2013 Texas Ad Astra SummitMonday, July 22nd

How to Teach Users Effectively

Austin T. WaldenTexas Tech University

Texas Tech University

• Over 50,000 students. • Ad Astra 7.5.6.168• 8000 Staff Members• 4 Campuses –

– Main Campus– Health Science Center– Law School– El Paso

Why this session?

• We are usually IT professionals, not educators.• Can sometimes be both, but IT needs help explaining processes to

students, faculty, staff.

Who is Austin T. Walden

• 8-5 Staff @ TTU – Lead trainer on Banner and Ad Astra

• Adjunct Faculty with Political Science & Honors College – TTU and SPC

• Certified Flight Instructor – Federal Aviation Administration

Who We Teach

• TTU allows Astra access to– All Students

• Including Student Organizations

– All Faculty• Including Part-Time/Full-Time

– All Staff– Valid eRaider

Teaching, not Training

• Not Training because we aren’t wanting them to do repetitive tasks.

• Want them to think independently.

What is Learning?

• Learning is best explained as:• Change in behavior as a result of experience

Thorndike Laws of Learning

• Readiness• Exercise• Effect• Primacy• Intensity• Recency

Real Learning is

• Learning is Purposeful• Learning is a Result of Experience• Learning is Multifaceted• Learning is an Active Process

Domains of Learning

• Cognitive• Affective• Psychomotor

Barriers to Effective Learning

• Confusion over Symbol• Overuse of Abstractions• Interference• Lack of Common Experience

Different Methods

• In-Person Training• Online Training• User Guides• Over the phone & IM

– Lync Communicator

Tab Method

• Training By Tabs• Show similarity within the Tabs

– Filter, search options, etc

Call & Response

• Teaching only effective if duplicated.– Can they remember this when they go back to

office?– Anything else is useless

Types of Practice

• Deliberate Practice• Blocked Practice• Random Practice

Scenario Based Training

• What makes a good scenario? – Clear Objective– Tailored to the Student– Shows nuances of environment

– ATW tends to use Deans/Department Chair for examples.

Retention of Learning

• PRAISE stimulates remembering• RECALL by ASSOCIATION• Meaningful repetition aids Recall

• After the first 10–15 minutes, the rate of retention drops significantly until about the last 5–10 minutes when students wake up again. Students passively listening to a lecture have roughly a five percent retention rate over a 24-hour period, but students actively engaged in the learning process have a much higher retention. This clearly reiterates the point that active learning is superior to just listening.

Contact Austin!• Austin T. Walden, Trainer

– Phone number: 806-742-7070– Email address: austin.walden@ttu.edu