Preparation
I am doing a series on how we develop and deliver on-site Linux Training over the next week. Today we are looking at preparation and tomorrow we will examine how to use your travel time as an advantage.
There are several keys to preparing for an on-site training situation. First, is to make a detailed agreement about the content that is to be delivered. Of course, content is critical because the desired results are tied to the content. In this situation, one training virtual class was completed before a more detailed and focused training was designed with the specific content that was desired. The virtual class was two weeks of fours hours a day for 25 students. From the results of this class the training was modified to provide a 30 hour class that could be completed in one week. The purpose was to minimally impact the student’s work schedule. Once the content was specifically organized by a committee from the company, that request was made to us for additional classes with the 30 hour content. We can provide custom training for most situations, if you are interested let us know, mweber (at) spidertools.com.
At that point the second aspect of preparation comes into play as the content was placed in a manual and Flash movies with voice were created to support the training concepts after the class. The movies are provided online to the students to use after the class so they could reference material that was in the class. This is an important aspect of training, in that no student can absorb completely all of the material that is delivered.
Delivery and hands-on-training are a critical factor in development. In this situation all students are on laptops with a VMWare virtual machine of CentOS. This provides students hands-on access to the training and the ability to perform the Labs in class.
The actual delivery of the content is done using a CentOS server that is on the instructor’s laptop onto a screen. Students are able to listen to a summary, watch the instructor complete a task that they are learning and then work on the task during a Lab. And after the Lab have an opportunity to ask questions. This four step process allows students the best advantage for actual learning. The delivery is also enhanced with occasional illustrations from a slide, where an image provides a better understanding of a topic. Or the instructor will at times make reference to an actual experience to enhance the instruction with reality. All of this must be designed and formatted by the instructor so that the class flows correctly and time is used to the best advantage of learning.
Proper delivery requires an instructor to have the content fresh in mind, so I read and highlight all of the content 24 hours before class. Though I have taught this material 50-75 times, it is always important to have this in your mind so it is fresh as it helps with flow and anticipating questions. it allow allows the instructor to have better eye contact with students as the instructor is not tied to notes.
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