When I first learned about the teaching and training requirement for the MLIS portfolio, I thought that the reasoning behind its inclusion was to help librarians be prepared to teach as part of their jobs. Because I do not intend to pursue librarianship, the requirement seemed like extra work that would not be very meaningful. It also intimidated me somewhat due to the fact that my only prior teaching experience was with children, and not adults. Later, I learned that when I viewed instruction in a very broad sense, especially with regard to facilitation, it became very relevant and applicable for any audience.
Directed Fieldwork: MicroGreen Polymers
In Fall 2008 I had the opportunity to intern with a company called MicroGreen Polymers, that researches and manufactures plastics. After conducting an information audit at MicroGreen Polymers, it becme clear that there was a great need for an internal document management system. We decided on Microsoft SharePoint due to its ease of implementation and cost-effectiveness. The entire directed fieldwork was conducted remotely due to the location of MicroGreen Polymers, with periodic site visits to check in with the operations and technology directors.
SharePoint Training Session
Because none of the 10 employees at MicroGreen Polymers were familiar with SharePoint, one of the deliverables I included was a training session on SharePoint at the end of the directed fieldwork. Initially, I did not know much about SharePoint, and throughout the design and implementation process I noted functions that were vital to use it successfully. My learning process was informed by trial and error, reading various online manuals and blogs, and soliciting advice from an IT contractor. Though some processes in SharePoint were difficult to master, such as structuring document libraries, my overall experience of using it was very intuitive.
For the training session, I created a detailed PowerPoint presentation, and planned how I would walk the employees through the steps of performing specific tasks on SharePoint. I structured the PowerPoint so that I would first give a general overview, then move into the main actions and how to perform them within the interface, and finish with the sales order workflow, because it was the most complex concept to cover. I also intended to explain concepts such as metadata and version control, though I anticipated that these concepts might be too "information science" oriented to connect with my audience. In retrospect, though I did outline the skills I wanted the MicroGreen employees to learn, in future I would structure my training session around the ARCS model (Attention, Relevance, Confidence, and Satisfaction), in order to better engage and relate to the employees.
Challenges and moving forward
In retrospect, I planned the training session as if it were a presentation, and assumed the audience would be attentive and quick to learn. However, the training session did not go according to my plans, and derailed early on. Given the fact that the internship occurred remotely, I was unprepared for this particular group dynamic. After seeing that many employees had laptops, I suggested that they log into the SharePoint site and perform tasks with me. Immediately technical issues arose, some employee permissions were too strict to perform all the tasks, and the CEO decided to stop listening and go at his own pace.
Ultimately, I lost control of the group, but I was not aware of what my specific mistakes were. My supervisor told me afterwards that I needed to work on my facilitation skills, and in future I should remember to check in with the group periodically to make sure they are comprehending key points. I felt very disappointed in the training session, but after talking with the instructor of LIS 560, "Instructional Training Strategies for Information Professionals," Lorraine Bruce, she assured me that I would learn much more from this experience because it was not a success. She also told me that because I had not taken the core class on instruction yet, it was understandable that I would be unfamiliar with the best techniques to employ when facilitate a training session with a group like this.
I realized that this is an area I need to improve on in the future to facilitate training sessions, or meetings in any workplace. Though this training session may not have been a success, I learned very well what does not work when facilitating, and I feel confident that I will perform better in future when equipped with the tools to do so.
Click here to view the PowerPoint presentation used for the training session
