Commands & Prompts - Spring 1993 News Update
from Logical Operations
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How the Skills Evaluation Series Can Help You Get the Most Out of Your
Training Dollar

Determining competency and the need for training

In today's economy, many companies are "rightsizing," eliminating positions
and cross-training employees to perform tasks across different positions.
With the expectation that employees will be able to perform tasks
different than those they were hired to do, many employees are being
retrained to gain the necessary skills. Before retraining can occur,
however, the areas in which employees are competent and the areas in which
they need training must first be identified. The Skills Evaluation Series
can be an important tool for identifying this training path.

What is SES and how can it be used?

Logical Operations Skills Evaluation Series (SES) is a collection of hands
on tests that measure computer software skills. Each evaluation contains
20 multiple-choice questions covering basic skills and knowledge in a
particular software package. Individuals being evaluated use the actual
software and files provided to answer the questions.

The Skills Evaluation Series can be used in two ways to screen students
scheduled for training. For introductory classes, students can be screened
out of a training class if they attain a specific score on the evaluation.
For advanced classes, students can be evaluated to establish that they
possess the basic skills on which the training will build. By using the
SES in these two ways, companies can save substantial amounts of training
dollars by ensuring that those students who get training really need it,
and that they have the necessary skills to benefit from it.

Measuring the results of training

Companies spend billions in training dollars every year; however, the
training's effectiveness is typically not evaluated. Reliable measures of
training effectiveness are critical to the justification of training
budgets. Evaluation can encompass a wide range of measurements.
Identifying the level of evaluation that meets your needs is the first
step in developing an evaluation process. In his book Evaluation of
Training, Kirkpatrick (1967) identified four levels of training
evaluation: reaction, learning, behavior, and results.

Reaction evaluations assess how well students liked various aspects of the
training. These are often referred to as "smile sheets" and may include
questions on the content of the class, the training materials used, the
instructor, and the training facility. Learning evaluations assess whether
or not the trainee has gained the skills or knowledge taught in the
training. Behavior evaluations assess whether the skills and knowledge
learned in training are being transferred to the tasks performed on the
job. Results-oriented evaluations assess the impact of the training on the
overall productivity, and ultimately the bottom line, of the organization.
This type of evaluation attempts to answer the question "Are there
cost-related results or behaviors that can be directly linked to the
training?"

The Skills Evaluation Series is a learning evaluation. Skills evaluations,
administered at the conclusion of the training day, can provide concrete
evidence that students possess the skills and knowledge taught during the
training. (In order to be sure that it was the training that caused a
change in knowledge or skills, you should administer a pre-training
instrument to get a benchmark score.) Students who have not yet mastered
specific skills can be targeted for remedial training. For organizations
that want to assess transfer of skills back to the job, evaluation at the
conclusion of training is important for ensuring that the employees
actually learned the skills involved.

The SES and your bottom line

As productivity and bottom-line results become critical to overall company
financial health, management is increasingly focusing on all expenditures.
These include money spent on training employees, whether to upgrade their
existing skills or to teach them a new set of skills. The need to justify
training dollars has become crucial to companies everywhere. As industry
steps up to this task of justification, the Skills Evaluation Series will
be a valuable tool for your training organization.

If you haven't evaluated SES before, or saw it in the past and want to
evaluate it again, please contact your Marketing Representative.
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Fast Facts:

American Express Accepted Here

Imagine yourself at an Antarctic outpost. Your training class is going
well, until the neighboring team of scientists makes a surprise visit
during the lunch break. More manuals are needed; no purchase orders are in
sight. Thankfully, you remember that Logical Operations now accepts
American Express, in addition to Visa and MasterCard. Your corporate or
individual card saves the day, and Logical Operations gains one more
satisfied customer.

We're open late

Our Customer Service and Shipping departments are now open from 8:00 am ET
to 7:00 pm ET, making it more convenient for our West Coast (and East
Coast working late-night) customers to contact us. Remember, call
toll-free 1-800-456-4677 in the United States, Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto
Rico. Outside these areas, call us at 716-482-7700.

New Policy on Returns

Customer Service accepts merchandise returns only under certain
circumstances. Therefore, before you attempt to return product, call
Customer Service to determine whether or not your product meets the
criteria for a merchandise return. When your return is approved, Customer
Service will issue you a return authorization number (RA #) and give you
instructions for making your return. A fee equal to 10% of the invoiced
amount is incurred for 1-50 books; for 51-100 books, the fee is 20% of the
invoiced amount. Please remember that we cannot accept a return if the
value of the return would exceed 4% of your book purchases for the past
quarter.

Marketing Representatives are no longer designated to approve returns.
Contact either Gayle Shalvoy or Laura Barrows in Customer Service for more
information.

Sign 'em up!

Attractive class-attendance certificates are now available from Logical
Operations. The 8 1/2 x 11 certificates are printed on a quality vintage
gloss paper with teal and black borders and feed easily through a laser
printer. There is space provided for training center name and location,
instructor name, student name, student company, and date. Certificates are
bundled in packages of 10 for $10. To place an order, call Customer
Service at 800-456-4677 or 716-482-7700, and specify part # 80-450-00.

What's your opinion?

Logical Operations is considering changing the title of the Understanding
Network Fundamentals course to Networking Orientation. Some students and
trainers have been intimidated by the original title. It's a great course;
it's ideal for a wide audience and a real bargain for a networking
course.

If you have an opinion about this potential change, we'd like to hear it!
Please call Tom Thomas at (716) 482-7700.
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Recycling reduces waste in the warehouse

A little over a year ago, Logical Operations ran its distribution operation
like many companies when it came to supplies management: boxes that our
vendors used to ship products to us went into the trash, and we used new
boxes to ship products to our customers.

Since we have applied quality control and cost-containment measures to the
process, and since we have begun adhering to new environmental
requirements, a number of things have changed. We now provide new boxes
with the Logical Operations logo to all of our primary vendors so they can
reuse the boxes in shipping items back to us; we specify that the packing
materials used by our vendors be recyclable so the materials can be reused
in outbound shipments; and we work closely with vendors to recycle all
materials possible between vendors and our warehouse. Further, we try to
purchase original shipping products made of partially or completely
recycled materials. The materials we can't recycle internally due to
quality concerns, we now recycle through city and county agencies.

Overall, we have reduced waste by nearly 85% for all warehouse distribution
materials.
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Innovative New Internetworking Course

Training Course Provides Foundation for Understanding the Internetworking
Puzzle 

With the rising needs, and associated challenges, of connectivity and
internetworking, Logical Operations has responded with a course that takes
you through the evolution of the network industry and beyond. Designed for
technicians, salespeople, information managers, and others who need to
increase their understanding of internetworking and related information,
this  NetWare course provides the foundation for understanding the
"principles of internetworking."

Principles of Internetworking is a three-day exposure to network
architectures, connectivity, interoperability, networking technologies,
OSI standards, de facto standards, and network operating systems. During
the course, you will learn how information is passed through your network.
You will also learn about devices that provide connectivity, and you will
"brainstorm" strategies for achieving interoperability.

Because this course was developed by using the Logical Operations
'minds-on' model, no computer equipment is necessary. Students participate
in group discussions, role playing, and other "brainstorming" activities.

Purchasing and Pricing Information 

An initial purchase of the Principles of Internetworking course is a
Starter Package, which includes: one Trainer's Guide, overhead
transparency masters, one Student Manual, and Instructor Hotline support.
Priced at $300, quantity discounts are available. Additional Student
Manuals are $150 each. Call Customer Service at (716) 482-7700 or
800-456-4677 for evaluation and ordering information.
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Trainer's Soapbox 
Tips and Tricks for teaching a large group

At Logical Operations, our computer classes vary in size from one-on-one
sessions to large seminars. Our training department has compiled the
following list of tips and tricks you can use when you work with larger
groups. We hope some of these ideas will be useful to you.

* Move around the classroom as much as possible, checking in with students,
watching their screens, and dealing with any problems they may have. At
times, try teaching from the back of the room.

* Ask students to let you know how they're doing. Encourage them to speak
up if they're confused.

* "Chunk" your teaching: present concepts or explain a procedure and then
let people work at their own pace for a while. Use these built-in pauses
to assist students who need help and to let students interact with each
other. 

* Get students participating in the class-- keeping them involved helps
them to stay with you. 

* Learn and use the names of "key" students--the ones who make a lot of eye
contact or who ask a lot of questions. 

* Talk individually to students before class or during breaks to establish
rapport. 

* Assess the group's knowledge and ability at the beginning of the day. Ask
general questions that can be answered with a show of hands. For example,
"Who's used a computer before?" or "Who has experience with this
software?"

* If you can, move the experienced users and faster learners to the back of
the room and the newer users to the front. You'll be in closer touch with
the new users and the faster learners will have more freedom to work ahead
and explore.

* Encourage students to save their questions for the end of sections, and
to direct their questions to you, not each other.

* Periodically, tell students what page you're on in the manual to provide
checkpoints for the group.

* Come prepared with extra practice activities and problems. You can use
them to keep the advanced students busy if they get ahead of the group.

* Come prepared with ways to either expand or compress the training day.
Find out which topics are most important to the class and which you can
downplay.

Training a large group can be a great experience for both you and your
students!
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Foundation, Master, and Transition Series: how to spot them

Let's take a look at the new product categories for Logical Operations
training materials.

Foundation Series
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Foundation Series products are designed for trainers teaching introductory
courses. The depth of instructor and student support enables even
first-time trainers to give beginning users a working knowledge of the
software. Our Starter Packages provide detailed Student Manuals along with
in-depth instructors' materials. Each course includes:

* One complete Instructor's Kit with Instructor's Manual, Student Manual,
and overheads

* 10 Student Manuals with practice units and data disks 
* Toll-free Instructor Hotline support
* Instructor's Kit upgrades for $75

As one trainer put it, "these materials helped me to provide comprehensive
and professional training from my very first day in the classroom."

Master Series
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Master Series products are written for trainers teaching intermediate,
advanced, and specialty courses. Our Starter Packages provide
comprehensive Student Manuals along with streamlined instructors'
materials, thus offering a cost- and timesaving alternative for advanced
trainers. Each course includes:

* One Trainer's Guide
* One Student Manual with data disk
* Toll-free Instructor Hotline Support
* Overhead-transparency masters, in certain cases

To quote an experienced trainer, the Master Series products "get right to
the point (they're) just what I want."

Transition Series
-----------------
Transition Series products are written with a different focus: they are
designed to bring experienced users up to speed on software upgrades.
These users are eager to learn the new capabilities of the software and to
use those capabilities back on the job. Our Starter Packages contain an
abbreviated Student Manual that focuses on new features, and streamlined
instructors' materials. Each course includes:

* One Trainer's Guide
* One "new features" Student Manual with data disk
* Toll-free Instructor Hotline Support

We work closely with the leading software manufacturers. When your software
is upgraded, you'll be equipped to provide training on that software
within weeks of its release.

For more information, call Customer Service at 800-456-4677 or
716-482-7700.

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