A process for selecting training methods

The problem with decision-making Enter the tool Defining the problem What are the options? Criteria for assessing alternatives Ways of comparing methods Making assumptions Totalling up costs Weighing up the options The Training Methods Selector Tool

Making assumptions

Labour costs: the average cost per hour of internal and external labour.

Design and development times: the time in hours required to design one hour of training and to develop each hour of CBT, audio and video.

Cost of new equipment: the cost of intranet-ready PCs, multimedia PCs, VCRs with monitors and audio cassette or CD players.

Class and group sizes: the size of a typical small training group and the size of a typical class.

Cost of classroom facilities: cost per hour, both internal and external of a basic classroom, a classroom with a/v equipment and a classroom equipped with actual equipment.

Travel and accommodation: the average cost of travel and accommodation and the average time taken to travel to a training event.

The final set of assumptions is a little more contentious. There is a fair amount of evidence to show that individualised instruction is likely to be more efficient than classroom training in terms of the time needed to complete the training. This is because self-pacing,  the structuring of the material into modules and the intensity of interaction means that all of the learning time is productive. The model assumes the following efficiencies over classroom training, although these can be over-ridden:

• 50% for self-instructional methods
• 40% for one-to-one instruction
• 25% for small groups (CBT or on-the-job instruction)

Next: Totalling up costs MORE FEATURES | SINGLE PAGE VERSION | TRAINING METHODS TOOL