SYSTEM TRAINING AS PART OF E-LEARNING
System training trains students to use an IT system by giving them a basic knowledge and experience with workflows, purpose of the system, basic navigation and tips & tricks in the system. Students must solve tasks on their own, but can rely on help in the system and navigation notes along the way.
In this blog post, we take a closer look at what systems training is.
A systems training course can:
- Give students hands-on training in specific workflows in a simulated version of an IT system.
- Allow learners to fail and create experiences with the IT system without consequences.
- Empower learners to become self-reliant in an IT system.
- Give learners a base to build on after the course.
- Serve as both training for new users and workflow refreshers for existing users.
What are workflows?
Our philosophy is that when users know the stages of the workflow, it’s easier to figure out how to do it in the system. An example of a workflow could be: “Transfer money via your online bank”.
The workflow consists of smaller procedural steps, such as:
- Select the account you want to transfer from and to
- Enter amount, write a comment
- Press “Submit” and approve the transaction.
Most people familiar with this workflow will be able to transfer money in several different types of online banking.
So it’s not so much the system itself that we want to teach students, but the workflow needed to perform a desired task.
By training students in specific workflows in a simulated version of the IT system, they gain both practical experience of how to complete a task and how the specific IT system works.
Self-reliant learners and navigation slips
In all e-learning, or learning in general, students learn best by performing actions on their own, with help, guidance and feedback along the way. This allows them to fail and create experiences in a safe environment, making it easier to remember the right path afterwards.
In systems training, it’s the same didactics. We let students try it themselves, but provide help along the way in the form of help buttons and navigation slides. A navigation leaflet is a document that shows the individual procedural steps in a workflow with explanations and small graphics from the IT system. Students can save and use the document afterwards to quickly solve a task.
Preparation and considerations
When designing and developing system training, we need to ask ourselves:
- In which situations learners should use the system.
- What learners need to learn to become self-reliant.
- And whether there are specific stories that can support each workflow.
In a nutshell
Use system training to empower your employees to become self-sufficient with an IT system – both when the system is new, changes have been made or certain workflows need to be maintained.
Maybe it’s not a system your employees need to be trained in, but a product?