CHAPTER 5

What Can You Expect of Technology?

Smartphones, smart cars, smart homes, virtual reality. Growing corporate networks, exciting technology, and the Internet have created expectations for “smart” learning everywhere. And the ability to integrate tools is nothing short of amazing. As we move to a world without computers, only smart networked objects, everything will be connected.

Organizations are pushing the boundaries of artificial intelligence. They are planning to use the wealth of data that will soon be available to them to do everything from innovate their services and products for a competitive advantage to reverse engineering customer dissatisfaction.

And in talent development? We will see more wearables that support learners, a stronger emphasis on gaining employee experience, and mainstreamed virtual reality. The downside is that experts predict a skilled labor shortage in the near future like we’ve never seen (Desmarais 2016).

But what about today. What do we know now?

Using Technology as a Learning Strategy

The 2016 ATD State of the Industry reported that technology-based learning expanded from 41 percent in 2014 to 42 percent in 2015. Technology-based learning as defined by ATD includes online instructor-led learning, self-paced online, mobile, and non-computer technology such as DVDs.

Currently the majority of technology is focused on e-learning. We use e-learning in both synchronous and asynchronous situations. We are still getting comfortable with the technology and how to best use it, while at the same time recognizing that the world of technology isn’t waiting for us to adapt; it’s moving forward.

If you design or conduct virtual training sessions, take a look at The Serious eLearning Manifesto developed by Michael Allen, Julie Dirksen, Clark Quinn, and Will Thalheimer (several of a group I call the e-Learning Elite). The group observed designers taking shortcuts and ignoring evidence-based design techniques like those I have presented in this book. They wanted to remind training designers to focus on quality and proven scientific techniques to create the most valuable learning experiences. The authors have created a statement of what they believe are the best principles for e-learning design and development. You can see the short version in the sidebar.

Is Online Training Effective?

Have you enrolled in a webinar lately? Did you check your email, eat lunch, answer co-workers’ questions, or finish writing that overdue report while the facilitator talked through her well-designed, informative slides? Yes? Well, me too. So you might ask, how can online learning be effective?

A report from MIT researchers states that online classes are at least as effective as traditional classroom courses—and they found that this is true regardless of how much preparation and knowledge students start with (Pritchard 2014). In fact, those students who were the least prepared as demonstrated by their pretest scores learned as well as everyone else. In another study in 2012 of more than 6.7 million students, 77 percent of academic leaders rated the learning outcomes for online education the same or superior to face-to-face learning experiences (Babson 2012).

Ruth Clark (2015) weighs in on the subject of effectiveness of online learning as well. She suggests that research shows that learning outcomes improve in asynchronous e-learning if you ensure that the important topics and examples are the default rather than an option to be selected. The “continue” selection should lead to the most important content. Another beneficial design feature is to provide advisement during the lesson based on responses. Clark reminds us that control over pacing should be available to all learners, allowing them to manage their rate of progress.

Finally Cindy Huggett (2013) reminds us that to be truly effective we need to continue using all the excellent learning tools and techniques we use in a physical classroom in our virtual classrooms, too.

There Are Benefits

Online training is available in most organizations and has been proven to be effective. So, what are the benefits to the organization and learners? Five of the most favorable are:

• Saves time. It is delivered in shorter chunks, with little or no travel time.

• Is convenient. It is easy to take a course at your desk. It can be delivered 24/7. You can study anywhere at any time.

• Is tailorable. It is possible to tailor asynchronous content to move beyond “one-size-fits all.” Support is readily available.

• Saves money. It decreases travel costs.

• Expands reach. It ensures that more learners can benefit from the training. It’s also easy to include a variety of facilitators.

Where We’re Heading

Today, more emphasis is placed on informal and social learning than ever before. You’ve probably felt this shift already, as your organization begins to move from today’s expectations into the demands of tomorrow. One example is The Persistent Classroom. Developed by David Powell, founding member of the Innovation Lab at the Center for Creative Leadership, The Persistent Classroom provides learners with anywhere, anytime learning. Table 5-1 provides additional examples.

Table 5-1: Moving Learning From Today to Tomorrow

From Today’s Expectations	To Tomorrow’s Demands
Learning departments push courses	Employees pull what they need to learn
Focus is on knowledge, skills, and attitudes	Increased use of experiential learning
Focused on e-learning, classes, individual development plans, and learning from experts	More dependence on informal, on-the-job, and social interaction
Emphasis is on closing performance gaps and gaining competencies as defined by supervisors	Emphasis is on learning to learn and finding ways to answer immediate requirements
Learning is contained and approved internally by the organization	Learning is done internally and far beyond into the community, perhaps outside the country

Apply Adult Learning Theory to Technology

What technology you use will not affect the fundamentals of good learning design. Do you conduct virtual training? Virtual requires the same tactics as the traditional classroom. In fact, the two delivery methods are more alike than different, according to Cindy Huggett. Let’s consider how we apply Malcolm Knowles’s learning principles in an e-learning event:

• Share the purpose. Learners will want to know why the content is important. Encourage questions during the first session. Keep it informal.

• Maintain self-concept. Find ways to build on learners’ existing knowledge or invite them to share during an open mic period. Invite submissions of short self-videos or written introductions to share with everyone. Encourage small group exercises between online sessions, and have an e-learning support system in place for questions. You can also post learners’ pictures on a slide at the beginning of the session (but be sure you have their permission).

• Acknowledge experience. Tap into expertise. Anticipate that your group will have a broad array of skills and skill levels. Use polls and quizzes to draw out their memories. If you send out a precourse survey, you can learn about their technical knowledge limitations to prevent discomfort in the first session.

• Make it relevant. Learners are looking for support for immediate concerns. Share how the content can be used immediately, and use chat so that others can chime in. Allowing time for reflection is also useful. Establish your own credibility and how you can help.

• Deliver solutions. Use an example of an instance you overcame a hardship or situation that required these skills. Make it easy for them to relate your solutions to their problems.

• Respect self-motivation. Adults are self-motivated and are more likely to participate and learn if they feel camaraderie. Consider using Google Hangouts or asking everyone to turn on their cameras during an early session.

Performance Support

The MASIE Center defines performance support as “any learning modality, resource, or asset that is accessible and applicable at the moment of need. It is embedded in the work process such that the learning is accessed in the context of the work flow and helps solve a very specific problem.”

When you think about performance support, computer-aided support and performance support tools probably come to mind first. But is that all that is available? No. In the sidebar, Patti Shank (2014) provides examples of performance support.

Performance support tools give employees what they need at the right time to make their jobs easier. You might use an interactive PDF, video, whiteboard animation, or something else. At what point might you use a performance support tool? Consider introducing one when your learners:

• are learning a skill or process step for the first time

• want to learn more about what’s happening or why

• want to apply or remember a step they’ve forgotten

• need to solve a problem or address an issue

• face changes in a process, the system, or in the organization.

Performance support is relevant, convenient, and user-friendly.

Getting Excited About Technology All Over Again

Social media is expanding your options for talent development. Are you taking advantage of all that’s available? You may want to revisit the design combinations table at the end of chapter 4. It may jog the creative side of your brain to think of how you could use Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, wikis, blogs, Instagram, and other formats in your training. Essentially you can create every part of a learning event using social media tools and technology.

 

 

Tweet Your Training

Social media and smart mobile devices such as phones, tablets, and watches have firmly established their place in our society. Consider how you can use these technology resources to make training more effective and fun. Right now, Twitter appears to be the most mainstream, and it is more likely to be approved by your IT team now than in the past.

Thanks to the addition of image attachments and its intrinsic value of limited size messages, Twitter is perfect for concise, relevant training nuggets delivered right to your learners’ devices. Here are 10 things you could Tweet that would enhance a face-to-face or virtual training program (Biech 2015; Bozarth 2010):

• short, snappy descriptions of the training programs for potential learners

• reminders of dates and times of the program

• a QR code of the webpage with more details on the program

• a message from your CEO about the importance of the training

• pictures of books you are reading that will enhance the content

• images evoking a training class that future participants won’t want to miss

• follow-up job aids using a shortened URL or QR code

• reminders of new behaviors or knowledge you want to make stick

• tips for supervisors to ensure new training behavior is observed

• a link to the program evaluation immediately after completion.

Should You Use QR Codes?

QR code is short for quick response codes. These handy little tools can be used in multiple ways. Initially an alternative to bar codes in the automotive industry, this matrix of dots or lines can now be used to reference a specific website. QR codes can be created and read by anyone with Internet access and a reader (a smartphone camera).

So, how can you use QR codes? They provide a simple solution to ensure training content is always available for your learners. Suppose you needed to make a forklift safety training video accessible to your team 24/7. You could simply create the QR code with the URL of the training video, print the code, and attach it to the forklift. Then your learners can scan and watch the video anytime they need it. If you wish to track who uses the QR codes and when, you can implement a data analysis system, such as Google Analytics.

Here’s another example. You could deliver training content to your sales staff’s smartphones while they are on the road. This allows you to provide up-to-the-minute resources and new data at any time of the day or night.

There are many options and many books that define some very creative activities. For now, I will leave you with 15 activity stems to consider the next time you are asked to facilitate a learning program. They are not completely defined (thus the name “stem”), but that’s half the fun. Check out the sidebar on the next page and use the artist in you to focus on how you can incorporate the concept.

What We Know for Sure

Science tells us that we can rely on several proven facts:

• Social media, e-learning, and technology that we haven’t even heard of yet can make learning more fun, less expensive, and more immediate than in the past.

• Conducting a virtual instructor-led training program has the same requirements as conducting an instructor-led class.

• The adults you are training are guided by the same principles as those that Malcolm Knowles studied.

• You are moving into a learning environment in which learners will be expected to know what they need to learn.

• Your job is changing!

The Art Part

Your success will depend upon how well you adapt to the situation and your learners’ needs. Tap into some of these ideas to help your learners grow, to develop yourself, and to add your personal creative touch.

Field trip. Take a field trip around the offices you support. What quick references have people created that might be hanging next to their computers? Is there something you can do to make these homemade job aids more useful to the designer? Can you distribute them to others?

Create a tool. Yes, computerized performance support would be nice, but that isn’t always possible. When it isn’t, create job aids or tools to help your learners remember key concepts, formulas, intranet sites, or other helpful lists, examples, or processes. You could create an e-version and email it to them so they can store it conveniently. And you can give a laminated copy to those learners who like to tape tools to their computer.

Knowles meets virtual learning. It’s one thing to say that a virtual learning event should demonstrate the same things as a traditional classroom setting. It’s harder to actually make it happen. You can start with these questions to build Malcolm Knowles’s adult learning principles into your next virtual learning event:

• How can I engage learners during the session?

• When can I encourage learner-to-learner collaboration?

• How can I make short bursts of information interesting in a three- to five-minute segment?

• How can I tap into the knowledge and expertise of the learners?

• How can I ensure 100 percent participation?

Art and Science Questions You Might Ask

These questions provide potential challenges for your personal growth and development:

• How can you help your organization use technology as a learning strategy?

• Regarding technology, where is your organization now and where does it want to be?

• What’s the best way to start your technology journey?

• What do you need to learn about technology and learning in the future?

• What support will learners of the future need to find their way through the content maze?

• What are the opportunities for mobile application in your organization?

• How well is social learning being adapted as a learning strategy?

• What is your ongoing e-learning strategy?

So What Can You Expect of Technology?

You can expect everything and nothing of technology. Everything because new tools, processes, and strategies are expanding daily. There are spectacular examples of how social networking is changing the way we conduct business and develop people. M-learning has just started to shine, and virtual reality is on the cusp of exploding. A limitless source of new tools and technologies is on the way.

You can expect nothing from technology unless you avail yourself of the options, learn about the tools, experiment with new activities, and engage in social networks yourself. As stated, there will be a limitless number of available tools and technologies, but you have to reach out and grab them.

Resources

ATD. 2015. State of the Industry. Alexandria, VA: ATD Press.

Blair, B.S. 2013. “Babson Research Study: More Than 6.7 Million Students Learning Online.” “Babson College, January 8. www.babson.edu/news-events/babson-news/Pages/130107-2012-survey-of-online-learning-results.aspx.

Biech, E. 2007. 90 World-Class Activities by 90 World-Class Trainers. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

———. 2011. The Book of Road-Tested Activities. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

———. 2014. ASTD Handbook: The Definitive Reference for Training and Development. 2nd ed. Alexandria, VA: ASTD Press.

———. 2015. Training and Development for Dummies. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

Bozarth, J. 2010. Social Media for Trainers: Techniques for Enhancing and Extending Learning. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

Clark, R. 2015. Evidence-Based Training Methods: A Guide for Training Professionals. 2nd ed. Alexandria, VA: ATD Press.

Colvin, K.F., et al. 2014. “Learning in an Introductory Physics MOOC: All Cohorts Learn Equally, Including an On-Campus Class.” The International Review of Research. www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/1902/3009.

Deloitte. 2016. Global Human Capital Trends 2016, The New Organization: Different by Design. Westlake, TX: Deloitte University Press.

Desmarais, C. 2016. “10 Tech Trends to Expect in 2016.” Inc., January 4. www.inc.com/christina-desmarais/10-tech-trends-to-expect-in-2016.html.

Dirksen, J. 2012. Design for How People Learn. Berkeley, CA: New Riders Publishing.

Huggett, C. 2010. Virtual Training Basics. Alexandria, VA: ASTD Press.

———. 2013. The Virtual Training Guidebook: How to Design, Deliver, and Implement Live Online Learning. Alexandria, VA: ASTD Press.

Powell, D. 2014. “The Persistent Classroom.” In ASTD Handbook: The Definitive Reference for Training and Development, edited by E. Biech, 873-887. Alexandria, VA: ASTD Press.

Quinn, C. 2011. Designing mLearning. San Francisco: Pfeiffer.

———. 2005. Engaging Learning: Designing eLearning Simulations and Games. San Francisco: Pfeiffer.

Shank, P. 2014. “Supporting Worker Performance in the Workplace.” In ASTD Handbook: The Definitive Reference for Training and Development, edited by E. Biech, 447-459. Alexandria, VA: ASTD Press.