How to plan the training
As with any activity, planning is essential for training. The planning process sets the objectives of the training, identifies the outcomes to be achieved, and determines the process and format of implementation, based on a sound understanding of training needs. The accuracy of the identified need determines how the training will meet the expectations of the target groups and contribute to the desired change. It is planning that helps to mobilize all the necessary information, manage time and energy resources, and make the best use of potential and opportunities.
Planning steps:
- Determine the need for training
- Formulate training goals and objectives
- Select the most appropriate training strategies, techniques, and methods.
Participant needs analysis. Before the event, the adult educator should gather as much information as possible about the participants: education, experience, age, level of ICT management competencies, etc. It is also very important to know the expectations of the participants, e.g. whether the participants will be adult educators who want to work with digital content or want to learn how to use specific digital tools, or whether they will be people who want to get acquainted with online public services, or whether they will be people who have a need to develop their communication and collaboration skills in a virtual environment, etc.
Formulating the aims and objectives of the training/s. The greatest success of training is visible and tangible results. Unfortunately, it is often complained that it is very difficult or impossible to measure whether the training has been valuable. It is advisable to measure the RESULTS rather than the actions taken, i.e. whether a specific objective has been achieved, which should be announced before the training starts. It is useful to evaluate the participants’ achievements at the end of the training and to provide personal feedback and reflection.
The objective should be formulated in the generic sense (explain, analyse, justify, reveal, prove), as the generic sense indicates direction. The objective must be clear, narrow, achievable, measurable and realistic, i.e. attainable. It is important that the objective expresses a result and not an activity. Objectives for digital literacy training can be:
– Targeted, e.g.: improving the participant’s digital competences.
– Large-scale, as defined by thematic blocks e.g.: to help participants to develop a working knowledge of ICT learning applications for effective engagement or feedback in lessons, or to provide participants with the knowledge of safe online shopping etc.
– Minor. These are very specific and are sometimes referred to as tasks.
Tasks are realistic steps. They can be tested by asking questions such as: will my participants be able to use Socrative and Kahoot or other applications in the lesson? This means that the objectives must show the result of the training, what the participant will be able to do after achieving the objective.
Choosing the right teaching/learning methods. Passive learning involving only numbers, symbols and abstractions cannot satisfy an adult as it is not the most productive. In particular, passive activities are not suitable for adult digital literacy training. The data show that passive learning increases recall of information, while testing, practical activities and teaching others increase the chances of retaining information and building skills. This means that when it comes to the development of digital skills in adults, we need to put active, practical and collaborative activities at the forefront.
Digital literacy training for adults can take the form of workshops or training courses. Seminars are training events that integrate the presentation of theoretical material, the performance of practical tasks, i.e. the development of practical skills and the clarification and sharing of experience among participants. It is about learning together and at the same time solving problems independently, with active cooperation between the seminar leader and the participants.
Developing the programme of the training event
The word ‘programme’ is derived from the Greek for ‘announcement’. In modern parlance, it means a document that sets out specific activities, aims and intentions. For every andragogue, a programme is a useful tool for improvement, but only when there is a comparison, i.e. a ‘record’ of the implementation of the programme. In other words, a record of what happened and what should have happened. Such “calculations” one way or the other allow the improvement of activities.
The programme of an adult learning event should be designed in such a way that it can be used in practice. Before designing a programme, we need to ask ourselves the following questions:
– Who will be working with in this workshop/training?
– What can I bring to the participants in terms of my expertise?
– What will I aim to achieve with my training? What could be the outcome? What needs to change?
– What do the participants and organizers expect from me?
After answering these questions, we take the following steps:
– Analyse the needs of the participants
– Choose a training position
– Identify goals and objectives
– Formulate the content of the training
– Select training methods and tools
– Calculate time input
– Write a plan for the training event
– Reflect on critical phases
– Establish a reading list.
Topic/title
The topic is the short title of the subject under study. It is formulated as an answer to the question WHAT? Keep the topic/title as simple as possible and do not use empty words. Use no more than 10 words. There are words that reflect the problem or there is playful, figurative language.
