IFS410 – End User Support Chapter 11 Training Computer Users

Training is a teaching and learning process that aims to build skills that are immediately useful to the trainees Related to, but different from, education Understanding of the goal What Training have you participated in lately? What Is Training?

Education aims to provide conceptual understanding and to build long-term thinking skills Provides basic vocabulary (concepts) Provides an understanding of general principles Intended to have long lasting effects Education

Focuses on performing activities and building expertise Often tested by measuring a trainee’s ability to perform specific tasks Can be short term Training

Four Ps of End-user Training: Step 1: Plan  Gather information about training objectives Step 2: Prepare  Gather and develop materials  Organize them into modules Step 3: Present  Deliver training modules Step 4: Progress  Evaluate and improve training The Training Process

Step One: Plan the Training (Overview) Determine Who the trainees are Background the trainees bring to the training What trainees need to know or be able to do as a result of training Level of skills trainees need What the trainees already know Specific learning or performance objectives

Specify topics to cover Organize the topics Select training environment Step Two: Prepare for the Training (Overview)

Possible sources of topics Trainer’s knowledge of what is important Training objectives (from Step 1 above) Topics covered by other trainers and writers Examples of successful training materials Decide what not to cover Avoid Copying training materials verbatim Covering too much information Specify Topics to Cover

Progress from lower level skills to higher level skills Introduce concepts and terms first Then provide explanations to build understanding Focus on building basic skills and abilities next Finally, build expertise Organize the Topics

No one, single learning style works for every trainee Each trainee has a preferred learning style Information retention and learning performance improves with activity and repetition How Learners Learn

Learning Styles Visual learner is a trainee who learns most effectively by seeing new material  Reading  Looking at picture or chart Auditory learner is a trainees who learns most effectively by listening to someone talk through new material  Listening to lecture Experiential learner is a trainee who learns most effectively by performing a task  Also called kinesthetic learning

Learning Methods and Retention

Delivery Method Delivery method is an instructional technology, media or approach to presenting information or training materials Lectures and readings are popular delivery methods, but are they the most effective?

Select a Delivery Method

Design Training Evaluation Methods Training assessment focuses on Trainee evaluation: How well did the trainees learn the material? Test or quiz Hands-on activities and exercises Trainer assessment: How well did the trainer prepare and present the material? Trainee performance results Evaluation form or survey

Provide vehicle for trainees’ perspective on strengths and areas that need improvement in a training session Sample questions Were training objectives clear? Were terms used in training defined? Was training well-organized? Were training aids useful? Evaluation Forms

Tips on Presentations A beta test run is a practice training session to give a trainer feedback on training materials on presentation on timing on transitions between topics Do a dry run at the training facility Computer equipment Projection equipment Lights Sound Furniture

More Tips on Presentations Use notes In outline form Don’t read an entire presentation Cover too little rather than too much Avoid trainee questions than may get off track Cover the important skills Avoid features that are “bells and whistles” Focus on education instead of entertainment

More Tips on Presentations Ask “quick check” questions of trainees Direct question Open-ended question Group discussion question Read the “body language” of trainees to see if they are comfortable, interested, bored, or inattentive Take frequent short breaks in a long session Get feedback from colleagues or a videotaped session

Step Four: Progress Toward Quality User Training Purpose: improve the quality of training Review feedback Evaluate trainer performance Modify Presentation Materials

Evaluation Resources for Trainer Results of training beta tests Results of trainee performance tests Trainee feedback on training Observations of training colleagues Videotaped training sessions

Tips on Training Quality Keep technical materials current Check materials against the latest versions of hardware and software Join an online training group, such as TechRepublic.com, and use their articles on training improvement

Learning Management System Learning management system is a software tool to automate training tasks Authoring tools Training session management Libraries of instructional and reference materials Trainee testing and exam management Progress tracking Record keeping Skills database Certification database