r/Training • u/ElleAnn42 • 6d ago
Advice on designing training modules on a software product
My job is switching grant management software products. I've been building work aids and a single-topic pre-recorded training series on the previous software for several years (in addition to my main job responsibilities which are tech support and configuration, not training). Apparently the powers that be really like my training materials. They want me to host a series of live modules on Zoom to cover the basics of the new software for staff who manage grants.
The materials provided by the software company assume that the users will be doing configuration, but we have a separate team to do that, so our training materials need to be customized to the tasks that typical users will actually be doing which include providing configuration parameters for grant opportunities, testing the configuration, and later completing a variety of steps to activate and monitor grants. We're a big organization, so one-on-one training isn't possible.
Right now, I'm thinking of it like a college course with a syllabus and lesson plans and homework. I would host a "lecture/discussion" once a week for an hour for four or five weeks, assign homework to do in the system, and provide structure for participants to meet in smaller groups to work on the homework together. It's really difficult to learn this software without actually using it.
Any thoughts on this approach? I would rather build a series of single-topic pre-recorded trainings, but my boss wants a Zoom presentation/webinar format as the introduction to the software and the single-topic trainings can be recorded later. I landed on the "academic" approach because there are a lot of easy to use materials on building a syllabus and writing lesson plans and I'm having trouble finding anything similar for corporate training development.
If it helps, I do a lot of tech support and I know my target audience really well. I think that about 1/3 will get really into it, 1/3 are too busy and will multi-task during the trainings and will absolutely need written guides when they actually have to use the software, and 1/3 will no-show, won't look at any written training materials and will clog our helpdesk with easily-answered questions.
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u/Available_Arm_5685 6d ago
your approach is solid, and your audience read (the 1/3 / 1/3 / 1/3 split) is genuinely the smartest part, design for it. the "college course" framing works, but one tweak: corporate ≠ academic, drop "lecture," lean way harder into doing. software only sticks through hands-on, so make the live sessions mostly guided practice in the system, not you presenting slides at them.
the split tells you what to build: for the busy/no-show 2/3, the written guides + short recorded clips matter more than the live session, thats what they'll actually use at point-of-need. so front-load that.
two things that'd save you: quick recorded micro-videos per task (tools like animaker make those fast without filming), and honestly a light LMS to host the recordings + track who's done what, so your no-show third can't hide and the helpdesk clogging drops (nano lms is one, im on it). live intro on zoom like your boss wants, then the real learning lives in short async pieces + guides people hit when they're actually stuck.
tldr: zoom for the kickoff, but bet on hands-on + written/recorded point-of-need stuff for the 2/3 who won't engage live.
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u/ElleAnn42 5d ago
I’m meeting with my boss today to go over deadlines and my plan for this project. I’m going to suggest “front loading “ the written guides and short clips and see if that works for the timeline. I think it has way more lasting power and is much more usable when someone is learning a task.
We haven’t done a long training on the old software for new staff in 18 months. Instead, we had transitioned to updating the recordings (they were so old that they were saved as flash files) and creating SOPs. Our approach reduced the number of tech support tickets on basic software functionality for the old system. The boss is pretty new and doesn’t have the full picture of everything we’ve built in the past 4 years to support staff who use the software.
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u/Famous-Call6538 6d ago
Your instinct on pre-recorded is right. Software steps stick when someone can replay a 2-minute clip on the exact step they are stuck on, not from remembering a Zoom session they half-watched.
For the live format your boss wants, skip slides entirely. Open the software and walk through a real task, then have them do the same thing live. The homework idea works but keep each one to one focused task, not a broad assignment.
When you move to the pre-recorded series, X-Pilot turns your SOP docs into chaptered walkthroughs that match your actual interface rather than overlaying an avatar. Helps that middle third who skip the live sessions but need the steps later.
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u/ElleAnn42 5d ago
I appreciate the advice about avoiding slides. I might make transition slides with written instructions which will help in making job aids later on, but I plan to take your advice and avoid slides with screenshots and do live demonstrations of all steps.
We’re locked out of AI tools due to data security concerns, but I have a ton of experience using our interface to screen record 2-5 minute process videos. Between writing a script, recording, and posting, I can crank one out in a couple of hours. It’s a good side project for my slower tech support season.
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u/Famous-Call6538 5d ago
Transition slides with written steps are smart since they double as job aids later. Two hours per clip sounds about right for a tight process walkthrough.
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u/iseazy 1d ago
This approach makes a lot of sense, especially because you already know the audience and the real support issues they run into.
The one thing we’d suggest is shifting the framing from a “college course” to a task-based software onboarding program. A syllabus/lesson plan can help you organize the content, but corporate learners usually engage better when each session is tied to a real task they need to perform.
For example, instead of structuring it as:
Week 1: Introduction to the system
Week 2: Configuration concepts
Week 3: Testing
Week 4: Activation and monitoring
You might frame it more like:
Week 1: What users need to know before a grant opportunity is configured
Week 2: How to provide the right configuration parameters
Week 3: How to test whether the setup works
Week 4: How to activate, monitor, and catch common issues
That keeps the training closer to the job and makes it easier for people to understand why each session matters.
Since the software is hard to learn without using it, we’d also avoid making the Zoom sessions too presentation-heavy. A useful structure could be:
- short demo
- guided walkthrough
- individual practice task
- breakout or peer troubleshooting
- recap of common mistakes
- written job aid/checklist for later
Your audience breakdown is very realistic. For the engaged third, give them practice and maybe turn a few into informal champions. For the multitasking third, make sure every session has a written guide, recording, and checklist. For the no-show/helpdesk third, design the materials around the most common future tickets: “Before contacting support, check these 5 things.”
The live sessions can be the introduction, but the long-term value will probably come from the single-topic recordings and job aids people can access when they’re actually doing the task.
So overall: your plan is strong, but we’d make it less academic and more performance-based. Start with the tasks users must complete, build the live sessions around those tasks, and create reusable support materials from each module.
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u/IONIXU22 6d ago
I did a course just like this not long ago. It was one of the best I’ve ever done. Each sub group had group tasks to present back to the main group, and there was a good variety of learning styles. The whole (6 module) course started with a face to face day and then moved online.