Unit IV Assignment

BHR 4680, Training and Development 1

Course Learning Outcomes for Unit IV Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to:

5. Evaluate different training programs within organizations. 5.1 Identify training program design elements.

6. Determine the type of evidence needed to demonstrate training program success.

6.1 Describe elements of a successful training program.

Course/Unit Learning Outcomes

Learning Activity

5.1 Unit IV Lesson Chapter 5 Unit IV Assessment

6.1 Unit IV Lesson Chapter 6 Unit IV Assessment

Reading Assignment Chapter 5: Program Design, pp. 202-238 Chapter 6: Training Evaluation, pp. 248-275

Unit Lesson In order to create the best training program, you must consider some key factors. These factors include the training site, lesson plan, curriculum, audience (refer to the Unit III Lesson), trainers, requests for proposals (RFPs), and evaluation methods. Each of these factors play a crucial role in the program design and training evaluation. Training Site When it comes to the training site, the environment also contributes to the success of the training; therefore, it is important to select the best facility possible. In doing this, you should consider your training style, number of participants, equipment needs, and external demands in aiding in the delivery of the training. Training can be conducted onsite or off-site depending on the aforementioned factors. There are several advantages and disadvantages for each; moreover, there is no right response that is always the best—it will depend on the needs of the training. In one example, a company trainer was tasked with providing mandatory training to the employees across offices statewide. There was a set deadline for the training that prevented the company’s training team from visiting every office location, so the trainer discussed options with a training vendor. The factors discussed were the large number of people needing training at several locations across the state, the quickly approaching deadline for the training, and ways to minimize the costs of delivering the training. It was decided that the best solution for the training was off-site. In doing this, the vendor hired more trainers and placed them strategically in various locations throughout the state so the demands of the training could be met within the specified timeframe and the costs could be controlled. Of course, site visits are required. This will allow you to better assess the facility. In order to assure all demands are being met, it is recommended to develop and use a checklist to assist in selecting the best

UNIT IV STUDY GUIDE

Company Training and Learning

BHR 4680, Training and Development 2

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facility possible. These visits can be conducted as often as needed; however, it is recommend that the initial visit focus on determining if the facility is sufficient to meet the training needs. The next recommended visit should be for the mock training session. This will allow for testing of the equipment and creating the desired layout of the room or facility. An additional recommendation is to have a blueprint of the room or facility for identification of access points including equipment, seating, restrooms, entrances, and exits. Lesson Plans Lesson plans are used to deliver the training in a structured manner. A lesson plan consists of a course title, lesson title, lesson length, learning objectives, target audience, prerequisites, room arrangement, materials and equipment list, evaluations and assignments, and comments (Noe, 2017). The lesson plan should be as detailed and descriptive as possible. By having this document, you are creating a standard operating procedure (SOP) in delivering the particular training. This is great for future use, as others may have to train on the same material, and they are able to use the same lesson plan to properly deliver the material. In addition, this accounts for documentation used in conducting the training and for providing deliverables to the client or clients. A hard version (i.e., printed materials) and soft version (i.e., electronic copies) of the plan should be created and housed in a centralized location for easy access. Most organizations will have an intranet system where the material can be stored for future use and ease of access; however, you will find some organizations that will keep hard versions in binders within the training unit or human resources (HR) department. The lesson plan should be used in informing the participants of the agenda for the day. It can be used as support material for the PowerPoint introduction. It can also be used to identify the day’s order of events for the training; however, the lesson plan itself should not be distributed to the participants. Curriculum The curriculum is important to the overall success of the training. If the material is not well-developed, it can lead to further demands and lost profits. The curriculum should meet the learning needs of all participants; in other words, the curriculum should satisfy their tactile, auditory, and visual needs. It should also meet the standards for all audience types (i.e., high-tech, low-tech, and lay audience members). This means when developing the material, if certain terminology is used, the definition should be identified or provided in the glossary section of the material. If industry-specific jargon or acronyms are used, they should be identified and spelled out for better comprehension of the material; however, if your audience is made up of more high- tech participants, you should not have to provide much explanation when it comes to using certain terminology, jargon, or acronyms. It can be expensive to reproduce the curriculum; however, training materials must be identified, developed, reproduced, and properly distributed to the end users. Of course, the curriculum can be delivered as soft or hard versions of the material, as previously discussed, depending on the organization’s technical capabilities and access demands. Again, just as with the lesson plan, the curriculum can be stored on the intranet system and in basic SOP binders. In addition to identifying the storage options for the material, you must identify the cost of reproduction for the curriculum per participant. Refer to the Application Assignment #4 in Chapter 6 on page 285 in the textbook to give you an idea of the cost for curriculum development for each participant’s materials. Trainers In providing training, the trainers must be able to successfully deliver the material; therefore, the selection process for the trainers is crucial to the training. In selecting the trainers, there are certain criteria that should be considered such as experience, education, certifications, availability, salary, and location. You will find that some trainers are contracted. As such, they are not considered employees of the organization; they are hired as experts in the training area. The trainer’s responsibility includes learning the material, writing or rewriting the curriculum, and developing the deliverables for the training efforts.

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Learning the material can involve meeting with other trainers, subject-matter experts (SMEs), and developers to determine and implement the demands of the training such as creating interactive exercises and activities through online training efforts. This is where the developer would provide his or her expertise as to what would work best from a technical standpoint such as writing or embedding the training programs using Adobe Captivate or Robohelp. Other opportunities for trainers are available through train-the-trainer efforts. This takes place throughout the process, perfecting the material and delivery. Onsite train-the-trainer efforts provide the best take on how the actual day could possibly take place, so all needed material, equipment, and facility demands should be available and operable. Again, a checklist should be developed and used in assessing that all demands have been met per the trainer. RFPs RFPs are used in soliciting for contractors to meet the training demands. This can be anything from providing the trainers to providing reproduction of the training material and equipment. The RFP usually includes a title and brief description, contact information, a proposal schedule, background information, the proposal selection process, a project summary, and project details (Dobrin, Keller, & Weisser, 2008). The RFP is requesting certain information from the contractor. Company or organization information, a proposed solution, details of the proposed solution, budget, provisions, personnel, references, a portfolio, awards, certifications or licensing, and other means of verification should be provided. The RFP can be developed by the training team, HR manager, or both together. It is recommended that the items above are included in the RFP in order to select the best contractor; however, keep in mind, as the selection process is taking place, all criteria are to be considered. By selecting the contractor, you are confirming the selection is the best candidate and the demands of the training will be met according to the items in the RFP. It is important to have a contingency plan in place in case unexpected upsets develop with your initial selection. Evaluation Methods As the training comes to a close, it is important to assess the success of the training efforts. This can take place using a number of methods. Whatever method is applied, it should be done immediately following the training; however, in some instances, immediate application is not possible. Evaluating production results is an example of this. This method usually yields data after a couple of weeks. Surveys, pretests and post-tests, observation, question-and-answer sessions, and comment cards are some other examples of methods used in conducting assessments. The line of questioning used for the methods should be based on the learning objectives and outcomes set for the training. When the assessments are being administered, it is important to have multiple options such as online and paper versions. If using a paper version, there should be a receptacle that is available for privacy reasons when the feedback is returned. In addition, if offered online, it should be stressed that the responses obtained are solely used in enhancing the operations of the business and that all responses are confidential. In order to avoid concerns of violating confidentiality, some organizations will contract out the surveying efforts to a third party; however, as was previously discussed, there are some advantages and disadvantages to internal and external assessments.

References Dobrin, S. I., Keller, C. J., & Weisser, C. R. (2008). Technical communication in the twenty-first century.

Upper Saddle River, NY: Pearson Prentice Hall. Noe, R. A. (2017). Employee training and development (7th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education.

BHR 4680, Training and Development 4

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Suggested Reading In order to access the following resource, click the link below. The article below covers the use of training and techniques used to create successful training programs. Rio, A. (2017, August 3). Virtual reality in training slowly becoming a reality. Chief Learning Officer. Retrieved

from http://www.clomedia.com/2017/08/03/virtual-reality-in-training-slowly-becoming-a-reality/

Learning Activities (Nongraded) Nongraded Learning Activities are provided to aid students in their course of study. You do not have to submit them. If you have questions, contact your instructor for further guidance and information. The learning activities below create the opportunity to apply your knowledge. Each of the activities introduces topic material from Unit IV including evaluation ratings and training recommendations. You may complete one or all of the assignments below, which can be found in your textbook.

1. Application Assignment, page 240, #5 2. Application Assignment, page 241, #8 3. Application Assignment, page 285, #3 4. Application Assignment, page 285, #4