Collaborative Training

Over the years, Logical Imagination has formulated a unique approach to meeting the distinctive training needs of large companies.

Collaborative training is typically conducted in-house at a corporate client's facilities over a period of time. The approach combines the strengths of an in-house IT department with the expertise of a training firm to provide unparalleled education to end-users. While in-house training requires a short-term investment in space and equipment, employees benefit from a high level of personal attention. They log into their own network and learn in a familiar, comfortable environment with colleagues who share common objectives. Furthermore, employees have access to files, projects and paperwork that may be relevant to meeting their training needs.

Collaborative training is process-driven rather than tool-driven, so it concentrates on the reason to use a tool rather than the ability. We wouldn’t teach someone how to use a jackhammer if it weren’t necessary for the job, so why teach technical skills that aren’t directly relevant? Using a collaborative training approach, students learn software in terms of specific business needs, so they are instantly productive. Examples:

• Rather than enrolling employees who need to learn Microsoft Excel in a canned, six-hour course, Logical Imagination can design a three-hour, hands-on class around the creation of departmental expense reports or some other pertinent business process.
• If you are preparing employees to design and manage the company web site, why not build the site in class? Employees learn general skills in terms of a direct application.

   

• Assess business processes within an organization that will work best as a classroom training tool
• Design course materials that balance technical skills and specific work processes
• Increase retention levels with whole-brain thinking techniques
• Measure the value added by collaborative training versus conventional methods
• Provide qualified trainers who understand business process training

Flexibility and feedback are key elements of collaborative training.  

• Flexibility
  Training sessions may vary in length. Shorter classes increase student retention levels and minimize disruptions caused by absent employees. Occasional evening or weekend classes sprinkled into the training routine benefit workers with less flexible weekday schedules or executives who want more attention.

  Materials may vary in content. Perhaps a team of workers wants a class designed around a special project or goal. In addition to formal materials, individuals bring examples of real problems for input and guidance from the instructor.  

• Feedback
  Learning should not be confined to the classroom. Built into the training program are days for the trainer to consult one-on-one with students about specific problems or projects.

  Employees learn to view their software products as a total productivity solution rather than a set of unrelated tools, and they benefit from participating in a well-conceived training program rather than a series of independent classes.

With collaborative training, everyone wins. Employees truly understand the system on their desk; the IT department has knowledgeable, productive end-users capable of solving problems; and, finally, the organization is satisfied that its investment in new technology and quality training was worth every penny.