Do you need help with… 

• Developing or updating some training within your area or unit? 
• Deciding the best approach, such as video, multimedia, job aids, online learning modules, etc.?
• Determining the best delivery platform, such as a webpage, Canvas, Canvas Catalog, K@TE, or an internal application? 
• Getting started? 

OIT can develop customized training for your needs by partnering with you on the design and development process. Bring your expectations and content expertise, and we can do the rest! We can customize your training for audiences internal and external to the university. OIT offers this service at no additional cost to University of Tennessee, Knoxville departments. The costs of grant-funded instructional development projects are estimated based on an hourly rate of the staff involved for design and development.

Explore the examples of training OIT has developed below. Each sample includes a brief explanation of the issue and how the training we developed helped solve the problem.  

Training Examples

Be Ready: Emergency Preparedness Training

ISSUE: The Office of Emergency Preparedness wanted to provide general preparedness training to the UTK campus community as part of annual compliance. The content was to be built around the Be Ready framework and, to help strengthen its appeal and reach, the client wanted to make the training stand out from typical compliance training.

SOLUTION: OIT’s instructional designers worked closely with the client to create a unique learning experience. The three central Be Ready components became score meters that learners populate by navigating through brief, focused, relevant scenarios and choosing appropriate responses to decision points along the way. This gaming approach allows learners to earn points toward each Be Ready measure, with meaningful feedback guiding them to the appropriate responses. OIT’s developers made extensive use of artificial intelligence throughout the project, including UT Verse for content analysis, scenario writing, and character profile creation, and other AI tools for image generation and manipulation – all overseen and finalized by the client’s emergency preparedness expertise and OIT’s training development capabilities. The resulting product is a learning game with a custom multimedia interface designed to help broaden awareness of the Be Ready concept.

DELIVERY PLATFORM: The training is part of UTK’s annual compliance package and accessed via K@TE.

Online Performance Reviews (OPR)  

ISSUE: After HR and OIT collaborated on a new Online Performance Management (OPR) system, employees and supervisors needed to know how to use the system effectively for the performance review process. 
 
SOLUTION: OIT developed online training materials to support supervisors and employees adjust to the new online system and use it effectively. The original online training was an interactive walk through the performance review process in the OPR system, allowing learners to click and type their way through the training. The most recent release was a series of short demo videos of each major action that can be taken in OPR, serving as a suite of just-in-time training videos for users to view as needed. Both versions of the training were role-based, allowing employees and supervisors to view the content most relevant to them. 
 
DELIVERY PLATFORM: Facilities Services supervisors and employees accessed the training via K@TE; other UTK supervisors and employees accessed the training via the HR website.

NIST Secure Enclave 

ISSUE: The UTK Information Security Office had recorded a four-session, face-to-face workshop with embedded videos and PowerPoint presentations and needed to make this training available to staff who were unable to attend, as well as for future employees. 

SOLUTION: OIT instructional developers edited the four video recordings into short, 5–6-minute chunks and organized them into a training package complete with a quiz and table of contents. The training supported bookmarking, allowing learners to come and go as needed, and tracking ensured they were comfortable with the material by the end of the training. 

DELIVERY PLATFORM: UTK employees and supervisors accessed the training via UTK’s Canvas Catalog. 

CSA Training  

ISSUE: The Clery Office created a training video to ensure all faculty and staff understood their responsibilities as Campus Security Authorities (CSA). They needed to make the video available to those who need it and report on their completions, as required by the Clery Act. 
 
SOLUTION: OIT’s instructional developers packaged the video training into a player that allowed learners to bookmark their progress and enabled completion tracking for reporting purposes. 
 
DELIVERY PLATFORM: Relevant audiences completed the training via K@TE. 

Return to Campus 

ISSUE: After the coronavirus pandemic forced the University to move to fully online classes with no students on campus, it was clear that the return to campus would be challenging in many ways. How could the University get the word out to specific members of the campus community who needed different guidelines and health/safety precautions? 
 
SOLUTION: OIT partnered with several authorities across campus to develop online training modules relevant to various audiences, including unique versions for faculty, students, employees, and GTAs. The trainings incorporated photos of campus locations and their adaptations for ensuring health and safety within our community, along with students, faculty, and staff demonstrating key health and safety principles such as social distancing and mask-wearing in this new environment. Each version of the online training included key messaging from campus leadership and health authorities and an acknowledgment screen at the end that required each learner to indicate agreement to abide by campus health and safety protocols in this evolving situation. Those learners who acknowledged their agreement were recorded as complete. 
 
DELIVERY PLATFORM: The various campus audiences received announcements and completed the training in UTK’s Canvas. Public, non-tracked versions were also made available on various UTK websites for use in face-to-face and virtual training sessions. 

Finding Common Ground 

ISSUE: The College of Social Work sought to incorporate principles of empathy into its curriculum. As other departments became interested in helping individuals develop empathy, the audience expanded well beyond the field of social work and into areas such as Student Conduct, UT Athletics, and more. 
 
SOLUTION: The key subject matter experts partnered with OIT to develop an interactive online training program. The training includes short video lessons with animations, imagery, and music intended to speak to viewers’ emotions and elicit action to become more empathic. It also contains reflective exercises and social learning activities. Additionally, the training could easily be expanded to include face-to-face or synchronous virtual sessions to help participants hone their empathy skills. 
 
DELIVERY PLATFORM: The training is available in UTK’s Canvas as an open-enrollment course for those seeking personal improvement and as an assigned training for Student Conduct and other audiences.