guide is the workbook learners use during and after a session, containing key concepts, activity instructions, space for notes and job aids. It differs from the facilitator guide, which tells the trainer how to run the session. Bodhih provides templates for both.
Performance support
Performance support is help available at the moment of need on the job — checklists, job aids, quick-reference guides, short videos or chat tools. It reduces reliance on memory and improves transfer of training, especially for infrequent or complex tasks.
Phillips ROI Model
The Phillips ROI Model extends Kirkpatrick's four levels with a fifth: return on investment. It converts business results to monetary value, isolates the effect of training and compares net benefits with program costs, expressing ROI as a percentage. It is used for high-cost or strategic programs.
Psychological safety
Psychological safety is the shared belief that a group is safe for interpersonal risk-taking — asking questions, admitting mistakes or trying something new without fear of embarrassment. In training rooms it is essential for honest practice and feedback, and trainers build it deliberately.
R
Role play
A role play is an activity in which participants act out a realistic workplace situation, such as a sales call or difficult conversation, to practise skills safely. Role plays work best with clear briefs, an observer using a checklist and a structured debrief afterwards.
S
SAM (Successive Approximation Model)
SAM (Successive Approximation Model) is an agile instructional design model that builds training through quick, repeated cycles of design, prototype and review rather than a single linear pass. It is often chosen over ADDIE when timelines are short or requirements are likely to change.
Session plan
A session plan is a trainer's detailed roadmap for a training session, listing objectives, timings, content, activities, materials and transitions minute by minute. It keeps delivery consistent — especially when several trainers run the same program — and is one of the design templates Bodhih provides.
SME (Subject Matter Expert)
An SME (Subject Matter Expert) is a person with deep knowledge of a specific topic, process or product who contributes content to training or delivers it. SMEs often become internal trainers, and a Train the Trainer program helps them turn expertise into teachable sessions.
Spaced repetition
Spaced repetition is a technique of revisiting learning at increasing intervals over time to strengthen long-term memory. In corporate training it appears as follow-up quizzes, micro-learning nudges and practice assignments after a program, directly countering the forgetting curve.
Summative assessment
Summative assessment evaluates what a learner has achieved at the end of a program, against set criteria, to decide competence or certification. In the Bodhih TTT, the summative assessment is a recorded final certification delivery on Day 4.
T
Train the Trainer (TTT)
Train the Trainer (TTT) is a program that teaches experts and aspiring trainers how to design, deliver and evaluate training, and a model organisations use to scale learning through internal trainers. Read what is Train the Trainer for a full explanation.
Training Needs Analysis (TNA)
A Training Needs Analysis (TNA) is the process of identifying the gap between current and required performance and deciding whether training can close it. It uses interviews, surveys, observation and data, and prevents organisations from spending on training that cannot fix the real problem.
Transfer of training
Transfer of training is the extent to which learners apply what they learned back on the job and sustain it over time. It depends on relevant design, practice, manager support and reinforcement, and corresponds to Level 3 (Behaviour) in the Kirkpatrick Model.
V
VILT (Virtual instructor-led training)
VILT (virtual instructor-led training) is live, interactive training delivered by a facilitator over a video platform. Done well, it uses breakout rooms, polls, whiteboards and practice tasks rather than lectures. Bodhih runs its certification as a live virtual TTT.
Want to use these ideas, not just know them? The Bodhih TTT curriculum puts andragogy, ADDIE, facilitation and Kirkpatrick into practice over four days, on your own training content.
Frequently asked questions
What are the most important terms in training and development?
Five terms underpin most corporate training: andragogy (how adults learn), Training Needs Analysis (finding the real gap), learning objectives written with Bloom's Taxonomy, the ADDIE design model and the Kirkpatrick Model for evaluation. Master these and most other L&D terminology slots into place around them.
What is the difference between ADDIE and SAM?
ADDIE is a linear five-phase instructional design model — Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, Evaluation — suited to well-defined programs. SAM (Successive Approximation Model) works in short, repeated prototype-and-review cycles, suited to tight timelines or changing requirements. Many L&D teams combine them, using ADDIE's structure with SAM-style iteration during design and development.
What is the difference between ILT and VILT?
ILT (instructor-led training) is live training delivered in a physical room; VILT (virtual instructor-led training) is live training delivered over a video platform. Both involve a real-time facilitator and interaction, unlike self-paced e-learning. VILT needs specific skills — engaging through a screen, using breakouts and polls — covered in Bodhih's TTT curriculum.
What is the difference between pedagogy and andragogy?
Pedagogy traditionally refers to teaching children, where the teacher directs what and how learners study. Andragogy, associated with Malcolm Knowles, describes how adults learn: they want relevance, use their experience, prefer problem-centred learning and expect autonomy. Corporate trainers design around andragogy, which is why practice and discussion outweigh lecture in good programs.
Where can I learn to apply these training concepts?
A practice-based Train the Trainer program is the fastest way to use these concepts rather than just define them. The 4-day Bodhih Certified Train The Trainer (TTT) Program covers andragogy, Kolb, Bloom's, ADDIE, TNA, facilitation and Kirkpatrick while you redesign your own module. See fees and upcoming batches.