There
are many collaborative tools in the digital space available today for the
workplace that allow for asynchronous and synchronous communication (Noe,
2013). Technology has enabled training departments to reduce costs associated
with delivering training to employees while improving the effectiveness of the
training (Noe, 2013). I will review
Yammer (social network), virtual worlds, mobile technology and intelligent
tutoring systems (ITS) (Noe, 2013)
Social
networks allow for users to create and generate content in an interactive
community (Noe, 2013). Yammer
is an example of an online networking site specifically designed for secure
communication within organizations. To learn more about Yammer visit, https://about.yammer.com/. Social networking technology has taken off
and expanded over the last ten years.
Networking sites such as Facebook, to MySpace, Flicker, Linked in,
Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter and Pinterest to name just a few. People have
jumped on board to share their life, insights and interests with their virtual
community. Social networking, such as
Yammer, can be used to create communities of practice within the workplace that
allow for peer learning through collaboration and best practice sharing (NETP,
2010). For instance, a team of
associates from various business units identify a current problem, design a
solution, and present an implementation plan through the Yammer platform. This aids in critical thinking and
collaboration. The remaining cohorts
then post comments and questions that can help generate a better solution. This method also improves writing and
communication skills. In my organization
a common practice is to share interesting webinars, videos and articles
relevant to our work. For instance,
recently a colleague shared a link to an interesting presentation by Nick
Shakelton-Jones (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbemnGBAPL4)
regarding the state of learning. Yammer
has also been used to sustain learning and connect the learners before and
after the training event. We haven’t yet mastered using this tool during
training unfortunately (Noe, 2013). When we connect learners prior to the event
we also provide resources to review or consider during for the upcoming
training. With the many different
generations in my workplace, Yammer is a useful tool to engage younger
employees of Generation X and millennial age (Noe, 2013). Overall, I have found
participation in Yammer very beneficial because I seek out information as I
need it therefore it is just in time learning.
Virtual worlds have not yet
been introduced into my organization however I have consulted over the last two
years with various vendors to learn more about the capability of this new
technology. I explored Quest Atlantis (http://atlantisremixed.org/#31). This virtual world requires a person to
complete a profile before gaining access to the site. A person cannot proceed until they are
approved and are sent their username and password. “The core elements are 1) a 3D
multi-user virtual environment, 2) learning Quests and unit plans, 3) a
storyline, presented through an introductory video, novel and comic book, that
involves mythical characters and a set of social commitments, 4) a
globally-distributed community of participants, and (5) a narrative programming
toolkit for remixing user-created stories. The narrative helps to establish
continuity among the elements and helps to bridge the fictional world of
Atlantis with the real world of Earth, an act of interpretation by each
individual child” (atlantisremixed.org/#31). I like that each player has the
opportunity to explore different value systems and learn from the community of members
while exploring the storyline. An
instructor guides the learning process by assigning different tasks to
complete. A more simplified version
would be effective in my workplace for illustrating a cause and effect of
decisions on certain processes. The con for this technology is the development
cost which could easily be several thousands of dollars. Learning is intrinsically motivated by this structure
and design. In corporate America there
seems to be a bit of resistance to developing games for learning however this
is a mistake. With the increased demands
on an employee’s time, learning needs to become second nature and an enjoyable
event as opposed to a task. Incorporating
games and virtual environments allow employees to take a momentarily break from
their job to learn what they need to complete their task in an enjoyable manner.
According to Noe (2013 p 343), “research indicates that learners are more
satisfied with virtual world experiences and learn more and faster than in
traditional courses”.
Mobile technology offers
many possibilities for providing learning anytime and anywhere. Mobile
technology shifts the focus from learner as consumers of content to learners
who generate, create, produce and share knowledge (Koszalka & Ntloedibe-Kuswani,
2010, Laureate Education, 2010). Mobile
technologies allow learners to be connected to each other and various forms of
information and resources while formal instruction draws out a learner’s
experience, previous knowledge and enables practice and application. Smartphones and tablets are the most
popular forms of mobile technology used within my organization although we do
not capitalize on this technology consistently to deliver training. Our
employees are unable to access valuable information that resides behind the
firewall via these devices that could aid in performing their role and learning
new information. We don’t use RSS feeds to push out podcasts featuring our
subject matter experts to communicate best practices or new processes (Noe, 2013). This tool can engage learners on their own
time and put them in control of their learning. Noe points out for mobile
learning to be effective it needs to be between 10-15 minutes long, intuitive
and meaningful. The design should fit
the appropriate mobile technology. If
this is not the case, the learning will be rendered useless and it will not be
well received (2013). My organization
provides access to our Learning management system (LMS) via mobile technology and
employees can access e-learning modules or formal learning (Noe, 2013). We have
also incorporated Apps (applications) for use by the sales teams. These apps are for sales aids and communicate
key selling messages and data that Health Care Practitioners would find
valuable. By combining formal and
informal instruction and mobile technology, it seems to be the best of both
worlds.
Lastly
Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITS) utilizes artificial intelligence to tutor,
coach and empower employees. Tutoring
helps the employee understand the content while coaching provides the employees
a safe environment to practice the newly acquired skills. Empower is about the employees exploring the
training content freely on their own based on their internal motivation to
learn. There are five components to the ITS and they include, domain expert,
trainee model, training session manager, user interface, and trainee scenario
generator. This technology is unique in that it can tailor the experience to
the individual. ITS can communicate and
respond to the trainee and model the trainee’s learning process. Based on the
trainee’s performance it can determine what other information the trainee
requires. It can also adjust the teaching process based on feedback and
assessment (Noe, 2013). Further research
by Kurt VanLEHN (2011), indicates that ITS can accomplish everything a
human tutor. It can complete a
“diagnostic” assessment to understand the student’s needs assign tasks based on
difficulty; provide motivation, and the appropriate level of granularity for effective
learning (VanLEHN, 2011). Human tutors
may have a deeper level of knowledge, examples of how the knowledge can be
applied and a greater ability to engage in dialogue however this capability is
not always utilized by the teacher or student (VanLEHN, 2011). Human tutoring
allows for instant feedback to correct misperceptions and address gaps in learning
and support in the way of scaffolding (Van LEHN, 2011). With greater advancement
in the field of educational technology, ITS may be closer to human tutoring providing
a comparable learning outcome. NASA uses ITS for training although I could not find
any other examples to review. These four
examples provide a broad overview of technology that people use on a daily basis
with the exception of ITS. By incorporating
these elements appropriately we can make the learning experience more effective
and engaging.
References
Koszalka, T. A., &
Ntloedibe-Kuswani, G. S. (2010). Literature on the safe and disruptive learning
potential of mobile technologies. Distance Education, 31(2), 139–157.
National
Institute for Literacy, Emerging technologies in adult literacy and language
education, Washington, DC 2006
Noe, R. A. (2013). Employee training
and development (6th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw Hill.
U.S. Department
of Education (2010). Transforming American education: Learning powered
by technology. Retrieved from: http://www.ed.gov/sites/default/files/netp2010.pdf
VanLEHN, K. (2011). The
Relative Effectiveness of Human Tutoring, Intelligent Tutoring Systems, and
Other Tutoring Systems. Educational Psychologist, 46(4), 197-221.
doi:10.1080/00461520.2011.611369
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