Technology’s Effect on Training – Part 2

Last time I talked about the expectations that new technologies have developed in us and then posed the question, “has conventional training (instructor-led and e-learning) kept pace? Specifically, can traditional methods satisfactorily deliver immense quantities of information quickly and from anywhere at any time?”
Conventional training can deliver an almost limitless amount of information. All the trainers have to do is keep developing (or buying) new programs. Of course, that’s difficult to do within normally reasonable constraints of time and budget. Nevertheless, some companies have put together large training program libraries.
Conventional training has mixed marks with being able to access the information from any place at any time. Classroom training is scheduled well in advance, so the user cannot control when or where the training happens. There’s no way to fit every learners’ unique schedule. Things get better following the classroom experience. The learner can always go back to the Participant Guide to review the material. Unfortunately, we all know that doesn’t happen very often.
E-learning is different. Assuming that the proper course has been loaded onto the LMS, for example, it is available at any time given an Internet connection. There are, however, two ways that access is still restrained. First, it can be difficult to find the desired kernel of information that resides somewhere within the e-learning program. Second, some companies put restraints on usage, not allowing use of the training during work hours or limiting access to the company’s LMS to the worksite. For such reasons, accessibility can be diminished.
How about how fast information can be retrieved? That’s pretty important. No one has to apply for information from the Internet – we get it right away.
There are two ways to look at the speed of conventional training. The first is the time it takes to complete one course. Classroom courses are usually at least 4 hours – not very speedy. This can actually be good, providing rare time to contemplate, share experiences, ponder issues and develop new patterns of thinking about issues. But there’s no way to speed up classroom training if so desired – it is what it is. E-learning can be better. However, most e-learning courses are in fact a read-through of an instructor-led course design – objectives, agenda, method, introduction, benefits, the skills, quizzes, summary, and sometimes a post-test. They’re rarely designed for quick access to a specific piece of information. That’s because the e-learning option is usually selected not so much for speed but because it has better accessibility and once it’s developed, there are no expenses associated with classroom training.
Here’s another thought about speed. People generally need more than one skill to do their jobs effectively. So we can look at the speed of conventional training as the time it takes to deliver the complete body of skills that people need to effectively do their jobs. Here, conventional training is very slow. For example, how long would it take to train 50 different skills in the conventional way? Assuming a half-day per skill and one training session a week, it would take a year and reduce time on-the-job by 10%. Few companies would do that. So training sessions are reduced to a few courses a year. At a more reasonable 4 full days of training a year, the 50 half-day training sessions would take over 6 years!
Conventional training has a significant set of advantages, but by itself doesn’t meet the expectations that new technologies have created. Conventional training is not consistent with the ways we now prefer to work – with immediate and quick access to all information.
The answer seems to be simple. Don’t eliminate conventional training, but augment it with support tools that provide all needed information, from anywhere, and fast. These include reference materials, help desks, performance support systems, recognized mentor experts and other sources of immediate and quickly accessed information. This is the essence of “blended learning.”

Technology’s Effect on Training – Part 1

I was thinking the other day about the digital technologies that have impacted our work and personal lives – things like cell phones, personal digital assistants, e-mail, the Internet and others. These things have become indispensable. Imagine working today without a cell phone or an Internet connection. Imagine going to a bricks and sticks library every time you want some information. It’s more than being used to these advantages - in reality we’ve come to expect them. We’re not happy when they’re not available.
Then I asked, “Is it possible that these technologies have had a greater impact than just being conveniences?” Is it just that they make things “easier to do?” Or has more happened? My thoughts led me to this conclusion: Beyond creating conveniences, our technologies have instilled a strong set of expectations about how we interact with our work environment.

• Today, we expect that we can get all information we want, with almost no exception, on the Internet. Yes, it may take some patience, but we probably all agree it’s likely there somewhere.
  
• In addition, we expect to be able to access that information from anywhere, at any time. It does require an Internet connection, but today that’s possible pretty much anywhere.
  
• And finally, we expect to get the information we want really fast. No one would be happy if it took hours to download a file, or days to send an email. The faster the better – that’s why they keep making faster computer chips.
  

My thoughts then took me to corporate training methods, the area of my experience that I usually write about in this Blog. And the question arose: “Has the way we train people kept up with all of this?” Can we still meet the expectations of people whose lives include instant retrieval of almost anything from anywhere? My thoughts on that topic next time.