Self-Directed Learning

You can develop your own training materials with the aid of this detailed, but easy-to-use guide. You'll learn how to develop self-directed learning (SDL) packages that are applicable in any situation, from basic industrial and technical skills training to academic classroom training.

This practical guide shows you how to:


* Match training needs with organizational needs
* Determine tasks that must be learned to meet those needs
* Develop objectives and design materials that are in line with those needs


Plus, you'll get practical learning aids and simulations that illustrate how to make theory a reality. 1. Why Self-Directed Learning?
Part One: Developing Effective Programs
2. When to Use Self-Directed Learning (SDL)
3. Creating an SDL Package: How to Develop Trainee Objectives and Organize Your Material
4. Formatting Your Material: How to Choose the Right Medium for Your Message
5. Evaluating Trainees: How to Assess Cognitive Mastery and Performance Improvement
6. Debugging Your Package: How to Make Sure It Works
Part Two: Ensuring Successful Implementation
7. Preparing Your Organization for Self-Directed Learning
8. Distributed Implementation: The Challenge of the On-the-Job Training Site
9. Managing the Distributed Implementation: How to Facilitate Delivery, Control, and Evaluation
10. Implementation Through Learning Centers: Pros and Cons of Centralized Training Facilities
11. Building a Learning Center: What to Do to Make It Work
12. The Best It Can Be: Evaluating and Improving Your Self-Directed Learning System "If you are looking for a book with useful information about self-directed learning, this is it! The author's approach to the topic is Practical with a capital 'P'." --Dr. Angus Reynolds, professor of instructional technology, New York Institute of Technology

"Expanding our capacity to develop ourselves and to learn on the job is one of the keys to meeting the challenges of today's complex economic environment. Self-Directed Learning provides human resource development professionals with a practical tool to address this issue." --Katharine C. Weldon, director of educational methods, Ernst & Young GEORGE M. PISKURICH is a training and development specialist. His self-directed learning system won the 1992 American Society for Training and Development's award for best use of instructional technology. Provides a cost-effective and time-saving alternative to traditional instructional designs. Offers practical guidance on each step of the process, including analyzing trainees' needs and abilities, designing SDL materials, choosing the right implementation strategy, and constructing the most useful evaluation tools. Shows how to identify training needs that match organizational needs, determine the specific tasks that must be learned to meet those needs, and then develop objectives and SDL materials based on those tasks. Provides practical learning aids, including checklists at the And of each chapter, and includes simulations that illustrate step-by-step how theory becomes reality. Provides a cost-effective and time-saving alternative to traditional instructional designs. Offers practical guidance on each step of the process, including analyzing trainees' needs and abilities, designing SDL materials, choosing the right implementation strategy, and constructing the most useful evaluation tools. Shows how to identify training needs that match organizational needs, determine the specific tasks that must be learned to meet those needs, and then develop objectives and SDL materials based on those tasks. Provides practical learning aids, including checklists at the And of each chapter, and includes simulations that illustrate step-by-step how theory becomes reality.