When looking back I have two different experiences that really stand out, one in a good way and the other not so much. The first was a class I took at Oregon State University. The second is the daily online compliance training I do during work. The contrast between them, and the classes I’ve had have helped me understand what makes training useful.
For the first experience it was from a Entrepreneur (leadership) class, it was well-organized and interactive. We worked in small groups, practiced public speaking, and got feedback from our peers and teacher. It was a clear design with a purpose and took into account the skills that students needed to succeed in leadership roles. This all matched with the training and development framework we reviewed this week, effective programs have clear goals, give participants a chance to practice, and make the material relevant to the job, which I felt that this class did. On the other hand, the second experience was an online compliance training at my work feels more like something to check off a list. It mostly involves reading an article, slides, or watching a video and then answering questions about it. The issue is that work requires it to be done, and it doesn’t feel connected to the work I am doing. This weeks material explains that learning should be meaningful and that practice and feedback are key parts of a successful experience. Those key things have been missing in my case. These two experiences showed me that good training isn’t just about information, it’s about how it’s delivered and how well it connects to what people actually do on the job.