INNOVATION IN TRAINING AND EDUCATION

Author
SUDHIR K. PODE
Lecturer
Raisoni Group of Institution
Madhav Nagari campus,
Nagpur

Introduction
“The dogmas of the past are inadequate for the stormy present. The occasion is piled
high with difficulty and we must rise with the occasion .As our case is new; we must
think a new and act a new .We must disenthrall ourselves.”
- Abraham Lincoln
Broadly speaking training is the act of increasing the knowledge and skill of the
employee for doing specified job. It involves active participation by employee. With the
recognition of training as an important avenue for development during the last few
years ,the scope and application of training has been considerably wident.While largely
,it still remains a key tool for enhancing job related performance and organizational
effectiveness, its value is being increasingly acknowledge in engendering behavior
changes and in developing life skill, leading to personal growth. It equips an individual
with the competencies that help him/her to cope with day to day problems of living and
manage interpersonal relation, improving him/her to interpersonal effectiveness. Training
has influence every facet of an individual’s life. As a result of these developments human
relation and personal development training now occupy a significant place in the realm of
training.
Although both training and education aims to enhance learning, yet they are used for
different purposes. Training is concern with increasing knowledge and skill for doing a
particular job.
Education is concern with increasing general knowledge and understanding of the total
environment. It is a person oriented. Though training and education differ in nature and
orientation, they are complimentary to each other .There is some education in all training
and in all education there is some training. It is difficult to differentiate between
education and training because in many cases both of these occur simultaneously.
Methods followed in training are also a crucial factor. Occasionally, we find the training
method are stereotype and conventional. The training department on its own does not
make any innovation nor does it try to implement any innovative ideas experimented
elsewhere .Any way conventional method has its own limitations. The training for
attitudinal changes is effective when it is based on role plays. Training on decision
making skill is effective if business games or In basket exercise are followed. Training in
computer is effective; when “On the job training” method is used. The training
department should look for innovation in course decision and content will make it really
effective.
The days ahead are days of challenges. One who can face those difficulties and tough
challenges can only exist Charls Darwins theory of “survival of the fittest” would be very
much applicable to business and industry .To face the challenges of globalization, the rate
of human resources is crucial .To produce the best ,we need constant changes in skill,
attitude and knowledge.
Hence I am presenting some important innovative methods of training and education and
current trends in training and education.

Innovative Methods in Training and Education

Roll Playing
Roll playing technique is used for human relation and leadership training. Its purpose is
to give trainees an opportunity to learn human relation skill through practice to develop
insight into one’s own behavior and its effect on others. Thus its objective is very narrow
i.e. to increase the trainee skill in dealing with others. It can be used in human relation
training and sales training because both these involve dealing with other people. Under
this method, a conflict situation is constructed and two or more trainees are assigned
different parts to play. No dialogue is given before hand. The role players are provided
with either a written or oral description of a situation and the role they are to play after
being allowed sufficient time to plan their action, they must act out their parts
spontaneously before the class. Role playing has a number of advantages. It provides an
opportunity for developing human relations understanding the skills and to put into
practice the knowledge they have acquired from text books, lectures, discussions etc. It is
learning by doing.

Case studies
Case method is a means of simulating experience in the classroom. Under this method the
trainees may be given a problem to discuss which is more or less related to the principles
already taught. This method gives the trainee an opportunity to apply his knowledge to
the solution of realistic problems. Cases may be used in either of the two ways. Firstly
,they can be used subsequent to the exposition of formal theory under which the trainees
apply their knowledge of theory to specific situations. Secondly, the trainees may be
assigned the cases for written analysis and oral class discussion without any prior
explanation of pertinent concepts and theory. In this case the trainees are expected to
derive useful generalization and principles themselves. The approach places heavy
demands upon trainees and require that they should, have a good deal of maturity and
background in the subject-matter concerned. Case discussion will help to appreciate each
other‘s thinking. The case study method provides for learning by doing. The success of
this method depends to a great extent upon the qualities of the guide to conduct the
discussion so as to keep the speakers always on the right track. Moreover, it is also
necessary to prepare good case material based upon real experiences and problem
situation to make it interesting to the trainees. Good cases can develop analytical thinking
and fostering problem ability.

Basket Exercise
Trainees are given a series of files, papers and letters similar to those they will be
required to deal with at their place of work (i.e. the typical content of a desk-worker’s in
in-tray).Trainees take action on each other piece of work. The results are marked or
compared one with another. It is suitable for giving trainees desk-workers a clear
understanding of the real-life problem and their solutions.
The simulation of the real situation aids the transfer of learning from the training to the
work situation. It is also useful for developing attitude towards the work, for example
priorities, customers’ complaints, superiors etc, It is important that the content of the in-
tray are realistic. The aim should be to provide trainees with a typical in-tray. The
marking or comparison of result must be done in a way which will not sap the confidence
of the weaker trainees.
Conference Training
Conference method is the innovation of lecture method, because here participant play a
very active roll and two way communications is there. People learn from each other. A
conference is a group meeting conducted according to an organized plan in which the
member seek to develop knowledge and understanding by obtaining a considerably
amount of oral participation .It is an effective training device for persons in the positions
of both conference member and conference leader. As a member, a person can learn from
others by comparing his opinion with those of others. He learns to respect the viewpoint
of others and realize that there is more than one workable approach to a problem. As a
conference leader, a man can develop his skill to motivate people through his direction of
discussion. He learns the effects of closely controlling and dominating the discussion as
compared to adopting a more permissive type of direction.
Three types of conference is there
• The directed or the guided conference.
The directed conference is most commonly used for training purposes because the
program director has certain concepts which he wishes the trainees to absorb. This
device depends its success upon the active participation of the trainees. The size
of the group must be limited to 20 to 30.The people should sit facing one another
around a conference table. They should have some knowledge of the subject to be
discussed before coming to the conference. This can be obtained from assigned
reading.
• The consultative conference.
• The problem-solving conference.
Transactional Analysis
The basic philosophy and approach to TA was developed by Eric Berne, a psychologist
searching for alternatives to Freudian therapeutic procedures. He soon realized that all of
us have one of three operating ego states, Parents, Adults t and Child at any time. Based
on this simple principle he developed TA to attempt to understand people.
TA can help us to eradicate or minimize the dysfunctional aspect of our personality.
Behavior can be studied and understood in a dynamics situation prevailing within a
group, it will provide valuables insights into knowing one’s personality. The
dysfunctional aspects of one’s personality develop from our cultural assumption
assimilated during childhood, the ways in which we have learnt to deal with our feelings.

Job Rotation
The transferring of executives from one job to another job and from one department to
another on a coordinated and planned basis is a popular means of development among the
modern business concern. In modern organization a high proportion of the entry jobs for
junior executive require a considerable degree of specialized knowledge and skill. But a
man can never acquire the broad perspective and diversified skill needed for promotion
unless he/she is deliberately taken out of his specialty and placed in different type of
situation.
Job rotation serves to break down the feeling of superiority of one department over the
other .When a number of executives have served in each other’s department; they can
also understand the reason why a certain function must be done in a particular way. Thus
interdepartmental cooperation will be enhanced. Job rotation injects new ideas into the
different departments of the organization.

Special Project and Committee Assignment

A special project is a highly useful training device under which a trainee may be assigned
a project that is closely related to the work of his/her department. For example, a trainee
may be assigned to develop a system of cost control in the execution of an order. The will
study the problem and then make written recommendation upon it. This project would not
only provide valuable experience in the problem to the trainee but would also have the
other values of educating the trainee the importance of costs and to understand the
organizational relationship with the accounting department. Thus the trainee would
acquire knowledge of the assigned subject and would also learn to work with other
possessing the different view points.

Current Trends in Training

Computer Assisted Training (CAT)
Computer is used in support of more traditional training approaches. This support was
initially the inclusion of computer requirement and mini-programs in multimedia learning
packages, extending the audio video elements described above to the much more flexible
computer. Other CATs were used in training programs at work, again being inserted into
the more traditional approaches, taking the place of audio and video inserts. These inserts
permitted instance practice of skills particularly those related to the use of the computer;
for example learning subjects might be the use of spreadsheets on the computer.
Computer Based Training (CBT)
CBT extends significantly the involvement off the computer in training, particularly self-
learning and self development approaches and all indications are that this could be a
significant learning force in the future The programs nowadays customarily consist of a
computer package, usually on CD-ROM or interactive CD-ROM, perhaps supported by
text and video material, questionnaires, projects and activities.
The earner do not have to wait for a viable number of participants before a training event
can be offered, Training is, therefore, available almost on demand. When a new training
demand rises, there is often a considerable delay between this realization, the time taken
for the training department to construct an effective program, the administration to set up
and complement the training events, and all the other necessary adjunct of a live training
program. If the training can be provided almost immediately, this simplifies matters.The
advantages of CBT is Reduction of Training Time, Location of training:-CBT can be
taken to learner than the learners having to come to the training, consistency.
Web and Internet based Training
Probably the biggest revolution in the world of training and development in recent years
has been the increased and increasing use of the internet to transport training program to
learners, whether they are individuals or groups within an organization ,although not
necessarily a group that has come together for training. This approach started quiet
simply with real time, e-mail contact between a self-learning, open learning program
learner and the central expert or supporting trainer/manager. The logical development of
this was a learning program controlled over a set of learners from a central source from
which the learning material had been sent .This learning material could be in the form of
traditional text, e-mail, material or electronic web pages. The learners respond to progress
questions from the sources, taking part in subsequent electronic (by e-mail or in an
instantaneous ’chat room’ format) discussions where necessary, before moving on to the
other parts of the program.
The evolutionary techniques (and these are seen by many people as the way in which
electronic methods of learning will proceed) involve the internet equivalent of traditional
methods of training and development. The significant basis of these methods is that the
presence of any social contract is unnecessary-contact is the interaction of the learner
seated in front of the computer visual display unit with a program that originates with a
web site any location in the world.
Technology Based Training (TBT)
Good TBT motivates and enables learners to learn what they want to learn or are required
to learn, so that they acquire the knowledge, skills, attitudes and behavior that the TBT
was designed to generate. Learner’s expectations from TBT are as follows:
1. Ease of use
2. Clarity
3. Interest
4. Choice
5. Freedom
6. Help
7. Fun
8. Way of assessing progress
 9. Accuracy
10. Involvement

E-learning
The corporate e-learning: - E-learning represents the whole category of technology-based
learning, while online learning is synonymous with web-based learning. In this case,
online learning is actually a subset of e-learning. E-learning=Technology-based learning.
The term e-learning covers a wide set of applications and processes, including computer-
based learning, web-based learning, virtual classrooms, and digital collaboration.
E-learning is defined as the delivery of content via all electronic media, including the
internet, intranets, extranets, and satellite, broadcast. Audio/video tape, interactive TV,
and CD-ROM.Yet, e-learning is defined more narrowly than distance learning, which
would include text –based learning and courses conducted via written correspondence.
For the purpose of this report, the term e-learning is used synonymously with technology
based-learning. Term like e-learning, technology-based learning and web-based learning
are defined and used differently by different organizations and user groups. Moreover,
use of these terms is constantly changing, as the world of e-learning evolves.

Reference:
Books: Training and Development; ICFAI publication
Website: - www.google.com