Training and Development - Microsoft Word 2007 - Essay Example

Training and development Student’s Name: Instructor’s Name: Course Code: Date of Submission: Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 Introduction 3 Lesson plan 4 Evaluation of the training and development program 6 Conclusion 7 Introduction Training and development is the system through which human resource managers in organizations apply to achieve high productivity of the organization by improving the skills of the employees. A lesson plan for development and training is a set of activities that guide the human resource managers in identifying the training needs and how the training will take place. Due to competition in the market by firms, it has emerged that the best surviving organizations must consider the skills and competencies of their employees. In order to improve the competency of employees, training and development of employees has become a major consideration in the modern business (Clarke 2006). In this report, I will discuss about how to use Microsoft office word 2007 in an organization. I chose this topic because technology in the modern business has become a factor that helps organizations to gain competitive advantage. Employees are faced with poor keeping of records because they apply manual methods of keeping data. Also there is a problem of communication because most employees do not know how to use Microsoft so that they can send and receive communications through the internet. Some of the problems that employees are faced with when using Microsoft word 2007 include poor documentation as a result of inappropriate formatting. Another problem that faces people when using Microsoft word 2007 is the inability to generate table of contents because some people do not know how to generate the table of contents. Further, people do not know how to delete a blank space and finally, people do not know how to add captions to tables and images. Therefore I chose this topic because I thought many people are faced with the problem of using Microsoft word 2007 in this era of advanced technology in businesses and it will help people to know how to use computers with Microsoft word 2007 as well as eliminating the problems people face when using it. This report will discuss the needs for training and how to use Microsoft word 2007 to improve the performance of organizations. The objectives of this training and development are; I. The employees will be better equipped with the knowledge on how to effectively use Microsoft office word 2007 II. Enable employees to know how to change the font in the Microsoft office word 2007 III. The employees will be able to perform tasks better with the application of the information technology IV. Employees will be able to develop their potentials as individuals and give their maximum potentials V. To enable the employees to work together as a team to improve their productivity VI. Improve the system of record keeping in the organization. Lesson plan Lesson plan is the set of systems which guide the teachers and trainers when they are offering their training services. The first part of this lesson plan is to identify who needs the training of Microsoft office word 2007. Lesson planning is important to the trainers. First, lesson planning helps trainers to be organized in their teaching activities. It helps the trainers to set objectives in their teaching so that they will evaluate the worthiness of the training (Janice 2006). It provides a sense of direction to the trainer. This is because it provides guidelines to follow so that trainer does not train something out of the set objectives. It helps the trainer to be confident when offering the training services because he or she knows that the contents in the training program are well covered. Lesson planning helps the teacher or the trainer to develop teaching strategies which will cater for all different needs of the trainees. Lesson planning helps the trainers to be more efficient in the delivery of services because it provides a guideline for the trainer to plan efficiently for the lesson. The trainer gets time to source for materials which are needed for the lesson teaching. It serves as evidence for teachers or the trainers that they are well planned to deliver the services. Finally, it is useful for planning for the future because the trainer will plan for other events in the future like the necessary materials needed for the teaching session. The lesson plan is illustrated in the appendix 1.0 below. Training design Training design is the overall organization on how to conduct the training. The first step is to identify and select the trainers. The factors that are considered in the selection of the trainers include ability to deliver quality training implying that the trainer must be able a good communicator and should have interpersonal skills (Janice 2006). The trainer should also be an expert in the field of information technology and should be able to help participants to better understand the concept of Microsoft office word 2007. In this regard, the trainers will be both from internal and external trainers. The internal trainer will be the information technology manager of the organization while the external trainer will be a hired consultant expert in the field of information (Grant 2007). The selection of the trainer is a very important factor because they determine the success of the training program. The supervisors will be trained by the external trainer while the other employees will be trained by the internal trainer who is the information technology manager of the organization. The next step is to identify the materials and the equipment which are needed for the training. The necessary tools for training like the pens, note pads, handouts will be bought and made available before the training session. They will be provided to the employees during the training. The equipment needed for the training include the computers and DVD players. These materials and equipment will be used in the practical training of the trainees especially the computers so that the participants will understand the concept of Microsoft office word 2007 better (Peter & Mark 2008). Each trainer will have an access to his or her own computer during the practical lessons. Without these materials and equipment, the training and development of the employees will not succeed because they will only be taught theory with no practical to supplement the theory. Scheduling of the training and development programs is done appropriately so that each participant will be comfortable with the schedule or else the training program will not be effective. The best training time for the supervisors will be done during weekends (Peter & Mark2008). This time will be convenient for the training because both the trainer and the trainees will be available and this will be their convenient time. Also during the weekend there will be availability of a site where the training will take place. The organization hall will be free from occupation thus it will provide a convenient place for training. The training schedule will have single session. After one session of the training the next session is ushered in until the end of the training. Active listening is whereby the adults are trained while they work. They are allowed to do practical lessons while on training. This type of training is more efficient because it gives the learners time to learn and at the same time experiment what they are learning thus, they get better knowledge than when they learn and put into practice what they learn later. It improves the performance of the individual because he or she is equipped with better skills of accomplishing tasks. Moreover, there will be various methods of training that will be applied during the training. First there is the on job training method. In this training method, the learners are given instructions while working. The trainers are being coached while they work and can be done by providing performance aids to the trainer and giving instructions. Secondly, off job training will also be used to train the learners. The learners are taught skills in the classroom (Tileston & Walker 2003). For instance, there will be training over the weekends by which trainers will be gathered in a hall and be taught on the topic Microsoft office word 2007. Thirdly, there is e-learning whereby the trainers are provided with materials over the internet. The trainers will search for the materials concerning Microsoft office word 2007 from the internet. Fourthly, the training will. Considering the above factors, the training program will have the lesson plan development as shown in appendices 1.1 and lesson plan checklist 1.2 below. Evaluation of the training and development program After implementing the training and development of the employees, training evaluation will be done to assess the worthiness of the training. Training evaluation will also help the organization to know what other skills are needed and how cost effective the program was. The financial resources that were used during the training and development will be evaluated to know if the program was viable in terms of finance. Evaluation of the training and development also helps the managers of the organization to know what type of skills which are needed in the organization (Tileston & Walker 2003). Training and development evaluations help the managers of the organization know if the expected objectives have been achieved. Evaluation of the training also will help to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the training and know where adjustments are to be made. After the completion of the training, the managers of the organization will try to evaluate how the lesson plan was implemented towards achieving the uses of Microsoft office word 2007. Evaluation on the other hand helps the organization to know the value of the training. If the training program improved the performance of the organization, then it could reinforce further training towards achieving the organizational goals and objectives. The training evaluation will be done using the descriptive type of evaluation where the information concerning the employees after the training is provided to know if there are any improvements (Spooner 2007). This type of evaluation training will give a clear picture on the performance of the employees after the training. If there is improvement, then training was viable but if the performance does not improve then the training did not bring any change in the organization. The model that will be used to evaluate the training and development program will be Kirkpatrick’s Hierarchical Model which has four levels of evaluation. First, the reaction of the employees after the training is assessed. Second, the employees are assessed according to their learning skills to see if there is any improvement. Third the behavior of the employees is assessed after the training to know if there is any change and lastly the results after the training are assessed to know if there is any performance improvement after the training or not. With any improvement then it means that the training was productive but if not then training was not productive. This training model is important in the business because it helps the managers to know if the training and development foes any change to the organization. Conclusion Training and development is the system which aims to improve the skills and competency of the employees in their workplaces. Microsoft office word 2007 will enable the employees to accomplish their tasks with ease. This lesson plan will enable the organization in implementing its training program. The importance of the lesson plan is to help managers or the trainers to be organized when they are delivering the services, they help the trainers to focus for the future better, lesson plans help the managers to or the trainers to develop strategies which will cater for different needs for the different learners, it serves as evidence that the trainers are well prepared for the delivery services and finally, the lesson plan helps the trainers to be efficient when offering the services. On the other hand, the design of the training program should have the objectives of the training; show the participants, the trainers, materials and equipment available, the training schedule, the training methods and the evaluation methods of the training and development programs. Training and development will help the organization to achieve a competitive advantage and thus improve its performance. The training and development program will be evaluated as per the questions in the appendix below. References Clarke, N. (2006). Emotional intelligence training: A case of caveat emptor. Human Resource Development Review, 5(4), 422-441. Retrieved 22nd May from http://hrd.sagepub.com/content/5/4/422.abstract Grant, A. M. (2007). Enhancing coaching skills and emotional intelligence through training. Industrial & Commercial Training, 39(5), 257-266. Retrieved 22nd May from www.emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?articleid=1615959 Janice, S. (2006). Powerful Lesson Planning: Every Teachers Guide to Effective Instruction. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, Retrieved 22nd May from http://www.corwin.com/booksProdDesc.nav?prodId=Book229156 Peter, S & Mark, R. (2008). Writing Effective Lesson Plans: The 5-Star Approach, Retrieved 22nd May from http://www.pearsonhighered.com/educator/product/Writing-Effective-Lesson-Plans-The-5Star-Approach/9780205511495.page Spooner, F (2007). Lesson plan Development, Retrieved 22nd May from www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/recordDetail?accno=EJ758894‎ Tileston, D. & Walker, E. (2003). What Every Teacher Should Know About Instructional Planning Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, Retrieved 22nd May from http://www.amazon.com/Every-Teacher-Should-Instructional-Planning/dp/0761931201 Appendices LESSON SESSION OBJECTIVES 1 Starting Microsoft word 2007 Microsoft word 2007 basics Using Microsoft word 2007 Wednesday – 4 hours Know how to open Microsoft word 2007 Learning the contents of Microsoft word 2007 like capital letters and bolding To learn how to type words To learn how to delete and backspace 2 Formatting data in the Microsoft word 2007 Thursday – 3 hours To learn how to change the font size To learn how hoe to change the font style Learn how to change the headings and subheadings Learn how to italic Learn how to underline Learn how to save the data 3 Test evaluation Monday morning exam -1 hour To test the contents of the first session of learning 4 Learn how to insert features like tables Checking for spelling error Learn how to send the data Learn how to print Tuesday- 5 hours To learn how to insert tables in the data Learn how to check and correct the spellings and grammatical errors Learn how to save and send data Learn how to print the data 5 Final test examination Saturday Exam- 2 hours To test the skills learnt in the four last sessions of training Appendix 1.0: Lesson plan Week Lesson Session Objectives 1 Training and development Week 1 6 hours Identify the importance of lesson plan Explain the contents of lesson plan Explain how to develop lesson plan 2 Training design and evaluation 6 hours Identify the components of training design Identify training and evaluation methods How o evaluate training lesson plans Appendix 1.1: Lesson plan development Criteria 1 not able 2 poor 3 Good 4 Very good 5 Excellent 1 Can distinguish the various components of lesson plan 2 Able to use various lesson components 3 Ability to evaluate the lesson plan Appendix 1. 2: Evaluation check list Evaluation questions I. Were the trainers selected appropriately? II. Did the trainees understand the features of Microsoft word 2007? III. Did the trainers properly give clear teaching on the Microsoft word 2007? IV. Did the trainees get the opportunity to do practical during the training? V. Did the trainees get satisfied with the explanations of the trainers? VI. Did the training achieve the objectives at the end? VII. Was the training conducted as per the plans? VIII. Did the cost of the training program meet the expected budget? IX. What is the motivation of the employees after the training? X. Do the employees know how to create the Microsoft word, save it and send? Read More