With the influx of social media, organizations are leveraging this new technology to train employees. Mobile learning, nano learning, Twitter, and wiki’s are all being used to deliver training in a “just-in-time” manner.
As trainers we know that training is defined as knowledge and skill (with the focus on the skill component) for use in your current job. We deliver new information to learners, the learners practice, and then receive feedback on their performance.
So let’s talk about the new technology and its impact on training. Nano learning, for example, is very short bits of learning lasting from 90 seconds to no longer than three minutes. Using Twitter, the maximum number of characters allowed to deliver a message is 144. Mobile learning is short tutorials lasting no longer than 10 minutes. So how do we actually train employees in so little time?
Most of the examples of this type of learning I have seen so far have contained only information. I would probably consider most of them to be online job aids. So the question is, “Where is the practice and feedback?’
I realize that, if every employee in your organization has a hand-held device, it is tempting to use this as a way to train them. Sure, by using these devices we can deliver information anytime, anywhere, and spend less time in training and away from the job, but can we call this training?
As result of all of this, I have viewed training via new technology and social media with scepticism. I didn’t know it, but my perceptions were about to change.
A recent Langevin assignment at a high-tech communications company gave me a change of perspective on the use of technology and social media in the training of employees.
The workshop started, as usual, with introductions and housekeeping. We moved onto key terms and definitions, and then the discussion quickly moved to “mobile learning.” The participants in my workshop proudly told me, “We are already doing mobile learning” and offered to show me some examples. Before I knew what was happening, the device was in my hand. The group said, “Press this, enter this password, go through it, and give us your honest feedback.”
To be honest, I was expecting to see a series of screens on the hand held device crammed with text; I was expecting a “read and click” exercise. To my surprise I went through a well-designed, functional mobile-learning tutorial that took five minutes to complete and, not only that, it contained a quiz with feedback!
I launched the tutorial and viewed an introduction page that was instructionally sound and graphically pleasing. The intro page had a sound instructional objective and a three-bullet point overview. I quickly moved on to the lesson. The bullets of content flew onto the screen in quick, but readable, succession. I advanced to the next screen and viewed a colour-coded graphic outlining a process, pointing and clicking on various parts of the process when prompted. At two minutes into the tutorial I viewed the third screen—five bullet points. So far, I was quite impressed and was thinking hard to find some constructive feedback.
The next screen was a summary of the previous three and a nice link to an exercise. The knowledge check consisted of two multiple-choice questions, a true/false question, and a series of drag and drop questions relating to the process diagram. Automated and direct feedback let me know if I was correct or incorrect.
After completing the quiz, the final screen congratulated me for completing the tutorial and suggested two post-course performance support activities (PSAs) which would allow me some skill-based practice back on the job—and all this was done in less than five minutes! (Since the practice in the tutorial only checked my knowledge, this blended-learning approach was needed to ensure I also acquired skill.)
The ten participants, almost in unison, then asked, “Well, what do you think?” I was honest in saying that that the mobile learning tutorial was instructional, functional, and looked great. The one piece of constructive feedback I could offer was to add a three-question level 1 evaluation at the end.
Over the three-day session we looked at many examples of mobile and nano learning. We had great discussions about the use of technology and social media in training today and what’s coming next.
I believe that this organization will be successful in the use of technology in their training by sticking to sound instructional design principles that include using PSAs if and when needed, using technology for the right reasons, and not giving up on performance improvement for the sake of saving time and money.
So, my views on mobile learning and nano learning changed during that session. I went from sceptic to a believer; I guess I just had to see some good examples, and meet instructional designers who are committed to doing what they do best. Web-based training is training first and must follow principles of instructional design. The current and future technology must be leveraged to enhance our training and help training professionals to deliver knowledge and skill in the most efficient way possible.
Since that session I am convinced that we can train people using new technology and social media; we just have to do it right. Doing it right means including performance-based practice to ensure we are not just delivering information. So bring on the avatars and second life!
Steve
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