Corporate Web-Based Training
From Web-Based Training by Margaret Driscoll (Jossey-Bass, 1998):
Web-based training is fundamentally another delivery mechanism for
training and learning....However, WBT is more powerful than other delivery
systems:
It is available 365 days of the year and 24 hours a day
It is real time and up to date
One medium for everything:
assess your training and development needs
search for solutions
make bookings of learning and training activities
receive training
enter discussions
self assessment—get feedback
keep your training records
Web sites are best created by multidisciplinary teams
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a multidisciplinary team approach made web-based training initiatives successful
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the most outstanding result of web-based training initiatives was learning
to communicate across disciplines
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expertise in facilitation was a valuable skill used by the team to reach
a stage of high performance
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the design process is more circular than linear; it moves back and forth
between team members involved in the detailed components of the courseware
and those who are working with a broader view of how the training fits
into organizational initiatives and strategies
Successful uses of corporate distance training
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distributing information to increase knowledge
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skill-building (intellectual skills, motor skills, interpersonal and communication
skills)
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change attitudes or enhance motivation
Learner-centered and reality-based experiences
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Instructivist - content and knowledge are determined by someone
else and transmitted to the learner; instruction should be designed to
that the learner can receive related materials on facts, principles and
generalizations in a manner consistent with his or her learning style.
-
Constructivist - the learner transforms information received, generating
hypotheses and making decisions about the knowledge he or she is constructing;
instruction should be designed so that the learner can explore, experiment,
and simulate organizational experiences to increase understanding and improve
performance.
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Reality-based experiences significantly increase transfer of knowledge
and application of skills to the workplace
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Off-line activities strengthen and reinforce reality-based experiences
and should be designed into both online and live interactive distance training
events
Caveat for web-based training
Learning design for WBT is still in its infancy. One of the great
dangers for learning designers is the way that learners can hop around
and completely miss crucial points.
Transfer of learning
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minimal attention is being paid to the process of transfer of learning
from distance instructional events back to the workplace
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participant satisfaction with distance training events does not necessarily
translate into increased understanding and new skills which are transferred
to applications in the workplace
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