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Have any of you had experience with Documentation-based Training?
That is, using Customer Documentation manuals (whole or in part)
within the classroom training environment.
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We've used this method at my company when there wasn't sufficient
time to do a separate curriculum. Here are some key things that
seems to make it work successfully:
- task-based documentation: Your manual has a lot of step-by-step
procedures, rather than a lot of discussion.
- use an agenda: Create an agenda of topics to be covered, mentioning
specific page numbers that will be referred to in the manual.
- use exercises: Create a few "practice exercises", just a page per
topic at most, to extend on the tasks in the manual.
It also helps that the instructor know both the material and the
manual really well. It isn't necessary to go over a procedure in
the manual word for word the way it is in the manual, as long as you
hit the major points. Consider adding a "crib sheet" for each topic
listing the major points to be covered, again with references to the
manual.
The agenda will become an outline of the training. I would create,
at minimum, two or three objectives for each topic in the agenda.
You might also want to come up with some generic introductory
material that you can use with each training; e.g. "Remember to tell
them where the bathroom is", "Go over the agenda at the beginning of
each day", etc.
In my experience, an added advantage of training in this way is that
the users get good exposure to the manual and are probably more
likely to refer to the manual when they have a question on their own.
-- David
---David M Girardot---dmgirard -at- cornetltd -dot- com------------
--Senior Tech Writer & Information Specialist-------
--CorNet International, Ltd.----------------------------
Opinions expressed in this message are my own.
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