Welcome to Part 2 of our series on the CIP. Part 1 of our blog series covered the basic role of a Content Information Provider, or CIP and using this term vs. Subject Matter Expert, or SME. In this blog we would like to focus on defining the CIP.
CIPs are an interesting and necessary part of the instructional design (ID) process. They are required for their validation of the training goals and content in order to obtain an optimal and successful training outcome.
What is a CIP?
A CIP is the member of a project team who is most knowledgeable about the content being taught. The CIP could be a person who works for your client company or is contracted to consult on the training being created. It is important to note that a CIP’s primary role may not be to support your project. In fact, a CIP may not even know that he/she is a CIP.
Let’s liken a CIP to a Master Chef, as they are the expert in their kitchen and are the most familiar with their recipes. Instructional Designers need to have a basic understanding of the CIP kitchen and how to assist the Chef in picking out recipes that will make for a well-balanced meal (i.e., the ID has to refine content and decide what will ultimately be used to design successful training).
Much like a Master Chef depends on station chefs or line cooks to head up a particular area of production, your main CIP contact may need the help of multiple CIP’s on a project (to either support them in their absence or to provide knowledge about a specific area of production/know-how). For instance, larger projects that involve software rollouts or affect multiple departments typically have more than one CIP to support the project. Additional CIP support also ensures that the content is reviewed and meets each vested party’s training and departmental needs.
What They Are Not
CIPs are NOT instructional designers; therefore, you should (if you are the Instructional Designer), as a best practice, comprehend all performance objectives and intended learning outcomes prior to the start of the content gathering phase. Seeing the whole picture will help you identify content gaps and guide you to communicate and gather the appropriate recipes and chefs needed to support your learning initiative.
For example, training on how to put out pan fires does not mean the CIP needs to tell you about each type of pan, they need to tell you the process for putting out a pan fire and where to locate safety equipment.
How do you handle working with multiple CIPs on a project?
