A wide variety of product technologies have cropped up over the past few years that have revolutionized the corporate training industry. This series aims to explore the impacts and capabilities of product technology in today’s training environment.
This installment takes a look at a few ways technology can be used to improve upon Instructor Led Training (ILT).
Use training technology for tracking ILT
There always will be many hours of ILT. By its live, real-time nature, ILT inevitably results in a tremendous workload and a pile of records that have to be kept.
By taking advantage of today’s training technology, managers can host all of the ILT courses in one online database. This can allow a student to go to a catalog and “register” for appropriate ILT courses online. Automating this registration process helps cut the workload surrounding registration tracking, for example what students registered for and when they registered.
Once the student registers for a course they will see the course structure on their calendar, along with the associated materials, pre-requisites, requirements etc. Additionally, training technology can used to send automatic e-mails to students that include the details of the ILT, such as prerequisites, reading materials, location and instructor bio.
On the day of the ILT, students can generally log back into the training technology, go into the student dashboard, and browse or print the student materials. Most importantly, a definitive record can be generated of when the student opened the materials, and who opened what.
When the instructor logs in, he or she can see the student materials and have access to the instructional materials (visuals and notes etc.). The instructor can then project the visuals and use their notes. Again most importantly, a definitive electronic record is generated showing what info was accessed and by who.
All of this user history is automatically generated and permanently maintained, therefore drastically reducing the amount of human administration required to keep records.
Use technology for maintaining ILT materials
Following along with the same theme as the item above, there often are hundreds of ILT courses, each consisting of lesson plans, visuals, notes, student materials, references, job aids, test and more. One of the more difficult tasks is maintaining all those ILT materials, keeping the masters and the latest versions, and ensuring consistency.
Too often, the ILT materials are handed from one instructor to another instructor. Each instructor makes their own edits and improvements to the materials. Soon there are multiple variations of the ILT materials. This can result varied ILT experience for the students depending on which set of ILT materials used in the course they were in.
Using Technology for maintaining ILT materials can allow training managers to limit access rights to modify each set of materials to a specific Subject Matter Expert (SME). That SME would then become the owner and maintainer of that set of materials. All other instructors may view and use the materials, but they cannot modify the materials. This will insure the ILT materials are accurate and consistent.
A history can also automatically be generated for all updates and changes, including who made the changes and when.
Author Biography
Steve Case, Business Development Consultant, scase@aleragroup.com
Stephen Case has over 30 years of Training and Adult Education experience, with over 12 years in Technology Based Training (eLearning). His diversified experience includes managing business development, operations and administration.
Steve has worked with leading edge eLearning technology including LMSs, LCMSs, Knowledge Management platforms, eTutor platforms, Talent Management platforms, Performance Improvement platforms, Authoring/Development tools, and Asynchronous and Synchronous (Webinar) tools.
Steve is often called to consult with companies attempting to expose their unique products and service to industry, as well those wanting to utilize eLearning to their strategic advantage.
Steve has demonstrated his ability to improve Business Development effectiveness through the use of innovative thinking and effectively leveraging resources.
He has experience using client objectives to drive business into new markets. Steve was instrumental in developing a successful new Instructor Led Synchronous eLearning program that took sales from minimal levels to over $1M within 18 months.
Steve also developed a sales program for a start up LMS platform, driving that business from no revenue to a fully operational company that was both profitable and cash flow positive.
Steve aided an eLearning company in identifying key industry partners and acquisition targets and implemented a successful acquisition program that added significant revenues and capabilities to the parent company.
