101 Training
"101 training" is the term used at Infinity Works for courses devised and delivered by our consultants to provide training and knowledge-sharing for staff, clients and external professionals. "101" indicates an introductory "primer" level of learning for a topic or technology. Sessions are typically aimed at professional engineers wanting to learn more about a particular topic they're unfamiliar with. 101 training courses are typically comprised of several sessions delivered over two or three consecutive weeks. In some cases, more advanced material has been delivered in follow-on courses.
101 training has been used in a number of settings, including on individual Infinity Works accounts to familiarise team members with technologies specific to the account; within the wider Infinity Works community to help share knowledge between accounts; and for free-of-charge events open to the public.
The Infinity Works 101 sessions group is run through Meetup, and session materials are publicly available on Github.
Things to consider
There are a number of things to be considered when devising your 101 session or series:
Audience
Intended audience should be considered when preparing the course materials. A different level of prior knowledge can be assumed when delivering a session to experienced engineers, as opposed to people in the very early stages of their engineering careers. Any level of assumed prior knowledge should be advertised on any invitations to the session.
Practical exercises
Include practical exercises or workshops, as they improve engagement and provide more actionable learning. Provide material in a way which is easy to access and share - for example, in a public GitHub repository. Encourage pair-programming within any practical exercise undertaken during the session to help foster collaboration and shared learning.
Supplemental materials
Provide supplementary materials for attendees who wish to find out more outside the series. Recommended literature, blogs, articles or certifications are all good examples of supplementary materials.
Duration
Longer sessions (beyond several hours) are more logistically challenging to organise, for both internal and external events. A typical 101 session should last several hours, with sessions held over several weeks.
Materials
Identify where materials will be available during and after the series. Materials should be re-usable by other trainers - as such, they should be accessible and easy-to-find, and not overly-reliant on the context of any specific training session.
Recording
Record or stream the session for those who are physically unable to attend. If the session is recorded, share the recording with interested parties once it's available.
Outcome
When professional certification is the aim of the series, align the series content with the requirements of the certification.
Afterwards
If the session is open to external attendees, provide networking opportunities before or after the event.
Feedback
Always gather feedback after the session or series, including anything attendees would like to see in any future sessions.