Explain What Adult Learning Theories Did Linda Use In Her Course Design

1 What adult learning theories did Linda use in her course design?

Answer: This program would not only promote a ‘financial advisor’ image for the collectors, but also change the culture surrounding the debt collection process. Linda trusted that Jason Kelly would give her the required mandate, freedom and support necessary to ensure the success of the new training program, so she set out quickly to begin to make the necessary changes. Linda knew the trainees would have different learning styles, and that not everyone learned at the same pace, so she endeavored to design the course with that in mind. She arranged to have role plays filmed so that they could be viewed by the trainees, and paused at appropriate learning points for comments and
suggestions from the students as well as the trainer.
2 What are the positives aspects of Linda’s course design and intended delivery methods? What did Linda not consider in her course design and delivery methods?
Answer: Linda was given the assignment to design a new five-day, phone-based collection training program for new hires.
This program would not only promote a ‘financial advisor’ image for the collectors, but also change the culture surrounding the debt collection process. Linda trusted that Jason Kelly would give her the required mandate, freedom and support necessary to ensure the success of the new training program, so she set out quickly to begin to make the necessary changes. Linda knew the trainees would have different learning styles, and that not everyone learned at the same pace, so she endeavored to design the course with that in mind. She arranged to have role plays filmed so that they could be viewed by the trainees, and paused at appropriate learning points for comments and suggestions from the students as well as the trainer. She brought in some examples of past complaints involving debt collection, so that trainees could suggest why the incident happened and how it could have been avoided, and she sourced an appropriate fi lm about customer service to reinforce positive messages. To make the course fun, she implemented a competition so that teams of trainees could compete against one another in remembering the required
legislation.
She strove to create a training room environment where trainees were encouraged to ask questions and seek clarification of points they did not understand, and she ensured she would be available to talk with the trainees before and after each day’s session and at breaks

3. Why did Linda not have the cooperation of the floor managers? What can be done to help facilitate the cooperation of the managers in the transfer of learning to the collection floor?
Answer: The first course was delivered and ten new collectors were released into the workplace. It did not take long for one of the collectors, a new employee named Thomas Plovack, to get into trouble. A complaint was fi led regarding his aggressive and threatening behavior towards a debtor. As all debtor/collector phone calls were regularly taped, Linda decided to listen to the relevant tape with Thomas in the room. As the conversation on the tape played out, it was obvious that Thomas had crossed the line several times by blatantly threatening the debtor.
After the tape concluded, Thomas became angry and shouted, ‘You tell me one thing in the training program and when I get out there to collect, and they tell me something entirely different! What am I supposed to do?’ After some encouragement by Linda to explain, Thomas told Linda that his supervisor had come over on his first day on the job and told him that he must forget everything that he had been taught in the training, and that if he did not, he would never be a good collector. Thomas also told Linda that all of his course members had been told the same thing by their supervisors, and that Mr. Kelly had backed up the supervisors.