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Overview of Quality Development of Training and

Procedural Manuals

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• What characteristics do you wish to see in the “product” (enumerator) of this process (training)?

• What should a trainee be able to do to convince you that she or he can do the job for which they were trained?

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Analysis

• Task analysis

• Audience analysis

• Performance analysis

• Course objectives

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Development

• Skill checks (also called criterion or performance checks)

• Relevant practice

• Deciding what the content should be

• Deciding how to deliver the instruction

• Sequencing

• Try outs or dry runs

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Implementation

• Procedures for using the course

• Revisions

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Task Analysis

A task is a series of steps leading to a meaningful outcome. A task has an identifiable beginning, middle, and end.

A step in a task would be something like asking a survey question, identifying an adequate answer to a question, transcribing the information to the form, etc.

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How to do Task Analysis1. Prepare a list describing the tasks in a job

• List all tasks – critical and trivial

• Decide later which tasks need to be covered in the training

2. Describe the steps in each of the tasks listed, including:• When is the task performed (what triggers the activity)?

• What steps are followed and decisions made while performing the task?

• How do you know when you’re done?

3. Purpose of the analysis:• Visualize competent performance

• Don’t include instructions, just describe the task

• What does someone have to be able to do before completing this entire task?

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Task Analysis Example

Task: Take out the trashWhen initiated: Night before trash collection (*Monday

night, but check schedule)• *Monday night take a large kitchen garbage bag out from under the

kitchen sink.

• Empty all trash containers in the house into the large garbage bag. If the garbage bag becomes full before all the containers are emptied, tie up the full garbage bag and use a second bag.

• Place the large garbage bag(s) into the plastic garbage bin in front of the house on the sidewalk.

• Check the house to make sure that all garbage has been collected, placed in a plastic bag and put in the plastic bin in front of the house.

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Task Analysis ExerciseTask 1: Making a cup of tea for a guest

Task 2: Log onto a classroom computer and check email (with an existing yahoo or hotmail account)

Task 3: Make sure that the classroom stapler is always full.

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Audience Analysis

Characteristics of students help us determine where to begin our training

Think of training in terms of the following equation:

What students need to know and be able to do

- What they already know and are able to do

= Training (instruction manual)

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How to do Audience AnalysisThis analysis is for your benefit only so you should be as honest and descriptive

as possible.

Attempt to answer the following questions:– What are the interests of the students?

– Why are they taking this training? Do they want to be in this training?

– What is their age range? What is the percentage of males/females?

– What is their ethnicity, religion, socio-economic status?

– Are they married? Do they have kids, families?

– What attitudes and biases do they bring with them?

– What previous training and experience have they had relevant to the subject being trained?

– What is their educational background?

– What things tend to motivate them (praise, money, recognition)?

– What’s their reading/language ability?

– Which of the skills listed on the task analysis do they already have?

– What are the facilities like where they are being trained (hot/cold, loud, etc.)?

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Performance AnalysisPurpose: To make sure that the training program teaches people only

what they don’t already know. You want to:

• Identify discrepancies between what people are doing now and what they should be doing (past performances on a continuing survey, last census, etc.).

• Determine whether discrepancies are due to a lack of skill are to some other reason (mistakes on the questionnaire, not getting paid, poorly qualified enumerators, etc.).

• Suggest a remedy that will reduce or eliminate the discrepancies.

When to do this:

• When training experienced interviewers or staff

What do you need to do this:

• Knowledge about what the students are doing now

• Knowledge about what they should be doing

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How to do Performance Analysis

1. Describe in detail what it is the students are currently doing that is a problem

2. Describe in detail what the students SHOULD be doing

3. Determine the cost of the discrepancya. If the cost is small – do nothing, as long as sponsor agrees

b. If the cost is significant – determine whether the students know what to do if their lives depended on it

i. If they could do the task, then find out why they aren’t doing it:• What happens to students who do the task right?

• What happens to students who do the task wrong?

• What are the obstacles to performing the task as desired?

ii. If they couldn’t do it, then consider the following:• Can the task be simplified?

• Did they ever know how to do it?

• Is the skill used often?

• Do they have the potential to learn the skill?

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Training Objectives

Objectives are what you want someone to learn or be able to do as a result of your training. An objective describes:

• The conditions under which the task will occur

• What a trainee should be able to do upon completion of training

• How to tell when the trainee’s performance is good enough

Objectives come from the task or performance analysis.

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How to do Training Objectives

1. Write an objective for each of the tasks you’ve identified

2. Look at the list of skills necessary to complete the task and write an objective for each skill.

– Show your list to some people and ask them to tell you what it means in their own words. If the objective is misunderstood, rewrite it.

3. Write each objective so that the conditions, performance, and criteria are specified.

4. If you have “fuzzy” objectives using words like: understand, comprehend, appreciate, and demonstrate, rewrite the objective to describe a measurable behavior.

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Development PhaseSkill Checks: used to determine if a student can perform the tasks that we

have identified in the analysis phase.

When: It’s suggested that you draft skill checks soon after you’ve drafted your objectives. This should help refine your objectives.

Characteristics of good skill checks:

• They match the objectives in the performance expected and the conditions under which the performance occurs

• If the student meets the stated criteria, the performance is found to be acceptable

• It may not always be possible to provide the exact conditions, but you should always require that the demonstrated performance occurs.

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How to do Skill Checks1. Read the objective and determine what someone needs to be able to

do in order to accomplish the objective – identify the required performance.

2. Draft an exercise that requires students to exhibit that performance.

3. Read the objective again and note the conditions under which the performance should occur (forms and reference materials used, setting in which the task will occur).

4. Write those conditions into the skill check. If you cannot create the exact conditions, do your best to simulate them.

5. Use more than one item in your exercise if you feel the student could perform correctly by chance or if there are numerous conditions that you would like the task to be performed under.

6. Provide standardized skill checks to all students in order to do comparative performance evaluations.

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Skill Check ExampleObjective: Given a variety of respondents (cooperative, hostile, confused, poor language

skills), the interviewer will be able to introduce themselves, introduce the organization conducting the survey, explain how the data will be used, and mention if the survey is voluntary or mandatory.

Skill check:• Put interviewers into groups of 3. A “respondent” will be given 4 scripts for each

of the respondent types mentioned in the objectives. An “observer” will be given 4 checklists of points that the “interviewer” should cover as outlined in the objective, along with a rating scale to note other desired behaviors, such as: smiling, showing identification, politeness, answering questions promptly, etc. The “interviewer” will use the materials they will have during enumeration. All groups will receive the same scripts and checklists.

• The groups will simulate 4 interviews with the interviewer “knocking” on the door, the respondent following the script, and the observer completing the checklist. The trainer will circulate among the groups and observe behaviors and ensure that the groups are completing the exercise as instructed.

• After the role plays are complete, the trainer will lead a group discussion on the good and bad skills exhibited, problems encountered, and ways to improve performance.

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Relevant PracticeYou want to make sure that time spent practicing results in the

accomplishment of your training objectives.

Practice makes perfect but only if students are provide with feedback on their performance:

1. Feedback from internal sources – the student

2. Feedback from external sources – the trainer or other students• If it comes from the students, then they must have been taught what

proper performance is and therefore, can objectively evaluate their own, or other’s performance

• An outside evaluator must learn to give feedback so that it does not destroy the student’s motivation to learn and improve – constructive feedback.

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How to do Relevant Practice1. Write down what the student should be doing practicing the

performance outlined in an objective.

2. Write down the conditions and things that should be provided in order for the practice to begin.

3. Write down how you will provide feedback about the adequacy of the practice performance

4. Feedback must be diagnostic (identify what’s wrong) and corrective (identify what must be done to correct it). If the feedback is internal the trainer can still guide the students to produce constructive (diagnostic/corrective) criticism and not concentrate on the failure of the student to perform successfully.

5. Draft a description of relevant practice for each of your objectives.

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Preparing Content

You want to bridge the gap between what students can already do and what they will need to do or know before they will be ready to practice.

You want to take students to the point where they can productively practice tasks in the job.

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How to Prepare ContentREVIEW:

• The objective

• Your description of relevant practice for that objective

• Your audience analysis and their abilities upon entering training

• Existing materials

ASK:

• Are the students ready to practice this objective prior to training?

• If no, what do they need to know to practice the objective?

• If they aren’t ready because of common errors they are likely to make, what are those errors?

• If they practice, will they be able to tell if their performance is ok or not?

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Training ModulesInformation can be arranged in modules. All the training content for one

objective can be put into individual modules, containing:1. Big Picture – where students are in the training

2. Objective – what the student should be able to do at the end

3. Description of relevance – why the skill is important to the student

4. Demonstration of correct performance – how to do it

5. Instruction – teaches what students need to know to practice

6. Practice in recognizing correct performance – self-correcting

7. Practice, with feedback – let the students try

8. Skill check – here’s what I want you to do, show me you can accomplish the objective

• Students should be active during 2/3 of the instructional period

• In survey and census training, there is a tendency to teach the exception, rather than the general rule – try to avoid doing this.

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Deciding How to Deliver the Instruction

Select the approaches that provide the features called for by your objectives.

Remember, the objective of the training is to give each student as much practice time as possible (within the constraints of time and budget).

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How to Decide on Instruction Delivery

1. List the things that will be needed for the students to practice (job materials)

2. If you have items listed that are not “things”, such as problem respondents, how will you provide them? Written format in a workbook, in lecture, videotape, etc.

3. If your objective (module) will require additional content prior to practice, how will this content be provided? Lecture, self-study, structured discussion, etc. (go for less expensive alternative)

4. Consider your audience’s abilities/situation when determining content presentation. Literacy levels, time constraints, classroom setup, etc.

5. Are the items listed available? If not, you must provide examples.

6. Verbatim training – ensures standardized presentation of content, ensures quality of training is independent of trainer’s individual skills, ensures all topics will be covered in sufficient detail and within allotted time. DANGER: can over-emphasize lecture and de-emphasize practice. SOLUTION: skill checks and relevant practice.

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Sequencing

Topics have to be presented in some order. How do you decide on the proper sequence of training modules?

Throughout your training, you should attempt to keep student interest high and make sure that they can accomplish your objectives.

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How to do Sequencing

1. Start the training with a topic of high interest

2. Move from the “big picture” into the details

3. Start with simple concepts and proceed to the more difficult concepts

4. Write your objectives/modules on small pieces of paper. Place them in your desired sequence and explain to someone knowledgeable about the content why you are presenting the topics in the order indicated. Listen to that person and make changes as necessary.

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Implementation and Procedural Guides

Implementation of these principles will be covered in the module on staff training.

The same techniques can be applied in the development of procedural guides. However, procedural guides lack human interaction. Therefore they must be more detailed in descriptions and include examples of all materials that will be seen and used by the individual in the performance of their duties. Including precise descriptions of when and how to use each item. Where, when and from whom they will get each item. Also, to whom, where and when they should give each item upon completion of use.

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Summary and General Points

1. Analysis• Task analysis

• Audience analysis

• Performance analysis

2. Development• Relevant practice

• Skill checks

• Determine content

• Determine delivery method(s)

• Sequencing of modules

• Try outs or Dry runs

3. General Points• Verbatim training guides

• Manuals for trainees/trainers

• Job Aids

• Procedural manuals for ALL procedures