When there is information organizations find their members need, the leaders of the organization will arrange training. The model is familiar to most everyone who has worked in a profession: “something” new is arriving (perhaps hardware, software, or a procedure) and time is taken away from “work” to learn what the information necessary is that the employees can get this thing to have the desired outcomes. It is likely the training will include directions on how to operate the hardware or software, or how to complete the procedure.
Training is typically done outside of the usual workplace, but there is always a clear connection to the operations, and that provides a content and motivation for the participants in the training to pay attention to it. In many cases, their continued employment depends on it.
The participants in many training sessions are familiar to each other, or at least they share a common experience, which also contributes to the motivation. This group also provides a readily available social group. Even if it is just to complain about the quality of the training, these individuals talk about the training outside of the training. They ask for clarification, reinforce each other’s understanding, identify their misunderstandings, and otherwise build knowledge away from the training.
It is important for instructors to understand the difference between training in workplace settings and teaching in classrooms where they have learned. Training is organized and delivered to meet very specific goals. New equipment may have been delivered, new software installed, new procedures adopted, or new regulations that the organization must follow. In each of these situations, the participants in the training are likely to:
- Have well-known and consistent skills and knowledge;
- Be motivated to learn the material to perform their jobs;
- See the importance immediately;
- Be able to ask clarifying questions based in their experience;
- Have a cohort with whom to discuss the information.
These characteristics of training audiences are likely to be absent in education audiences. As a result, instructors in education must do more than share information; they must provide examples and context, opportunities for social learning, and feedback that is helpful before collecting work to be graded.