In order for your online training to be most effective, you should seek those courses created by instructional designers who incorporate creativity into their learning designs. Creativity, born from the designer’s imagination, is the single most important quality that distinguishes those courses with which your trainees will fully engage during the learning process. Imagination is the catalyst that drives creativity. In his book, THE DRAMATIC IMAGINATION, one of America’s greatest 20th Century...
“Finding skilled and trained workers is almost impossible,” says (Darlene) Miller, president and CEO of the Burnsville, Minn., custom manufacturer of precision parts. “I used employment agencies. Our people used Craigslist, the workforce centers, state boards, college boards, technical schools, every concept you can think of, and still [we] could not find that trained person,” she says. “And the more advanced technology we get into, the tougher and tougher it is.” Toyota’s...
Many of my previous posts have decried the decline of learning in many of our colleges and universities. Some of those reasons I’ve written about: 1) the intellectual cost of being allowed to graduate today with little or no contact with the traditional liberal arts curricula. 2) the unfortunate tilt our colleges are making in the direction of skills training institutions. 3) the cost our graduates will pay in their adult lives...
I’ve been associated with “industrial skills training” since 1974, having shot and produced the first b&w videotape aimed at improving worker skills in the nuclear power industry. And, I have shot or produced several hundred such products since that time in ever-evolving media: Interactive Laser Videodisc (IVD), CD-ROM, DVD and e-Learning. They were all competency based. The materials were tested on competencies required and developed in association with actual customers who provided...
In order to stay competitive, today’s organization has to realize maximum productivity from each and every employee. While investing training dollars exclusively in specific task skills training (i.e., “Centrifugal Pump Maintenance”), too often, the company ignores the basic skills knowledge gap that exists throughout their organization. Unfortunately, when they take the time to examine that basic skills gap, many find that their employees simply don’t have the necessary basic skills knowledge to...
Multi-sensory training has triumphed! It is the training medium of choice today. And, rightly so! More than anything else, the body of multi-sensory training developed for business and industry brings training efficiency. There are several obvious reasons. Multi-sensory instruction reduces training time. Estimates are that learning occurs 38-70% faster than with traditional classroom instruction, and course content is mastered 60% faster. Perhaps equally important is that, when compared with traditional classroom instruction,...
Digitized learning technologies (full-size, just-in-time and bite-size e-Learning, along with games and simulations) have hastened the development of a new business model — and, the results promise more profitability for American business and industry! Instead of formal classroom instruction and formal learning labs, with their prescribed courseware curricula, many of the new learning technologies have allowed a demand-based approach that has effectively replaced the “everyone takes everything at the same time” regimen....
Once in awhile, a document, or an article, comes along that strikes the chord of truth. Someone, or a group of people, makes a statement that brings eyeopening perspective to what, on the surface, appears to be a controversial issue. Clarity ensues! And, so it did for me when the Arlington County (VA) School Board clearly restated their purpose last week: “. . .we believe it is important to reiterate and reaffirm...
Training is teaching, or developing in oneself or others, any skills and knowledge that relate to specific useful competencies. Training has specific goals of improving one’s capability, capacity, productivity and performance. (Wikipedia) Let’s narrow this definition down to training in the process and manufacturing sectors where the term, industrial skills training, is the accepted moniker. Working in industry today requires a solid background in learning fundamentals: safety, work practice, tool use, computer...
While vacationing on a very cold North Carolina island last week, I reflected on my university experiences: as an undergraduate, a post-graduate and as a faculty member. More than two decades of my early adult life were connected with universities. Universities in those decades were looked on with admiration and respect. They had been, and were, the gateway to learning that propelled not only the individual, but also our country, to greater...
Those of you who regularly read this blog are well aware of the many posts I’ve written opposing the “testing culture” that has invaded our schools. I’ve included quotes and referenced articles that have, generally, exposed a single aspect of this issue —- be it from the students’ side, the parents’ side, or the teachers’ side. However, with an article in THE AMERICAN SCHOLAR we have a more comprehensive analysis: “School Reform...
E-Learning is definitely the skills training standard today. And, it’s continuing to evolve. Initially, developers became excited about the technology and spent their time converting PowerPoints to the medium. Didn’t work! They are now learning to adopt multi-sensory learning as the better approach to education and training, particularly when skills acquisition is an ultimate goal. Many of the foundation skills and competencies — so critical to our schools and to the workplace...
A news item that was published in USA Today earlier this year provides an introduction to today’s post; “The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday voted to begin scaling back a program designed to help low-income Americans access the internet. The federal Lifeline program, established in 1985, provides discounted phone and internet service in poorer communities. The FCC expanded the program to include broadband last year, and has given participating households a $9.25...
We place so much emphasis on finding the right courseware for our employees — and, we should. But, I would suggest that it is nearly as important to partner with the right courseware supplier. Why? Because you will discover that the support you receive will be critical in determining the continuing success of your training initiatives. “ . . . Once you have identified the need, now is the time to source...
