Instructional design

Certified Online Training Professional – Part Two

Posted on by Paul Wilson

Good news. I’ve successfully completed my Certified Online Training Professional Certificate. I want to share my experience with all of you if you are considering getting this valuable certification.

The first thing that surprised me was that there were three facilitators. I’ve never thought about this before, but there is a distinct advantage to have several facilitators in an online course. Each brings their style to the table, and it was enjoyable to hear that variety throughout the two-day session. Each instructor gave us what they called their elevator pitch, which added credibility to the course and their delivery. That was one of the things they taught us to do. It doesn’t take long, maybe thirty seconds to explain who you are and why you are running this online course. The facilitators were Kevin Siegel, Jennie Ruby and AJ Walther. Upon hearing each introduce themselves, I knew I was learning from real experts. An expression that Kevin used early on the first day

The first thing that amazed me was there were three facilitators, including Kevin Siegel himself. I knew Kevin was a dedicated training professional, but it surprised me that the founder of ICCOTP would take time out of his busy life to teach this class. The next facilitator was Jennie Ruby. I enjoyed Jennie’s facilitation style, and I learned much from her. A brief highlight was AJ Walther. AJ was responsible for the training related to PowerPoint and visual design. AJ surprised me in that I was not expecting to learn anything new in the area of visual design, but AJ had some excellent knowledge to impart.

I’ve dozed off in train the trainer sessions that promised to teach us techniques to keep learners engaged – not so with this trio. They used the very same principles they were teaching us in their delivery. Kevin, Jennie and AJ kept us fully engaged. An expression that Kevin used early on the first day was that they ate their cooking. They were teaching us the very same principle they used throughout the class.

Online training is often inadequate or inferior because the facilitator lacks the knowledge and experience to deliver it well. One of the critical takeaways of this training for me was dispelling the myth that online training is always inferior to classroom training. Kevin took a dozen or more classroom activities that we think of as exclusive to the classroom and showed us the online versions that are just as effective. I now not only feel better prepared to deliver improved online training but can defend the reputation of online training as well.

Next, AJ took over and taught us how to transform our materials to be more appropriate for online. AJ had a great alternative to bulleted text that I will use in my online facilitation. I think I can adapt these concepts to my eLearning design as well. We were taught a great deal about implementing the organizations branding into the design of learning materials. AJ had some great examples of the use of iconography. I was so inspired by what AJ showed us that I changed the entire online facilitation that I had planned for day two. More on that later. I think the biggest takeaway was that PowerPoint isn’t just this software from the 90s anymore. Microsoft has been continually updating PowerPoint. AJ was able to share some great new features to help us make our training presentations look fantastic.

We started day two, and Kevin and Jennie taught us the importance of the right technology. I thought I would be bored with this segment because I feel pretty good about my current knowledge of technology. Again, I was surprised that I learned a bunch of things that I will be considering adjusting to my hardware and software lineup. It isn’t just about spending more money. When you think about the potential earnings from online training, a few hundred extra dollars here and there to have some backups to your technology is too outrageous.

Jennie took over again, and we learned about the differences between talking and speaking. We learned that training should be conversational. Jennie provided us with some excellent skills to take highly technical speak and turn it into more everyday language that is easier for your audience to understand.

Whether you are just getting started with online training, or if you’re like me and have been doing it for years, this program is excellent. I’m a big believer in having the credentials to prove to the decision-makers that you have the skills to do the job. As a freelance trainer, I’m certain this will lead to more repeat customers and a greater sense of satisfaction from my clients. If you work for an organization, this program will lead to improved training evaluations from your students and a happier manager.

The post Certified Online Training Professional – Part Two appeared first on eLearning.

Novices: The Missing Link

Posted on by Toyin Akisanya

When performing our initial learning needs analysis, if the opportunity allows, I highly recommend setting aside some time to speak with a novice because their opinions of the workplace can be very different from that of a SME.

While chatting with novices, I try to build a complete profile of the prospective learner. Afterward, I can usually give the main character in the learning module a name and begin to conceptualize their background story.

However, gathering accurate information starts with gaining access to the right novice. Therefore, I request a novice who is generally representative of the target learner population in terms of educational background and prior work experience, as well as diversity characteristics such as gender, age, and ethnicity. The resulting learning curriculum needs to resonate with and produce the desired performance change within this distinct population.

I like to form my own impression of their work environment, so whenever feasible, I will visit onsite. Since I often conduct interviews remotely, I use video conferencing as much as possible.

If I can see their surroundings, I take note of how busy it is. I note how close they are to the physical resources that support their role. I also note any unconscious skills they utilize to be productive within that particular setting.

When I cannot see the workplace, I listen carefully. Background noises (or lack thereof) can also provide valuable insights into the workplace culture and social interactions.

During our chat, I ask them to describe the typical skill sets a novice would be expected to have in that specific role. I use open-ended questions to encourage a natural flow and gain added insights such as whether they are comfortable using technical jargon or corporate acronyms or if they have access to formal or informal support structures. They frequently also describe internal online resources or social networking tools, of which I might have been previously unaware.

This conversation can be very fruitful in terms of generating content for a more immersive learning experience. Most importantly, though, it helps me to establish a more realistic baseline for the minimum level of knowledge and support a learner would be expected to have as they embark upon their learning journey.

I like to think that while interviewing SMEs provides a roadmap of the destination, interviewing the novice informs the distance learners have to travel to get there.

In my opinion, these are both significant yet separate contributions to the design of a more robust and relevant learning curriculum.

What do you think?

The post Novices: The Missing Link appeared first on eLearning.

No, We Cannot Look Everything Up

Posted on by Patti Shank, PhD

Search can help us find information, but we must know what to look up and how to interpret and use it. Existing knowledge helps us know what to look up. Existing knowledge helps us know if what we find is relevant. It helps us understand what the information means. And so on.

This post was first published on eLearning Industry.

How To Be An Exceptional Instructional Designer

Posted on by Shirley Erwee

How does an ordinary Instructional Designer succeed and become extraordinary? It takes more than creating effective content. Discover these top tips to become an Instructional Designer that stands out from the crowd.

This post was first published on eLearning Industry.

How Learning Theories Affect eLearning?

Posted on by Debadrita Sengupta

Learning theories were created as a basis to explain, describe, analyze and predict how learning should take place. It is important for eLearning professionals to understand how learning takes place because they are in the business of helping people learn. This is what this article discusses.

This post was first published on eLearning Industry.

3 scenario design tips you might have missed

Posted on by Cathy Moore

Need to write a scenario question? Get ideas from these three classic blog posts that you might have missed.

Man sleeping in train seat

The same question three ways

What’s the difference between a quiz question, a mini-scenario with poor feedback, and a strong scenario question? Compare these versions of the same data-security question and discover an unusual use for a Chipmunks CD.

Voice descends from clouds saying "Incorrect!"

A deeper look at “showing” feedback

I’ve just made a decision in your scenario. Should you now tell me what I did right or wrong, or just show me the consequence of my decision?

I vote for “show” because I want to use my brain. Here’s an example of how it works, plus an early encounter with the Omniscient One, that faceless know-it-all who dominates elearning.

Droid head becomes human head

7 ways to make dialog sound natural

These tips will make your scenario characters believable, relatable, and concise. (The most common mistake I see is too much small talk. See tip #2 for the solution.)

Want personal feedback on your scenarios?

My four-week online scenario design course starts the first week of September. You’ll get hands-on practice writing scenarios and get my personal feedback on your work. Sessions are scheduled for most of the world, including Australia and New Zealand. Learn more.

 

Certified Online Training Professional Certificate

Posted on by Paul Wilson

Imagine if you only had the knowledge and skill levels that you contained immediately after college or university? I dare say you would be professionally out of date. As learning and development professionals, we often expound the benefits of continuous improvement, but we seldom take this advice ourselves. About once per year, I put aside time to “sharpen my saw” as Stephen Covey would put it in his highly successful book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

Classroom and online facilitation are two very different things. I’ve learned first hand that many of the visual cues you get standing in front of a class of students often don’t exist in an online setting. For example, in a classroom, it’s easy for a skilled facilitator to pick up on facial reactions when the students require further clarification. Also, different facial reactions can let you know when students experience the “ah-ha” moments. In a classroom, a skilled facilitator can use these cues to transition to the next topic, reinforce key points, or ask students to share their thoughts. In an online setting, learners don’t always share their webcam with you. You can’t see how engaged they are or see those aforementioned facial reactions to what you are teaching. Not having this and other advantages of the classroom are something that I’ve found challenging about online facilitation.

I’ve selected to become certified by the International Council for Certified Online Training Professionals or (ICCOTP). Their Certified Online Training Professional Certificate gets me a certificate, a badge to display on my website, and my name added to the listing of council members. All of these items are great, but honestly, my biggest motivation to complete this certification is to improve my skills as an online trainer. While I think my training sessions and webinars are good right now, I think they could be better. I like the fact that upon completion of the certification, the assessment will be a live proficiency exam where I present a 10-minute lesson delivered in an online format. I will have to apply the skills learned during the training to be successful, rather than simply answering a series of multiple-choice questions.

I’m scheduled to begin the two-day online course starting August 21st, 2019. In part two of this article, I will share my key takeaways from this course as well as my recommendation as well.

The post Certified Online Training Professional Certificate appeared first on eLearning.

Free eBook: eLearning Design And The ‘Right’ Brain

Posted on by Steve Lowenthal

How do you make sure that information really sticks to the learner and goes from being a one-off experience to a life lesson? This eBook helps you explore the interactive elements in eLearning, specifically the ones that will appeal to the right brain and help create memorable, sticky learning experiences.

This post was first published on eLearning Industry.

New scenario examples to inspire you

Posted on by Cathy Moore

I’ve added several example scenarios to this collection, along with discussion to help you evaluate the designers’ choices.

Challenges you might not have seen before include:

  • Can you convince Carla to analyze the problem instead of throwing a course at it?
  • Your patient has HIV. Should you tell his wife?
  • Your student is stressed and might be cutting herself. Can you convince her to talk to the counselor?
  • Can you recognize gang activity and respond appropriately?
  • Something is bothering Hana. Can you persuade her to talk about it?

Screenshots of several branching scenarios

You’ll consider several design decisions, including:

  • What level of production is really necessary?
  • Should players have to choose every word they say in a conversation, or just some phrases?
  • How much information should we present, and how much can people easily figure out on their own?
  • How often, if ever, should we interrupt with hints or correction?

September scenario design course is open for registration

We examine these types of activities in my scenario design course, which begins the first week of September. In this four-week course, you’ll immediately apply what you’re learning to a project on your job and get personal feedback from me. This is a popular course with limited seats, so register soon.