A participant guide is a tool for learners that reinforces key concepts from training. Typically used during and after training, a participant guide can take the form of a printed or digital guide that learners refer to.
There are many elements that could appear within a participant guide to supplement learning, including:
- Performance and learning objectives from the session
- Free space to document key ideas from training
- Guided questions that encourage reflection
- Fill-in-the-blank questions
While a participant guide can be useful across any training modality, it’s most commonly used for eLearning, Instructor-Led Training (ILT), and Virtual Instructor-Led Training (VILT).
Ready to learn more about participant guides? Let’s dive into what a participant guide is, when it’s most commonly used, and what’s typically included in it.
What Is A Participant Guide?
Put simply, a participant guide is a tool for learners that reinforces key concepts from training. A participant guide can take many forms, but typically comes in the form of a printout that learners refer to during and after their main training session.
More modern training programs will utilize digital participant guides, but organizations can also use printed participant guides. Digital participant guides are typically hosted on an organization’s learning management system (LMS), while printed participant guides are typically distributed during the training session.
Participant guides accomplish the following:
- Identify key takeaways from the training
- Contain just-in-time information that learners can refer to post-training
- Encourage group discussion and critical thinking amongst learners
When Is A Participant Guide Typically Used?
While a participant guide can be useful across any training modality, it’s most commonly used for eLearning, Instructor-Led Training (ILT), and Virtual Instructor-Led Training (VILT).
Regardless of the context in which participant guides are used, their use is ultimately up to the discretion of the learner. A learner may want to keep their answers to themselves for their own development, share their ideas in small groups, or refer to their guide as an in-the-moment learning tool.
What Is Typically Included In A Participant Guide?
There are many elements that could appear within a participant guide to supplement learning, including:
- Performance and learning objectives from the session
- Free space to document key ideas from training
- Guided questions that encourage reflection (e.g. “Identify 2 areas that you struggle with.” or “What are 3 takeaways you hope to get out of this course?”)
- Fill-in-the-blank questions
Example Of A Participant Guide
