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Training |
Broadening
Participation in Biological Monitoring: |
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Training topics—Some monitoring project coordinators might find it most manageable to start with a small project that capitalizes on skills participants already have. In other cases, official training is an effective means of quickly providing or enhancing needed skills. Not only do participants find such learning to be a rewarding experience, but training enables them to plan and implement the project more effectively and safely. High priority training topics include:
As needed, collaborators might wish to consider formal training in the following topics:
Tailoring training to needs, opportunities, and resources—The expense and time needed for training will depend on the goals and objectives of the project in relation to the existing skills and knowledge of the participants. Careful assessments of needed training helps project planners allocate limited resources where they will produce the greatest benefit. Innovative approaches to training can also save time and money. For instance, certain participants might already have the skills to train others on particular topics. Outside experts might be convinced to volunteer their time. Training resources could be freely available in books or on web sites, and by using these materials the participants could train themselves as a group process. Larger participating organizations might already have such training experts on their staff. Many companies and nonprofit organizations offer various training programs, often for a fee. Developing a training program—Developing, documenting, and implementing an official training program is a good way to convince outside reviewers that the project is being taken seriously by the participants. Benefits include enhancing enthusiasm for the project, increasing financial support, avoiding liabilities, and improving the credibility of the data and results. The training needs of volunteers and participants might be somewhat greater than that of employees, because participants are often selected on the basis of their willingness to help rather than on their knowledge, skills, and abilities. Learning works best when the subject matter of a training program is clearly organized and the information is either frequently used, or the training is periodically repeated. When skills learned in training programs are first applied, immediate feedback is very useful for reinforcing correctly learned behavior and for catching errors before they become habits. Hence, training programs are better viewed as on-going processes rather than discrete events. Part of this process is evaluating the efficacy of the training and incorporating needed revisions. Often training occurs in groups, but when a new individual joins the project, repeating the training for the entire group might not be feasible or cost-effective. Orientation programs or mentors can help new participants more quickly become familiar with the project and needed skills. Because training takes time and can soon be forgotten, it is best scheduled when participants are not busy with other tasks and shortly before the learned skills will be put to use. Lastly, formal recognition, documentation, or certification of training accomplishments or acquired skills is rewarding to the participants and useful for demonstrating their new competencies to others. For instance, requiring first aid certification can be important for mitigating liability for accidents, and formal testing and documentation of sampling or quality control skills can enhance the credibility of collected data. Certifying progressive levels of skills can reward participants incrementally as they continue to train and such documentation provides a logical means for matching individuals with increasingly difficult tasks. Checklist—¨ How will the knowledge and skills that participants bring to the project be evaluated and documented? ¨ What training should be provided to all participants? ¨ How will individual training needs be determined? ¨ What training resources are available? ¨ What innovative means exist to meet expensive training needs? ¨ How will the importance, urgency, and resources available for each training topic be weighed to prioritize training? ¨ Who will be responsible for each topic of training? ¨ How and when will training be reiterated, evaluated, and revised? ¨ Under what circumstances would orientation programs and mentors be useful for bringing new participants up to speed with needed skills? ¨ What are the ways to test, document, and certify training accomplishments? ¨ How will all training programs (who, what, where, when, and how) be documented? References—Coughlin and others 1999; Ecological Monitoring and Assessment Network Coordinating Office and the Canadian Nature Federation 2003; Herron and others 2004a, 2004b; Hunt and others 1996; Lengeler n.d.; McNamara n.d.; North-South Environmental, Inc. 2004; Sirmon and others 2002a, 2002b. ©2005 Institute for Culture and Ecology
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