A Time-Compressed Methodology for Technical Training Development  

The time-compressed training development methodology involves putting together a team of subject matter experts (SMEs), a designer/facilitator, and one or two scribes, then giving them the time and space required for focused effort in a three-phase approach. The three phases are: prework; development sessions; and, postwork. During the prework phase, a preliminary course outline and formats for the materials are developed. In the development sessions, the outline is refined, objectives are defined, and the content is developed. And, in the postwork phase, the materials are reviewed, refined, published, and distributed.

Bender, Sherieda K., Kathleen M. Fisher, Lola Fredrickson and David T. Scott. STC Proceedings (1994). Articles>Education>Instructional Design>SMEs

Toward an Ethics of Teaching Writing in a Hazardous Context—: The American University  

The following essay is a collaborative effort by a writing teacher and a writing student to make sense out of a situation we experienced together when Sandy Moore, the writer, responded to an assignment given by Michael Kleine, the teacher. In an advanced persuasive writing course, Michael asked students to experiment with the major Aristotelian categories of persuasion: ceremonial, forensic, and deliberative discourse. For the ceremonial assignment, Sandy chose to write an essay of blame about patrons of her workplace, a restaurant/bar. Though ceremonial discourse aims to praise or blame its subject before a public audience, Sandy did not intend to publish the essay outside the context of the classroom. Aware of the charged nature of her essay, Sandy wanted to use the university classroom not as a place from which to launch a public attack on a private workplace; instead, she hoped that the classroom would provide a safe place in which to practice persuasive discourse and to develop her rhetorical skills.

Moore, Sandy and Michael Kleine. JAC (1992). Articles>Education>Instructional Design>Rhetoric

Towards an Emancipatory Pedagogy in Service Courses and User Departments      

Critical thinking has led teachers of service courses and their user departments into common pedagogies. Motivated by calls from industry for students with problem-solving abilities, both service courses and their user departments have incorporated higher-level thinking modes into their assignments. Applying the interpretive mode of rationality posited by Habermas, innovative teachers are changing their pedagogical methods from the simple transference of information from teacher to student to assignments requiring team projects where students grapple with parametric problem solving that demands interpreting complex data. Applying the emancipatory mode of rationality, some assignments involve outside clients and working with community-based social and political issues.

David, Carol and Donna Kienzler. Technical Communication Quarterly (1999). Articles>Education>Instructional Design

Towards Modular Access to Electronic Handbooks    

The paper reports an ongoing project aimed at providing an exemplary architecture for an electronic dissemination environment for scientific handbooks. It focuses on a way of facilitating navigation through and access to electronic handbooks by using a WordNet-like concept hierarchy consisting of synsets (sets of synonyms) that are connected to each other and to external sources by semantic relations for navigational purposes.

Caracciolo, Caterina. Journal of Digital Information (2003). Articles>Education>Instructional Design>eBooks

Training 101: Learn How to Train  

Practical techniques for organizing, delivering, and surviving your first-ever face-to-face training course. While the focus is on computer software training, the information can be readily adapted for other training situations. BEFORE THE BIG DAY It is useful to know what goes into a training session even if you're not responsible for all the preparations. If

Bracey, Rhonda. STC Proceedings (2002). Articles>Education>Instructional Design>Workplace

Training 101: Logistics for Delivering Face-to-Face Instruction  

Practical techniques for organizing, delivering, and surviving your first-ever face-to-face training course. While the focus is on computer software training, the information can be readily adapted for other training situations. The first section deals with physical preparations such as setting up the room and checking equipment. The second offers practical tips for delivering the training, such as dealing with troublesome people, using various delivery methods, and getting feedback. Intended audience: For those who know their subject matter/product very well, but have no teaching or training experience – as the 'resident expert' they have been asked to train others.

Bracey, Rhonda. STC Proceedings (2003). Articles>Education>Instructional Design

Training for E-Business: Turning Your Education Offerings On!  

These days, the buzzwords of our industry revolve around E-commerce and E-business. At the same time, we have also seen major shifts in the required focus of our training offerings – from Tool/Task-Based to Business Process/Role-Based. Finally, we can no longer demand that the students come to us for what they need. They are demanding that we take it to them. But how do you turn your training organization on a dime to respond to the changing needs? This paper discusses how you can transition from standup/ manual-based instruction to a WBT/online documentation method of training.

McLean, Donna. STC Proceedings (2001). Articles>Education>Instructional Design>Online

Training Options and Team-Oriented Techniques  

After instituting training programs requiring 10 to 20 percent of every person's work week, Motorola reported that plants reinforcing the training received a $33 dollar return on investment for every dollar spent. The demand for training in new computer applications is growing. Selecting computer training options requires (1) an analysis of cost to benefits and (2) teamwork for preparing the materials and delivering the training. Some training techniques that work include knowledge mapping, pilot testing, and team training.

Feinberg, Susan G. STC Proceedings (1994). Articles>Education>Instructional Design>Collaboration

Training the Brain: Building an Online Course  

This case study is based on the process that one team of technical communicators used to create an online science course—for a company that had not previously offered online courses. The team developed, created, and implemented the course, Language and the Brain, in just two and a half months.

Win, Thet Shein, Laura Arendal, Wen Chao. STC Proceedings (2001). Articles>Education>Instructional Design>Online

Training the Trainers Amongst Us  

The Education and Research Professional Interest Committee is sponsoring this day-long Train-the-Trainers post-conference workshop in response to the increasing emphasis that business and government are placing on lifelong learning and continuing education. The workshop explores the natural affinities that exist between the disciplines of adult education and technical communication, and offers technical communicators a unique professional development opportunity. The workshop demonstrates, through a mix of lecture, questionanswer sessions, and small group activities, that technical communicators can derive specific, tangible benefits from a grounding in the theory and practice of adult education.

Conklin, John James, Judith L. Glick-Smith and Brenda E. Sartoris. STC Proceedings (1995). Articles>Education>Instructional Design

Twenty Ways to Make Lectures More Participatory

Lectures play a vital role in teaching. There will always be a place for lectures in the curriculum -- to give technical material or factual information, to provide structure to material or an argument, to display a method or example of how one thinks in a given field, or even to inspire and motivate students to explore further. At the same time, it often enhances both your presentation of the material and students’ learning when students are able to participate in some way. When students engage actively with material, they generally understand it better and remember it longer.

Harvard University (2002). Articles>Education>Instructional Design>User Centered Design

The Usability of eBook Technology

Although eBooks have not gained the consumer popularity expected by their developers and supporters, they still have a small base. This article explores their use in the education environment.

Bellaver, Richard F. and Jay Gillette. Usability Professionals Association (2003). Articles>Education>Instructional Design>eBooks

Use and Abuse of Reusable Learning Objects    

The term Learning Object, first popularized by Wayne Hodgins in 1994 when he named the CedMA working group 'Learning Architectures, APIs and Learning Objects,' has become the Holy Grail of content creation and aggregation in the computer-mediated learning field. The terms Learning Objects (LOs) and Reusable Learning Objects are frequently employed in uncritical ways, thereby reducing them to mere slogans. The serious lack of conceptual clarity and reflection is evident in the multitude of definitions and uses of LOs. The objectives of this paper are to assess current definitions of the term Learning Object, to articulate the foundational principles for developing a concept of LOs, and to provide a methodology and broad set of guidelines for creating LOs.

Polsani, Pithamber R. Journal of Digital Information (2003). Articles>Content Management>Instructional Design>Education

Using Instructional Design to Produce Performance Support  

Technical writers can enhance performance support through instructional design.

Krull, Robert. STC Proceedings (2000). Articles>Education>Instructional Design>EPSS

Using Practical Toys, Modified for Technical Learning

Educators have used toys in the classroom for as long as toys have been in existence, especially in the field of elementary education. Toys can provide motivation as well as keep the students focused on a particular area of study for longer periods of time - something students at the elementary level often struggle with. These students need to obtain fundamental skills for creating, disseminating, retrieving, and evaluating information from electronic media. Using robots as toys and teaching tools is a concept that has also been around for quite a while, and a great way to introduce these fundamental skills.

Weisheit, Tracey Lynn. ACM Crossroads (2004). Articles>Education>Instructional Design

Using Student Management Teams to Improve Technical Writing Courses  

In this article, the authors describe the student management team (SMT) teaching concept, used to build appropriate teamwork competencies, and explain how they implemented an SMT in their technical writing course.

Mutschelknaus, Ina L. and Mike Mutschelknaus. Intercom (2000). Articles>Education>Instructional Design>Collaboration

Web-Based Teaching: A New Educational Paradigm  

Clark assesses the effects of virtual classrooms on teachers of distance-learning courses.

Clark, Lawrence J. Intercom (2001). Articles>Education>Instructional Design>Online

The Web, the Millennium, and the Digital Evolution of Distance Education      

This paper discusses Industrial and Digital Age educational paradigms, needs, and expectations of adult and traditional learners for Internet-based education; knowledge management and its impact on technical communication; the Universal Campus Network and the nature of Web-based education in the near future; elements for success for Web-based distance education in technical communication; and future directions in electronic communication.

Leonard, David C. Technical Communication Quarterly (1999). Articles>Education>Instructional Design>Online

Worlds Within Which We Teach: Issues for Designing World Wide Web Course Material      

Initially, online courses were created by pioneers--self-taught Web site writers comfortable with uncertainty. As Internet-based instruction has become increasingly popular, others are less inclined to struggle with writing their own Web pages but are nonetheless interested in having an instructional Web site. A growing number of course-construction programs are becoming available which could make Internet-based instruction more accessible. Only by addressing both pedagogical and technical issues can evaluation of such course creation products provide information useful for thoughtful and appropriate use of that technology to support and extend traditional pedagogies. This article concludes that creating online instructional sites by hand with the help of an HTML editor is generally preferable to using course-in-a-box software because instructors can select the components needed to support their pedagogy and construct successful learning experiences for their students. On the other hand, the dilemma of faculty intimidated by the technical expertise needed to produce even a basic Web site can be ameliorated by the use of course-in-a-box software. However, that software should be seen only as a stepping stone. Instructional sites created by course-in-a-box software certainly are worthwhile, but the course or site produced by this software remains constrained by its box, even if that box is often commodious.

O'Sullivan, Mary F. Technical Communication Quarterly (1999). Articles>Education>Instructional Design>Online

Writing for the Occupational Curriculum Market: A Survival Kit for Technical Communicators  

There is a substantial market for technical communicators in the field of occupationally-based curriculum development. Both educational institutions and in-house industry training programs create instructional materials for preparing new workers and upgrading the skills of incumbent workers. Technical communicators with the right skills and experience can increase their earnings and expand their job horizons by joining this educational market. This workshop acquaints participants with the curriculum-writing market and its requirements and gives them an opportunity to develop an Action Plan for breaking into the freelance market or for expanding their opportunities in their workplace.

Ausburn, Lynna J. and Sherry S. Wietelman. STC Proceedings (1994). Articles>Education>Instructional Design

Keeping Current    

In any field of applied studies such as technical communication, you have to be aware of industry changes. Keeping current with research and academic journals is important, but so is keeping current with what is going on in your industry, particularly in your own city. If you are educating people to get jobs as technical communicators, then you need to be sure you are giving them the right training for the markets they are entering.

Campbell, Alexa. Intercom (2009). Articles>Education>Instructional Design>Usability

The Difference Between Training and Teaching

The difference between training and teaching is that teaching encourages reflection, and therefore self improvement. A teacher aims to create students who are better then themselves. A trainer is looking for a human robot.

Barnes, David. Posterous (2009). Articles>Education>Instructional Design

Can You Teach Me Moodle?

Teachers are a very pragmatic lot and love to borrow good stuff. Give’em a good one in Moodle and they will come! If a science teacher has a great solution using Moodle for a problem or idea her class and say, an English teacher sees it and ‘gets it’ - you can bet the English teacher will at least try or ask how to go about it. And coming from a colleague and a fellow ’struggler’ is a much more powerful thing than coming from the school’s main Moodle peddler like me.

Lasic, Tomaz. Human (2009). Articles>Education>Instructional Design>Online

The Perils of Passion in the Classroom    

Discusses the intricacies of burnout and how to recognize, prevent, and cure it.

Campbell, Alexa. Intercom (2009). Articles>Education>Instructional Design