Training

Training - Essential in Today's Economy

Autodesk's CAD, GIS, and Utility software is expensive and complex.  And you won't realize the full value of your software investment without a skilled and well-trained staff.  Of course there is standard courseware, standard training courses, as well as product tutorials and help files, but none of these is tailored to your organization's specific needs and information.

K-TEK has been creating custom training solutions since it's inception in 2001.  In that time, we've expanded the range of our service offerings, and have invested in eLearning tools and skills to also offer advanced on-line training solutions.  

K-TEK Training Services

Our training services include Skill Level Assessments, Training Design, Development of Instructor Led and Computer Based Training, and of course training delivery.  For such custom development, K-TEK will use your organization’s standards-so you can be sure it aligns with existing materials, processes and procedures.

Skill Level Assessments

 Most organizations only use a fraction of their software solutions' functionality, making high quality training one of the best investments you can choose on behalf of your business. K-TEK can provide several services to help you get the most out of your Autodesk software investment:

• We can leverage standard online assessment tools such as Knowledge-Trax.
• We can build custom testing materials tailored to your specific environment that can quiz and score users on-line as to their ability to work with your software.
• We can create testing tools embedded within AutoCAD-based software such as Map 3D that will have users actually create a design or complete a task and evaluate their skill and speed and the final result.

Once the skill assessment is complete, our consultants can then recommend effective and flexible training options, including those listed below to bring your team to a consistent level of knowledge.

Training Design

A successful custom training requires the right content, the right approach, an understanding of the student, and clear learning objectives.  In industry terms, this is a "learning brief".  K-TEK is experienced in creating professional and complete learning briefs to address a wide variety of both technical and marketing training requirements.  Frequently we start projects by holding a workshop with stakeholders, and the results of this workshop plus interviews with key stakeholders and a review of existing materials provides the information we require to create the overall training design, including costing estimates and options.   While a training design project generally only takes a few days, it is invaluable to ensure the ultimate success of your training program.

Instructor-Led Training (ILT) Development

A successful instructor led training may include:

• A clear training design or learning brief.
• Training slides to lead students through the various lessons or chapters.
• Technical exercises that include detailed instructions, data sets, and instructor guidelines for operating software.
• Classroom exercises that have the students work in teams to investigate marketing or management topics.
• An instructor's guide that provides a room setup requirements, a sample agenda, delivery guidelines, and other materials to help the instructor deliver a successful training session.
• A student guide that provides a place for the student to take notes and follow along during the session.

K-TEK has been developing instructor led trainings for nearly a decade, and has experience with creating all of the above materials and more.  What's more, K-TEK can leverage your existing training materials or existing courseware, and extend the materials as appropriate to create the best training for your students.

Web Based Training (WBT) and eLearnings

In the past three years, K-TEK has made a significant investment in the technology and skills required to create modern Web-Based Trainings.  Also known as Computer Based Training (CBT) or eLearning,  these trainings can be delivered over a local wide-area network or over the internet to provide an interactive student experience without requiring an instructor.  Students can take the course when they have free time, which eliminates the need and expense of getting every student in the same room for a training session. K-TEK's eLearnings are also compatible with most modern Learning Management Systems (LMS), used by many organizations for centralized course management.

K-TEK's WBT courses have introduced a number of innovations to Autodesk user audiences:

• Conceptual graphics and animations: If a picture is worth a 1000 words, then a well designed diagram or conceptual drawing with animation synchronized with the voice-over explanation is almost priceless.   K-TEK is known for creating pictures to illustrate key concepts, and all K-TEK eLearnings make extensive use of animation to keep things interesting and fresh during the course delivery.
• Interactive slides: Most K-TEK eLearnings include slides that require a higher level of user interaction.  An example might be a glossary of terms, which presents a list of the terms and requires that the student click on each term.  To further improve the experience, K-TEK often includes pictures and diagrams in these interactive slides.
• Software simulation: A new K-TEK capability is the inclusion of software simulation.  When it's not practical to provide the software to students (for example, over the web), these simulations provide students with a sense of what it's like to use the software, and a chance to get use to the look, feel, and the location of key functions and commands.
• Quizzes and learning checks: Many organizations want to be sure that students have retained key information.  Most K-TEK eLearning courses therefore include a quiz or learning check at the end of every lesson or module.  These can be review tests that are not scored, or formal tests that will not let the student proceed until they pass.

Web-based training is ideal for many organizations, because it allows users to learn at their own pace. It can also serve as a quick refresher for specific topics which are new to a user or have not been used for an extended period.

Training Delivery

Last but not least, K-TEK can deliver both custom and standard trainings.  And if necessary, K-TEK can provide a classroom environment in most major cities throughout North America for delivery of instructor-led technical trainings.  In addition, our instructors can deliver these trainings via Internet in what is termed a Virtual Classroom Training.  This includes not only technical end-user courseware material, but material to train sales teams, Autodesk resellers, and "train the trainer" courses.