Week 4: Chapters 14-17

Section 4: Human Performance Technology Due: 11/28

Not all solutions to learning and/or performance require an instructional one. Many times a non-instructional approach is the better solution. This week's posting concentrates on human performance, electronic performance support systems, the use of knowledge management systems, and the concept of informal learning.

1. Chapter 14 discusses the concept of the evolution of human performance improvement. Several sections of chapter 14 present a variety of non instructional solutions to performance problems. Identify a performance problem in your area of work and provide a non instructional solution to solve the problem.

The school I teach at received an unacceptable rating in 2008, based on students’ performance on the science portion of the TAKS test. Over the last two years, the district has implemented a standardized curriculum and begun frequent monitoring of both student and teacher performance. The science and math scores, which have traditionally been the two weakest areas, have improved. English scores, which have always been the strongest area, have declined slightly during this same time period. Administrators want to stop this decline before it goes further.

To solve this issue, I believe the best way to go is to compile test data from the previous two years. Once the data is compiled, a committee should be formed to conduct analysis. This committee should include at least one administrator, the English department head, and one or two English faculty members. The committee should look specifically at which questions were most frequently missed, and then correlate those questions to specific TEKS objectives. The data analysis would then affect instructional design, since teachers would be able to target the objectives for re-teaching.

2. Chapter 15 presents several definitions of electronic performance support systems. In addition to these definitions, locate a few more and indicate your preference explaining why you prefer it. Additionally, describe why you believe EPSS have not been widely used and if they are more likely be become more prevalent in the future.

Desrosiers, S.M. & Harmon, S.W. (1996). Performance support systems for education and training: Could this be the next generation? In M.L. Bailey and M.J. Jones (Eds.) Selected Papers from the Fifth Annual LEPS Research Symposium: Technology, Education, and Work. Dekalb, IL: Northern Illinois University.

The definition I like best defines an EPSS as "a system that provides the user with information, guidance, and learning experiences wherever and whenever a user needs it.” I like this definition because it’s very simple and straightforward, but still describes the EPSS’s functionality (“information, guidance, and learning experiences”) and utility (“wherever and whenever…needed”).

I think EPSSs have had limited use so far is due to the complexity of designing and developing them, as well as the cost (in both money and man-hours). Also, some organizations may have trouble distinguishing between an EPSS and computer-based training systems; they may feel that moving to a more elaborate system will not provide a good return on their investment when they already have something in place. I believe they will become more prevalent as technology becomes even more embedded in business and in society. Simple tasks are now routinely performed by computers and/or workers in other countries where jobs are outsourced, leaving the more complex tasks to be performed by workers here. As these tasks become even more complex, I believe EPSSs will be utilized to provide a one-stop resource.

3. Knowledge management is the way we manage information, share that information, and use it. Organizations, such as schools, are full of information/data and we must organize that data in a way that we can make sense of it. We use data to make decisions and good data=good decision making. Identify a real or hypothetical problem in your line of work. How might a blended learning approach, including the use of a knowledge management system, be use to solve the problem?

To maintain a valid certificate, teachers are required to accrue 150 hours of professional development every five years. It can come from a variety of sources, such as reading professional publications, participating in staff development activities on campus and/or online workshops, and taking college courses. However, I think developing a centralized KMS where teachers can access professional development resources, lesson plans, classroom management strategies, and other beneficial information would be a powerful tool. I subscribe to several different nings that focus on various topics. While I have gotten great information from them, I would love to have one central source that I could access when I need information. I wouldn’t want to see the KMS replace more traditional face-to-face professional development activities; however, I would like to see more high quality face-to-face sessions, as I have attended several only to leave with little or no useful information I could apply in my own classroom.

4. Describe the types of informal learning you have been exposed to in your adult life. What as the purpose? What was the experience like? Was it engaging? Social? What role did you play? What role did the instructor play?

I’ve attended museums for various events—my favorites are the Georgia O’Keefe exhibit I saw at the Dallas Museum of Art and the Monet exhibit I saw at the Fort Worth Museum of Art. Those experiences involved listening to a recorded lecture or a docent who served as a guide for the exhibit. To be honest, I didn’t find those informal learning situations very engaging. In a large crowd, it can be hard to hear the docent, and often I wasn’t able to see the artwork until the group was moving to the next piece, which meant that I missed what the docent had to say about it.

I’ve experienced a lot of on the job training (and still am). I find this kind of informal learning to be much more engaging, because it’s generally for a specific purpose, something I’m going to use to perform my job. In my experience, the “instructor” and “student” roles are a little more understated in this type of situation. It’s more like information sharing to me, and the instructor is more of a guide than a teacher.