Module 1 Discussion Topic
Kareco, Inc. is a medium-sized medical equipment company
with about 1,000 employees distributed between sales, marketing, customer
service, operations, product development, and administrative support (e.g., HR,
accounting, etc.). Most of their training and development needs have been
provided by 3rd party contractors in the past. Now, the CEO has come to you for
advice about how to bring training back into the organization. Primarily, she
is concerned about structure: should training & development functions be
centralized (to HR or to a training team) or decentralized (to management and
other department leaders)?
What do you suggest? Take a position, being sure to explain
your reasoning and any additional assumptions you must make about the
characteristics of Kareco.
Respond to at least two of your classmates’ posts by 11:59
PM EST/EDT Sunday.
Specifically:
Where do your ideas and your peers’ ideas contrast? Why?
What points did your peers make that might convince you that
their suggested structure would be more effective?
What did your peers neglect to mention that would add to
their discussion?
Module 2 Discussion Topic
Remember Kareco, the medical equipment development and
supply company? They made you an offer you could not refuse. You have been
hired as the VP of Training and Development, reporting directly to the CEO.
Today the CEO asked you to put together what she called “a quick email to bring
everyone in the company up to speed on the new inventory system.”
Based on what you know about training, how would you respond
to the CEO? Be sure to reference any issues related to learning, motivation,
and instruction in your response.
Respond to at least two of your classmates’ posts by 11:59
PM EST/EDT Sunday.
Specifically:
What important points do you believe your peers did not
cover fully in their responses? What points would you add?
How did your peers’ responses differ from your own? What
points do you think your peers made well?
Module 3 Discussion Topic
Proactive vs. Reactive Needs Analysis
Your textbook, Effective Training… explains that needs
analysis can be proactive (planned in advance for a future performance gap) or
reactive (conducted here and now to address an immediate, current performance
gap). Provide an example of a situation (either a real past experience or a
hypothetical) in which you would recommend either a proactive or a reactive
needs analysis (pick one). Describe the situation and explain why you believe
the type of needs analysis you chose would be most practical. What would the
outcome be if no needs analysis was conducted?
Respond to at least two of your classmates’ posts by 11:59
PM EST/EDT Sunday.
Specifically:
What points did your peers make that you agree with? What
information did they include that you may have overlooked?
Where do you and your peers disagree? What could you suggest
to strengthen their position?
Would a different type of needs analysis (or no needs
analysis) be more practical in this situation? Why or why not?
Module 4 Discussion Topic
You’re doing well in your position as VP of Training &
Development at Kareco, the medical equipment company. Opie, the VP of
Operations, came to you the other day with good news:
“We’re ready to roll on production of our new line of
electric wheelchairs,” he said. “I just worked with HR to hire 18 new
technicians to handle the manufacturing. Now all we have to do is train them.
Can you have them trained by next Tuesday?”
You hear yourself tell Opie, “We can. It will be tough, but
not impossible.”
Discuss your 2 or 3 most important concerns related to the
design of this training, based on the material covered in this module and
Chapter 5 of your textbook.
How will Opie’s department need to contribute to the design
of the training? How will the training department need to contribute?
Respond to at least two of your classmates’ posts by 11:59
PM EST/EDT Sunday.
Specifically:
Where did you and your peers differ in your major concerns?
What would you add to their discussion?
What did you think of how your peers incorporated Opie’s
operations department and the training department into the design of this
training?
Module 5 Discussion Topic
Time to Market is a British training consulting firm. Their
site is chock full of training tips and tactics (and most all of the content is
free!). Go to the following link to access Time to Market’s “Top 20 Training
Tips” podcast series:
http://www.timetomarket.co.uk/presentation-training-podcast.htm
These .mp3 files can be played directly on the website or
through Windows Media Player, RealPlayer, or on any MP3 player or portable
digital media device. You may choose any one of the Top 20 Tips that interests
you – listen to them all, if you choose (they range from 1 to 3 minutes each).
Critique the Tip of your choice and share your thoughts in
your initial post. Be sure to discuss the following:
What (if anything) did you learn from this presentation?
What (if anything) will you do to change your own
presentation style (behavior) based on what you learned?
What made this method of training effective, in your
opinion?
What limitations did you notice about this method of
training?
If Time to Market invited you to help them improve their
podcasts, what suggestions would you make and why?
Specifically
How did your experience differ from your peers’? Where do
you and your peers agree/disagree on the strengths and limitations of this
podcast training format?
What did you think of your peers’ plans to improve the
podcasts? Will their suggestions be practical and effective?
Module 6 Discussion Topic
Read the Case Analysis in Effective Training… on pp.
322-323. This is an opportunity to think about good training development and
implementation in the case of Jim, the backhoe operator with an unfortunate
lack of training. Answer the Case Questions on p. 323 with emphasis on how you
could better train Jim on operating his backhoe. Be brief but specific in your
answers.
Respond to at least two of your classmates’ responses by
11:59 PM EST/EDT Sunday.
Specifically:
How realistic were your peers’ plans for
developing/implementing this training?
Where do you and your peers disagree on how to develop and
implement training for Jim’s (or anyone’s) issue?
What could you add to your peers’ responses to make them
better?
Module 7 Discussion Topic
Choose any one of the key areas of training described in
Chapter 10 of Effective Training… and discuss your own experiences with that type
of training. Specifically:
· Briefly
describe the job and training situation you will discuss
· What parts
of the training were effective? Why?
· What parts
of the training were not effective? Why?
· What should
have been included in the training to make it more effective?
Respond to at least two of your classmates’ responses by
11:59 PM EST/EDT Sunday.
Specifically:
Based on your knowledge of training to this point,
troubleshoot your peers’ experiences. What do you think might be the root of
why the training was or was not effective?
What else could you add to the training your peers described
to make it more effective?
Module 8 Discussion Topic
You’ve definitely gotten your feet wet during your short
time as the VP of Training & Development at Kareco. The CEO of the
organization has taken notice, and has a new request for you. Several of the
top level executives will be retiring over the next few years. He has asked you
to hold a meeting with the Board of Directors to discuss preliminary ideas for
an executive development program for the organization.
1. Describe what
questions you would ask of the CEO and Board of Directors to better understand
what will be required of the new program.
· Since you
are a relatively new employee, it is acceptable to ask even basic questions
about the nature of the organization, as long as they will help you create a
better development program.
2. Describe what
high level recommendations you would make to the Board.
Respond to at least two of your classmates’ responses by
11:59 PM EST/EDT Sunday.
Specifically:
What questions did your peers suggest that you did not? How
do you think these questions are appropriate and useful?
Where did you and your peers differ in your recommendations
to the Board?
