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Which learning environment would work best for your training? Be sure to justify your decision.

What learning activities would you use in your training? (i.e. Role playing, lectures, games, group discussions, etc.) Be sure to justify your decision.

A straight lecture with little audience participation typically has minimal results. Many trainers and facilitators have successfully used role playing, group discussions, videos, games, activities, and adventure skills to teach the main content. A leadership training organization in Pennsylvania uses Civil War reenactments to teach leadership skills. There are many ways to reach the whole heart and minds of the learner.

The basic series of events in instructional design consist of an introduction, body, a conclusion, and an assessment. Instructional designer and scholar Robert Gagne made famous these nine events of instruction.

1.Gaining Attention
2.Informing the learner of the objectives
3.Stimulating recall of prior knowledge
4.Presenting information
5.Providing guidance
6.Eliciting performance
7.Providing feedback
8.Assessing performance
9.Enhancing retention and transfer

The fourth step, presenting information, gives you a wide variety of options.

Instructional Activities

Instructional events and learning experiences can be organized for a variety of delivery methods. The most popular of these include the traditional face to face classroom style, but that is all changing as technology enters this industry.

Lecture

The lecture is best used for creating a general understanding of a topic. Several variations in the lecture format allow it to be more or less formal and/or interactive. In the pure lecture, communication is one way-from trainer to trainees. A good lecture begins with an introduction that lays out the purpose, the order in which topics will be covered, and ground rules about interruptions (e.g., questions and clarification). This is followed by the main body of the lecture in which information is given. The lecture should conclude with a summary of the main learning points and/or conclusions.

Lecture can be useful in situations in which a large number of people must be given a limited amount of information in a relatively short period; however, it is not effective for learning large amounts of material in a short time period.

Discussion

The discussion method uses two-way communication between the lecturer and the trainees to increase learning opportunities. This method uses a short lecture (20 minutes or less) to provide trainees with basic information. This is followed by a discussion among the trainees and between the trainees and the trainer that supports, reinforces, and expands upon the information presented in the short lecture. Verbal and nonverbal feedback from trainees allows the trainer to determine if the desired learning has occurred. If not, the trainer may need to spend more time on this area and/or present the information again, but in a different manner.

E-Learning

Many companies have implemented e-learning, which encompasses several different types of technology assisted training, such as distance learning, computer-based training (CBT), or web-based training (WBT). Distance learning occurs when trainers and trainees are in remote locations; typically, technology is used to broadcast a trainer's lecture to many trainees in many separate locations. Distance learning provides many of the same advantages and disadvantages as the lecture method. Distance learning can be much less expensive than paying for trainees in multiple locations to travel for a lecture, but it may reduce motivation to learn because of the remoteness of the trainer.

E-learning is an alternative to classroom-based training, and it can provide a number of advantages. E-learning can:

•reduce trainee learning time, by allowing trainees to progress at their own pace

•reduce the cost of training, particularly by reducing costs associated with travel to a training location

•provide instructional consistency, by offering the same training content to employees worldwide

•allow trainees to learn at their own pace thereby reducing any boredom or anxiety that may occur

•provide a safe method for learning hazardous tasks with computer simulations

•increase access to training to learners in locations around the world

Other methods of delivering information include (and not limited to)

•Simulations
•Equipment Simulators
•Business Games
•Case Studies
•Role Playing
•On-the-job training
•Coaching
•Mentoring
•Apprenticeships

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