Tech trainer

Subject: Tech trainer
From: Joanne Wittenbrook <jwittenbrook -at- ameritech -dot- net>
To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Date: Thu, 8 Mar 2007 06:55:15 -0800 (PST)

>I do technical training and course ware development. I also document
>some software and procedures.

>Unfortunately, most of the active training lists I read are dominated
>by "soft skills" trainers and developers.

I was briefly on an instructional design list. A lot of folks with .edu on their email addresses. There was a huge gap in the issues corporate and tech trainers were facing and the responses the .edu folks gave to questions. It's great to be working on the latest research in Instructional Design, but the average tech trainer is in a different position.

For example, much pontificating on the different styles of learning and the importance of addressing individual styles in education development. Fine in an academic atmosphere. In the corporate training world you struggle to get funding for any training development. I've never heard of anyone in the real training world getting funding to do multiple versions of a training module to address different learning styles.

The trainers would ask things like "I have an older fellow who is having a hard time, should I focus on supplying him with more complete written documentation?"

You'd get a response about how you should know the Gardner theory or the concept of multiple intelligences when designing your training. Or a big long rant on how paper is becoming obsolete for the computer user of the future so written documentation is on the verge of disappearing. Neither answer solves the immediate problem.

Interesting stuff, but someone in a tech training position has to work within a tight budget, meet tight deadlines, and get the workers functioning as quickly as possible. We also struggle to show companies that there is a return on the investment of training dollars. It is a very different world than the academic community.

I left the list pretty quickly.
Joanne
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