Computer Based TrainingComputer Based Training

ITSW 1410, Presentation Media Software

Instructor: Glenda H. Easter

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Challenges of Computer-Based Challenges of Computer-Based TrainingTraining You are writing for the screen, so you must say

more with less. You are creating an application, so you may also

have to invent or modify a user interface for your CBT.

You may need to learn an authoring program or language in order to produce your effects. (HyperCard or Authoring are two programs that will allow you to author programs.

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Challenges of Computer-Based Challenges of Computer-Based Training Training (Continued)(Continued) You may have to devote 100 hours to a 20-

minute training disk. If you have not come to technical writing

from teaching, you may need to team up with an instructional designer to ensure that you reveal ideas at an appropriate pace, without overwhelming your viewer.

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Challenges of Computer-Based Challenges of Computer-Based Training Training (Continued)(Continued) You can catch most mistakes a user might make,

so you need to anticipate them and create helpful messages showing what the learner should do to correct the mistake and go on.

You may have to develop a way to confirm that users have learned what you expect they will to justify the expense of creating the computer-based training.

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Advantages with Computer-Advantages with Computer-Based TrainingBased Training Advantage: They don’t have to flip through a book

to learn about the software package or the computer. Advantage: It gives user the feeling that they are

interacting with the computer immediately. CBT lessons run on some other software; they

imitate the software you are teaching but rarely let learners risk getting into trouble with the product itself.

Advantage: Learners are able to feel that they are learning immediately.

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Disadvantages with Computer-Disadvantages with Computer-Based TrainingBased Training Disadvantages: Users feel cocooned. Disadvantages: When they graduate to the

actual software, they are frequently puzzled at the inconsistency with the package and the CBT.

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Begin On Target and In FocusBegin On Target and In Focus Your CBT should open with a screen that

announces your subject. Teach navigation first

Tell the user how to move around in a package, which keys to press to obtain a certain goal.

Introduce them to navigation gradually. Limit the number of interface elements, and

make them simple and logical.

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Begin On Target and In FocusBegin On Target and In Focus Make a menu outlining what people will learn to

do. Menus in a CBT perform the same role as a table of

contents does in a book. If possible, suggest how much time the training will

take and then invite people to choose a module. In constructing your menu, remember the following: Define your objectives in terms of actions, and use

those as the headings for your modules.

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Begin On Target and In FocusBegin On Target and In Focus Make a menu outlining what people will learn to

do. If you want people to go through your modules in

order, number them. If order doesn’t matter, do not number, indicating they can start with any module.

When a module is completed, flag it in the main menu so they can see their progress each time they return.

If possible, when someone clicks a module title, clarify what in that section by showing them the subtopics giving a brief description.

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Begin On Target and In FocusBegin On Target and In Focus Make a menu outlining what people will

learn to do. Make sure your instructions tell people how

to choose the menu item they want. If a module has several submits within it,

create a submenu for the module and make sure it works the same way as the main menu.

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Involve the LearnerInvolve the Learner Make every segment short

Modules should be between five - fifteen (5-15) minutes

Try not to teach more than two or three key skills in one module.

Pare the explanations down. Encourage interaction

Alternate between any necessary lectures and exercises.

Let readers do something, read, then do again.

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Involve the Learner Involve the Learner (Continued)(Continued) Encourage guessing

See if they pick up a function after doing it a couple of times. If so, it boosts their confidence, if not, show them how to do it again.

Don’t punish the student or grade them for wrong answers, but nudge them along so they learn the right ones.

You should set a limit on the number of wrong guesses a person can take before you step in and give them the right answer.

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Involve the Learner Involve the Learner (Continued)(Continued) Offer remedies

If a learner does make a mistake, you haven’t written the instructions clearly or explained things simply enough.

Be as specific as possible in commenting on their responses.

Avoid terms like error, mistake, foul-up.

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Involve the Learner Involve the Learner (Continued)(Continued) Write real responses

Vary your responses so the CBT does not get boring. Make sure your answers indicate that the writer of

the CBT knows what the user is responding to. Do the boring stuff first

You may have the user to type in some information that is needed, such as typing a position of a document, then let the CBT do the rest.

Don’t make people spend all their time keying in information that could be done by the computer.

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Involve the Learner Involve the Learner (Continued)(Continued) Encourage free play

Let people apply what they’ve learned in the CBT by actually working with the software package.

While this is an ideal way to learn, you need to be careful that their “play time” is not destructive to the system.

If a programmer could write a component that would emulate the software package -- outside of the CBT, the training would be the optimum.

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Work Within the Constraints Work Within the Constraints of the Screenof the Screen Keep the CBT world distinct from that of

the software Create a distinct area for the control panel. Clump together the elements of each group,

and then put all these groups in one area to keep them distinct from the software, which appears to be running in the background.

You need another distinct area for your words, if they appear on the screen.

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Work Within the Constraints Work Within the Constraints of the Screen of the Screen (Continued)(Continued)

You may box your on screen text in front of the imitation software.

Inside your text you would often start with an explanation of what has just happened, and then offer an instruction for the next step learners should take.

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Work Within the Constraints Work Within the Constraints of the Screen of the Screen (Continued)(Continued) Imitate the real software

Let people feel they are using the software as they would in real life.

Show them the real screens and dialog boxes, and when something beeps or flashes in the original, make it beep in your CBT.

Fake the events so you can catch people when they trip.

But make your imitation look just like the original.

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Work Within the Constraints Work Within the Constraints of the Screen of the Screen (Continued)(Continued) Write for the screen

People don’t like to read much on the screen. Every time you see your words on the screen, pare

them down as much as possible. Don’t ask the user to read a great deal off the screen.

Be briefer and more conversational than you would be on paper.

No detours please! Your tone conveys an attitude toward the material--

and that attitude should be neutral, confident, and at ease.

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Work Within the Constraints Work Within the Constraints of the Screen of the Screen (Continued)(Continued) Format for the screen

Format your text so it can be read easily. The average best font is 14 points unless you

have little dialog. In that case, you could go to a higher point, but never lower.

Don’t use a variety of typographical styles.

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Provide SummariesProvide Summaries Many times people don’t realize how much they’ve

learned unless you point it out to them. Summaries help people remember what they’ve learned. Quizzes should be optional.

Tell people where to go next At the end of the module, and at the end of the disk, tell

people what they should do next. Don’t leave anything out. Don’t make them wonder

where whether to start the program, open the manual, or go to lunch.

Be very explicit on the disk.

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ChecklistChecklist Begin on target and focus

Announce your subject in the opening screen and advise what is to come. Introduce navigation first and gradually. Make a menu to serve as a table of contents.

Involve the learner Teach actions, not just ideas, so that people do, not just think. Keep each module between five and fifteen minutes in length. Encourage interaction by alternating between lecture and exercises.

Encourage guessing.

For incorrect responses, offer remedies that encourage another try and that lead to the correct response.

Keep your remediation free of blame.

Write responses that are appropriate to the learners actions.

Do the boring tasks for people so they can focus on essentials.

If you can, encourage some free play.

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Checklist Checklist (Continued)(Continued) Work within the constraints of the screen

Keep the CBT interface distinct from that of the software interface.

Let people seem to use the software as they would in real life.

Write interactions as if they were conversations between you and the learners.

Format for the screen. Provide optional self-assessment quizzes at the end. Tell people where to go next.