Three practical resources to boost your training skills
By Giorgia Mori, BioCloud Training and Communication Officer, Australian BioCommons
As a researcher turned trainer, I know firsthand how challenging it can be to learn how to improve the way you teach. In my own journey towards becoming a professional trainer, I’ve taken many courses - some better than others! We thought it would be useful to compile a list of opportunities to help aspiring trainers to teach effectively and ensure that learners walk away feeling their time was well spent.
The Skills for Trainers Collection, curated and endorsed by Australian BioCommons, is full of resources to help you boost your training skills. As you explore the resources in this collection, you may wonder which one is best suited to your needs. Below, I share my insights on how three of these excellent resources can be particularly useful depending on your goals as a trainer. I hope these notes will help you navigate the options and make informed choices.
Flowchart comparing Train the Trainer courses: The Carpentries, Teaching Tech Together, and Future Learn. The chart is divided into three sections: Learning, Design, and Teaching. Each section lists characteristics shared by the courses or specific to one or more of them.
Lessons from The Carpentries: building confidence through live interaction
Format
Sign up via The Carpentries website and complete a short application process. The training consists of 16 hours of interactive online or in-person sessions (typically over two full days or spread across multiple shorter sessions). Participants must complete pre-workshop reading, actively engage in discussions and exercises, and submit a short practice teaching demonstration. Fees vary depending on whether you attend through a partnered institution, an open enrolment session, or apply for a scholarship.
Best for
Developing confidence in live-coding as a teaching method and creating an engaging, interactive learning experience for learners.
The Carpentries Instructor Training provides a strong foundation for teaching programming skills, with a focus on live coding as the primary method of delivery. This technique role-models instructors solving problems and writing code in real time, offering learners an authentic, transparent experience. It’s an approach that fosters engagement and builds confidence, as learners see mistakes and debugging as natural parts of the process.
One of the most valuable aspects of this training is its emphasis on creating inclusive learning environments. Techniques such as setting expectations, encouraging questions, and normalising mistakes are essential for ensuring that all learners feel comfortable and supported.
Additionally, the focus on practical teaching tools, such as formative assessments, concept maps, and learner personas, provides trainers with methods to tailor their instruction to different audiences. These techniques are particularly useful in engaging participants with varying levels of experience.
FutureLearn Train the Trainer: designing for outcomes and sustainability
Format
Enroll through the FutureLearn platform. The course is self-paced and available on demand, allowing participants to start and finish at any time. It typically runs for 3–4 weeks with a suggested commitment of 3–5 hours per week. The course is free and includes video lectures, readings, discussions, and reflective exercises. To obtain a certificate, participants must complete all course activities and pass a final quiz.
Best for
Focusing on designing effective training sessions, structuring learning experiences for maximum impact rather than just delivering content.
The FutureLearn Train the Trainer program offers a more design-oriented perspective, making it an excellent complement to other resources that focus on delivery. A standout feature of this course is its structured approach to training design, particularly the use of backward design. Starting with the learning outcomes and working backward to align activities and assessments ensures that sessions are focused and purposeful. This is especially valuable in the bioinformatics field, where time and resources are often limited.
Another highlight is the course’s exploration of teaching styles and barriers to learning. By encouraging trainers to reflect on their own approach and recognize challenges learners might face, the program fosters a deeper understanding of how to create effective and inclusive training environments.
Discussions around group dynamics and facilitation techniques are also particularly relevant for workshops, where managing interaction and engagement can significantly impact learning outcomes.
If you are not interested in full certification but still want to improve your skills, this training allows flexibility to skip sections and focus on key takeaways such as goal-setting, resource planning, and facilitation strategies.
Teaching Tech Together: a practical toolbox
Format
The book is freely available online as an open-access resource (in English and Spanish language) and can also be purchased in print. Readers can engage with the content at their own pace, exploring topics as needed. There is no formal completion process or certification. You can use the book as a reference, working through exercises and activities independently or incorporating them into your teaching practice. Sections can be skipped or revisited based on individual needs.
Best for
Investigating an accessible and flexible approach to improving training skills. Ideal if you prefer a practical, action-oriented learning style.
This is a compact yet rich resource that offers trainers practical guidance for teaching technical skills. What sets this book apart is its abundance of exercises and activities, making it an excellent starting point for anyone looking to build ad-hoc Train-the-Trainer programs or facilitate team-building sessions.
The exercises are designed to be immediately actionable, helping you introduce formative assessments, set clear learning objectives, and engage learners effectively. These activities are adaptable and can be tailored to suit different audiences.
While the book doesn’t delve into content design or evaluation in depth, its value lies in its practicality. It provides you with tools you can pick up and use without needing to commit to extensive pedagogical training.
Conclusion: choosing the right resource for your training journey
The resources I’ve explored each offer unique strengths. If you’re looking to improve confidence in live teaching, The Carpentries is a great starting point. If your focus is on structuring training for impact, FutureLearn’s design-oriented approach is invaluable. They also give you the opportunity to obtain a certification. Both courses, however, require practice and preparation to fully master their approaches. Meanwhile, Teaching Tech Together offers an abundance of practical exercises to reinforce these skills and engage trainers in hands-on learning. Both FutureLearn and Teaching Tech Together resources have a section about online teaching. With practical tips on maintaining attention and fostering interaction in virtual environments, these addresses challenges that many trainers face in today’s hybrid learning landscape.
The choice of resource depends on your goals.
You can also mix and match the best strategies from each. Think of it like crafting the ultimate training recipe; blend live coding confidence from The Carpentries, FutureLearn’s structured design, and Teaching Tech Together’s hands-on activities to create engaging, effective learning experiences. The best trainers are always learning, so why not take a little inspiration from all three?
We’d love to hear what resources have helped you build your training skills!
Share your favorite books, courses, or tools with us through email at training@biocommons.org.au
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