1. Decide on a date, time and location. Email staff to notify them.
- WHAT: Staff training to understand the online features of The BIG Guide to Living and Working Overseas
- WHEN: Date and time (reserve 1 to 2 hours for this session)
- WHERE: Room with a large video screen and speakers, access to computer
- WHO IS THIS FOR?: This session is especially important for all student advisors in Career Centers and Study Abroad Offices, because they are interacting one-on-one with students who want to go abroad to study, travel, volunteer, intern or work.
- USER ACCOUNTS: Staff are encouraged to open a user account with The BIG Guide Online by going to www.workingoverseas.com/colgate [NOTE: This is just a sample URL. You will want to change “colgate” to your school’s domain name].
2. Print the Reader Tracking Sheet.
- The four-page Reader Tracking Sheet lists all the features of The BIG Guide and should be distributed to staff during the training session. There is a large amount of information and a broad range of tools available on the site, and the Reader Tracking Sheet will help staff to understand all the components of the guide, and help students pick and choose what is important to them. NOTE: The final page of the Reader Tracking Sheet (page 4) has a listing of video tutorial, which ca serve as a great outline for your training session.
3. Choose a seminar leader.
- This person should become familiar with the video tutorials (and, preferably, the guide as a whole) ahead of time, so that they can guide the group. (REMINDER: To see these videos, you must first sign into the site, and then choose “Help” in the main menu bar.)
4. Plan your session.
- This training session can be run in one hour (for a quick introduction), or for two hours (with staff discussion after each video).
- The training session should be in a seminar room with a large video screen including a PC with internet access and speakers.
- The seminar leader should may wish to use a pointer, laser pen, or online pen (available, for example, with GoToMeeting software) to help guide the group by pointing to various menu.
- It is highly recommended that the seminar leader run a test of the equipment prior to the session.
5. Deliver the training seminar
- The session begins with the distribution of the Reader Tracking Sheet.
- The seminar leader then shows each video individually followed by a group discussion, along with his or her thoughts and ideas from interacting with the guide. Note that if the seminar presenter is already familiar with the various seminar topics (online features), any one of the 15 videos can be skipped and replaced with a live online demonstration by the seminar leader.