SOLAR TODAY
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2009
VOL. 23, No. 7
How to Build and Teach a Great Solar Training Program
;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;; ;e technical expert may not be a great teacher. An e;ective training course needs both.
By BARBARA L. MARTIN, PH.D.
Dr. Barbara L. Martin is an education consultant
specializing in course development and
instructional design, including testing and
program evaluation. She was the lead educator
in developing the North American Board of
Certi;ed Energy Practitioners’ PV installer
certi;cation program and test. She works
in the renewable energy ;eld on
workforce development.
Copyright © 2009 by the American Solar Energy Society Inc. All rights reserved.
To develop a good train- ing course, a subject ma;er expert (SME) is essential. ;e SME has the practical knowledge and skills to answer questions, provide good examples and trouble- shoot problems. The SME, however, is rarely trained as an educator. ;e expert may commu- nicate effectively with
other experts but may not understand how to
organize information for assimilation by nonexpert students. ;e professional educator,
on the other hand, can transform information
into an e;ective course.
Instructional Systems Design (ISD) is a
process used by professional educators to
develop courses, programs and lessons.
It uses the essential steps of analysis, design,
ISTOCKPHOTO.COM
