Organizations spend thousands providing training resources and tools for their employees. As an IT trainer and technology support professional, much of my success relies on students being able to retain information for immediate use. And the challenges that limit data retention are many – from too little training time to too much information to uninterested or unmotivated employees forced to participate
Trainers employ a variety of techniques to improve student retention. Among these are repetition, discovery, pre- and post-training assessments, and hands’-on and real-world training environments, to name just a few.
Trainers practice repetition by facilitating the repeated use of the same functionality in various applications, if appropriate, and within applications. Discovery emphasizes the concept that the functionality is available within an application to accomplish a particular task. Students are encouraged to “discover” the best way to use a function as opposed to memorizing the "magic button." Students can improve retention by realizing post-training skill accomplishments.
One of the best techniques for improving student retention is simulating authentic work environments with real work product and providing a hands’-on training experience.
However, any or all of these techniques can be effective depending on the learning style of users. Try them in your learning environment today.
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