Training students in the operation of Transmission Electron Microscopes (TEM) is one of the key responsibilities for staff in Electron Microscopy core facilities. It is desirable to train users to a high level of competence so that they can successfully carry out their research and use the instruments in a safe and efficient manner. Ideally the training should also be completed in as short a time as practicable so that facility staff can perform other tasks, users can proceed with their research and the instruments be made available to other users. There is however a degree of tension between these two aims and while there are a variety of different training approaches that can be employed, it is not immediately clear how beneficial they are. In order to address this, EM core facilities from a range of countries were surveyed about the TEM training that they provided to their users and 103 responses were received. Responses were analysed to determine which factors were most influential for training success, as measured by degree of improvement, training time and satisfaction of trainers and trainees.
Key factors that were found to significantly influence training outcomes included the ratio of students to staff members, the type of practical training used (i.e. individual vs small group) and whether theory was taught as part of the training process. Other factors, such as costs levied for training, were not found to significantly influence training outcomes.