Conceive a training session

Card's author : Outils-Réseaux
Card's type of licence : Creative Commons BY-SA
Description : A conception methodology formalized in six stages :

  • Preceding survey
  • Analysis of information.
  • Architecture's conception.
  • Course guide.
  • Create material.
  • Finalization.

1. Preceding survey

The first step in the conception of a training session is to carry out a survey on future participants and their needs in training.
Exchanging with the sponsor is important to determine the demand of this latter (conditions of contract or call for tenders) and identify the true training needs.

Knowing the audience

Questions that must be addressed :
Who are they ? What are their jobs and how are they evolving, Do they have experience ? Have they got an initial training ? How is the project of training session going to be presented to them ? What do they need to know ? What are the favourable conditions for their training ?...

Identifying the needs in training

First quality criteria of a training session : it must fit the participants needs.
In this context, the need is specified as a gap between noticed and expected skills.

besoin



What is the meaning of "skills" ?
It is the knowledge of how to act resulting from mobilization and an efficient use of all internal and external resources in a professional environment.
  • internal resources : knowledge, attitudes (manners), skills (know-how)
  • external resources : environment, motivation...

How to identify initial skills ?
  • interviews with the future trainees (that happens very rarely)
  • preliminary questionnaire.

How to identify the skills to get ?
  • interview with the sponsor
  • observation in the field
  • analysis of the professional environment evolution (what will be the future professional environment of the trainee ?) ...

Identifying the environment

Where does the training session project come from ? What makes it a stake coming within the competence of training ? Why now ? Which means and resources are already available ? What are the drawbacks ? What may be the consequences of training on trainees environment ? (which impact will the training have on the trainees environment ?)...

Choosing a rallying dea

To give birth and support the interest on the project, it is useful to crystallize expectations on a main idea, a meaningful theme which accompany the project all along its evolution. This idea will often be the guiding principle along the conception.

2. Analysis of information

It's about being in proposal forces by translating the identified training needs into training objectives, available in conveyable content (knowledge) and in means to do it (methods).

Choice of objectives

To start the conception of a training session correctly, one must be sure to have a sharp and correctly stated training objective.

The objective is important because it is :
  • a contract: towards trainees, towards the sponsor.
  • a safeguard: against a great quantity of information. Thecriteria is simple : why saying or doing this will help people to achieve their goal ?

To start with, the major objectives of the training session must be clarified (session). They can be formulated with the sentence : "When the session is over, the trainee must be able to ... "
Afterwards, this objective must be divided into sub-objectives linkable to the different sequences of the session... (three domains must be covered : knowledge, know-how, manners).
The last stage is about hierarchizing these sub-objectives, specifying those which maybe deleted if time is short.

useful to know :
Objectives are expressed in verbs.
The SMART diagram enables to check quickly the quality of objectives. A good objective is :
  • Specific
  • Measurable
  • reachable
  • Realistic
  • Temporally defined

Choice of content

From objectives, content and sequences get more precise. Knowledge have to be worked out : concepts, information, examples, activities...
All the things needed by the trainee to get the pointed out skills.

Methods

Knowing how to choose educational methods means to know how to be educational.
The method defines the transmission mode for the trainer and the acquisition mode for the trainee. There are 4 great educational methods:

methode



Advantages and drawbacks of the different educational methods

methavant






Evaluation indicators

The last point of educational analysis of information. It's about pointing out criteria which allows to say that a goal is reached.
It's a teadous work but it's important to start it as soon as the training session is designed.


3. Design of the training session's framework

When the step of gathering all the information is over, the educational itinerary has to be studied. The main question of this stage is : how do we reach the goal of this training session ?

Considering the initial level of audiences :
  • it can be either done in one sequence but it's rarely the case,
  • or the progression can be divided in several intermediate stages (sequences, modules...)

Division into sequences

The division into sequences more often found in the conception of short training sessions (1 to 3 days). In longer sessions, these intermediate stages are rather called modules.
An intermediate objective called "educational objective" matches each stage (sequence or module).

How to proceed?
A "sequencing diagram " can be used to realize the educational study
for example :

sequence/module (name/ code) objective contents technics technics length
M : 1 objective know the concepts linked to cooperation course 12 facets of cooperation report 3 h
M : 2
M : 3



Framework or educational thread

The framework is an organisation of sequences over time. It allows a global vision over the training but is also a mean to adapt the sequences progress to external constraints (holidays, bank holidays, events specific to the trainees environment) or to daily rythms in short training sessions.

Characteristics of a good framework:
  • logical and progressive
  • with a good pace (steadiness...)
  • which alternates technics
  • which respects les
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