IT Education

Lessons to be Learned

This morning I overheard GMA making reference to the case of Julie Amero which was the subject of my blog in December titled “Unsavory Justice - Julie Amero vs Connecticut“.  The ABC News story “Wrong Computer Click Ruined My Life” doesn’t present any new facts in the case, but does present the case before perhaps a much different audience than it might have received previously.  The aforementioned links provide the background which I will not expand upon.

However, what I do want to suggest is that there are lessons to be learned from this:

• The need for training (…over and over again I see training as the number one need!)  Those of us who are computer literate make many false assumptions regarding users — we need to rid ourselves of those assumptions.  I’ve always told users that I was training that “You’re trainable”, but that doesn’t mean they’re trained!  The training MUST be on-going.
• The IT department perhaps was not well enough trained either – OR – the proper precautions that would have prevented the site accesses would have been in place.  (NOTE that this does make the assumption that IF they knew what to do they would have done it - which assumption could be erroneous since there is a cost associated with doing the “right” thing!).
• Leaving a system unattended can lead to mischief or mishaps - whether it’s a school classroom or a business environment, whether it’s a “dumb” use, or an intentional misuse.  If you leave a computer that you’re responsible for, log off!

I’m sure that there are other lessons to gain from this as well, and certainly a variety of actions that can be taken.  I just couldn’t let this sit today, even though I’ve blogged on it before!  The case is unsettling to me!

Software Training

I recently read an interesting article entitled “Testing training: Disturbing Behaviors of Students“.  It’s author started the article with the phrase “Drive-by Training” - I’d never heard the term before but I love the term, as it made me think of much of the training I’ve experienced during various software introductions and implementations.

While the article specifically refers to testing training, the idea of “Drive-by” training is equally relevant to software application training as well.  In his article the author describes 5 “Disturbing Behaviors” — but the one I particularly like is his #2 behavior:  “Attending Class with a closed mind!”  I have seen this behavior almost as a consistent way of being for most students attending training courses — and I just can’t relate to the attitude.

However, busy schedules, over-worked personnel and negative perceptions of the value of training are pervasive with workers today (…and has been for quite a while I must admit!).  I will never forget August 1, 1999.  That was the day I was involved with what became the most night-marish software implementation that I had ever experienced!  When I look back at the “training” prior to implementation I shutter at the mistakes that were made.

“Drive-by” training is an apt description.  There was no depth to it at all — and turned out to be about as effective as ordering from your car through one of those infamously poor quality systems — and ultimately receiving the wrong thing!

IT and the Business Student

I had an experience this week!  It was one of those unplanned “moments” where it seems that the universe aligns and presents an opportunity for the taking.  This is the story of an experience involving a grand-daughter (student) and a “grampy” (IT blogger).  You might guess the personalities involved here

A chance set of circumstances aligned such that the “grampy” in our story had an opportunity to transport subject grand-daughter back to her college with what was expected to be a 3-5 hour drive depending on the traffic involved.  The travel day was beautiful, the traffic light, and the trip started off with little conversation (…it was still quite early in the morning!). 

As the trip progressed subject grand-daughter began to think about what she was going back to at school — including her IT course which she began to fret about — saying that it was a required course for business students at her school and that she just wasn’t understanding any of it.  She expressed concern that the book seemed so technical - and that she couldn’t seem to understand all the various acronyms - what they meant - and what they did.  All just seemed to be one big mystery to her!  She expressed concern about not being able to “see” or “visualize” such things as a LAN or a WAN — never mind the possible array of components that might exist within them!

Her frustration came through loud and clear!  Enter the “Grampy IT Guy!”  Now it just so happens that at the very moment that she was communicating her concerns they were less than an hour away from the IT department subject “Grampy” recently retired from.  A quick call to said company IT Manager (MIS as they refer to it), and reassuring said IT Manager that there was no intention of pointing said student toward the IT ratrace as a career — a stop at the old company for an IT department “visualization” and Grampy’s IT 101a course was scheduled.

The extent of the value of said stop remains to be seen, and can probably never be quantified – but what subject Grampy realized from the event was in fact valuable — first, that as an IT guy there are a lot of assumptions made regarding understanding, secondly, presenting IT to the business student provides a valuable foundation for the inevitable future contact with IT in business, and third that moving beyond the “book” learning adds significant value to the education.