Twenty minutes to teach forty people
A technician has twenty minutes to show forty staff how to use a new booking tool. Next week, many will have forgotten. A month later, new staff will ask the same questions.
Good training leaves something behind: a tool people can use again.
Key words
| Word | What it means |
|---|---|
| Crib sheet | a short page of key steps to keep nearby |
| Smart sheet | a shared online sheet where people see steps and tick off progress |
| Webinar | a live talk or lesson given over the internet |
| Screencast | a video recording of a screen, with a voice explaining |
| VLE | virtual learning environment: a website where courses, files and quizzes are kept |
| MLE | managed learning environment: a VLE joined to records such as who is on which course |
| Sandbox | a safe, separate space to practise where mistakes cannot do harm |
| MOOC | massive open online course: a free or cheap online course open to anyone |
The cells students fill in are left blank in this preview.
By the end of this lesson
Note
I can name the tools used to train people, say what each is for and choose one.
Starter
Have a go
Starter
3 questionsYour answers are marked here and are not kept. A college account keeps every student’s marks.
Short and shared tools
A crib sheet is one page of key steps. A user sticks it next to the screen. It is quick to read and always there.
A smart sheet is a shared online sheet. Steps are listed, and people tick them off. A trainer can see who has finished. It is useful for a roll-out or an induction.
Write a crib sheet
printf 'Reset a password\n1. Open the admin page\n2. Find the user\n3. Press Reset\n4. Tick Change at next logon\n' > cribsheet.txt && cat cribsheet.txtA command for the lesson’s lab terminal. It is shown here and not run.
Live and recorded tools
A webinar is live online. The trainer talks, shows slides and takes questions. People can ask in the moment. A screencast is a recording of the screen with a voice. People watch it again and again, and pause it to copy the steps.
Record the webinar, and it becomes a screencast for the people who missed it.
Check: short and live tools
Have a go
Check: short and live tools
4 questionsYour answers are marked here and are not kept. A college account keeps every student’s marks.