Training and Development - CA (TRDEV)

Performance consulting strategies and techniques for working with organizations to systematically identify performance problems, diagnose causes, and specify solutions. TRDEV 503 Performance Consulting (3) This course involves the study of performance consulting strategies and techniques when working with organizations to systematically analyze and improve performance at the organization, process, and job levels. This type of consulting involves working with clients to document how work is accomplished at the organization, process, and job-performer levels; selecting appropriate measures of performance for these three levels of performance; and identifying causes of performance problems. As a result of these processes, appropriate solutions can be identified and implemented within a specific organization.

Introduces skills for managing complex training and development projects, such as developing timelines, creating budgets, and allocating resources. TRDEV 505 Project Management in Training and Development (3) In today's fast-paced workplace, training and development professionals must effectively manage complex projects. This course is designed to enhance students' skills in managing a TRDEV project: a) Conceptualizing the project's scope b) Creating and monitoring a realistic timeline for management and completion of the project c) Identifying and allocating necessary resources and personnel d) Creating and monitoring a realistic project budget e) Creating and managing a TRDEV project team

Evaluation of educational and other human services programs; preparation and presentation of the evaluation proposal.

Study of theory and practice of systematic instructional design. Application of instructional design principles to training problems in local organizations.

Adult learning theory and its application to training and development.

Advanced instructional systems design theory, models, strategies, and consulting approaches. TRDEV 528 Instructional Systems Design Applications (3) The ways in which employees work and learn in organizations are continuously changing. Such changes require that instructional designers modify and, when necessary, use new theories and models to be more responsive and effective in meeting organizational needs for learning and performance improvement systems. Introductory graduate courses in instructional systems design typically use traditional models of instructional design to teach graduate students the fundamentals of the design process. This is necessary so that students have a solid foundation of concepts and principles to guide their practice in instructional design. This course, TRDEV 528, immerses students in the instructional systems design literature for the purpose of advancing their knowledge of more contemporary theories, models, and research of instructional systems design as students also engage in a real-world instructional design project. The process of individual and group reflection on recent research and theoretical developments in instructional systems design as students grapple with the demands and challenges of a real-world design project will broaden and deepen their expertise in the instructional systems design, thereby producing instructional designers who are more prepared to responsively and effectively address complex learning and performance improvement needs in organizations.

Platform skills for training delivery, including voice, audio-visual aids, and personal presence, in face-to-face and virtual environments. TRDEV 530 Multiplatform Delivery Skills (3) This highly participatory course is designed to provide students with the theoretical underpinnings of communication through presentation that will increase their capacity to flexibly convey content in ways that engage their audience in any modality - face to face, virtual, synchronous, and asynchronous. Within the context of solid communications theory, students will have opportunities to develop or strengthen a personal delivery style, applying theoretical constructs to accentuating their strengths. Through readings, discussion, critique of exemplars, practice presentations, and feedback, students will become facile with identifying theory in use, and develop the skills required to effectively deliver content. In the increasingly complex world, there is a persistent need for and value in face-to-face presentations and the skills required to produce and deliver them are paramount in a range of organizational circumstances including but not limited to what is considered formal training. Increasingly, these skills are being called into service to support content delivery in virtual settings, and although the basic approaches are consistent philosophically, these settings require special consideration. It is on this basis that the course is organized into three sections focused on 1) underpinning communications and cognitive theory, 2) application of theory to face-to-face presentations, 3) theoretical distinctions to support virtual environments, both synchronous and asynchronous.

Applications of various new instructional technologies to training problems.

Introduction to the design and development of websites for computer-based instruction in the workplace. TRDEV 532 Web-Based Training (3) Computer-Based Training (CBT), Computer-Assisted Instruction (CAI), Computer-Based Education (CBE), Interactive Multimedia (IMM), and Web-Based Training (WBT) are all terms used to describe the delivery of learning materials via computer. The recent rapid increase in these types of programs can be partially attributed to the development of software authoring tools. These allow developers to create computer-based programs through easy-to-learn Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs) without requiring extensive knowledge of programming and programming languages. Most recently, the World Wide Web (WWW) has offered a way of distributing training materials through a broader electronic network. Thus, Web-Based Training, or WBT, is becoming increasingly important as a tool for Trainers. Its "language" is primarily HTML.The primary goal of this course is for you, the student, to demonstrate competency in applying design theory while using Web tools to develop a WWW-based module.

Design and application of various technologies utilized for instructional and human resource development in corporate and similar settings. TRDEV 537 Technologies in Learning and Development (3) Over the past several decades, technology has become increasingly important for instruction and organizational development activities in a wide range of corporate and similar settings. While historically focused on relatively straightforward hardware-based implementation (e.g., film and slide projectors, overhead projectors, etc.), technology is now composed of an increasingly complex combination of hardware and software as well as personally created and/or globally available information.This course will be composed of three distinct, but related areas -- distance education, Web-based instruction, and organizational development. The distance education component will include topics related to the various technologies and strategies related to the delivery of instructional materials to students who choose to learn at a distance from their educational institution. Further discussion will include material related to the growing body of research in this field as well as methods for evaluation and assessment.The second major component -- Web-based instruction -- will focus on the history and research of this rapidly changing area as well as the growing number of technologies available for teaching students who are utilizing this medium for instruction. Topics related to the design and development of instructional materials, including their related technology options, will also be included.The use of various technologies for organizational development is the final major component of this course. These include technologies for knowledge management, organizational diagnosis, career management and succession planning, and collaboration.

Exploration of facilitation theories and their implications for practice. TRDEV 561 Facilitation Theories and Practice (3) Facilitation is distinct from other forms of group work such as presentation and teaching. It draws on theory and practice from a range of traditions such as adult learning, psychotherapy, group dynamics, action research, and group process consulting to inform unique and flexible approaches to goals that are often unstructured and connected to problem resolution, innovation, and social action. Rather than teach or conduct action, facilitators support the group as members work together to achieve their goals, creating a space for the work without interjecting their own opinions or agenda. Facilitators remain sensitive to myriad real-time details, member participation and group dynamics, the roles of power and culture, and the need for a balance between action and reflection in the work of the group. Good facilitators relinquish control of the group in ways that foster open, balanced dialogue and a spirit of play among group members, building members' capacity for work on subsequent issues and opportunities. Students will actively explore the process of facilitation from the inside out, including facilitator self-awareness, goal and role clarity, developing psycho-social spaces, group process, power, and risk-taking, in both face to face and virtual settings. The course will combine opportunities to actively experiment with applied facilitation both face-to-face and online with feedback, self-reflection, and scholarly research.

The critical analysis of theories, strategies, and techniques for planning and implementing TRDEV programs to enhance employee learning and performance. TRDEV 565 Implementing Training and Development Programs (3) A fundamental goal of training and development is to promote employee learning performance. This course involves the critical analysis of theories, strategies, and techniques for planning and implementing TRDEV programs to support the accomplishment of that goal.

Explores instructional leadership theory, development strategies and practice, and style, including students' leadership styles and development action planning. TRDEV 567 Instructional Leadership Theories and Development (3) In this course students will work with three dimensions of instructional leadership. At the core of the course are the key theories of leadership drawn from historic and contemporary scholarship. This will lead into the second dimension, that of leadership development. Perhaps more than any other area of the training and development field, leadership development weaves together the best of what we know about how adults learn and how organizations work, and is arguably one of the most visible strategic contributions influencing groups, organizations, and society writ large. The course will explore the knowledge base and skills necessary to develop leadership in a variety of organizational settings.

An issue seminar addressing topics such as an unprepared work force, diversity, recession, and issues generated by the class.

The development of an original master's project (paper, production, or practicum) supervised and judged by an appropriate faculty committee.

Planning experimental, observation, survey and qualitative research designs for training setting needs such as needs assessments and evaluations.

The purpose of this colloquium is to critically explore current theory, research, and best practices in training and development.

Supervised off-campus, nongroup instruction, including field experiences, practicums, or internships. Written and oral critique of activity required.

Creative projects, including nonthesis research, that are supervised on an individual basis and which fall outside the scope of formal courses.

Formal courses given on a topical or special interest subject which may be offered infrequently; several different topics may be tuaght in one year or semester.