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Elements of a successful training course
Training & Organizational Development
Elements of a successful training course
A forum for exchanging ideas about skills training, leadership training, management training, compliance training, e-learning, as well as organizational development and effectiveness.
I have been tasked with writing a procedure for developing a successful training course. This will be a model in which all of our training courses will be based upon. Most of the training classes are
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Elements of a successful training course
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Elements of a successful training course
posted at 7/15/2009 7:29 AM EDT
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Posts: 5
First: 7/15/2009 Last: 8/21/2009 |
I have been tasked with writing a procedure for developing a successful training course. This will be a model in which all of our training courses will be based upon. Most of the training classes are centered around soft skills, not technical. What I need to know are the key elements that would go into a successful training course such as objectives, goal, key outcomes etc. Does anybody have any suggestions? |
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Elements of a successful training course
posted at 7/15/2009 5:17 PM EDT
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Posts: 108
First: 4/15/2007 Last: 8/17/2009 |
Whilst it is advantageous for each training department to have its own set of operational procedures, standards and templates, none of these equip trainers with the professional skills needed to design, develop, deliver and evaluate training programs. In your state, you will probably have a recognized base qualification for industry trainers. Im assuming that you and your trainers already possess this minimum qualification or you are in the process of enrolling them in a course.
That being said, each department will need to develop its own operational procedures, standards and templates to suit its unique situation. Trainers completing a recognized qualification will be best suited to matching your organizational context with good training practice. You mention procedural steps for developing a training course and key elements that go into a course. These are two different things. Regarding the former, the ADDIE model is still highly regarded as a set of steps for the whole project life cycle. The basic steps are: Analyze The Analyze phase focuses on clarifying and documenting stakeholder requirements for the proposed training program. Importantly, the organizational objectives in conducting the training and project scope are agreed by stakeholders. A lot of work will then go into analyzing the target participants; who they are, the program entry requirements, participant characteristics and special needs. Administration requirements, training transfer strategies, project risks, constraints and assumptions are also clarified. If the training program is to be sourced externally, vendor/trainer selection criteria are formulated at this stage. The output of this stage is the Training Needs Analysis document. Design The Design phase comes next. Here, a high-level outline of the solution is created that satisfies the requirements formulated in the Training Needs Analysis. The program objectives are translated into terminal and enabling learning objectives and program structure, sequence, format, mode of delivery and pace are determined. How participants are to be assessed and the assessment conditions are also decided at this stage. The previous phase estimated the resources required and program timing. These estimates are now revisited, with the implementation plan fleshed out in greater detail. The output of this stage is a High-level Design document. Develop The Develop phase is the phase that actually produces all of the program materials, infrastructure and delivery schedule. These include advertising and program information materials, session plans, trainer and learner guides, trainer and participant resources, on-the-job aids, participant assessments and program evaluation instruments. It is at this stage that the program is piloted with a select group of stakeholders and prospective participants and modified in accordance with feedback received. The output of this stage is the set of approved program materials and schedule. Implement Following the Develop stage is the Implement phase. This is where it all happens. The program is advertised, information packs sent out and program materials and resources produced. Training venues are organized and participants are scheduled. The actual training is then conducted, participant assessments undertaken and program feedback collected from participants. The outputs of this stage are completed participant assessments and completed attendance and participant feedback forms. Evaluate The final stage is the Evaluate phase. Was the program a success? This phase measures the outcomes of the program against the initially stated objectives, whatever they were. Here, evaluation data is collected and analyzed, typically showing whether program participants and stakeholders were satisfied with the results, whether participants actually learned what they were meant to learn and whether they actually applied the skills and knowledge learned back to their work situation. The output of this phase, the Program Evaluation Report, is used to improve design and delivery of future programs. The information page at http://www.businessperform.com/html/addie_model.html enumerates the steps in each phase in more detail and lists the outcomes of each phase. As I indicated above, you would need to tailor the model to your own organizations needs. There are many variables that you will need to consider. Are you programs single session or comprise a whole course extending over many modules and days? What is your organizations culture regarding trainee assessment and measurement? Do you use e-learning and a Learning Management System? As for the key elements of a successful course, my session plans use the following basic course information fields: Course: Session: Course objective: Learning outcomes: Facilitator: Duration: Equipment: Materials: The plan itself uses a three column format: Start Time Item Training Aid The Item section is where the lesson is structured into an Introduction, Topics with headings, subheadings and points and finishes with a Summary and Close. I also use a standard learner workbook with areas for Introduction, Learning Outcomes, Chapters, Activities, Graphs, Tables and Student Notes. Variables to consider here are length of course and learning complexity. If you run short courses, you may only need Terminal Learning Objectives. For longer courses, you will need both Enabling and Terminal Learning Objectives structured in a hierarchy of outcomes. As for learning complexity, if you are training at the lower levels (refer here to Blooms taxonomy), your lessons may not need to incorporate as much practice sessions and inter-participant collaboration as with training at the higher levels. Of course, there are many skill elements to a successful program. These include questioning techniques, handling disruptive behavior, appropriate chunking and pacing of the material, running practice sessions and assessments, and more. As I was saying, none of this takes the place of professional development of trainers. Where it can help is in formalizing standard processes and formats and in setting professional quality standards. I hope this gets you started in the right direction. Les Allan Author: From Training to Enhanced Workplace Performance www.businessperform.com/html/effective_training_tools.html Twitter: http://twitter.com/leslieallan |
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Elements of a successful training course
posted at 7/22/2009 6:17 AM EDT
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Posts: 1
First: 7/22/2009 Last: 7/22/2009 |
If your training is skill/performance based I would like to add that it is critical for each module's exercise to tie directly back to the module's content/objective for the training to be successful. This provides the student with a sense of accomplishment and helps to empower them to believe they will be able to perform well outside the class. |
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Elements of a successful training course
posted at 8/18/2009 6:00 AM EDT
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Posts: 23
First: 11/28/2006 Last: 11/26/2010 |
Hello Ibohlen: A very simple answer to your question might be: 1. Measure performance prior to training, 2. Design the training methods to speak to all kinds of learners, 3. Measure performance after training, 4. Link performance improvement to a measure of employee productivity and 5. Calculate the return on investment (ROI) based on total costs and productivity improvement. |
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Elements of a successful training course
posted at 8/27/2009 7:58 AM EDT
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Posts: 1
First: 8/27/2009 Last: 8/27/2009 |
The only information I would add the other replies is to put systems in place to help the learner apply and turn new knowledge into skills. By this I mean, I encourage a coaching environment back in the work place. The learner and their leader should have conversations before and after the training. Discussion questions might include:
What specifically do you hope to gain from this training? What can I do to help you practice and master these new skills? What kind of obstacles do you anticipate will get in the way of you applying this training? What typically happens even with the best of behavioral training is that the learner gets very excited and has plans to improve their behavior, but once they return to the office, the voice mails, the emails, and the stacks, the best laid plans are quickly forgotten. To truly help learners change or improve their behavior, there needs to be a system in place to help them develop those new behavioral skills. Hope this helps |
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Re: Elements of a successful training course
posted at 11/18/2011 2:36 AM EST
on Workforce Management
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Posts: 26
First: 10/12/2011 Last: 3/9/2012 |
Training is more than just the process of communicating and transferring specific knowledge to a target audience, it is a key element to achieve an adequate and sustainable performance. Even after this has been recognized by the organization, it may take more than one iteration to develop and implement a training program, and even then, it should be an evergreen process. |
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Re: Elements of a successful training course
posted at 10/4/2012 11:27 AM EDT
on Workforce Management
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Posts: 2
First: 10/4/2012 Last: 10/4/2012 |
Yes, while ADDIE works, your training will not be successful if you cannot engage your trainees. If they are not paying attention, seeing "WIIFM" ("what's in it for me") and how the training can positively impact their personal lives and/or their professional lives, you may be wasting your time. You can use any method you like, but without engaging your audience, you are shooting yourself in the foot. |
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