Training users is an essential part of software development but it’s rarely a skill that comes naturally to developers. Even more rarely is it a skill that developers feel a personal drive to possess.
User Training for Busy Programmers focuses on results. Instead of teaching educational theory and leaving you to apply the theory for yourself, this book provides a framework for developing your courses. It’s based on sound educational theory, but won’t bother you with that. You will simply follow the guidance in the book, and end up with a well-designed training course that leaves your students equipped to use the software in their jobs.
No document can completely take the place of a qualified, experienced consultant. If you think that your training needs are beyond the scope of this document and your abilities, consider engaging the services of a professional trainer/course designer. On the other hand if you’ve found yourself with "software training" on your to-do list then this book is just right for you!
This book takes you step by step through the process of creating a software-training course. At each stage, the book focuses on deliverables that will feed into the next stage. Your course will take shape as you make the decisions and carry out the actions described in each chapter.
Chapter 1 discusses briefly the characteristics of good software training, and dispels some common myths and misconceptions about training. It then gives an overview of the processes we will follow throughout the book.
In Chapters 2 7 we develop our course. Each chapter will guide you through a different aspect of developing your course. By the end of Chapter 7 you will have:
Developed an audience analysis that tells you who needs to be trained
Written the learning objectives, which consist mostly of tasks the students must master
For each learning objective, developed one or more measurable criteria for success
Developed a business scenario that will give your clients a realistic experience in the classroom
For each learning objective, written an exercise that will teach that objective; one exercise may be used to teach several closely related objectives
For each exercise, written an electronic slide show that includes many or all of the suggested slides; each slide show/exercise combination is now called a unit or chapter
For each unit, developed a demo with detailed directions and speaking points for the instructor
Written and packaged the Student Guide
Written and packaged the Instructor Guide
Packaged the slide show in a format that will play on the instructor’s computer
Tested the room setup
Delivered the course to a small test group, or even an empty room; while doing so, you will have stepped through the exercises yourself
If all this seems daunting then prepare to be surprised. Developing successful training does require effort, but in this book I’ll give you all the advice you need to make good decisions without stressful dilemmas.
Chapter 8 gives you some brief tips on course delivery, while Chapter 9 draws the book to a close with a reminder of the key principle of software training: it’s not about software, it’s about helping users to get the job done—leaving them with easier and more productive working lives.
In this book you will find a number of text styles that distinguish between different kinds of information. Here are some examples of these styles and an explanation of their meanings.
Code words in text are shown as follows: "Microsoft PowerPoint has a Pack and Go function that will package the slide show player with a slide show."
New terms and important words are introduced in an italic-type font. Words that you see on the screen—in menus or dialog boxes, for example—appear in the text as follows: Click the Company Name field.
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