How My Cats Helped Me Quickly Develop Training Materials
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Through the lens of various cat photos, this presentation examines nine steps for quickly developing standalone training programs.
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How My Cats Helped Me Quickly Develop Training Materials
- 1. How My Cats Helped Me Quickly Develop Training Materials Jamye Sagan H-E-B Pharmacy @gimli_the_kitty #stc20
- 2. @gimli_the_kitty #stc20 How My Cats Helped Me Quickly Develop Training Materials About me Rx Communications Advisor at H-E-B Member of Instructional Design & Learning SIG (and other SIGs), and the South Central TX Chapter Loves knitting & cats (just not together)
- 3. @gimli_the_kitty #stc20 How My Cats Helped Me Quickly Develop Training Materials What We’ll Cover Nine steps for assembling a basic training course from start to finish Each step will feature: Photo(s) & kitty tale Food (discussion) Kitty treats (tips & reminders)
- 4. @gimli_the_kitty #stc20 How My Cats Helped Me Quickly Develop Training Materials Nine Lives, Nine Steps 1. Prepare for the new arrival. 2. Keep your eyes on the goal. 3. Cats hate hats. Keep things simple. 4. Take small bites. Don’t gulp down your food. 5. Prepare for change. 6. Embrace playtime – dig right in! 7. Practice, practice, practice!! 8. Love & praise, but use the squirt gun when necessary. 9. Take a cat nap – rest, but remain alert!
- 5. @gimli_the_kitty #stc20 How My Cats Helped Me Quickly Develop Training Materials Step 1: Prepare for the new arrival.
- 6. @gimli_the_kitty #stc20 How My Cats Helped Me Quickly Develop Training Materials Basic project information Topic Audience Project deadlines Deliverable(s) Delivery method(s)
- 7. @gimli_the_kitty #stc20 How My Cats Helped Me Quickly Develop Training Materials Kitty Treats: Gathering project info Who • Audience • SMEs • Stakeholder s • Updates What • Content • Format of deliverables When • Deadline: Training • Timeline (review) Where • Training location (not necessarily physical) Why • Reason for learning the material
- 8. @gimli_the_kitty #stc20 How My Cats Helped Me Quickly Develop Training Materials More Kitty Treats: Gathering project info Get everything in writing Email OK Keep stakeholders in the loop!
- 9. @gimli_the_kitty #stc20 How My Cats Helped Me Quickly Develop Training Materials Step 2: Keep your eyes on the goal.
- 10. @gimli_the_kitty #stc20 How My Cats Helped Me Quickly Develop Training Materials About learning objectives What do your learners need to know? 80/20 rule Define your learning objectives Objectives must be: Specific Measurable Tangible
- 11. @gimli_the_kitty #stc20 How My Cats Helped Me Quickly Develop Training Materials Kitty Treats: Crafting Good Learning Objectives 1. What is the desired outcome? 2. Under what conditions? 3. What defines success?
- 12. @gimli_the_kitty #stc20 How My Cats Helped Me Quickly Develop Training Materials More Kitty Treats: Bloom’s Taxonomy Verbs! Verbs! Verbs! Use specific actions. Refer to Bloom’s Taxonomy for examples of measurable verbs to use. http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/bloom.html http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/bloom.html
- 13. @gimli_the_kitty #stc20 How My Cats Helped Me Quickly Develop Training Materials Step 3: Cats hate hats. Keep things simple.
- 14. @gimli_the_kitty #stc20 How My Cats Helped Me Quickly Develop Training Materials Simply simple Cover only what your learners need to know. Refer back to your learning objectives. Include non-essential info as reference material.
- 15. @gimli_the_kitty #stc20 How My Cats Helped Me Quickly Develop Training Materials Kitty Treats: Keeping Material Simple Build your own reference library. Intranet Refer to library throughout training. Focus on the objectives!
- 16. @gimli_the_kitty #stc20 How My Cats Helped Me Quickly Develop Training Materials Step 4: Take small bites. Don’t gulp down your food.
- 17. @gimli_the_kitty #stc20 How My Cats Helped Me Quickly Develop Training Materials About chunking content Chunking: breaking & rearranging info Why chunk? Easier to… Retain knowledge Conduct on-demand or OJT learning Update materials Avoid cognitive overload
- 18. @gimli_the_kitty #stc20 How My Cats Helped Me Quickly Develop Training Materials Components of Chunking • Breaking info down to bitsDividing • Arranging the bits in a logical mannerOrganizing
- 19. @gimli_the_kitty #stc20 How My Cats Helped Me Quickly Develop Training Materials How to chunk 1. See how info is already structured. 2. Remove non- essential info. 3. Cover one concept per chunk. 4. Group related concepts together.
- 20. @gimli_the_kitty #stc20 How My Cats Helped Me Quickly Develop Training Materials Kitty Treats: Chunking content Start from “the big picture” on down. Look for patterns in your information. Don’t just divide your content into small pieces – rearrange the pieces
- 21. @gimli_the_kitty #stc20 How My Cats Helped Me Quickly Develop Training Materials More Kitty Treats: Chunking Examples Multiple modules One-topic videos (< 4 min.) or animated GIFs Variety
- 22. @gimli_the_kitty #stc20 How My Cats Helped Me Quickly Develop Training Materials Step 5: Prepare for change.
- 23. @gimli_the_kitty #stc20 How My Cats Helped Me Quickly Develop Training Materials Making materials easy to update Use ubiquitous utensils. Develop plan for handling updates.
- 24. @gimli_the_kitty #stc20 How My Cats Helped Me Quickly Develop Training Materials Kitty Treats: Making materials easy to update & distribute Chunk your content Don’t disdain simple tools
- 25. @gimli_the_kitty #stc20 How My Cats Helped Me Quickly Develop Training Materials Step 6: Embrace playtime – dig right in!
- 26. @gimli_the_kitty #stc20 How My Cats Helped Me Quickly Develop Training Materials Examples: Training Content Lecture • Introduce topic • One-way Demonstration • Show steps • Live, pictures, etc. Discussion • Two-way • Various media Online learning • Software practice • Grouping chunked media Role Play • Scenarios • Feedback
- 27. @gimli_the_kitty #stc20 How My Cats Helped Me Quickly Develop Training Materials Kitty Treats: Creating Course Content Include a variety of delivery methods Appeal to the senses Know your limits – but still reach for the stars
- 28. @gimli_the_kitty #stc20 How My Cats Helped Me Quickly Develop Training Materials Step 7: Practice, practice, practice!
- 29. @gimli_the_kitty #stc20 How My Cats Helped Me Quickly Develop Training Materials Letting learners practice Incorporate practice opportunities Simulations Role-play Hands-on exercises Encourage practice outside the course Reference materials Assessment checklists
- 30. @gimli_the_kitty #stc20 How My Cats Helped Me Quickly Develop Training Materials Assessment checklists
- 31. @gimli_the_kitty #stc20 How My Cats Helped Me Quickly Develop Training Materials Kitty Treats: Building in Practice Opportunities Allow extra time for hands-on and role-play. Focus on most complex and most commonly- used items. Don’t do it “just because”.
- 32. @gimli_the_kitty #stc20 How My Cats Helped Me Quickly Develop Training Materials Step 8: Love and praise, but use the squirt gun when needed.
- 33. @gimli_the_kitty #stc20 How My Cats Helped Me Quickly Develop Training Materials Why feedback? Why feedback? Reinforces desired behavior Reduces unwanted behavior Good feedback is: Immediate (or as immediate as possible) Specific Focused on the behavior, not the person
- 34. @gimli_the_kitty #stc20 How My Cats Helped Me Quickly Develop Training Materials Performance Evaluation Checklist
- 35. @gimli_the_kitty #stc20 How My Cats Helped Me Quickly Develop Training Materials Kitty Treats: Feedback & Evaluation Summary Feedback: Immediate and specific Focus on behavior Make sure evaluations align with learning objectives!
- 36. @gimli_the_kitty #stc20 How My Cats Helped Me Quickly Develop Training Materials Step 9. Take a cat nap – rest, but remain alert!
- 37. @gimli_the_kitty #stc20 How My Cats Helped Me Quickly Develop Training Materials Why course evaluations? Help improve course quality Help trainers improve training skills Identify any areas for improvement
- 38. @gimli_the_kitty #stc20 How My Cats Helped Me Quickly Develop Training Materials Kitty Treats: Easy Peasy Course Evaluation Survey • Name one thing you learned that you can apply. • List one thing you liked about the course. • List one thing you would change about the course. Three simple questions
- 39. @gimli_the_kitty #stc20 How My Cats Helped Me Quickly Develop Training Materials More Kitty Treats: Inviting Responses Maintain anonymity. Distribute survey at end of training. Keep it short and sweet.
- 40. @gimli_the_kitty #stc20 How My Cats Helped Me Quickly Develop Training Materials “Learning shouldn’t be a one-time event. Instead, it should be an evolving and adaptive process that creates a unique and personalized experience for each learner.” --John Eades
- 41. @gimli_the_kitty #stc20 How My Cats Helped Me Quickly Develop Training Materials Contact Info – Jamye Sagan Email jamye.sagan@gmail.com sagan.jamye@heb.com Twitter: @gimli_the_kitty LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/pub/jamye- sagan/34/164/154 SlideShare: http://www.slideshare.net/JLSagan
- 42. @gimli_the_kitty #stc20 How My Cats Helped Me Quickly Develop Training Materials Thank Mew!
Hinweis der Redaktion
- How My Cats Helped Me Quickly Develop Training Materials With SimulLive, you get to hear my presentation and I get to interact with you via chat. SimulLive: A great way of splitting myself into two without actually having to physically do so
- ** TWO CLICKS ** CLICK 1: about me CLICK 2: the kitties
- In this presentation, we will cover: ** CLICK 1 ** Nine steps for assembling a basic training course from start to finish – like nine lives. ** CLICK 2 ** For each step, I will share some kitty photos and a brief story, followed by some food for thought, and some kitty treats – or tips to remember. NOTE: This presentation is for simple, quick, ad hoc courses – not ones that will involve months of work and instructional design.
- 9 clicks total, one for each point Prepare for the new arrival. (Info) Keep your eyes on the goal. (Objectives) Cats hate hats. Keep things simple. (simplify) Take small bites. Don’t gulp down your food. (chunk) Prepare for change. (update) Embrace playtime – dig right in! (develop) Practice, practice, practice!! (practice) Love & praise, but use the squirt gun when necessary. (feedback) Take a cat nap – rest, but remain alert! (eval)
- Step 1: Prepare for the new arrival. **CLICK** Story: Whenever we introduce a new kitten to the household, we take basic steps to eventually introduce them to the rest of the house. For the first week or two, the kitten has full reign of the spare room, where we have food and water, bed, toys, and litter box. I’ll leave a towel where the kitten can deposit its scent. I do the same with the resident cats. I then swap towels so the kitties can get used to each other scents. Then at the end of this period I’ll bring the kitten out in a large cage for frequent supervised visits with the other cats. After a bit of hissing, they get used to seeing each other. I also have supervised visits in the kitten’s room with the other cats. Eventually, the kitten will have full reign of the house with the cats. They’ve all gotten along ever since.
- 1 CLICK TOTAL So now you get a request to create an ad hoc training course. The first thing you want to do is gather basic project information – **CLICK** create a learning plan to gather determine exactly what you will need to cover in the training, as well as basic course logistics such as deliverables needed, deadlines, and such. This needs not be formal, although I recommend they be written for later reference and record. In my experience, email records will suffice.
- For a quick and effective learning plan, think of the 5Ws of journalism * click while saying * who, what, when, where, and why. ** CLICK ** Ask these questions – think of the 5 Ws: Who (audience) Intended audience that will need to be trained? Example: CBD course for pharmacists and non-pharms covered more detailed chemistry composition of CBD Subject matter experts – from whom you would get your information Stakeholders – who needs to approve the content. In some cases, SMEs and stakeholders can be the same person. You just need a clear point of contact for project approval Also, who will be responsible for reviewing the course and making updates? Most of the time, that may be you. But check just in case. ** CLICK ** What (content or medium) What needs to be covered? Can be discussed further in course development Also discuss possible media to use, and what will be available to the learners (example, will they be able to view videos?) Deadlines play a major role in developing the course. If you’re crunched for time, obviously you cannot create fancy interactions. ** CLICK ** When (training takes place, and associated deadlines) 1st question: When do folks need to be trained? Work backwards from there. For example, you will need to consider: Time for course materials to be uploaded to LMS and tested Time for any pilot testing (in this case, it would probably be a member of the intended audience reviewing the material - nothing fancy) Time for stakeholders to review and approve content, and for you to make changes ** CLICK ** Where (where how training is delivered) Does not have to be a physical place per se More of where audience will go to be trained – at a facility? Online? Mobile devices? On the job Also, cover how audience is notified of this training course. It may be covered already via established communication channels, but you want to make sure the word gets out. ** CLICK ** Why Reason for learning the new concept? Regulatory? Sales-oriented? Easier process? “Why should I learn this material?”
- 2 CLICKS TOTAL ** CLICK 1 ** Make sure you get everything in writing. Even if you meet in person, summarize your discussion in an email so it’s in writing. ** CLICK 2 ** Most importantly, keep your stakeholders in the loop, especially if there are potential project delays, or if you are not getting the information you need! Now that you have gathered your training project info, it’s time to define the learning objectives.
- Step 2: Keep your eyes on the goal. **CLICK** As a kitten, Gimli would do anything to reach the dangling plant on the bookshelf. At first, he would try to leap directly from the floor to the top shelf, but never could reach the plants. Over time, Gimli learned to use the furniture around him. He would first leap up on a chair, then stretch his tiny paws on the shelving unit, and finally hoist himself at his desired destination, where he proceeded to play with the plant and eventually knock it down.
- 4 CLICKS TOTAL ** CLICK 1 ** The first thing you need to do (after, or even while gathering project info) is defining learning objectives, basically: WHAT DO YOUR LEARNERS NEED TO KNOW? Not “nice” or “good” to know, but NEED to know? Learning objectives serve as the DRIVING FORCE BEHIND EVERYTHING. ** CLICK 2 ** This is where the 80/20 rule (Pareto principle) comes in handy: what will folks spend 80% of their time doing? Focus your energies on that. EXAMPLE: In the course we developed, people needed to know the basic difference between marijuana and CBD, and what they could and could not legally tell customers about the product (only pharmacists are permitted to give medical advice) ** CLICK 3 ** Once you answer that question, you can then define your learning objectives. This is the part where you often see in courses you’ve taken – “By the end of the course” or “After ____ing this _____” you will be able to : ding ding ding ** CLICK 4 ** Learning objectives must be specific, measurable and tangible – that they can be seen, felt, or heard. So how can we create good, solid learning objectives?
- ** 5 CLICKS TOTAL ** Here are some tips. ** CLICK 1 ** In his book “Preparing Instructional Objectives”, Robert Mager proposes these three questions you should ask yourself: ** CLICK 2 ** First, What is the desired outcome? In other words, what behavior needs to happen? ** CLICK 3 ** Second, Under what conditions must the action take place to achieve the desired outcome? ** CLICK 4 ** Last, What is considered success? That you perform correctly X% of the time, or can at least do it? For example, in our CBD course, we want non-pharmacists to know what questions to answer and which ones to refer to the pharmacist. So our objective was: Technician can answer non-medical questions about CBD, and always recognize which questions to refer to the pharmacist. Desired outcome: know what Qs to answer and not. Conditions: types of questions. Success: medical questions referred always, 100% of the time Another tip: Use specific actions. Knowing and understanding are vague terms. Reciting and demonstrating are more specific.
- 3 CLICKS TOTAL ** CLICK 1 ** Turn to Bloom’s taxonomy for examples of measurable verbs to use, depending on whether you want your learners to recite drug information from memory, have them use a glucometer to measure blood sugar, or troubleshoot issues with a drug dispensing machine. ** CLICK 2 ** These words are categorized ** CLICK 3 ** Visit this website for a detailed table of each of these levels, along with clear examples and sample verbs. Once you have defined your learning objectives – again, what you want your learners to know - it’s time to start designing the course content.
- Step 3: Cats hate hats. Keep things simple. I don’t know many cats who like wearing hats, despite all the photos I’ve seen on Instagram, to the contrary. Years ago, a friend of mine gave me a cat bonnet. I had these idyllic visions of my cats wearing these bonnets with their little faces peeking out of the bonnet like sweet little flowers. More like a Venus fly trap. **CLICK** Pepper didn’t mind it so much, **CLICK** Buddy wasn’t too pleased, **CLICK** but Sprinkles would have NONE of it. She swatted that bonnet away so quickly I narrowly missed being torn to shreds by her little talons.
- Basically, keep everything simple. Cover ONLY what your learners need to know. Refer back to your learning objectives. If the extra information doesn’t align at all with the objectives, So what do you do with all the “nice to know” and “good to know” info? Present it as reference material.
- 2 CLICKS TOTAL ** CLICK 1 ** Set up a reference library, or at the very least, provide a list of references within your training materials. For example, you can set up a page on your company’s intranet site or wiki page to house these reference materials. Reference materials can include web links, documents, & cheat sheets. Somewhere in your training, or in the training communication, make reference to this reference library. This reference library can also house essential info for later reference. ** CLICK 2 ** Whatever you do, focus your time and energy on the actual course material. You can always go back later and add to this library. Remember – keep things simple. Both for your sake and for your learners’ sakes. Speaking of keeping things simple, in the next step, we will learn some tips for making the info as simple as possible. You can always provide this information as reference material. For example, when developing a training video on using a glucometer to measure blood sugar levels, I focused solely on using the glucometer. As for information about diabetes (related to, but not the focus of, the training), I posted links and documents on our intranet site as reference. I mentioned the presence of reference materials in the video, and did not incorporate it into the main training. After all, As Lone Star tells Princess Vespa in Spaceballs when they land on the desert planet, “Take only what you need to survive.” You should do the same with your training.
- Step 4: Take small bites. Don’t gulp down your food. **CLICK** It never fails. At least twice a week, Pepper, the big kitty in the middle, would eat so fast he coughs it back up a few minutes later. Then a few minutes later, he would go back to his (or the other cats’) food as if nothing had happened. However, as long as he ate slowly, he would not puke up his food. Same goes for training.
- If you present too much information to your learners at once, they may get overwhelmed and start tuning out information – cognitive overload. When developing training, break it up into smaller components – also known as chunking – to make it easier to digest. Chunking information goes hand-in-hand with making sure you present only information that’s covered in your objectives – taking only what you need to survive. . Why should you chunk your information? Retain knowledge Conduct on demand or OJT learning – when you group tasks into a logical order, you can help learners build upon their new (and existing) knowledge. Update materials – If you divide your material into separate modules, you only need to update that component instead of the entire thing. ** CLICK** Breaking information into sections and portions also helps learners avoid cognitive overload.
- Chunking isn’t just breaking information into smaller bits. It’s also organizing those bits in a logical manner that will help your learners commit the info to their long term memory What’s this logical manner? Let’s find out on the next slide.
- When chunking your training: First, see how info is already structured. Is there a chronological pattern? Different workstations? One of the easiest areas to spot is procedural – they pretty much go step by step.. As you break down info, focus only on what aligns with the objective. Going back to our CBDD course example, we focused on chemical composition for the pharmacist training since they would find that info valuable when advising on product interactions, but left it out of the non-pharmacist training since that audience would have no NEED to use that info. When you’ve analyzed your information, cover one concept per chunk. For instance, in CBD class, one section covered CBD overview, while another chunk covered basic laws and regulations on what could and could not be sold. Group related concepts together. If learners can see how info relates with each other, they are able to remember it better.
- Some things to remember when chunking content: First, see how info is already structred (e.g. chronological, procedural, region,). Big picture on down Chunking isn’t just about dividing the info, it also involves rearranging those pieces Chunking information goes hand-in-hand with making sure you present only information that’s covered in your objectives – taking only what you need to survive. .
- Some suggestions for chunking: Break up elearning module or slide presentation into several modules. Create short videos that cover only one topic at a time. A good rule of thumb is 4 minutes or less. You can also create animated gifs that cover simple procedures. Chunking information goes hand-in-hand with making sure you present only information that’s covered in your objectives – taking only what you need to survive. . Chunking also involves having a Variety of activities and using a variety of media. instructor-led courses (w, mix up activities within the given classroom time. For instance, when I helped develop training on how to use the various devices we use for our health screenings, I focused on one piece of equipment at a time. First, I presented a couple of slides about the device, and the disease state associated with it. Then I demonstrated how to use the device. Once the learners saw what to do, I then gave them time to practice with it. (Eades): videos should be 4 minutes or less. rule of thumb: when writing video script, 120 words for every minute of video. Focus solely on the content - not any material folks can review outside the video
- Step 5: Prepare for change. We’ve had the privilege of watching our baby kittens grow into majestic cats. **CLICK** For the most part, the grown cats, especially Sprinkles, the balck and white kitty, look like larger versions of their kitten selves. **CLICK** But some, like Gimli shown at the bottom, changed dramatically. As a kitten, Gimli was all cream-colored with dark ears and tail. As he grew into an adult, tabby stripes started appearing on his legs and face, and his back became brown colored. Plus, he grew a big white ruff. Just as kittens change into cats, so must you consider how to handle changes in your course materials.
- ** CLICK 1 ** First of all, use ubiquitous utensils - tools that are readily available and simple to use. Nothing wrong with using Word, PowerPoint, PDF, and so forth. Even if you use more sophisticated software like Captivate, Camtasia, or such, make sure the party in charge of updates has that software so they can update as needed. ** CLICK 2 ** Speaking of updates, if you don’t already have one, make sure you have a plan for who is responsible for handling updates. Many times, it’s you. Or it could be someone else. In any case, make sure all parties know how course updates will be handled.
- What are some tips for making your materials easy to update and distribute? Make sure you chunk your content, as mentioned earlier. Smaller bits of content mean less to update. And don’t be afraid to use simpler tools. The content is more important than the tool. If you have the same skill set, knitting with expensive Chiagoo needles produces the same results as knitting with needles found at Walmart. Now you’re ready to build the course itself and determine what activities will be included.
- Step 6: Embrace playtime – dig right in! **CLICK** When I first got Gimli in 2002, I bought one of those roller ball toys with a cardboard scratcher in the middle. Gimli sure enjoyed playing with that toy. Over the years, as we introduced other kitties to the family, they played with the same roller **CLICK**ball toy. All we had to do was replace the cardboard scratcher. **CLICK** Even now, in 2020, the kitties still enjoy swatting the little pink ball once in awhile. Just as the kitties embrace playtime, it’s time for you to dig right in!
- ** 5 CLICKS TOTAL ** Now it’s time to create your training materials. Here are some activities you can do – ** CLICK 1 ** Lectures are ideal for introducing a topic. Mindtools suggests 30 minutes or less, summarize the important parts at beginning and end. ** CLICK 2 ** You can use demonstrations to show the steps in a process or task. Use video, software simulation software, or a live demo. ** CLICK 3 ** Discussions are great for after lectors – two-way communication for questions and answers, or debates. You can conduct these via social media, chat function in webinar, in person, and so forth. ** CLICK 4 ** Online learning, or eLearning, is ideal for learning and practicing actions on software. It’s also a good platform for uniting audio and video material, and for sharing material when physical trainers are not available IDEA: when incorporating video, incorporate several smaller ones into your curriculum, and then use the smaller videos as standalone reference material. Example: screening training ** CLICK 5 ** Role Play is good for practicing how to handle various scenarios, and receiving feedback on them Of course, Activities depend on training delivery method(s) and media available
- ** 3 CLICKS TOTAL ** As you are creating your course content, here are some quick reminders: ** CLICK 1 ** Include a variety of delivery methods. Alternate between lecture and demonstration. ** CLICK 2 ** Appeal to the senses. Incorporate as many of the senses as possible. Of course, you won’t be able touch, smell, or taste an elearning course (yet), but you can still enjoy viewing and hearing items. ** CLICK 3 ** Know your limits – but still reach for the stars. Again, keep in mind how your audience will be learning the material. If they’re learning on the job, for instance, you can easily demonstrate, then let them have hands-on in performing the action. . …
- Step 7: Practice, practice, practice! …you also want to build in opportunities for your learners to practice. **CLICK** When Gimli first was diagnosed with diabetes, I had to learn how to inject him with insulin. I had never before used a needle and syringe, and was afraid to hurt Gimli. To get me accustomed to the injection process, the veterinarian had me practice injecting water into an orange, since an orange best simulates skin. Once I became comfortable with pushing the syringe plunger, the veterinarian then showed me how to restrain Gimli so he could receive the insulin shot. It was quite nerve-wracking at first; I would have to wrap Gimli up in a blanket burrito, so he could not move. Over time, we both became comfortable with the process, even to the point where I no longer had to hold Gimli down. Within months, giving insulin to Gimli became second-nature; I could simply inject him while he was at his food bowl. With plenty of practice, I became confident enough to inject Gimli with little fuss. When you create training materials, allow plenty of time for practice – especially if the objective is to learn how to perform a specific task.
- ** 7 CLICKS TOTAL ** ** CLICK 1 ** Where appropriate, include opportunities for students to practice what they have learned. These include: ** CLICK 2 ** Software simulations. Applications such as Captivate and Snag-it are excellent tools for creating these. Software demo videos are also good for building up training reference library ** CLICK 3 ** Role play. Role play is good if you want learners to apply what they have learned, to various situations. Although you may not have time and resources to conduct an elaborate role-play exercise, you can still incorporate these elements into your material. For example: EXAMPLE: in the CBD eLearning courses we created, we did not have the resources to create a roleplay scenario clip of a customer asking a non-pharmacist a medical Q about CBD (since it was not a classroom course. However, we improvised and made the scenario into a “Test Your Knowledge” question where we presented the scenario and possible responses as answers. ** CLICK 4 ** Hands-on exercises – especially valuable in OJT. In my experience with hand-on, I’ve always shown and told first, then guide them through, then watching them do it on their own. Kinda like how Professor Lupin in Harry Potter taught the class the Ridikkulous charm - first having the class say the incantation, then walking through a demo of the process with Neville Longbottom, then having the class perform the spell ** CLICK 5 ** Encourage practice outside the course ** CLICK 6 ** Develop reference materials such as cheat sheets and videos. Make sure these are part of your reference library we discussed earlier, where you also host appendix info. ** CLICK 7 ** Assessment checklists – We will discuss this more on the next page. Such checklists are great for not only measuring success in grasping a learning objective, but also showing learners the characteristics of desired behaviors. Remember, we are focusing on quickie courses here, so we may not have the time or resources to cook up anything fancy.
- 1 CLICK TOTAL The checklist can be fairly simple. ** CLICK ** In this sample checklist our trainers use to assess whether or not our health screeners know how to perform specific screenings, we list the overall behavior in the criteria column and add the details under “Explanation”. Not only can the trainer use this tool to assess performance, but the learner can refer to it when practicing, in addition to any other reference materials we provide.
- 3 CLICKS TOTAL ** CLICK 1 ** Allow more time for in-class and role-play than you think would be needed. People really get into the activity and you will need that extra time not just to demonstrate the activity, but also transition back to the next part of the course. Also to answer questions and offer advice This extra time pertains to all practice opportunities, not just live ones. Even if you end up not needing that extra time for the hands, you can always use that time elsewhere. ** CLICK 2 ** Focus on the most complex and most commonly-used procedures first. Again, this all boils down to your learning objectives. After all, you are working with limited resources, especially time, and you may not have time Example: no need to train on a once-a-year procedure unless it will take place immediately after training. In that case, you could create microlearning – a quick video just on that procedure so folks can refer to it as needed. Example of complex: In our classroom screening training, we actually build in time to practice A1c tests, since they require several precise steps that must be followed. We generally don’t cover blood pressure screening since the instructions are printed on the cuff. We will, though, answer any questions about any of the tests. ** CLICK 3** Finally, don’t do something “just because”. Show respect for the learner’s time. Since these practice opportunities take time and effort to develop and implement, incorporate them only if they will help the learner achieve the objective. Not just busy work.
- Step 8: Love and praise, but use the squirt gun when needed. I love working on jigsaw puzzles. However, with cats around, it can be a bit of a challenge. Recently, I built a puzzle board out of foamboard so I could move my puzzle to a safe place when not in use. A couple of weeks ago, while working on my puzzle, I went to the kitchen to grab a Dr Pepper. When I returned mere seconds later, **CLICK**I found Buddy perched away on the puzzle board keeping the pieces warm, or so he thinks. I grabbed the water bottle, gave it a couple of shakes (didn’t have to squirt), and buddy ran off the board. **CLICK** Pepper, on the other hand, was a good boy and stayed on the floor. I cooed “Good boy for staying on the ground!” to him and gave him a couple of treats as a reward.
- 2 CLICKS TOTAL When you’re developing your training materials, develop a way to offer feedback and evaluate learner performance. First, why take the time to give feedback? ** CLICK 1 ** Basically, to reinforce good behavior and reduce not-so-good behavior. When you’re offering feedback: Provide immediate feedback, to help reinforce desired behavior and reduce unwanted behavior. Sometimes, it’s not feasible to offer immediate feedback, but offer it as soon as you are able. Feedback also needs to be specific. Instead of just saying “Good job!” or “Wrong, please try again”, Explain why Make sure feedback focuses on the behavior, not on the person.
- The performance evaluation tool can be as simple as a checklist of actions and desired behaviors, just as we saw earlier in the last section. ** CLICK 1 **
- Here are some things to remember when offering feedback and performance evaluation: Make sure feedback is mostly immediate and specific. Focus on the behavior and not the person themselves Make sure evaluations align with the learning objectives! This should be obvious, but you want to focus on making sure your learner does what you want them to do. Meaningful feedback helps the learner know not only what they did correctly, but also what they need to work on. Your course is pretty much ready for action…
- Time to rest! Most of the time, the cats sleep with one eye open mainly so they can spring into action when they hear the rattle of the cat food bag or the pop of the lid on top of the can of wet food. And what is your action? You still have one more thing to do – prepare for course feedback!
- Why course evaluations? They help improve course quality by, help trainers improve training skills through comments made on delivery, and identify any areas for improvement - whether some areas need to be covered in greater detail, if something needs to be left out, or explained differently.
- The course evaluation can be as simple as asking these three questions, which I had borrowed from the IDL SIG’s educational webinar survey: ** CLICK to make smart art appear ** Name one thing you learned that you can apply List one thing you liked most about the course List one thing you would change about the course. (Notice the positive wording here – change vs dislike. Change is more constructive than mere dislike)
- Maintain anonymity. Participants may be more candid if they feel their responses are kept anonymous. Distribute survey at end of training – that way, they have the survey right there and will fill it out. Keep it short and sweet. If it’s too long, users run the risk of telling themselves they’ll complete it later – and forget all about it. BONUS Example: best practices & sample questions https://assessment.provost.wisc.edu/best-practices-and-sample-questions-for-course-evaluation-surveys/ Question templates provided in Survey Monkey or other survey tools
- Some things to remember when chunking content: Start from “the big picture” on down Look for any built-in logical structure or flow to the info you’re chunking “After all, learning shouldn’t be a one-time event. Instead, it should be an evolving and adaptive process that creates a unique and personalized experience for each learner.” --John Eades