Training and Development 317
director and health offi cer for Public Health Seattle and King County.
“ Everyone will need to change how we do business when a pandemic fl u
comes, so it ’ s important that everyone prepares now. ”
The video profi les community leaders who share their experience in
preparedness. The cast includes local leaders from Washington Mutual,
Food Lifeline, Puget Sound Energy, Harborview Medical Center, the
Chinese Information and Service Center, and the Seattle Fire Department.
King County executive Ron Sims and public health experts also offer their
knowledge and experience in disaster preparation. The video is available
online at http://www.metrokc.gov/health/pandemicfl u/video. A free DVD can
also be ordered, which includes helpful planning materials ( “ Washington
Counties Create, ” 2008).
Programmed Instruction and Computer - Based Training Programmed
and computer - based instruction are self - teaching methods designed to
enable trainees to learn at their own pace. Training materials are developed
about a specifi c content area, such as grant writing; learning objectives and
instructional goals are specifi ed; and information and training materials are
assembled for employees to read and use for practice. At their own pace,
employees read the materials or practice the competencies required by
the training objectives and then demonstrate what they have learned.
An example of programmed instruction is the Study Guide for a Budgeting
Guide on a CD - ROM that contains exercises and review questions to rein-
force understanding of the strategies and concepts in the book, A Budgeting
Guide (International City County Managers Association, 2007), which pro-
vides an overview of the basic principles of local government budgeting.
Computer - based training uses interactive exercises with computers
to impart job skills. Training materials are on the Web or compact disks.
Employees read information, instructions, and diagrams or other graphics
on the computer screen and then respond accordingly.
An example of computer - based training was developed by the Ohio
Secretary of State ’ s Offi ce in collaboration with local boards of elections,
Help America Vote Act (HAVA) partners, Pew Charitable Trusts, and the
JHET Foundation to developed a poll - worker training program available
to all boards of elections in the state. The online training program provides
basic information to all poll workers, including voter identifi cation require-
ments and instructions relating to provisional balloting, as well as informa-
tion on Ohio ’ s voting systems. The content for all eighty - eight counties is
the same, providing uniformity in training standards. However, each board
of elections can add tracking features to confi rm poll worker participation