January 28, 2015
January 28, 2015 As I’ve posted many times, higher education is, unfortunately, crossing over into traditional training objectives — and, away from its historical goals. We see the movement away from a liberal arts exposure (with its attendant focus on thinking) and toward an almost exclusive emphasis on “skills training” in a specific academic discipline where the almost-sole intent of preparing students for professional labor becomes the norm — the historical province...
January 26, 2015
January 26, 2015 Sometimes you’re in the market for a special training project —- a training initiative that is unique to your organization. For example, you might well be tasked with addressing items that are specific to your organization’s procedures, policies or operating equipment. What should you look for in a potential partnering vendor? To begin, you should select a producing organization that has a long track record of developing similar training...
January 22, 2015
January 22, 2015 In order for your online training to be most effective, you should seek those courses created by instructional designers who include creativity into their finished products. Creativity, born from the designer’s imagination, is the single most important quality that distinguishes those courses with which your trainees will fully engage during the learning process. Imagination is the catalyst that drives creativity. In his book, THE DRAMATIC IMAGINATION, one of America’s...
January 19, 2015
January 19, 2015 Some of you will have already spent many years in the training field. You’ve long ago earned your stripes. Other readers will be new to the training profession. You’re anxious to learn. Whichever group you are in, however, is faced with the same challenge: “Making the best training initiative choices in order to maximize the learning opportunities for your trainees.” Today, we’re going to look at the most important...
January 14, 2015
January 14, 2015 Two interesting items form the basis for today’s blog — one, general and the other, more specific. The current AMERICAN SCHOLAR features an article by Mike Rose, “School Reform Fails the Test.” In 1995, Rose had published a book, “Possible Lives: The Promise of Education in America” and now has chosen to revisit many of the teachers he had, years before, interviewed for his book A couple of quotes...
January 12, 2015
January 12, 2015 One of the fundamental principles that characterizes successful organizations goes something like this: “To stay competitive, today’s organizations have to realize maximum productivity from each and every employee!” While readily investing training dollars in task skills building, too often, many organizations ignore the basic skills knowledge-gap that exists throughout their workforce. Unfortunately, when they do take the time to examine that gap, many find that their employees simply don’t...
January 7, 2015
January 7, 2015 What force separates the winners from the losers in today’s marketplace? The same force that has shaped survivors throughout history — change! Since the beginning of time, it has been those who have learned to control change who have prospered. “ Any business in today’s fast-moving environment that is looking for the pace of change to slow is likely to be sorely disappointed. In fact, businesses should embrace change....
January 5, 2015
January 5, 2015 Effective media instruction has always been a designers’ medium. In fact, the only applicable phrase for effective media instruction — “instructional integrity” — does not belong to the new Merlins with their magic technology. That phrase is the province of flesh and blood human beings, the instructional designers of yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Media instruction has never been an evolving electronic gadgetry world. It is rather one more step...
