Training modes

The training itself can take a number of different forms. In a pre-pandemic world, everyone mostly assumed that training would be conducted in person, but as a reminder, there are a variety of different approaches for training.

In Person

Students gather in a room with a teacher, who guides them through the material. This mode of training is preferred by some adult learners as it feels more personal, and can be preferred by management because it has a formal feel to it. 

However, even while not in a pandemic, logistics can be difficult. This mode can cause lag, since people could require training almost any day, but it's impractical to offer on-demand in-person training. 

In person training is the easiest way to monitor students and make sure they are actually being trained.

Remote

Remote training would be offered online through a screen-share and voice conference, such as over Zoom. This is preferred by some adult learners due in no small part to the fact that it's easy for them to not pay attention. But, some trainers also prefer this method since they don't need to travel to different sites, and it is easier on the logistics front. It's easier to make remote training more immediate; it could be offered remotely every week, for example. 

However, keep in mind that for software training, users need to be able to see the presented material, while also accessing the software themselves, so without two monitors, this could be a bit challenging for some learners.

Pre-Recorded

You can offer in-person or remote training and record it, saving the recording for future use. Or you could simply record yourself or a trainer presenting to the camera. Then, once you have a video file, make it available to your staff that require training. 

From a user's experience, this is somewhat similar to remote training, but it has the added advantage for students that they can pause the recording, take a break, and come back.

From a logistics point of view, it can be difficult to record (which may require specialized equipment or software) and make available (may require payment for server space of some kind, or it could be posted on a public venue like YouTube which creates its own challenges). However, once it has been recorded and posted, managing it going forward is easy! You just need to give someone the URL and they click the play button. Keep in mind though that if a part of the software changes, you may need to rerecord the entire training session just for one 5-minute change.

Asking a staff member to watch a video for several hours and then assuming they absorbed the material is not, however, a recipe for success. While some learners may thrive with this mode, others may struggle. To counter the possibility of learners not paying attention, it can be helpful to include a test at the end, so students can demonstrate that they did in fact learn.

Learning Management System

A Learning Management System (LMS) is the type of software you're currently using to take the Masterclass. It's an online course, where every user's individual progress is saved, and it can include whatever content you want - videos or text or quizzes. An LMS can be difficult to implement and develop. There's questions about the cost of the software and hosting, and once you find a platform you are happy with, someone needs to develop the content (which can be the same as in the pre-recorded mode).

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Because an LMS breaks things down into individual lessons, it's easy to update content if some small part of your process or the software changes.

There's the same drawback as having a student watch pre-recorded training, and that is that they might just hit the play button and walk away. LMS software has the advantage of allowing you to build in quizzes to ensure that users have learned the content. Most software also issues certificates once content has been completed, so that's a great way to automate training. Once the content is ready, you hardly need to administer anything, just tell your student to go learn and come back when they have a certificate.

Written Materials

Finally, we shouldn't overlook written materials. Most software has user manuals available, for the types of learners who benefit from that sort of thing. Some students learn better by reading something than hearing it. However, having a completely written version of all of your training may be logistically impractical. While HIFIS does have user guides available, they are unlikely to provide guidance on how specifically you would like your users to be entering data and when, so you would need a lot of customization.

Abbreviated guides, such as one-pagers and quick tip sheets can be helpful as an aid, but should probably not replace training. These materials can help provide someone who has been trained with a reference that they can go to for commonly asked questions without having to contact a support person.