Chapter 4 Homework Assignment

1 What learning condition do you think is most necessary for learning to occur? Which is least critical? Why?

The learning condition that is most necessary for learning to occur is the external condition of repeated practice because like many say, 'practice makes perfect.' Employees will be better trained if they are well practiced. The learning condition that is least necessary is the external condition strong message from a credible source. This is because no matter how credible the source is, if that person does not appeal to the trainee it does not help very much.

2. What value would it be to know that you were going to be training a class of persons between the ages of 20 and 35? Would it influence the approach you would take? How?

Knowing the age of the persons to be trained is very valuable because all age groups tend to to learn differently. The age group from 20 to 35 would make me want to teach using web-based training, possible more hands on experimentation, and make it more interactinve.

3. How do instructional objectives help learning to occur?

Instructional objectives help learning to occur because objectives state what the employee is expected to do, the quality or level of performance that is acceptable, and the conditions under which the trainee is expected to perform.

4. Can allowing trainees to make errors in training be useful? Explain.

Allowing trainees to make errors in training is very useful in a training program. Allowing trainees to experiment and fail shows them exactly what not to do, preparing them for real situations in which they will be able to perform flawlessly becuase they know what to do and how to do it.

5. Detailed lesson plans have important information for trainers. List the different types of information found in a detailed lesson plan. Also, indicate the importance of each type of information for learning.

Information found in a lesson plan includes learning objectives, which state what the lesson is designed to accomlish and the lesson standards for success. The target audience explains who is in the audience and the characteristics of that audience. Time states the time devoted to each lesson, the lesson outline details the topics to be covered, and activity discusses the trainees and instructors roles. Support materials are those materials needed for effective delivery of training, and the physical environment details the arrangemnt or size of the training area. Also included is preparation, which is important because it addresses trainees readiness for training, the lesson topic covers what will actually be taught. The evaluation part is important as well because it covers how learning will be evaluated, for instance with test or role plays. The transfer and retention portion details what will be done to ensure that training content is used on the job.