COURSE DESCRIPTION:

This 4.5-day course prepares instructors who teach from a complete set of training materials (instructor manuals, participant workbooks, and visual aids) developed by training professionals. In addition, this course will teach instructors who need to create their own courses or modify existing courses, how to develop instructionally sound learning outcomes, instructor manuals, visual aids, exercises, workshops, and assessments. The course also uses practical techniques to reinforce the various skills need to develop sound course material.

The Instructor Development Course (IDC) will provide new and experienced instructors the knowledge and skills to deliver more effective training. NHI defines training as a "demonstration of acquired skills and knowledge of adult learning principles which necessitates that learning outcomes be developed and their attainment be measured."

A skilled trainer, therefore, will emphasize the use of experiential learning techniques, such as problem solving analysis, discussion, question and answer sessions, group activities, demonstrations, role-plays, etc. In essence, these learning activities tap into the knowledge and skills that an adult learner brings to the classroom and have the goal of meeting both the learning outcomes and the participants' expectations.

Pre-Class Assignment:

Training Sessions: You must come prepared to present a 15-minute training session at the beginning of the workshop. The topic for your session should be job related; it can either come from a course you have taught, will be teaching, or are developing. The 15 minutes typically translate to about 5 to 7 minutes of content with time for exercises, activities and/or questions, etc. Visual aids, such as overhead transparencies or handouts should be brought with you. Please bring your own laptop computer if you are planning to do a PowerPoint presentation.

A word of caution, not all training facilities are equipped with the appropriate technical support for a PowerPoint presentation (i.e., in-focus projector or support software) or have the equipment to reproduce overhead transparencies. For this reason, we encourage you to make use various types of visual aids, such as flip charts, write-on transparencies, and handouts to enhance your training session. These nontechnical methods will NOT diminish, but enhance the value of your presentation. Use a holistic approach in your training.

The Golden Rule for a Trainer/Instructor is: "Always be prepared to instruct."

Readings: Read the Instructional Systems Design (ISD) material posed on the NHI Web site. To access the material go to http://www.nhi.fhwa.dot.gov, select Resources, select NHI Philosophy on Learning, select Adult Learning (Print and read), select Instructional Systems Design (ISD) (Print and Read). You will find printable downloadable files (PDFs) of all required readings and any other materials related to this course.

This course is part of the NHI Instructor Certification program. To learn more about NHI's Instructor Certification visit the NHI Web site at http://www.nhi.fhwa.dot.gov/resources/resources.aspx.

OUTCOMES:

Upon completion of the course, participants will be able to:

• Explain the five steps in the ISD system
• Write a behavioral learning outcome
• Develop various types of visual aids
• Present, measure, and review a learning outcome
• Demonstrate at least two forms of interactivity and positive interpersonal skills
• List five training techniques (e.g., Do not talk to the flip chart; do not stand in front of the projector; and do not stand in one place)
• Demonstrate how to reach the three styles of learning
• Develop an appropriate assessment tool to measure learning
• Deliver a 15-minute training session that demonstrates adult learning principles

TARGET AUDIENCE:

This course is intended for instructors who will develop and deliver interactive training to adult learners.

If you have questions about this NHI training, please contact NHI at nhicustomerservice@dot.gov or 877.558.6873.