Design
Have you ever envisioned your dream home? What about your dream training program? Michaels & Associates will work with you to explore design options and agree on the best look, feel, and function for your training. An initial prototype of your dream design allows you to see firsthand how the end users will interact with the training elements.
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Design Process and Deliverables
During the Design stage, Michaels & Associates creates the major structural elements of your training project based on our previous discussions with you. Although we always customize the design process to meet your needs, deliverables during this stage usually include:

• Design Document: First, we develop a detailed description of how your end product will look and act. The design document defines all major components and overall product architecture and includes the course outline and learning objectives.
• Prototype: Next, our media developers and programming experts design the custom courseware or documentation model. The prototype is a detailed model of the course. For e-learning projects, it contains the course interface and navigation system for accessing the course content. For other training projects, the prototype contains templates for facilitator and student guides, presentation elements, job aids, assessments, and evaluations.
• Interface Graphics: We always ensure that media elements incorporate your company's branding. We use your existing graphics when necessary to reduce costs, but we also design new elements that increase the effectiveness of the training interface. We know you'll like what you see because of our thorough discovery process, but we tailor the design until it's exactly what you (and your learners) need.

Development
After the framework for your dream training program is built, Michaels & Associates will work with you to make the dream come alive. During the Development stage, we create content and courseware deliverables in chunks. This process ensures that our development aligns with your vision, eliminating bottlenecks and rework that might add to development costs.
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Development Process and Deliverables
During the Development stage, Michaels & Associates incorporates the approved design elements and content into each deliverable. This stage consists of several phases, tailored to your needs, to ensure that we produce learning content within your vision of the desired results.

• Alpha Storyboard/Lesson: The alpha storyboard or lesson is a detailed layout of one module or segment of your training. It includes some content, media, and interactions. We don't dive too deep into development until we get your input and approval on the alpha product, so we ensure that we have clearly reflected your ideas.
• Alpha Release: The alpha release is an initial working version of the course. It incorporates the approved graphics and the course content for at least one lesson.
• Interim Storyboards/Lessons: Michaels & Associates continues to develop each storyboard or lesson for subsequent alpha releases, and each includes at least one complete unit of content.
• Subsequent Alpha Releases: As content is developed for the remaining lessons, Michaels & Associates delivers the alpha releases for those segments for your review. Delivering elements in these modules ensures that your reviewers don't get bogged down with a tall stack of content at one time.
• Beta Release: The beta release is the final test version of the course. It contains the functionality described in the design document, with all content included in each lesson.
• Audio Script: If your training includes audio, Michaels & Associates will provide the audio script for review before it is recorded.
• Final Beta Release: The final beta release is the completed course, including audio. It contains all content and all agreed-on changes from the beta release review.

Delivery
At Michaels & Associates, we pride ourselves in building customized solutions to meet your business needs. If those needs include training solutions to help your training and development team improve its skills, we'd be happy to help. We offer the following training programs that you can purchase and let us deliver, or we can customize stand-up courses and seminars to fit your needs.
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Programs for Purchase

• The Manager as a Trainer
  This course provides the tools, knowledge, and skills to enable managers to meet staff's training needs when those needs fall outside what's available from a formal training source.
  
  
• Creating Effective Training
  This course explains adult learning principles for new designers. Participants discover how the brain works to learn and retain information and how to use a structured process to create or modify materials that increase learner acceptance, effectiveness, and transference. They also discover how to perform an audience analysis, write effective training objectives, and link evaluation to those objectives.
  
  Designed for individuals acting as course developers, this workshop format enables participants to bring their works in progress and make immediate improvements and continued progress on their projects.
  
  
• Creating Training that "Sticks"
  In this 1.5-hour session, participants will learn how to apply adult learning principles and in their design for long-term retention and learning transfer.
  
  
• Accelerated Learning: The Extreme Training Makeover
  Accelerated Learning is a system for speeding up and enhancing both the training design process and the learning process. In this four-hour workshop, participants will experience firsthand how effective AL can be to their learners, trainers, and department's bottom line.

The Direct Performance Path
The Michaels & Associates has developed the Direct Performance Path as a unique approach to project development that enables success AND helps avoid costly rework later. To learn more Click here >>


Still don't see what you need? Let us know what you want, and we can customize a training program that fits your team. Contact us for more information, or jot us a quick note below.

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