The Long and Winding Road wrote: > > Howard attempted to get a discussion going earlier this week > about practice > lab design assumptions, something that has so far drawn little > attention ( > as opposed to the CCIE versus college degree thread that just > won't die ) > I'd kinda like to see a discussion of book writing / training > material > writing design as well. I personally believe the Parkhurst > method, while > maybe not the be all and end all of study materials, packs a > lot more into > it's pages than most others I have read. I wish there were more > like the two > Parkhurst books.
Thanks for the book review. I can comment on book writing and course development. In fact I did before too. My number one axiom is that an untested lab will not work. The reason Parkhurst's books are so good is because he obviously tested everything he discusses. Just like with networks and software, the most important phases in book and course development are at the beginning and end of the project: design and testing. The worst books and courses are those that were thrown together without much analysis up front. The process can be quite complicated. Masters degrees and even PhDs are awarded in the instructional design field. But the process can be streamlined also, and I think that Howard would agree, that sometimes the instructional designer, education major types cause more problems than they solve. At one point Cisco's training department consisted mostly of these types. You wouldn't believe how many projects can stuck in the analysis phase and never got produced. The training department was infamous for starting and never finishing projects. However, that aside, I still stick to my original statement that the design and testing are the most important aspects. A streamlined design process consists of these steps: Learner analysis: who are they, what do they know already? Context analysis: where will the training take places, how does it fit into operational/business goals? Task analysis: This is the most important step. In this step, the course developer talks to experts and people who have already mastered the material and skills and figures out the tasks and subtasks that they do on the job. The developer determines the tasks and subtasks that the learner must master to move from current to desired levels of performance. Performance objectives: express what the learners will be able to do in verifiable terms as a result of the training Criterion tests: create test items that verity the leaner has learned Prototypes: design a prototype Expert verification: get it reviewed Learner verification: Very important step that verifies the course or book works for the learner; always required for courses, usually ignored for books unfortunately! ;-) Final production Back to Parkhurst: I belive his books work for you because he analyzed the tasks required to pass CCIE and that's exactly what he covers. He also did a good job analyzing the learners needs and knowledge level and those fit your needs and knowledge level well, it sounds like. And, he tested his examples. His books might not work so well if they were given to someone who doesn't fit his model of a learner or who isn't on the CCIE path. Also, as an aside, you like his book because it's not just a reiteration of Cisco documentation, I'm guessing. That could take me into an entire new tangent. I value creativity and uniqueness more than just about anything. Some books really are just a copy and paste of others work. I find that abhorrent. Some copying is OK. For example, Parkhust probably copied some info about what each argument for each command means. But he added his own analysis to it, and of more importance, he had a unique vision for his books as ones that show how the commands really affect your network. OK, that's all for now! _______________________________ Priscilla Oppenheimer www.troubleshootingnetworks.com www.priscilla.com > > Chuck > > -- > TANSTAAFL > "there ain't no such thing as a free lunch" > > Message Posted at: http://www.groupstudy.com/form/read.php?f=7&i=60120&t=60093 -------------------------------------------------- FAQ, list archives, and subscription info: http://www.groupstudy.com/list/cisco.html Report misconduct and Nondisclosure violations to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
