Tips for Training (module 6.2)

Objectives Know what user training resources are available to you for HINARI Consider your institution’s training resources and how HINARI’s materials might be modified Review tips for successful training

Group exercises (end of presentation) When should you hold the training sessions? Who should attend the training? Where is it best to have the training? What resources will you require to hold a successful training session?

HINARI Training Materials Material from the course workbook or CD Numerous modules and tools at at http://www.who.int/hinari/training/en/ Material is updated regularly Includes a HINARI Training Material Overview Presentation

Recently developed ‘teaching tools’ Module 7: Additional Resources – Evidence-based Resources, E-book Resources, WHO Resources, Information Literacy, etc. HINARI ‘Short Course’ (3-4 hour course) also available as a distance learning course HINARI – The Basics (2 page document) HINARI DOs and DON’T’s Access Problems and Solutions Overview Authorship Skills training material How to Write a Scientific Paper Authorship Skills Web-bibliography Copyright and Plagiarism Tips for Effective Writing

Your Resources When planning for training consider the following: What facilities do you have for training? What equipment? Projector? How many computers? With Internet connection? Enough for hands-on work? If not, how can you make training interactive? What level of Internet and computer skills do your users have?

Tips for Successful Training Prepare beforehand Check the venue Facilitate learning Introduce training and participants Handle questions and discussion Troubleshoot Keep participants focused Ask open questions Summarize and evaluate Make improvements for future training

Preparation Do background reading and get hands-on experience Read presentation notes and annotate for yourself Don’t have to be expert; OK to say “I don’t know” and research/ask HINARI (hinari@who.int) Remember your own workshop experiences - What did and didn’t work?

Preparation continued Do the computer exercises and identify any problems Get list of attendees and information on their skill levels if possible Get contact details for venue and organizers if off-site Print out handouts and workbooks or put material on a CD Send material electronically in advance – such as the HINARI Sort Course

Check the Venue Arrive early Know support staff and their contact information and learn the layout if new venue Set up and check computers and other equipment Practice exercises again Get computer log ins and bookmark web resources; possibly put exercises on Desktop Organize materials

Facilitator’s Role To ‘create conditions in which learning can naturally take place’ Encourage ‘active learning’ - student discussion and cooperative, hands-on activities Minimize passive listening and note taking Be responsive to needs and interests of group

Facilitator’s Role continued Don’t talk to/read from screen Make eye contact and try for conversational style Encourage, listen and positively respond to participants’ comments, questions and feedback Listen to discussions but don’t interrupt; remember comments and questions for group discussion

Getting Started Introduce yourself Tell participants what will be covered and what they will gain Explain the timetable and the activities Point out the location of facilities (food, bathrooms, etc.) Find out what people already know and what they are interested in learning Make them feel at ease

Questions and Discussions Use people’s names when addressing them Tell people when you want them to ask questions (during or at end of presentation) Explain that questions increase learning for whole group Be enthusiastic and encouraging to all responses

Keeping Focus Listen to groups Clarify questions for individuals or group If unrelated discussion or web browsing, ask how participant’s doing and what conclusions they’ve reached If questions are off-topic, save for breaks or after workshop Assistant facilitators can help

When Things Go Wrong Overtime – keep your eye on the clock Broken projector – call technician and give the group an activity Slow/no web connection – call technician, continue lectures or review activities in workbook as a group Difficult participants – if the questions are distracting, deal with them during a break Time: Keep your eye on the clock. If you’re running late tell the participants. Ask them if they would like to continue for a little longer on the current activity, or if they would like to move on. If the workshop is going too fast, pause and allow discussion on the subject in greater depth, or have some interesting fallback topics available. Broken projector: Give the group a short discussion activity, or move on to a prepared task while you send for a technician. If it can’t be fixed, do the presentation asking participants to look at your prepared handouts. Slow/no web connection: Call for a technician. Point out that the workbooks are self-explanatory and that the exercises can still be completed when students leave the workshop (if they have a Web connection). Ask participants how they might handle this problem if it happened with their own students. If you have participants who have experience of the Web sites you are covering, get them to describe the content and their experience. If not you will have to describe it yourself. Keep a sense of humour! Difficult participants: Act calmly. If the person has concerns then raise them head-on “Would you like to share your thoughts with the group?” Sometimes people are difficult because they feel their views aren’t being acknowledged. If the person is asking too many questions, check to see if the rest of the group are interested in the subject. If the group seems annoyed, because time is being wasted, ask if the group would prefer moving on, with the questioner being answered during a break.

Changes for Next Time Reflect on problems and successes Look for trends in feedback Make notes on changes to be made to slides, exercises, handouts Share notes with other facilitators and HINARI (hinari@who.int) Make changes immediately before you forget or run out of time Ask about what you did not understand

Closure and Evaluation Conclude activities with summary Provide overall picture Ask open-ended questions instead of “Do you understand?’ Ask participants to reflect on their learning Be positive about achievements Hand out feedback forms

Tips for Successful Training (review) Prepare beforehand Check the venue Facilitate learning Introduce training and participants Handle questions and discussion Troubleshoot Keep participants focused Summarize and evaluate Make improvements for future training

Group Exercise When should you hold the training sessions? Who should attend the training? Where is it best to have the training? What resources will you require to hold a successful training session?

This is the end of Module 6.2 This module initially was developed by Information Training and Outreach Centre for Africa (ITOCA). (http://www.itoca.org) The original source is the International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications (INASP) ‘Introduction to the Internet’ training material. (http://www.inasp.info/training/internet/download/index.html) These materials, unless explicitly stated otherwise, are copyright INASP but can be replicated for educational use. Updated 2011 04