Building a Monster: A Case Study in Bad Training

In honor of Mary Shelley’s birthday, we’re celebrating Frankenstein Day on August 30 by discussing how Victor Frankenstein failed Instructional Design 101.

Dr. Victor Frankenstein had a dream: to create life from lifeless matter. But as any good instructional designer knows, a grand vision alone isn’t enough, you need a structured plan to ensure success. Instead of following a proven instructional design model like ADDIE  (Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation), Frankenstein skipped critical steps. (See: Instructional Design and ADDIE: An Overview.) The result? A confused, frustrated, and ultimately rampaging learner. Let’s break down his mistakes and see how proper training could have helped his misunderstood creation.

Step 1: Analysis – Know Your Learner

A key component of instructional design is understanding the learner’s needs, abilities, and prior knowledge. Frankenstein? He didn’t even conduct a basic skills assessment. Was the Monster prepared to integrate into society? Did he have any cognitive awareness of human behavior? Could he even speak? These were questions Frankenstein never asked.

Without proper analysis, he essentially threw his learner into the deep end of life with no floaties. Predictably, the Monster struggled, leading to frustration, isolation, and eventual violent outbursts.

Step 2: Design – Creating a Structured Learning Plan

After assessing a learner’s needs, instructional designers create structured learning objectives and content delivery strategies. Frankenstein’s plan? Just zap the creature with some lightning and hope for the best.

Instead of a gradual learning approach, he threw an overwhelming amount of information at the Monster (existence itself!) with no clear instructions. Imagine logging into your first day of online training only to be met with a blinking cursor and no guidance. Well, that’s basically what the Monster experienced.

Step 3: Development – Building Effective Training Materials

Once you have a design, you develop instructional materials: guides, videos, interactive elements. Frankenstein? Nothing. Not even a basic welcome packet.

Had he developed training resources, perhaps the Monster could have had access to:

• A “Welcome to Being Alive” handbook (including chapters like Why Fire is Hot and How to Introduce Yourself Without Terrifying People)
• Basic language training (to avoid the “grunting and pointing” phase)
• Soft skills development (like conflict resolution, instead of, say, throwing people into lakes)

Step 4: Implementation – Providing Support During Training

A good instructional designer ensures that learners have ongoing support. Frankenstein, however, abandoned his trainee almost immediately. Without guidance or a mentor, the Monster was left to piece together information on his own, leading to some highly questionable learning experiences.

If Frankenstein had used best practices, he might have included:

• Regular check-ins to ensure comprehension
• Office hours for questions like, “Why do people scream when they see me?”
• Peer mentoring – perhaps The Invisible Man or Mr. Hyde could have helped?

Step 5: Evaluation – Gathering Feedback and Making Improvements

The final stage of ADDIE is evaluation—analyzing whether the training was effective and making necessary improvements. Frankenstein never sought feedback, never iterated on his approach, and never stopped to ask, “Am I doing this right?”

Spoiler: He was not doing it right.

Had he conducted a post-training evaluation, he might have learned:

• The Monster’s communication skills needed improvement
• A structured integration plan into society would have been helpful
• Simply running away from your learner is not a sustainable instructional strategy

Final Thoughts: A Lesson for All Would-Be Monster Trainers

Victor Frankenstein’s failure wasn’t in creating life, but in failing to teach it. If he had followed the ADDIE model, perhaps his monster would have become a well-adjusted (if slightly stitched-together) citizen rather than a tragic figure of horror.

Let this be a lesson to instructional designers everywhere: proper training makes all the difference. And if you ever find yourself building a monster, at least provide a solid onboarding program!

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How Documentation and Training Helped the Rebels Blow Up the Death Star

Instructional Design and ADDIE: An Overview