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Week
6
Professional
Growth and Development
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Examine professional growth and development resources
and opportunities in the field of
e-Education as they apply to higher education and
corporate training.
Professional
growth and development
Job
Security
Often,
the training department is seen as a luxury. As a
result, whenever a company begins experiencing financial
difficulty, the training department is usually the
first to get cut from the budget.But needs assessment
and summative evaluations to combat the idea that
a training department is expendable because they can
show how the bottom line is impacted by improperly
trained workers, incorrect content, and faulty processes.
According to Kirkpatrick’s Model of Evaluation
for more information: http://coe.sdsu.edu/eet/Articles/k4levels/index.htm
there are four levels of evaluation a company can
perform.
Reactions
- every training program should at least conduct this level of evaluation.
This level evaluates the participant's perceptions of the training.
Generally done at the conclusion of a training session.
Learning
- evaluates whether or not the participants have advance in skill,
knowledge or attitude.
Transfer
- evaluates whether or not the participants actually changed their
behavior based on what they learned in training.
Results
- attempts to connect training results to a company's bottom line.
Results are
the most challenging to come by, particularly in relation to the
bottom line - cost savings. You can gather information that may
show results by conducting long-term evaluations using the following:
- Send post-training
surveys
- Offer ongoing,
sequenced training and coaching over a period of time
- Conduct
follow-up needs assessment
- Check metrics
(e.g., scrap, re-work, errors, etc.) to measure if participants
achieved training objectives
- Interview
trainees and their managers, or their customer groups (e.g., patients,
other departmental staff) (Winfrey, http://coe.sdsu.edu/eet/Articles/k4levels/index.htm)
Change
is Constant
As
you discovered in your Technology Changes paper, technology
is constantly changing. As a result, it is important
to be on the cutting edge of technology to remain
competitive. How can you do this? By taking classes
and workshops that keep you on the cutting edge. Update
your skills on a regular basis to keep you marketable.
Ongoing Education
Find
out what the local and online universities or training
facilities are offering in the field of technology
and instructional design. Do not be afraid to take
an additional class to hone your skills! Also, do
not be afraid to review their course offerings to
see what is new in the field and what resources
they are providing to their students. You do not
have to sign up for the class to order the corresponding
textbook or course materials.
Professional
Organizations
Professional organizations strive to stay on the
cutting edge in their field of study. In addition,
they often publish scholarly articles on relevant
topics, offer resources to practitioners in the
field, sponsor professional conferences and training
opportunities, and foster networking.
Research, research, research!
Do
not be afraid to conduct research on a topic of
interest that will help you solve a situation. This
is the Information Age (IA), and information is
power, so utilize every resource available to you
(professional journals and organizations, books,
Web sites, universities, etc.). If you are up-to-date
on the latest and greatest information and/or if
you have discovered a new and effective way to address
a problem, then do not be afraid to write a scholarly
article and/or present at a professional conference.
Stay in contact with others in the field of technology
and instructional design. These individuals will
be great resources for ideas, war stories, materials,
the newest developments in technology and instructional
design, critical eyes to review and improve your
work, and potential collaborators for projects.
Take
advantage of opportunities to work with others in
the field of technology and instructional design.
Much of what we do revolves around creative problem
solving and critical thinking; therefore, a fresh
perspective is always valuable.
Review
this week's individual project
and check the calendar for due
dates.
There
are no Discussion Questions for Week 6. Please use this
time to finish your Instructional Design Plan. Remember
that you must meet the attendance requirement this week
by posting one message on two different days.
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