Soliciting Participants’ Expectations
Sometimes participants are unsure of what they will encounter in a course. At other times, they come to class with expectations that are too narrow or beyond the scope of the course content. It is important to get a sense of participants’ expectations at the start of the course so you can respond to any concerns and deal respectfully with any misconceptions. This strategy will help you establish credibility with the participants and creates positive expectations for the course. To help participants self-assess their learning and place a value on the course, you can review participant expectations at the end of the course and ask if they believe they have been met.
Some of the questions you can ask are:
- What are your expectations for this course?
- What do you want to learn in this course?
- How do you envision applying your learning from this course at your job?
- What questions do you hope to get answered in this course?
- What would you like to accomplish this year? How do you see this course helping you to achieve that goal?
Instructions
How to solicit participants expectations:
- Ask participants for their expectations for learning for the course.
- Record their responses on chart paper.
- Write participants’ initials next to their comments.
- Post the chart paper in a visible place in the room.
- At the end of each day, review participants’ expectations and ask if they believe they were met. If necessary, supply examples from the course to jog the memory of those who disagree.
Instructor-Led Training
A digital alternative to recording participants’ learning expectations on easel paper is to ask them to respond to a digital survey. You can use free software or apps to create an interactive form or online survey. One option is to email the survey or link in advance as part of a pre-course assignment. Or make it available on the first day of the course.
Web-Based Training
You can post your question to the course discussion board or create an online survey using the essay question feature on the learning management system (LMS). Both will display text fields where participants can enter their expectations for learning.
Web Conference Training
Some web conference platforms have a question and answer feature. You can post your question about participant expectations to the Q&A pod or window. You may be able to keep the window open throughout the course or reopen it at the end of the course for review and reflection.