Assessment_of_Training_Materials

SEPTEMBER 2010 || Andy Dunne | Contents Contents 2 Introduction 3 Assessment of Training Materials Suitability 3 Description of Training 3 Course Content 3 Purpose of Training 3 Training Objectives 3 Training Room Requirements 4 Access to the Isotrak System 4 Training PC’s 4 Projector 4 Portable Training Units 4 User Guides / Quick Reference Guides 4 How to assess which materials are most suitable 4 Power Point Presentation 5 Monitoring and Reviewing Learners Progress in the Session 5 General Questions 5 Group Discussions 5 Trainees Train Back 5 Quizzes 5 Changes and Development in Technology and E-Learning 5 Technology 5 E-learning 6 Introduction Changes are taking place in society, particularly in higher education. The explosion of knowledge and information technology has virtually altered the characteristics of the learning environment, paving the way for new learning experiences (Chutima Sacchanand 2000) Assessment of Training Materials Suitability Before each training session is planned, I visit the customer to discuss requirements and Isotrak functionality; this gives me the opportunity to understand how Isotrak will fit into the customers operation, terminology used by the customer, who will be attending the training, anybody with learning difficulties, language barriers, disabilities and food allergies. Once i have obtained the relevant information, I will then produce a training plan, see Appendix A; the plan includes: • Description of training • Course content • Purpose of training • Training objectives Description of Training The description includes how the training will be delivered and what will be expected of each of the attendees Course Content This includes the length of the course and what will be covered Purpose of Training Why are they there Training Objectives Training objectives are clearly stated at the start of the training course and training evaluation is carried out through every section of the training to ensure that all objectives are met Once the training plan has been developed, I will then decide on materials and requirements to back up the training, this includes: • Training room requirements • Access requirements to the Isotrak system • Training PC’s • Projector • Portable training units • User guides • Quick reference guides Training Room Requirements I will ensure that the training room is large enough to accommodate all attendees comfortably Access to the Isotrak System During the initial meeting with the customer, I will obtain the system access requirements, see Appendix B; for each of the attendees and add each of them to the Isotrak system, I will then produce a user name and password document for each person and issue on day 1 of the training Training PC’s In preparation for the training, I will book the training PC’s to ensure availability, I will also arrange for the PC’s to be set up in the training room the day before training is due to commence to ensure full network coverage and system access Projector All of the training rooms at Isotrak contain projectors, I will ensure that the room booked still has its projector and test it by connecting to my laptop and running through my presentation. If the projector is missing, I will pre-book one of our portable projectors and test to ensure it is fully functional Portable Training Units If the customer requires their drivers to log into the Isotrak system, I will provide portable training units to enable all attendees to run through the driver procedure, see Appendix C; I will also provide full documentation for the procedure User Guides / Quick Reference Guides User guides for all aspects of the Isotrak system have been produced by me and are provided to each attendee at the end of the training course. Quick reference guides, see Appendix C1; are provided where necessary. QRG’s have been produced by me for all driver procedures but should the customer require bespoke QRG’s, these will be produced on demand How to assess which materials are most suitable To assess which materials are most suitable to support the learners following training, I evaluate the training requirements and issue every learner with a CD ROM (or Data Stick if the CD ROM drive is not accessible), the CD contains numerous user guides produced by me which cover all aspects of the Isotrak system. During the training session, I run through the user guides with the learners that would best assist them in their duties. All of the user guides are produced in the standard Isotrak format. They are set out as a step by step guide with screen dumps using easy to follow instructions. Power Point Presentation When producing my PowerPoint presentation, I firstly look at the learning styles questionnaires that have been returned to me by the learners, I can then create my PowerPoint to suit all learning styles e.g. if someone is more of a visual learner, I will include more slides. When producing the slides, I always use the standard Isotrak format: • Font type= Interstate Light • Font size= 14 I never make the slides to ‘wordy’, I list bullet points and talk around each one, I also include graphics and even video to my slides. When testing the projector in the training room, I always run through my presentation to ensure that it is in the correct flowing order and even ask a couple of colleagues to come and sit in various places in the training room to ensure that the slides are clear and legible. Monitoring and Reviewing Learners Progress in the Session My training sessions are all broken down into sections, before ending one section and moving onto the next, there are a number of exercises to perform: • General questions • Group discussions • Trainees train back • Quizzes General Questions These are questions thrown open to the group in general concerning the section just covered Group Discussions Group discussions are based around the section just covered to offer a better understanding of how each of the sections fit into their operation and also to discuss best practises such as, when something needs to be done, how it is to be done and who is required to do it. Trainees Train Back Most of my training sessions are now Train the Trainer. Each attendee is expected to be able to train back certain aspects of Isotrak functionality to the group. To select a person to take the floor, I use a random number generator which is built into my PowerPoint presentation, each person in attendance is given a card on which a number is written. After each trainee has finished their train back session, we discuss as a group and offer feedback. Quizzes I would normally run a short quiz immediately after the lunch break; these can take the form of PowerPoint quizzes or question and answer sheets, see Appendix D Changes and Development in Technology and E-Learning Technology A number of changes have taken place over the last 5 years within Isotrak in the way in which training is delivered. Posters were originally used to display different screen shots of the Isotrak system and printed PowerPoint slides were used in a folder as prompts for the trainer. The use of PowerPoint projected onto a screen or wall is now common practise, this also enables me to create links to other PPT presentations and web sites allowing a more consistent flow in the training session, see Appendix E. We also now provide training PC’s (as mentioned in the Assessment of Training Materials section), these are in the form of Sony Vaio’s and have large enough screens to comfortably accommodate two trainees. User guides were issued to the customers in printed format. I recently took it upon myself to completely overhaul the training materials and the way in which we issue these to the customer, we no longer mass produce user guides but instead, create a CD containing all relevant user guides in PDF format, see Appendix F. The customer then has the option of copying these files to a central server that is easily accessible to all users. Going forward, with further advances in technology, we now have the option of interactive whiteboards, which offers a large interactive display that connects to a computer and projector. The projector projects the computers desktop onto the board’s surface where users can control the computer using a pen, finger or other device. The board can be wall mounted or fixed onto a floor stand (Wikipedia –http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interactive_whiteboard) In terms of monitoring and reviewing learner’s progress in a training session, in some instances, the interactive whiteboard may be provided with an integrated audience response system so presenters can carry out polls and quizzes and capture the feedback on the interactive whiteboard (Wikipedia –http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interactive_whiteboard) E-learning Currently, we do not offer e-learning as an option, but this doesn’t rule out the possibility of adopting this format in the future. I have recently undertaken a Microsoft Certified training course with the Home Learning College, which was solely based on e-learning, I found this very flexible and fitted in with my busy work schedule as most of my studying was done in the evenings. There was also a tutor on hand to provide support (http://vlc.homelearningcollege.com). ----------------------- |Andy Dunne |NVQ LEVEL 3 – Learning & Development |