Training Materials Last Week

For my last blog, I would just like to say that I never realized how much effort, time, and attention creating training materials needed. I used Camtasia to create an actual training video. I found out really quick that when making a video it is important to have a script in front of you so that it doesn't sound so 'chopped' when your speaking. I had a really good experience overall while creating these training materials, other than not liking the software that I was using for the implementation of the training everything was successful. Working in groups made the whole project much easier as well. We completed our work on time and different members of the group stepped up to take different roles when needed. I think it it a crucial component to any training that you must have a good team around that is committed, focused, and willing to help in any way. My last and only concern last week was getting the pictures into a file format from the documents I created. I did this once and when I reopened the pictures they weren't cropped the way I wanted. Regardless, there must be an easier way to do this, and if I find it, I'll make a Camtasia video and put it on the web so others can know about it!

Measures of Validity

In Chapter 30 of Lee & Owens, it is explained that you must determine how to estimate whether or not the tools for measurment are actually measuring what they are supposed to measure. Face validity is one way. This establishes that a training teaches what was meant to be taught and should be designed during the beginning phases of a project. Content validity is established through technical content review cycles during the development stage. In order to achieve face validity, have experts review course materials and validate that the course content actually is the subject to be taught. To achieve content validity, have the experts review the course materials and ensure there is unity between the objectives, course content and test items. Other types of validity include concurrent validity(similiarities bewteen two tests), construct validity(measure of scores on test in relation to job performance), test item validity(measure of relationship of individual items vs overall test) and predictive validity(measure of a test to predict the future success in a particular area). This chapter provided some great information, and I only wish we had more time to officially do this in our own projects. I would like to know how well my lesson's are actually teaching learners, and I would also like to know if their skills improve after using the training.

Components of a Learning Strategy

In Chapter 28 of Lee and Owens, there are four components of a learning strategy outlined. The largest component is the learning strategy itself, which is an organizations overall philosophy of goals it wants to achieve through learning. The second component is the e-learning strategy; this defines any technology needed to deliver training. This is include the KSA's neede to develop and implement this technology as well. Thirdly, the evaluation strategy defines how the previous two strategies will be measured. Lastly, the evaluation plan is something that is developed for each individual plan. This chapter focuses primarily on the evaluation strategy. In order to produce an evaluation strategy, you must write an introduction, determine evaluation requirements, and determine a complete list of sources that everyone must be knowledgeable about . Creating an evaluation strategy is critically important in the last phases of a training plan. Evaluation will help many organizations determine whether or not the training that was implemented was worth the investment.

Breeze...Breeze...Breeze

After the presenations on last Tuesday, I found out some interesting things about a technology called Breeze. Leading up to the presentation I was very skeptical of the feasability of our presentations because I wasn't sure if our class could handle it. Also, I worried a lot about technical errors. Breeze offers it's users a video/voice conferencing option where people can talk in real time, with the addition of uploading files and sharing their desktop. There are not many applications available that offer this much functionality. As we found with our presentations, the chat feature was very handy, and proved to be reliable. My issue though is that if the chat feature is the only 100% reliable feature, I don't see Breeze as that much of an advantage over less functional applications. I do feel however that this technology is useful and I would most certainly use it again. I believe it was a positive experience and I would recommend it for other teachers.

Summative Evaluation

In Chapter 26 of Lee & Owens, the topic of evaluation is brought to light in that 'evaluation is typically what we do worst.' The book states that causes of poor management include lack of knowledge and attention. The four levels of evaluation, as identified by Donald Kirkpatrick, include (Level 1) reaction, or the participants response to the activity in the form of impressions. This can include impressions about activities that might be relevant to a job. Level 2 is knowledge, which is defined as a measure of the level of achievement of the content and skills intended. Level 3 is performance which is a measure of the change in behavior or attitude as a result of using skills gained. Level 4 is impact, measured on the business in the form of return on investment. These levels are highly interdependent, meaning that each level should be performed before the next one has begun.
If evaluation is so important, why don't more organizations use evaluation? It could be detrimental to an entire training program if the company or business doesn't do some type of follow up to see how the training has affected the employees who utilized it. Performing evaluations means that smaller details will not go overlooked, and any holes in the training process will be identified.

Wikispaces Coming to a Close

I first want to say that the wiki project this year was enjoyable. I felt as if there was a lot more freedom to post many different things and opportunity to learn more about different topics in training. Some pros of using the wiki for moderated discussions were that we were able to pick a topic of our choice and research it to the best of our ability. Some people devoted a lot of time and effort to their wiki space and others did not. You could tell by some of the summary articles that were written initially. I think it was important to write a good summary to get the ball rolling so that we had something to talk about in our discussions. The second pro to using the wiki was the ability to create formulated opinions based on the topic summaries and also draw from personal experience. Some cons of this years wiki were that it was hard to keep up with any one discussion/topic. I found it difficult to keep the same person on one discussion. It is hard to continue a discussion when the person posts a response one time and never revisits the page. One suggestion I have for the future is to let everyone choose a limited number of discussions to participate in, and let everyone choose based on what they are interested in. It's great that everyone gets to participate but it can become overwhelming trying to respond in so many discussions. This will also ensure that every topic has participants, unlike some of the spaces on this years' wiki. Some people had 25 responses while others only had 7. While it is up to the person to provide discussion questions and keep the flow of information up, it is unfair that no one chooses to participate in another's discussion. The wiki was a great idea and I learned a lot, and I hope other classes get to have the same experience.

Interactive Distance Broadcast Environments

In Chapter 25 of Lee & Owens, distance learning is defined as any training that is delivered from one central location to multiple remote sites simultaneously. This can include anything from satellite to telephone lines being utilized to distribute learning. The book also states that use of distance learning is under utilized and the potential has not been met. I agree wholly. As a student at the University of South Carolina, I have taken a distance education course with Dr. Daniel Norris, in which 7 other campus classrooms were being broadcast. Joining this group of people for one night a week through distance learning allowed what seemed like a class of 20 to actually be a class of 50, and it crossed all geographical boundaries. I have to say that I definitely enjoy live broadcasts as opposed to recorded lectures that are put online. I've found that just listening to a person's voice without them being there is difficult for me. One issue I have is that in live broadcasts, people tend to be hesitant to participate when they are aware of so many people listening. Also, when my instructor was in one classroom across the state and I was viewing and listening in another location, I tended to pay less attention than I normally would, maybe because I thought I wouldn't get caught! IDB is quite literally under utilized and the process of broadcasting learning has some time before it reaches it's full potential. Cost may be a factor as to why more companies aren't using it, but all technology eventually comes down in price, which is why I foresee more and more distance education being used.