ITQ Online Journals

Training Design

The following methods and procedures will be employed (pls. also refer to the Section on Structure, as described above):

1. During Phase-1: Pre-Workshop Internet/Web-based Briefing & Discussion (4 weeks), the following activities will be carried out:
   
   
   1. A Pre-Workshop Website will be made available for participants to be briefed on the workshop objectives, programs/activities, working procedures, and preparatory tasks to be undertaken before departing for Penang, Malaysia. Most workshop reading materials and other reference documents will be made available through the Website, including relevant audio-visual/PowerPoint presentation materials.
      
      
   2. A Virtual Pre-Workshop Discussion Forum will be organized, through the Internet/E-mail and/or Website, to obtain participants' "feed-forward" information or inputs regarding their training needs and suggested topics/issues to be covered during Phase-2 activities.
      
      
2. During Phase-2: Peer Learning and Group Training Activities (2.5 weeks), participants will discuss, learn and/or practice the following:
   
   
   1. Alternative strategies/models, critical steps, and methodological principles of instructional design and training curriculum development based on recent research findings and literature reviews on adult learning processes and methods, including relevant lessons learned, best practices, and practical experiences from in-service training and/or professional development training programs.
      
      
   2. Practical, hands-on, exercises in preparing training modules and learning materials, as well as in platform skills (i.e., presentation & facilitation and other training delivery methods). Important principles and procedures in writing training module, including the essential components, timing, sequencing, formatting, layout, training aids, etc. will be covered. Participant will also practice to write a complete training module for at least a 3-hour training session, which can be used as a prototype for developing his/her actual training module during Phase-3.
      
      
   3. Internet/Web-based distance learning technology applications and methods, will be demonstrated to support the training process and learning activities. It will focus on the concepts and implementation procedures of the Distance Mentoring system (through Online Coaches) which will be used to facilitate and support participants' work during Phase-3. Actual demonstration and hands-on training for participants in using the computer and relevant software will be conducted.
      
      In addition, a 3-day Internet-based Virtual Writeshop will be organized to allow participants and their assigned coaches to practice in working collaboratively to develop the above mentioned prototype training module or other learning activities. This Virtual Writeshop will also be used as a method to pretest the Internet/Web-based Distance Mentoring system and the Online Coaching procedure, and to allow participants to practice the online communication tools effectively
      
      
3. During Phase-3: Distance Mentoring by Online Coaches, using the Internet/Web-based distance learning methods and facilities, will be provided to facilitate and support participants to practice their newly acquired training skills, and to develop their training curricula/modules in their respective home-base/training institution. More specifically the following activities, among others, will be carried out during a 6-month period:
   
   
   1. Each participant will be assigned an Online Coach, and 4-6 participants will be working together as a virtual Peer Learning Group. Participants will be assigned to the Peer Learning Group, based on their training subject-matter/topic of interests (i.e., health-related issues, environment, economic management, agriculture, etc.).
      
      
   2. A structured work plan based on an inventory-analysis of specific training competencies will be prepared by each participant in consultation with his/her assigned online coach, with specific "project" tasks/activities to be completed at a certain period (e.g., work progress will be monitored and reviewed every month by the online coaches, etc.). Reports on the progress and results of participants' individual work will be posted every month through a Website so that participants, coaches and consultants can learn from, comment, and help improve each other's work. Participants can at any time request specific comments and advise from his assigned online coaches.
      
      
   3. In practicing and completing the "project tasks" at his/her own training institution, each participant should be assisted by at least two or three of his/her colleagues who are subject matter specialists, training materials developers, trainers, etc. This Training Improvement Team should develop improved training strategies, curricula, methods and/or learning modules and, if possible, validate their relevance and appropriateness by trying out or pretesting such learning activities or products with the intended target audience of the training course to be offered by their training institution.
      
      
   4. Workshop participants are expected to report their Phase-3 activities, summarizing the accomplishments, including the lessons learned and best practices from such experiences, to their workshop peers during the next meeting in Bangkok, Thailand (see Phase-4).
      
      
4. During Phase-4: Peer Review: Results Demonstration and Experience Sharing, which will be held in Bangkok, Thailand, for one week, the following activities will be conducted:
   
   
   1. Participants will review and discuss their Phase-3 learning activities, processes, results and lessons learned from such experiences. Participants are expected to comment on, and help further improve, each other's training module.
      
      
   2. Participants will also participate in a Poster Exhibition, where each participants will summarize or highlight their learning experiences and results through a poster session and display.
      
      
   3. (Participants will lobby and campaign for votes from their peers for the ITQ Awards for the Best Individual Poster Display, and for the Best Peer Learning Group Experience Presentation & Sharing.
      
      
   4. (Participants will also share and discuss their plans for the proper utilization of their proposed training plans, curricula, methods and/or modules, and how they will institutionalize the new approaches to learning for improving the quality of other trainers and their training institutions.
      
      
5. During Phase-5: Institutionalization Process: Free After-Training Consultation Service, the following activities will be undertaken, during a 3-month period:
   
   
   1. Online Coaches will continue to provide free advisory services on a "Advice on Demand" basis to participants who seek such services. They will also monitor on a monthly basis the progress and follow-up activities related to the training module utilization and institutionalization process.
      
      
   2. Participants will need to undertake their "Last-Mile" tasks: (1) prepare a Learning Achievement Report (LAR), (2) complete an Institutionalization Plan of Action (IPA), (3) complete a Self-Assessment ScoreCard (SAS), and (4) obtain a Manager Assessment Letter (MAL).
      
      
   3. (The Workshop's Website will continue to function as a communication center to provide participants with a Virtual Information Networking and Online Advisory Service as mentioned above, including an electronic newsletter or bulletin board where participants and coaches can share and disseminate relevant news, ideas, updates and progress reports, etc., to facilitate their professional networking activities.