Lecture 8 - Conduct Training Activities PDF

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Lecture 8 – Conduct Training Activities

Welcome! This week of the (SEC1012) Awareness and Training course we will explore: Methods for creating an effective training program schedule for presentation to a target audience and illustrate the construction of assessment & participation reports for program participants. Learning Objectives By the end of this week you should be able to: 1. Plan a training program schedule for a target audience; and 2. Compile an assessment / participation report for program participants based on a training program’s learning objectives. Introduction To accomplish the objectives, we will: 1. Review the purpose of a training program; 2. Construct a training program schedule; 3. Review effective report construction; and 4. Compile assessment / participation reports for program participants. Preparing the Curriculum - An effective training program is built on a systematic, step-by-step process. Initiatives that stand alone (one-off events) will fail to meet organizational objectives and participant expectations. - Well-structured, customized, and up-to-date training will save your company money. Training Program Structure – Considerations Coordinating Effort Will Save Money In-House Trainers: Here are several reasons to maintain a qualified trainer or training staff. Inhouse trainers: - Know the organization from the inside - Understand your goals and objectives - Have direct experience with jobs in your facility - Know what equipment, machines, and tools your facility uses - Can customize training to match your specific needs - Have a relationship with trainees - Can be more flexible with the training schedule when situations occur that need to take priority over training - Can conduct a broader range of training, including on-the-job, coaching, informal, etc. - Are available to follow up after training - Cost less The disadvantages of outside trainers are that they: - Don’t know the employees or the operation from the inside

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May be costly May have scheduling problems (for example, arranging meetings with shift workers, employees in the field, etc.) Are usually not around afterward for follow-up

In short, be prepared to argue for and back up with numbers and facts whatever training methods you have determined to be the best way to keep your workforce trained and ready. This is the best way to get top management behind your efforts and willing to support a training mentality throughout the company. Their vocal and public support is critical to the success of your training program. Prepare Training Materials Preparing training materials in-house is more laborious than using prepackaged materials, but if done right, it only has to be done once. With a logically organized filing and storage system, you will have training sessions that are reusable and easy to update as equipment or procedures change. You will have complete control over what is trained in your company. According to the ASTD, preparation time varies for different training methods: - Traditional classroom training requires about 40 hours of research and development for 1 hour of instruction. - Computer-based training requires about 200 hours of research and development for 1 hour of instruction. - Video-based training requires anywhere from 40 to 120 hours of research and development for 1 hour of instruction. - Web-based training requires anywhere from 40 to 200 hours of research and development for 1 hour of instruction. With a logically organized filing and storage system, you will have training sessions that are reusable and easy to update as equipment or procedures change. You will have complete control over what is trained in your company. You may not have these kinds of hours to put together technologically advanced materials, but you can put together a solid training session. Lesson Plan Preparation Writing training materials requires several steps: 1. Specify training goals and objectives. List your objectives and refer to them often as you prepare subject matter so that you keep on message and achieve your training goals. 2. Present subject matter in a logical order. Explain the basics of the topic—and make sure trainees understand them—before going on to more detailed and technical information. 3. Emphasize the points that are most important. What facts or practices do trainees absolutely need to have or need to know how to do? Plan to spend most of your training time on these. Allocate less time to less important but still pertinent training points. 4. Customize training materials to your organization’s situation. Relate information to your company’s policies, procedures, tools, equipment, machines, personal protective equipment, etc. Update this section as tools or equipment is replaced or procedures are changed.

5. Incorporate interactive methods into your training. Find ways to keep trainees involved. 6. Write a training session plan. Some plans may be less detailed than others depending on the subject matter, but a plan should be written for every training session. Why? a. Written plans help ensure that all required information is presented. b. They document what is covered. c. They provide a library of customized training materials for your company’s training program. By retaining every plan in your training files, you make sure that no matter who does training, they will cover the objectives and goals that you have indicated need to be covered. 7. Plan for a question-and-answer session. Compose a list of potential questions and prepare answers. Sometimes planned material turns out to be only half the session. Good information is often passed both ways through Q&A sessions—trainees can clarify points or make trainers aware of current practices that may need updating; trainers can use this interactive method as a good indicator of how well trainees understand the material. General Outline of a Lesson Plan 1. Title of the training program 2. General goal of the training 3. Specific goal(s) of the training 4. Key points to be covered during the training 5. Company specifics (tools, machines, personal protective equipment, policies, procedures) 6. Audience makeup (beginners, refresher trainees, computer-literate, Spanish speaking 7. Training materials required for classroom instruction (videos, flip charts. 8. Training materials required for “hands on” training (mannequins, tools, materials) 9. Interactive activities 10. Anticipated questions along with correct answers Prepare the Training Space 1. Prepare classroom and hands-on training areas by checking for: a. Adequate seating arrangements b. Comfortable environmental conditions c. Sufficient lighting 2. Required equipment, such as video player/monitor, slide projectors, flip charts and other media, are available 3. Classroom preparation is extremely important. a. Even if your training space is a cordoned off part of the plant, cafeteria, or other work area, you need to get it ready for training. For example, make sure the area will accommodate the number of trainees for the session. If trainees have to stand or if they are packed uncomfortably tight, they will not be as receptive as possible to the material you present. b. Make sure you have enough handouts or other materials for trainees. c. Ensure tools, equipment, machines, or other props for demonstration or practice are working properly. The need for proper preparation cannot be overstated. Trainees will gather first impressions in the first few minutes of the session, and they will judge the material and the trainer on how prepared the training environment is. Everything should run smoothly at the start of the session.

4. As the person in charge of training, it’s up to you to develop standard preparation procedures to ensure a high standard of training. Every detail counts. Final Preparation 1. Ensure enough handouts or other materials for trainees. The need for proper preparation cannot be overstated. a. Trainees will gather first impressions in the first few minutes of the session, and they will judge the material and the trainer on how prepared the training environment is. Everything should run smoothly at the start of the session. 2. As the person in charge of training, it’s up to you to develop standard preparation procedures to ensure a high standard of training. Every detail counts. Preparing a Training Roadmap “When it comes to training, know your destination, plot the route, and know what milestones you are looking for. Guide your participants with a training roadmap, and watch your course pave the way to success.” Attribution: Mapping Out A Training Roadmap to Keep Employees on Course. P Schroeder What Is A Training Roadmap? - Sometimes referred to as a “learning path”, a training roadmap is a structured sequence of training activities that cumulatively teach a topic (or group of topics). As the name suggests, this is a method of mapping out training, but doing so gradually to make learning easier and better for the audience. - Creating a training roadmap is not the same as trying to build a self-contained lesson in an individual course. The roadmap approach requires you to think about each course as part of a unified whole, with each piece building on the last to achieve a collective value greater than the sum of its parts. - Roadmaps are prevalent throughout the training industry and at learning institutions across the country. They vary widely in scope; paths could be as short as a couple of days (a three-part intro to HTML program) or several years (a university degree program) in length. Three types of roadmaps are most common: o Career development - When an employee’s role expands or they are being groomed for a new one —a manager becoming an executive, for example— professional development roadmaps can help close competency gaps and ease the transition. o Customer training – Companies provide roadmaps to help customers reach competency with complex products, helping to improve satisfaction and generate leads for future business. This type of roadmap is especially prominent in the software industry. o Partner leadership. Training is key to making partnerships work. Companies will often deliver roadmaps to managers stakeholders and associates of their partner organizations to ensure their collaboration has maximum operational efficiency.

The Value of Mapping It Out - Training roadmaps are popular in the training industry for a host of reasons. First and foremost, they’re comprehensive. Spreading the learning over multiple sessions means that trainers don’t have to omit crucial content because of time, and they can ensure that trainees are achieving complete fluency in the topic. - In theory, the trade-off here is that training takes more time to complete, but that is not necessarily the case. Roadmaps make each individual training session resonate more with the audience, which saves time by reducing the need to retrain. In their book Learning Paths [2], Steven Rosenbaum and Jim Williams demonstrate that mapping out a training path can reduce time to proficiency by over 30 percent in just one month. - Furthermore, roadmaps can substantially increase interest in learning by showing how each piece of the training fits into growth and the future with the organization. Engagement rises, turnover falls and staff learns how to make a more substantial contribution. Putting the Road Map Together - If roadmaps teach us anything, it’s that it pays to focus on the bigger picture. - A training roadmap requires an investment of time, but the long-term reward: o Better performance: o Higher engagement; o Reduced costs; and o Stronger relationships. 5 Steps for Putting the Roadmap Together The process of creating a training roadmap should —like the roadmap itself— be broken into phases: 1. Define Your Objectives - As with any training initiative, the first step is to identify what you want out of it. Make a list of everything you want your participants to be able to do at the end of their learning path. 2. Turn Your Objectives into Training Topics - Connect the goals to specific training topics and create a list of important points to cover for each topic. Detailing all the knowledge and skills you want your audience to gain from each topic will help you create content later. 3. Sequence the Topics - Once you have a finalized list of training topics, determine a sequence that will have maximum impact. This is one of the most important steps in creating a roadmap because the order in which we receive information has a significant effect on how we digest it. There are a range of effective ways [3] to sequence learning content. Trainers can organize topics based on their order of importance, the familiarity trainees have with said topics, cause-and-effect relationships or countless other models. Probably the most basic factor in sequencing, however, is prerequisites. If you have to learn topic ABC before you can learn topic XYZ, then ABC should obviously come first. Remember that no two people learn the same way. If you’re able to gather information on your audience’s knowledge, backgrounds and training preferences, you can create segmented training roadmaps for different groups within your audience.

4. Develop, Implement, And Show the Reward - This is the point where you can start placing your course(s) into a custom learning path on your Learning Management System. 5. Release Your Training - At last, you’re ready to send your participants down the path you’ve created. As participants begin working through the roadmap, remember to track results and solicit feedback so you can continually improve your process and make better roadmaps in the future. Preparing the Program Syllabus - A syllabus is both a document about the program content, goals, and elements and a guide for participants to the kind of teaching and learning they can expect. - A well-structured syllabus invites participants to take responsibility for their own learning. Developing a Program Syllabus Essential Information Course syllabi vary widely in length, format, content, and style. However, all course syllabi should incorporate the following key information: Administrative Details 1. Course name, number and designator (e.g., ENG 100F – Effective Writing) 2. Your name and contact information (e.g., office location and office hours, course web site address, email address) 3. Teaching Assistant name and contact information (as applicable) Course Description 1. A brief paragraph describing the focus and goals of the course 2. Requirements for the course (e.g., pre-requisites, language requirements) 3. Indicate whether the course is a pre-requisite for upper level courses Required Texts or Readings 1. Provide the details of any required texts for the course, including where students can obtain copies 2. Indicate if any of the course readings have been placed on short term loan 3. You may also wish to include additional recommended readings 4. Indicate what material is also (or exclusively) available on the course web site (if applicable) Course Work and Grading - Instructors should provide a clear breakdown of the work required in the course, including due dates and assignment weights. In addition, instructors should provide an overview of each assignment and its assessment criteria. (This information can be included in the course syllabi or provided in more detail on a separate handout.)

Key Dates and Deadlines - This may be included under course work and grading portion or in the week-by-week breakdown (see below), or you might remind students in a separate section. You can also include information about required outings or events Course/Departmental/Divisional Policies Instructors may wish to outline departmental, divisional, or their own policies regarding: 1. Expectations for participation and attendance 2. Deadlines for assignment submissions 3. Submission methods (e.g., in person or electronically through Turnitin.com) 4. Extensions or penalties for late work 5. Email response time 6. Academic integrity/plagiarism Copyright in Instructional Settings - If a student wishes to tape-record, photograph, videorecord or otherwise reproduce lecture presentations, course notes or other similar materials provided by instructors, he or she must obtain the instructor’s written consent beforehand. Otherwise all such reproduction is an infringement of copyright and is absolutely prohibited. In the case of private use by students with disabilities, the instructor’s consent will not be unreasonably withheld. Support and Accommodation - Note any relevant support services and include a statement that reminds participants who require accommodation for a disability to register with accessibility services. Week-by-week Breakdown of In-class Activities Instructors may wish to provide a weekly breakdown of the material to be covered in class (and in tutorials, if applicable). Required and recommended readings may also be highlighted. Using Your Syllabus as A Learning Tool Your syllabus can be an important source of information about the course material and about learning in your field. You can develop a syllabus that describes: 1. Course goals and outcomes. This might include an outline of the disciplinary content and skills that students will learn through the course but might also address broader skills or topics (e.g. research methodology) that may contribute or draw on other courses or fields of study. 2. Key topics and the ways in which they are connected and prioritized. This can even be presented graphically: a. See Nilson, L. (2007). The graphic syllabus and the outcomes map: Communicating your course. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. 3. The ways in which information is organized, evaluated, and debated in your field. For example, you might provide a brief overview or background to the study of the topic itself (for example, when it emerged as a field or study, different ways in which it has been researched and taught), some history of the course (for example, new topics or sections that have been added or eliminated, new teaching methods or elements of

course), or some information about how to perform scholarly work in the discipline (for example, and introduction on how to read particular kinds of texts or sources or how to use and interact with the course material). Together, these elements create what is often referred to as a “learner-centred” syllabus. For more tips on using your syllabus as a learning tool, see: Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, Iowa State University. (1998). Learning centered syllabi workshop. Retrieved from http://www.celt.iastate.edu/teaching/preparing-to-teach/how-to-create-an-effective-syllabus Options for Additional Information You might also want to include some or all of these additional pieces of information to help your students prepare for the course: 1. A description of your expectations for course activities (for example, for participation, preparation, workload or time spent on assignments, requesting additional feedback) 2. Any additional supplies, materials, or equipment that are required or might help students succeed in the course 3. Responses to “Frequently Asked Questions” about the course or the course material 4. Your teaching philosophy statement or other information about your interest in the topic Time to check your learning! Let’s see how many key concepts you recall by answering the following questions! 1. Why do initiatives that stand alone (one-off events) generally fail to meet organizational objectives and participant expectations? 2. Describe the purpose of a training program roadmap. 3. What is the purpose of a Program Syllabus? What is Assessment? - ‘Assess’ comes from the Latin verb ‘assidere’ meaning ‘to sit with’. - In assessment one is supposed to sit with the learner. This implies it is something we do ‘with’ and ‘for’ students and not ‘to’ students (Green, 1999). Good Training Practices When we consider the development and implementation of training and/or awareness programs we must consider several recognized good practices. 1. Maximizes student/faculty contact. 2. Develops student cooperation. 3. Uses active learning techniques. 4. Gives feedback promptly. 5. Emphasizes time on task. 6. Communicates high expectations...