Given the right setting, GMP training can be fun and interesting.
Most companies struggle with how to make GMP training more fun and exciting. As the Quality Assurance director of a company that provides contract plasmid manufacturing, it seems almost impossible for me to find time to be creative.
This year for the “dreaded” GMP training we played a game – yes, a game – called Wheel of Compliance. This training was a “spin-off” of Wheel of Fortune. We had a wheel and everything! A very colorful one I might add.
The employees were split up into 3 teams, and, one by one, a player from each team spun the tri-colored wheel. The color the ticker landed on determined the difficulty of the question. To encourage learning and participation, points were only awarded for CORRECT answers and prizes were given to the winning team.
Trust me, games bring out competitive spirit and, therefore, are very effective learning tools. Everyone listens to ALL the questions to test their own knowledge. It is an interactive, fun way to learn!
As an annual tradition, we invent a new game for GMP Training Day. In 2008, we played GMP Baseball. It was Team Plasmids vs. the DNA Vaccines. Participants actually ran the bases for correct answers. Questions corresponded to the types of hits and were based on difficulty level (i.e. the question related to a single is easier than the question for a homerun). In 2009, we played Jeopardy. Both regular and double Jeopardy rounds were included as well as a Final Jeopardy question!
So, get out there and create innovative training sessions!
The usual groans and yawns that accompany the formidable training day will soon be transformed into laughs and competitive spirit.
If you have any great ideas, please share them in the comment section below!
– Dorothy P.
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