Chapter 4: Case Studies Related to Training of Arbiters in Election Complaints The new thematic course progression was well received by the target population, and resulted in increased demand for courses by the courts and electoral institutions of the federal entities of Mexico. Training materials Improvements have been made in designing training materials as well. Before 2009, trainers faced few limitations since they decided for themselves how to present courses, both in terms of what aspects of a subject were taught and how much emphasis each aspect received. Materials were developed based on the trainer’s knowledge of the subject, their particular training style and the material resources at their disposal. The result was a significant variation in the quality of support materials, both in form and content. The same course taught by different trainers could use completely different materials. In response to these issues, the CCJE created consistent training materials. For each of the 26 subjects, the CCJE has developed three products: a syllabus, a PowerPoint presentation and a training manual for the participant. The syllabus contains a description of every topic discussed in each course and emphasizes which of those will be given greater importance. In addition, the syllabus includes the objectives to be achieved by the end of the course and a brief justification of why the topic in question is important. For subjects that can be offered as either a course or a workshop, the syllabus also lists the stages of the case study that will be developed during each class. For PowerPoint presentations, a template was designed with a corporate image and minimum guidelines were established. In no more than 40 slides (anticipating that the classes will last an average of four hours), the presentations should illustrate the main ideas to be developed in each subject, thus affording the teacher the opportunity to explain and discuss topics with the participants of the course. Furthermore, the content should focus strictly on meeting the learning objectives outlined in the syllabus of the course. The CCJE also chose to encourage the use of charts, graphs, diagrams and bullets rather than long paragraphs and images, which tend to distract rather than enlighten the audience. 175