Rich Task:

Training Cards – New Employee Training

Course:

Mathematics for Everyday Life, Grade 11, Workplace Preparation, MEL3E
(2 credit Cooperative Education)

Evaluation:

Part of 70%

Part of 30%

* Both

Context:

·          Research shows that there are many reasons for employers to provide training for their employees, including:

-         increased job satisfaction and morale among employees;

-         increased employee motivation;

-         increased efficiencies in processes, resulting in financial gain;

-         reduced employee turnover.

·          Improved customer service is another reason employers provide training for their employees. An informed employee is able to provide appropriate service to customers and has the skills to problem solve, when necessary. This type of customer service is good for a business.

·          You will use the knowledge and skills you acquired in your Mathematics for Everyday Life course and your Cooperative Education placement to describe work situations and to prepare resources that can be used to train new employees.

 

Related Course Expectations

 

 

Strand: Earning, Paying Taxes, and Purchasing

EPV.02 · describe various forms of taxation;

EP2.01 - solve problems involving the estimation and calculation of provincial and federal sales taxes;

EPV.03 · solve problems involving the purchasing of items;

EP3.01 - provide the correct change for an amount offered;

EP3.02 - select compatible amounts to offer for a given charge to reduce the number of coins received in the change;

EP3.04 - estimate and calculate discounts, sale prices, and after-tax costs;

EP3.05 - identify various incentives to make purchases, and explain their characteristics;

EP3.08 - identify, calculate, and compare the interest costs involved in making purchases under various plans, using technology.

 

Strand:  Saving, Investing, and Borrowing

SIV.01 · calculate simple and compound interest;

SI1.02 - describe the differences between simple interest and compound interest;

SI1.03 - calculate compound interest by using the simple-interest formula and a given spreadsheet template;

SIV.03 · solve problems involving different ways of borrowing;

SI3.01 - describe the features of various credit cards and debit cards;

SI3.05 - calculate the total amount of interest paid over the life of a personal loan, using a given spreadsheet template, and compare this amount with the original principal of the loan;

SI3.07 - explain the advantages and disadvantages of borrowing.

 

Evaluation Strategies and Scoring Tools

 

Evaluation Strategies

Scoring Tools

Expectations

Achievement Chart

70%

Part A: Scenario:  A “what if” – employee working cash

Rubric

EPV.02, EP2.01, EPV.03, EP3.01, EP3.02, EP3.04, SIV.03, SI3.01, SI3.05, SI3.07

K/U, T, C, A

Part B: Role Play:  Customer/employee

Rubric

EP3.04

K/U, T, C, A

Part C: Poster or Scrapbook: Store promotions

Marking Scheme

EP3.05

K/U, T, C, A

Part D: Assignment: Spreadsheet comparing simple and compound interest

Marking Scheme

EP3.08 SIV.01, SI1.02, SI1.03, SIV.03

K/U, T, C, A

30%

Part E: Performance Task: Making “training” cue cards

Oral report to the teacher

Rubric

EPV.02, EP2.01, EPV.03, EP3.01, EP3.02, EP3.04, EP3.08 SIV.01, SIV.03, SI3.01, SI3.07

K/U, T, C, A

 

Teacher Notes

·          Ensure that the student has a folder or a large envelope that they can use to store things in at the co-op placement.

·          The student needs access to a spreadsheet program and credit card interest rates to complete Task D.

 

Task: Training Cards – New Employee Training

 

Student Notes

Successful retailers offer their customers a pleasant shopping experience by ensuring that their employees are well trained and equipped to problem solve when presented with different situations.

 

Part A: A Scenario

·          Create a scenario that describes a situation that an employee might face while working on cash. The situation takes place when the machines are down, but there are still customers to serve (e.g., provides change to a customer, charge tax on an amount and estimate whether the tax amount is correct).

·          The scenario must outline the situation that would take place, and provide two possible solutions that an employee could choose.

·          Choose a format for presenting: written (paragraph form), poster, cartoon strip, or story.

·          Provide as much detail as possible when describing the scenario, and solutions and include example calculations, if applicable.

 

Part B: Role Play

·          Using your experiences at the customer service counter and in the layaway department, develop a role play that:

-         shows a situation where an employee must problem solve to deal with a complaint from a customer,

-         OR describes a question that a customer might ask, and how the employee can best answer that question.

·          Choose a customer complaint/question that could actually happen in the store and describe it in detail.

·          The role play can be done in the form of a written script, a skit, a story board, or a puppet show.

·          Do the “role play” as if you are actually the employee and a customer is asking you the question, or making the complaint, to you.

·          As part of the role play, explain the skill(s) the employee used to deal with the complaint, or answer the question. When might the employee use those skills again either at work or in daily experiences?

·          Provide examples of actions that the employee could take following the customer complaint/question as well as any follow-up that would occur with the customer or with management.

 

 

·          Provide an example of a situation the employee might face in the future (work or life) that uses that skill. Examples of skills could include problem solving, speaking and listening appropriately, use of technology, and writing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Part C: A Scrapbook or Poster

·          Make a scrapbook or poster showing the different types of flyers, ads or “specials” that the store uses for sales and to promote their store credit cards.

·          Write a sentence or two about each promotion explaining whether it is ongoing, if it is targeting one group of shoppers, if it is seasonal, etc.

 

 

 

Part D: Using a Spreadsheet

·          Explain the difference between simple interest and compound interest.

·          Using a spreadsheet, make a chart that compares the total cost of a $200 purchase if the purchase was made by different methods such as layaway, store credit card, a major credit card, credit card cash advance, or cash.

·          When you finish the spreadsheet, subtract the principal amount ($200) from the totals to see how much interest was charged with each option.

·          Compare the total cost with the principal amount ($200) if the purchase was not paid for in full for six months versus one year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

·          Ask your supervisor if you are having trouble coming up with more than one solution.

 

 

·          If you choose a written format for presenting your scenario, identify the “what if” situation, explain possible solutions in point form, and then write the solution in full sentences.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

·          Think of some complaints/questions that you or your supervisor have received.

·          Examples of questions:

-         How much down payment would I need to put an item on layaway?

-         How can I figure out how much the discount is on a particular item?

-         How does layaway work?

-         Which taxes are on this item?

-         How do I know what installments I have to pay for my item on layaway?

-         How much interest would I pay if I purchased on a store credit card?

-         What would be the advantage of borrowing to make a purchase?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

·          Examples of complaints:

-         I got charged too much tax for this item.

-         I didn’t get the total discount I was supposed to get.

-         I didn’t get the correct change.

-         I was charged too much interest on this purchase.

 

·          Think about how those complaints/questions have been dealt with at your store.

·          Provide as much detail as possible – including any calculations that you might have to go over.

 

 

·          Keep an envelope or file folder to hold materials that you have collected at the placement.

·          Write on a sticky note when the promotion came out, who it was targeting, etc. and then keep the sticky note on the back of the ad to aid you when putting your scrapbook/poster together.

 

 

 

·          Look in your math text for an explanation of simple and compound interest, and to review the simple interest formula.

·          Look up interest rates for major credit cards, store credit cards and cash advances on major credit cards. You can find these rates at the bank, on-line, and by looking at application forms for the credit cards (found at the bank).

·          Determine if there is any interest charged for layaway, so that can be included in the spreadsheet.

·           

Part E: Cue Cards

·          Use what you have learned to design eight different cue cards that new employees can keep beside the cash register to use when they forget how to do something. Each cue card should have a different “how to” on it.

·          Think back to when you started your placement. What did you have trouble remembering?  What would have helped you?  Design the cue cards so that they would have helped you when you started the placement.

·          Choose any eight of the following topics for your cue cards:

 

When working cash

-         which items get charged GST and/or PST and how to estimate if the tax charged is accurate.

-         how to estimate if the discount given by the cash machine is accurate (e.g., 25%).

-         how to suggest similar amounts for a given charge so that the customers receive fewer coins and bills.

-         tips for how to present the correct change for a given charge (e.g., the count-up strategy).

-         how to estimate if the customer received the promotional discount they were entitled to.

 

When working layaway or customer service:

-         how to estimate the initial deposit required for a layaway item.

-         how to estimate the instalment amounts for layaway items.

-         how to explain the benefits of layaway versus paying by credit card and being charged more interest.

-         how to explain the advantages and disadvantages of borrowing.

-         describe the features of the store credit card.

-         how to estimate the interest charged on a specific purchase when using a store credit card, or other credit card.

·          Explain to your teacher how to use the cue cards in different situations – as if your teacher were a new employee.

 

 

·          Throughout your placement, keep notes to use when designing your cue cards. If you are given any written information, keep it in your Cooperative Education folder.

·          Make the cue cards easy to understand by using point form and clear examples.

 

 

·          Practise using the cue cards before you leave your placement, or ask a new employee to use them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

·          When you are “training” your teacher, use actual examples from your placement. This makes it easier to explain how to use the cue cards, and easier for your teacher to understand