Panayiotis Christodoulou

Objectives  Major site preparation steps for computer installations  Important tasks to prepare an installation site  The purpose and contents of a site management notebook  Tools needed to install hardware  Steps to install and configure hardware  Steps to install and configure an operating system and network connection  Steps to install and configure applications software packages  Wrap-up tasks that installers often perform

 Goals of training activities  Steps in the training process  How to plan a training session  How to prepare a training session  How to present a training module  How to progress toward quality training

 Training is a teaching and learning process that aims to build skills that are immediately useful to the trainees.  Education is a teaching and learning process that aims to provide conceptual understanding and long-term thinking skills. Training focuses on performing activities and building expertise that will be immediately useful. People sometimes associate education with a school environment and training with an industrial or organizational environment. However, some schools have a mission that includes training, such as vocational-technical schools and community colleges. Also, education often occurs outside of a school environment, because skills training is usually based on a firm foundation of conceptual knowledge.

 Step one is to plan the training. It is important to determine the trainees’ backgrounds. Adult students bring their personal experiences to the training session and a trainer can build on prior experiences and use analogies as they teach skills. Once trainers know who the trainees are, they determine what the trainees need to know based on the kinds of job or tasks they will be asked to perform, what specific skills they will need, and how expert the trainees need to be at these skills.

 After trainers define the content trainees need, they need to determine the skill level that trainees need. There are several ways to classify skills in education and training. One way to classify skill levels is by concepts or the ability to use basic vocabulary, understanding or the ability to explain concepts, skills or the ability to perform a basic task and expertise or the ability to perform a task effectively and efficiently.

 A successful trainer should establish what trainees already know. When the trainees are adults, training should start with a brief review of how the training material fits with what they already know and then move quickly to new material. One way to gauge what trainees already know is by interviewing the trainees, supervisors or by administering a pretest. By determining the range of skills, a trainer might be able to identify a group of novice users who might need more pre-training preparation before attending a workshop. When planning training for a general audience that has a wide variety of skill levels and job functions, a trainer should try to focus the materials and examples that are common to a wide group of users. Trainers should also be sensitive to situations that present users with a wide diversity of cultural and language backgrounds.

 In the final planning step, trainers should specify the learning or performance objectives for the training. Learning objectives are a statement of the knowledge and skills trainees need to learn. Performance objectives are a statement of what trainees should be able to do at the end of a training session. Trainers often summarize the results of the planning steps in a goal statement.

 During the training preparation step, a trainer develops more detail about the specific topics that will be covered and how these topics will be organized. Based on the learning and performance objectives defined in step 1, trainers decide which topics to cover. Most trainees prefer a session that devotes adequate time to fewer topics instead of a rushing through a training session that tries to cover twice as much material than can reasonably be covered. Training topics should be organized to begin with lower-level skills and progress to higher- level skills. This can be accomplished by introducing concepts and terms first, followed by explanations to enhance trainee understanding.

 The most common training environments are classes (15-25 trainees), small groups (12 or fewer trainees), one-to-one training, and self-guided tutorials. Classroom training is more cost-effective because the ratio of trainees to trainers is high. Trainees in a small group environment of up to 12 trainees have an advantage over classroom sessions in that they may receive more individual assistance, however, the cost per trainee is higher. One-to-one training is the ultimate small group. It is also the most effective environment because the trainer can closely monitor the trainee’s learning curve and provide help and feedback. The cost, however, is very high per trainee. Self- guided training, in which the trainee works alone without a trainer, appear to be the most cost-effective training environment because there is no trainer cost once the materials have been prepared. The problem, however, is that trainees might not be able to obtain necessary assistance and feedback from a trainer.

 All students have different ways that enable them to learn effectively. Some people can learn new information by reading about it or by working through self-guided materials. However, others need the structure and motivation of formal training environment. In general, information retention and learning performance improves with activity and repetition. Learning can also be a social phenomenon and can be influenced by the relationship with peers and the trainer.

 A delivery method is a choice among several instructional technologies, media, or approaches to present information. The lecture method is a common way to communicate information from the instructor to the student, however, the leaner is generally a passive participant in the learning process. Reading a textbook, trade book, or vendor manual can be an effective way to learn vocabulary and concepts but the reading materials need to be directed at the appropriate reading level for the learner. Online reading assignments can be an effective delivery method. For some types of training, group discussion can be an improvement over the lecture method because it more actively engages trainees in the learning process.

 Visual aids can be an effective supplement to lectures and reading because they take advantage of visual learning. Multimedia materials include a combination of text, still images, animation, and sound which can be more effective than still visual aids. The cost may be prohibitive for a one-time training session, however, if the materials can be used for multiple sessions it can make the cost per session affordable. If hands-on training is not possible, product demonstration using a LCD or DLP projector can also be used.

 Handouts and reference sheets can be useful tools for trainees after the training session ends and they return to their office. Hands on training is useful, however, when individual access to hardware or software is not available, product demonstrations can be a valuable tool. Self-guided tutorials, which permit trainees to work through an interactive learning session at their own place, are one of the most effective ways for computer users to learn new information or how to perform basic tasks. Hands-on activities (sometimes called lab exercises) and practical projects let trainees try what they have learned, build skills and expertise, and learn to become independent users.

 Larger projects, sometimes called case studies, are designed to encourage trainees to make the transition from the artificial environment of the training room to the realities of the business world. Another common learning strategy for effective communication and customer service skills is role playing, where trainees participate in a rehearsal of a work environment situation.  Collaborative learning activities may involve group discussions, collective hands-on activities, group problem solving, or participation in a joint case study team. Computer-based training (CBT) includes a combination of tutorials, multimedia presentations, product demonstrations, and hand-on activities that use a computer system as an automated training system. Web- based training (WBT) is very similar to computer-based training, except that the Internet replaces CD-ROMs as the delivery media.

 It is clear that there is a revolution in the training industry concerning the delivery of training materials. The role of the trainer and the training provided will change, however, trainers will not disappear entirely. In the future, trainers will likely spend relatively more of their time to assess the training needs of employees, plan and design training programs, evaluate and recommend training materials, motivate trainees, help trainees make transitions between modules, assess training performance and effectiveness and assist trainees when individual attention is needed. Most trainers do not develop materials for training sessions from scratch. Successful trainers rely heavily on existing materials including vendor manuals, trade books, industry training packages, and other resources.

 The last training preparation task is assessment, which ensures that the training has met the intended learning goals. The first training assessment is feedback to the trainees on how well they met the learning objectives, which can be in the form of a test or quiz that covers concepts and vocabulary. The second training assessment activity is feedback to the trainer about his or her instruction. By assessing how users perform on tests and hands-on activities trainers can see where training was effective and the areas that need to be improved. Trainer evaluation forms are another way for trainers to obtain feedback on their performance.

 The training presentation should follow the training plan developed in step 2. First a trainer should practice the training session with one or more colleagues to evaluate training materials and identify problem areas prior to the actual training session. On the day of the training, the trainer should arrive early at the facility and check out the equipment and physical arrangements for the training.

 When presenting the material, it is better for the trainer to have a general familiarity with what they plan to say rather than to read directly from notes. It is also better to cover less material thoroughly than to cover too much material too fast. The trainer should also concentrate on teaching the most important skills. Also, use humor carefully. It is important to avoid making negative comments or ridiculing training participants.

 A trainer should stop periodically to make sure that the trainees are following the material. They should also keep an eye on the training environment to make sure that users are comfortable and focused on the training. If the sessions are scheduled to run longer than an hour to two, there should be scheduled breaks. A rule of thumb is to schedule the first break after about 45 minutes, and a break every 30 to 45 minutes thereafter.  Once a new trainer becomes comfortable with the training process, it is useful to have other professional trainers evaluate them. Other trainers can spot even small mannerisms that could be distracting during training sessions.

 After each training session, trainers should review the feedback they receive and evaluate their own performance.  Through the comments and suggestions brought to light in the training feedback, trainers can modify their presentation style or training materials to correct any problem areas that were identified. Since technology changes so quickly, the currency of technical materials should be reviewed before the next presentation. A learning management system is a software tool that automates many tasks associated with a training program.

 Learning management systems may feature: ◦ authoring tools (especially for Web-based interactive multimedia training sessions) ◦ training session management, including facilities, equipment, and trainee scheduling trainer access to libraries of instructional and reference materials and media ◦ trainee testing and exam management ◦ trainee progress tracking and record keeping, including skills and certification databases