I am pursuing a MS in instructional design and technology. See that last word? Technology. At this point in history, that doesn't mean overhead projectors or film. It doesn't even mean PowerPoint. It is more than that. I've practiced at building self-paced interactive learning modules. I'm writing a blog. I'm recording podcasts. I'm looking to mobile technology as a possible platform for viable learning. Despite that, PowerPoint may not even make its way into my final project.
You see, my company conducts all training in either a classroom setting or apprenticeship format. For the classroom, that means instructor manuals and trainee manuals. For an apprenticeship...well, just hope that the person you learn from is a decent teacher. Currently the position I'm designing training for, called E Holds, is trained by apprenticeship. Although it is an upgrade to design manuals for classroom training, I would rather put something like an interactive simulation into the hands of the learner. In a way I can understand why they might prefer classroom training. The time spent in training can be strictly controlled, and adherence to a nationwide schedule is very important to my company. So for my company, does the old school classroom fit their business model better than new technologies and trends?
Perhaps there is a happy medium, a middle ground between scheduled instruction and self-paced learning. If I can find a way to meet the demands of a tight schedule and increase learner control in the process, maybe I can convince corporate to give it a shot, to innovate in training. If not, hopefully a couple of training manuals will still be good enough to fulfill my degree requirements.
You see, my company conducts all training in either a classroom setting or apprenticeship format. For the classroom, that means instructor manuals and trainee manuals. For an apprenticeship...well, just hope that the person you learn from is a decent teacher. Currently the position I'm designing training for, called E Holds, is trained by apprenticeship. Although it is an upgrade to design manuals for classroom training, I would rather put something like an interactive simulation into the hands of the learner. In a way I can understand why they might prefer classroom training. The time spent in training can be strictly controlled, and adherence to a nationwide schedule is very important to my company. So for my company, does the old school classroom fit their business model better than new technologies and trends?
Perhaps there is a happy medium, a middle ground between scheduled instruction and self-paced learning. If I can find a way to meet the demands of a tight schedule and increase learner control in the process, maybe I can convince corporate to give it a shot, to innovate in training. If not, hopefully a couple of training manuals will still be good enough to fulfill my degree requirements.
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