Carter-Pertaine, Inc. Training

  Copyright © 2004
  Carter-Pertaine, Inc.
  Quintessential School Systems

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On-Site Training On-site installation, training and consulting is priced separately from the software. The district may choose to bring a trainer on site at any time for new software training, overview training for administrators, and training for new hires. The District is guaranteed a set training day rate through the support contract. Actual travel expenses are to be paid by the District and mileage is billed at the IRS approved rate.
Training Environment Some technical training is required to install the client software, but this is quite simple and requires very little training. Most of the training will be end-user application training for District staff members. Training is conducted on site at the District. Training sessions are conducted each day from approximately 9:00 am to 4:00 pm with 15 minute breaks every 90 minutes and usually an hour for lunch. *CPI* trainers have found that this schedule will allow a complete presentation of the system within the training days recommended in the contract. Naturally, when training days are shortened or outside distractions interfere with *CPI's efforts to provide a comprehensive presentation, the schedule will be adversely affected. Training sessions are instructor lead and hands on. Every training session has a training booklet. The training is organized by function within module, such as Educational Guidance System within ViStA. The software system is tightly integrated. Application interdependencies and relationships are explained during each training session. The District is provided a master copy of all documentation and training materials and is responsible for reproduction of training materials for each class attendee. Training is provided in coordination with the implementation schedule. Training is conducted far enough in advance to allow user testing and practice on the application and verification of data. District may elect to set up a test district or campus for training and data verification purposes. CPI* staff will consult with District staff to determine the District's best training/testing environment. Documentation is provided on CD-ROM in .pdf and/or .html format. The District is licensed to make as many copies as they choose for District use only. Updates may be downloaded by District staff from the company web site. CDs are issued at least annually.
Train-the-Trainer The District may elect to take a 'train-the-trainer' approach, but the District trainer must be completely familiar with the functions of the department being trained and will have attended a *CPI* lead class in this area. There is no "instructors manual" and "student manual". Most training materials are excerpts from the full documentation library. Within the ViStA system, a train-the-trainer approach works well with most modules. Some modules, such as the Educational Guidance System require participation of senior counselors for decision making purposes. It is expected that the District staff members are familiar with the job responsibilities of their position and have basic computer keyboard familiarity. Each training session will accommodate no more than 15 District staff members. The District may elect to use a phased implementation when more staff need to be trained. This is appropriate for modules such as remote VistaNet applications and the Educational Guidance System. Training is not just intended for the clerical staff who actually use the software on a day-to-day basis. *CPI* strongly recommends that management and supervisory staff also be present at the training sessions so they may acquire a complete understanding of the software's capabilities and functions. At a minimum, *CPI* requests that management and supervisory staff be present at all planning and overview sessions.
Ongoing Training Additional training days may be purchased by the District for training on new modules, or new features of existing modules, and new user training due to staff turnover. User group membership and participation is encouraged. This is a good forum for communication with other districts with similar needs. Sessions are conducted by *CPI* staff and by members of the user group. These sessions are good for overview of applications and to see how other districts have implemented applications or modules. District input is important to *CPI*. New features are discussed with the client base and this input affects software development. Previews of soon-to-be-released features are shown at the user conference.
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