TRAINING TOOLS FROM ASTD

Murray is Senior Manager, Animal Care & Welfare Training, Charles River Laboratories, East Thetford, VT. with practical information that I could implement immediately. The workbooks and user guides from these courses remain within easy reach on my desk. ASTD also offers webinars on a variety of training topics, and its online library is amazing— like PubMed for the professional trainer. If I need information on training and educational trends, I look at its annual State of the Industry Report. When I’m looking for best practices in developing and implementing e-learning, I check the Learning Technologies Community of Practice. And for ‘train the trainer’ ideas and strategies, the monthly InfoLine is great! Networking opportunities, career development, webinars and publications targeted to our unique needs are all offered by ASTD. Unlike LAWTE and AALAS, ASTD is a for-profit business and does promote sales of its products and services. Membership has its privileges, and the $200 annual membership fee is well worth it. ASTD does not pay me for my endorsement; I am just a big fan of ASTD and what it has to offer me as a training professional.

As research continues to push the boundaries of the possible, as animal models become more specialized and as technology improves, we as trainers must be on the cutting edge. Training is about more than achievement gaps, proficiency and competency. Harnessing all the tools in our toolbox will continue to move us forward—and ASTD offers some really great tools. experience with ASTD, and the response was overwhelmingly positive. I would agree. At an ASTD conference a few years ago, I learned a brainstorming technique in which ideas are tagged as Roses (workable ideas),

Buds (ideas with promise) or Thorns (possible obstacles). During learning week at my company that year (see photo), I used this technique to focus on ideas to enhance animalbased training. This session yielded some Roses (pink notes), Buds (blue notes) and Thorns (yellow notes) that we have used to improve our training design, development and implementation. For instance, we identified areas in the design phase where we could incorporate more effective interactions, increasing opportunities for learner engagement. We also worked with our subject-matter experts to create short videos showing rather than telling learners about specific topics.

These improvements are helping us move from a ‘sage on the stage’ model to a media-rich model that is more relevant to our day-today work. We also learned the importance of the atmosphere surrounding a training session to staff. Some areas for improvement that we identified include promoting the training, assuring that staff and management see the training as important to their ability to do their job better and assuring that the trainers are prepared to present the training. This is just one example of how ASTD’s general coverage of the training and development profession can be beneficial to our more focused training efforts in laboratory animal science.

What I find unique about ASTD is the volume of resources available, the superior quality of the materials and the training opportunities offered. I have attended ASTD’s E-Learning Instructional Design Certificate and Measuring and Evaluating Learning Certificate courses, both of which were exemplary. I came home At the 2013 CALAS/LAWTE Symposium, trainers discussed their struggles with, and suggested solutions for, measurement of proficiency and competency in their workforce. They also talked about the push to move classes online. Online classes can be efficient, cost-effective and convenient, but even the best simulations cannot really prepare someone to handle or restrain a live animal. Adults learn experientially; as a result, employees seek out handson training in addition to the online training available, reinforcing the need for blended learning solutions.

Trainers at the symposium talked about how the current economic realities necessitate that training programs demonstrate a return on investment. Meeting employees’ training needs and management’s expectations for efficiency, proficiency and competency can be challenging for any trainer. Fortunately, help is available from organizations such as the American Society for Training & Development. ASTD’s membership represents myriad industries and areas of expertise. At the core of ASTD is its Competency Model, which defines the skills and knowledge required for trainers to be successful. It is a holistic approach that helps us as trainers expand our role to meet today’s challenges. Consider how much we do in addition to hands-on training, presentations and approving competencies. We use the latest technologies to engage learners and document their training. We coach employees and measure performance improvement. We assure that our training efforts support the health, welfare and safety of animals while meeting regulatory compliance requirements and developing our staff professionally.