In this issue:
1. Trainer Survives!
2. CTW -- It was...Facinating!
3. Call 911: Training Emergency Responders
4. A Partnership Approach to ERP Implementation
5. Leonard Nimoy Trivia Contest - Final Installment
6. Call for WBT Producer 2001 Session Proposals
7. Resources for your Continuing Education
1. Trainer Survives!
by Rosie Smith, Editor, Influential Trends eNewsletter, http://www.influent.com
Wednesday night was the grand finale of the CBS TV show Survivor, http://marketing.cbs.com/network/tvshows/mini/survivor. It didn't escape me that Richard Hatch, a Corporate Trainer, won.
Let's take a look at how his skills as a trainer brought him, many maneuvers later, to the million dollar prize:
1. Trainers have people skills to navigate all kinds of organizational terrain - interpersonal, departmental, regional, national, and even global. The possession of these skills allow them to be savvy in creating the necessary alliances to get things done.
2. Trainer's are prepared. They have to constantly learn to survive the ever changing worlds in which they operate.
3. Trainer's are flexible. Technology trainers particularly are well-equipped for the unexpected from their experiences with countless software upgrades. They all know that what "should" work doesn't always, and they look for a workaround.
4. Trainers optimize the resources their dealt. There have been many a clever trainer who can make magic out of simple, inexpensive props to convey concepts and make real learning experiences.
5. Trainer's know organizational processes. Their grounding in adult learning principles has taught them to teach everything in context and to make sure what is taught is immediately applicable.
6. Trainers are results-oriented. Who else in the organization is evaluated EVERY time they deliver? Trainers are when they "bare all" by asking participants to rate them.
The tribe has spoken... Trainers are the true winners!
2. Computer Training World 2000 -- It was fascinating!
by Heidi Fisk, Vice President, Worldwide Program Development
Influent Technology Group, http://www.influent.com
Wow! What a week! I just returned from San Francisco and the Computer Training World Conferences & Expo. It was a great event with hundreds of technology training professionals sharing, networking and learning from each other and from the fabulous faculty. Here are a few highlights from the event.
Bob Mosher, ElementK, kicked off the event with his energetic and informative keynote address, "e-Learning: The Hype and the Hope." Bob pointed out both the potential of e-Learning (any time, any where, customized training) and the downside (bandwidth, accessibility, acceptance).
The conference itself was full of sessions that were rich in content and practical solutions and examples. Delegates not only had intense learning sessions, they also had time to network in a variety of casual activities including the conference party at the high-tech Metreon complex.
The undisputed highlight of the event was the featured keynote by legendary actor/director/producer Leonard Nimoy. His charming and inspiring presentation included many personal stories of his struggles to survive in a highly competitive industry. Using video clips from movies that he has directed, he also showed examples of how to maximize the creative process and team collaboration efforts. He received an enthusiastic standing ovation following his speech.
In his closing keynote address, Martin Bean, President, Prometric, shared with the audience the results of a recent study on the impact of certification. His analysis and insights into the findings of this study helped many delegates determine not only the direction of their certification efforts but also the plan to provide training for their IT staff.
3. Call 911: Training Emergency Responders
by Doug Foster and Michael Schertz, SAIC
Editor's Note: e-Learning solves many problems in delivering timely training. This has never been more true than with the challenge of certifying EMT's. Doug Foster and Michael Schertz presented their case study in Session 203, "e-Learning Answers the 911 Call for Certification Training," of the Technology Training Management Conference at Computer Training World 2000.In their article, they reveal how technology provides training for a 1-million member profession that responds to the 911 call.
2:30 am: Your brain is smacked awake by the sound of your alert tones. You rise to come to the aid of a caller for what seems like the hundredth time. A 65-year-old male is having chest pain. His panicked wife is on the phone with dispatch. You are en route in the ambulance in the shotgun position: estimated time of your arrival is 10 minutes. You know a lot can happen in 10 minutes, yet you don't know how long the patient has been showing symptoms of a heart attack.
2:39 am: You are now 5 minutes away and dispatch updates you that th patient has stopped breathing. Now your mind is moving at Mach II, going over every rescue algorithm you learned in Medic training. You go over in your mind your protocols; there are many unknowns, but the focus is simple: saving a life.
2:44 am: You have arrived at the scene. Although it is filled with the chaos of distressed family, neighbors and friends, your performance in reviving the patient has become instinct, second nature. You and your partner drop into a response, a rhythm that you have followed a hundred times before. The rescue pace is calculated and sure; you assess, treat, and reassess the patient while looking for any progress, the heave of his chest, a pulse... any sign of life.
Typically, an emergency responder, whether an EMT, Paramedic, Fire Fighter, Police Officer or a Rescuer, spends hours of time in lectures and exercises to hone their skills to get certified and then to retain their certification through hours of annual continuing education requirements, to respond to a call such as the one above.
To any emergency responder, whether volunteer or paid, there never seems to be enough time to learn all the things they need to know. Since the 1960's when emergency medical services began to evolve, the training of the Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) has required innovation. Though creative in delivery, most of the training thus far has been either lecture and/or psychomotor using a mannequin.
The public has come to expect more and more from this 1-million member profession. With an increasingly mobile society in an ever-changing world, the emergency responder community is frantically trying to keep pace. Weapons of mass destruction from terrorist groups both foreign and domestic; hazardous materials on the road and in stationary facilities; and ever increasing ranks of geriatric patients from an aging population are just a few examples of the bulging demand on the emergency responder.
Train4life.com is creating an environment for emergency responders to optimize their unique learning needs. The site provides Web-based courses on a variety of topics that students can take on their own schedule. Students can also participate in "live" virtual classrooms that allow them to share information in real time and to interact with subject matter experts, an opportunity seldom available in a classroom. Train4life brings together the technologies of several companies such as Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), Click2learn.com, and Mentergy, creating a training approach designed to hone the skills of the emergency responder.
The training requirements and responsibilities of today's medic will only continue to increase in the future. Although traditional classroom training will never go away for the emergency responder, the use of e-Learning for medic training could become as common as performing CPR.
4. A Partnership Approach to ERP Implementation
by Patsy Manning, Sterling Resources, Inc.
Editor's Note: Session 108, "A Partnership Approach to ERP Training and Support" at the ERP and Large Systems Training Conference of Computer Training World 2000 was a case study session on how Chase Manhattan Bank and Sterling formed a cohesive team to design, develop and deliver a
creative and complex training and support program. Patsy's article below tells you about a typical problem with large ERP implementations and presents a solution Chase selected to ensure success.
As the project manager of a PeopleSoft implementation, you are facing significant challenges. For example, PeopleSoft is replacing five existing systems in human resources, payroll, pension and benefits. Employee records for all 70,000 employees are being converted to PeopleSoft. 800 - 1000 users in 12 locations around the world will be accessing the system around the clock, and each user group has different needs.
Training and supporting the PeopleSoft users will be critical to the success of the implementation. Although you have a team of internal resources available to write the new procedures and develop and deliver training, your resources may not be sufficient to do it all, nor will they have the requisite experience (never having worked on an implementation of this magnitude before) to ensure success. And success is paramount.
After reviewing all your options, you determine to partner with an outside resource: one that specializes in supporting large system implementations.
This is the case with Chase Bank's partnership with Sterling Resources. Together they collaborated on the design and development of a PeopleSoft training and support program. Their strategy includes computer based training, instructor led training and performance support (Chase PeopleSoft Coach), an innovative approach to providing online support to users while they are performing job tasks in their new system.
5. Leonard Nimoy Trivia - Final Installment
Wanna win GREAT prizes? As we are honored that Mr. Nimoy was a keynote speaker at Computer Training World 2000, we thought it fitting to have Leonard Nimoy trivia. This is the final installment of the game. Past questions can be found in the past issues of Trends (go to the Trends archive at www.influent.com). Email your answers to mailto:rsmith@influent.com. You need to answer all questions in the four part series (points may be given for creative -- if inaccurate -- responses). Make sure your name and email address is included with your responses. The people with the most points at the end of the contest will win fabulous prizes... Send your responses in by 9/1/00. Winners will be announced in the 9/6/00 issue of Influential Trends.
Trivia Question #7: What two books did Nimoy write that discusses himself and his alter ego, Spock?
Trivia Question #8: What birthplace city does Influent Technology Group and Leonard Nimoy have in common?
6. Call for WBT Producer 2001 Session Proposals
Proposals to speak are now being accepted for the fourth annual WBT Producer Conference & Expo which will be held in Anaheim, California, USA on April 18-20, 2001. Workshops will be held on Monday and Tuesday, April 16-17. The event focuses on the design, development, and management of Web-based training, online learning and e-Learning. For information on how to submit a proposal, please visit, http://www.influent.com/wbt2001/index.html.
7. Resources for your Continuing Education
Here is an upcoming event for your continuing education and professional development you won't want to miss!
New Media Instructional Design Symposium
October 31 - November 2, 2000
Pre-Symposium Workshops on October 30 and Post-Symposium Workshops on November 3
Washington, DC, USA
The fourth annual New Media Instructional Design Symposium focuses on thinking outside of the box to discover ways to create faster, effective training using new approaches and tools. There is special focus on using Web technologies to deliver training. The concurrent sessions provide practical solutions for the issues and problems facing instructional designers and technologists. The symposium offers intense learning, active networking, provocative case studies, in-depth content and real life solutions that you can apply now. Keynote speakers are: Dr. Allison Rossett, Michael Gelb (How to think like Leonardo da Vinci), and Dr. Michael A. Allen. Visit http://www.influent.com/nmid2000 for complete program details.
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