RE: More Training Discussion: Task-based lecture vs. Systems-base d lecture

Subject: RE: More Training Discussion: Task-based lecture vs. Systems-base d lecture
From: "Steve Schwarzman" <steve -at- writersbookmall -dot- com>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Thu, 15 Apr 2004 23:41:10 -0400


Carla wrote:

>From JoAnn Hackos' Book, Managing Your Documentation Projects: (p237)
=======
In the design of documents that the audience will use to operate,
administer, or maintain a product, a task-oriented approach to information
is essential.

All valid points, and even more so for training than for documentation. In
fact, training often doesn't even cover all of the identified tasks. This is
for two reasons. First, economy. If you have two days for a course, you can
only fit in two days' worth of material. The rest will have to be left for
the documentation. It's often a good practice to train people in class to
look things up in the doc so they will know that they can do this back in
the field.

The second reason is pedagogic. If you train every task (assuming that there
are many), people will remember only selectively (especially the lessons
taught at the beginning and at the end of the course, at the expense of the
middle lessons). In other words, by including the less important or less
frequently performed tasks, you will ensure that some of the important and
frequent ones will not be remembered.

So when you develop training, order the lessons from common tasks to rare,
and from simple to complex. Then, like an editor with a news story, chop
with a meat cleaver at the point where you can't fit any more. As long as
the order is correct (just as later paragraphs in a news story are of
descending importance), you'll be okay.

Steve Schwarzman
___________________________________________
Books for Writers - http://www.writersbookmall.com


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