Chapter 5: Developing Training Content

After you have developed your training objectives and designed the curriculum based on your needs assessment and task analysis, the next step is to develop your training content. Chapter 5 deals with how and where to find information that will help you lend credibility to your training objectives, as well as examples of how to organize the content. Developing training content with credible and pertinent information is important because it validates the necessity of the training. Taking the time to research sources thoroughly enhances the integrity of the training as well as the trainer. In this chapter, the book discusses several sources of training material, how to process training material, and closes with samples of training content outlines. There are a wealth of places to begin searching for information for your training topic that include experimental sources, library sources, internet sources, professional training organizations, subject matter experts (SMEs), and commercial sources. Experimental sources are experiences that the trainer has had or what knowledge they possess about a certain subject. For example, if your training topic is teaching students how to navigate Blackboard you as the trainer would ask yourself questions like “What do I know about navigating Blackboard?” “What problems have I encountered?” “What shortcuts have I found work best?”. If you have personal experience with the training topic, it adds credibility to the training and makes you feel more confident when you deliver it. Libraries provide many avenues to locate materials for training content. Not only are they physical locations, but their resources can also be retrieved online. Books, periodicals, internet databases, newspapers, reference materials (i.e. dictionaries, almanacs), and government documents are available in a wide variety of topics. Internet sources have fast become a much-used way of finding and researching different subjects. In addition to the library, information from public and corporate websites, training websites, commercial websites, and government websites can also be accessed. However, unlike books or periodicals not all of the information found on the internet is as reliable. It is important to evaluate the information on each site such as the author of the site, the last time it was updated, the type of site. The trainer should use the following steps when evaluating websites: 1) accountability – who “owns” the site and to whom are they accountable 2) accuracy – is the information reliable and is it true 3) objectivity – is the information biased or objective, does the author have ties to any products that may influence their opinion 4) date – is the information current, is the website maintained on a regular basis 5) usability – is the information presented in a way that is easy to access. Since anyone can post anything on the internet, it is important for the trainer to keep these steps in mind to ensure their training content is as flawless as possible. Professional training organization such as the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD) can be instrumental in developing training content because they provide their members with online information, news, and networking opportunities. Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) can also be useful to the trainer because if the training topic is in their field, they have firsthand knowledge of the content. Commercial sources can be found in bookstores and training business, and offer training packets they may aid in developing training content. These materials are prepared in advance, organized, available for immediate use. However, some drawbacks of using this method is with pre-packaged materials it may be difficult for the trainer to incorporate it into their presentation and they have to be purchased which would affect the trainer’s budget. Once you have compiled the research materials, it is important to evaluate the information collected. There are important factors to consider when assembling training content. First, the trainer must ensure that the materials are relevant to the training topic. Just because the information is interesting does not mean it is relevant to the task the trainer hopes to accomplish. Second, the trainer needs to identify the sources of the materials used and make sure trainee’s needs are met by the content. Third, the trainer should be aware of the time they have allotted and scale their content accordingly. However, the trainer should still make sure that the most important information is included. Fourth, trainer needs to cater their content to the different cultures and backgrounds of the trainees. Lastly, the content needs to cover all learning styles so that all of the trainees are able to understand and follow along with the information being presented. In addition, it is the trainer’s responsibility to cite sources correctly and make sure they are not using copyrighted materials in their content. Disregarding either will have a negative effect on the training and cast doubt on the trainer’s integrity. After all of the materials have been assembled, the trainer has to determine the order they should be presented. It is always a good idea to research other training modules, and tailor what was successful to your training outline. Not everything will work with the topic and/or goals of your training, but it could provide you with a starting point when compiling your data. The book provides some basic examples of training content outlines to give you an idea of how they can be composed. Whatever method you choose, it is always important to remember that the needs of the trainees should be your main priority. Please read the following article: http://everydaylife.globalpost.com/can-one-tell-information-credible-20211.html By: Crystal Sullivan