How to Make Computer Training More Effective

A constant dilemma in my field. We have thousands of CBTs that are boring, non-descript, and uninspired. The trainees know it and put about as much effort into learning the material as was put in by the developer making it. Ergo, I've started working with our development team to make the CBTs more engaging. That being said, CBTs will never be as engaging as instructor-led courses provided by a truly engaging instructor. But just as you can have a bad instructor giving poor information in a rotten way, you can have CBTs that are fun, inspiring, and worthwhile.

I have come to realize that because of their scalability, ease of delivery, and the fact they can be developed relatively cheaply, CBTs are a necessary evil. I believe that we need a mixture of type, tone, tenor, and style to keep our learners engaged as well as tools that reinforce the training. Imagine a CBT that includes interactive moments where the trainee has to use his mouse and identify danger areas at a workplace and select the right option for why they are a danger, imagine as well that every few minutes he is asked to put on a VR headset and put into practice what he has learned in the CBT. Then imagine instead of a typical passive CBT where they "tell" the trainee what they should know, it's a series of quizzes and tests whereby the trainee learns by failing and relearning, somewhat like Duolingo. Finally, imagine that after the trainee leaves, maybe a day or two later, he gets a text that asks him quiz questions about what he learned in the CBT and he has to remember what he learned. I think when you combine all of these together you might have a CBT experience that is worthwhile and effective.



All of those require not just investment but will. The will to change from individual training modules to one that has guided blocks of training. My fear is that in this COVID 19 environment, organizations are going to further slash training budgets and rely on methods that are cheap, easy, and check a box. My goal is to have them check the box effectively, rather than just get it done.



I know when I develop my training I always use as a lodestone my time in the Army. The structure of moving from Basic to AIT to Airborne to RIP, then on from there is the same structure I try to use when I design training for our clients.