Solutions for a Training Problem

Example 3 - Asynchronous Training:

In an effort to improve its poor safety record, a biodiesel manufacturing plant needs a series of safety training modules. These stand-alone modules must illustrate best practices on how to safely operate the many pieces of heavy machinery on the plant floor. The modules should involve step-by-step processes and the method of delivery needs to be available to all shifts at the plant. As well, the shift supervisors want to be sure the employees are engaged and can demonstrate their learning from the modules.

Two Proposed Technology Solutions:

I would like to propose two technology solutions to address the training need identified in Example 3:  videos and job aids accessible via digital devices. The problem highlighted in the example is that more training is needed at a biodiesel manufacturing plan on how to safely operate the heavy machinery on the plant floor. The safety record at the plant is not at the level that it should be. The type of training should by asynchronous and it should allow the shift supervisors to be sure that the employees are engaged and can demonstrate the skills that they have learned. I propose a 2-part solution to the training need: videos and job aids available on digital devices.

Solution Part 1 - Videos: In order to solve this training problem, students must be able to see demonstrations of “best practices on how to safely operate” the heavy machinery so that they know exactly how to operate the equipment. To do this, I propose developing a series of high-quality videos that allow students to see clearly and precisely what steps should be performed, and how, when operating the equipment. The students need to be able to see the “right” way to do things. The videos should focus in on the equipment and the user in order to see the precise level of details needed in order to convey the proper equipment handling steps. The videos could be presented, or narrated, by a skilled operator of the machinery. Here is an example of a video that is designed to show a learner how to use equipment safely and appropriately; this is a Butane Torch Safety instructional video provided by the jewelry site Beaducation. (http://www.beaducation.com/vids/watch_class/158). This video demonstrates very clearly how effective video can be in demonstrating the proper usage of equipment in a situation where safety is paramount. It is easy to imagine how a video could be designed to be effective in the scenario presented in Example 3. Through online tests, students can be assessed on their knowledge of the proper steps in using this equipment to ensure that they have mastered the content. Prerecorded media, such as videos, can be highly-effective learning tools when they are designed well. As they are prerecorded, they can be used whenever needed, by whomever needs them. Videos have a long history of use in distance learning, and they continue to offer tremendous value, particularly when a learner needs to be able to “see” and perhaps “hear” something being done. This type of approach to learning is often used by companies as they develop asynchronous learning materials to satisfy training needs (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2012).

Solution Part 2 – Job Aids on Digital Devices: To supplement the videos, I propose providing a series of “job aids” in the form of PDF files that employees would have available to them on portable digital devices, such as tablets or other smart devices, located right next to the equipment in question. The job aids would include equipment diagrams and sequential steps, presented as reminders to the employees, along with important safety reminders, cautions, and warnings. These job aids would be called upon as needed, to refresh an employee’s memory about how to perform certain tasks in a safe manner. A company called Wild Blue Tools has an example of a safety performance digital job aid: (http://wildbluetools.com/content/FS/20/22/002_PreInstallPrepJobAid.pdf). A similar job aid, tailored to this specific training need, could be customized and designed to be highly-effective in the scenario at hand. The particular learners in this scenario are adults in the workforce who need further professional development, i.e., further training in safety procedures related to the work they perform on heavy equipment on a plant floor. As adults in the workforce, they are considered nontraditional learners, and as such, applying adult learning strategies would serve them well. By providing digital job aids that would be available when and where they are needed, within the context of their jobs, this training solution offers the learners an opportunity to be self-directed learners. "If students enrolled in a course are working adults, the course design should incorporate the basic principles of adult learning. Adults are more self-directed and have specific reasons for taking the course" (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2012, pg. 136).

References

Beaducation, Inc. (Producer). (2011). Butane Torch Safety [DVD]. Redwood City, CA. Joe Silvera.

Pre-Installation Preparation Job Aid. (n.d.). Wild Blue Tools. Retrieved January 27, 2013, from wildbluetools.com/content/FS/20/22/002_PreInstallPrepJobAid.pdf

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (5th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.

Distance Learning: Its Origins, Evolution, and Future

Distance learning means different things to different people, depending on their personal and professional experiences and the industry or segment in which they reside. I first became acquainted with distance learning as a corporate professional in 1993, when I created my first online course to be delivered to adult students via the Internet. My personal definition of “distance learning” has always revolved primarily around the concept of delivering learning online, via the Internet. My definition was rather vague and narrow. I knew, of course, that there were other forms of distance learning, such as CD-ROM based education, and going further back in time, the old mail-order education programs known as “correspondence schools.” But these earlier forms of “distance learning” were outside my experience, both personally and professionally. For me, distance learning began with the Internet. From Dr. Michael Simonson’s video presentation, I learned that an academic definition of “distance education” is more structured and more detailed (Laureate Education, 2010).

After exposure to the history of distance learning in our course and our initial reading assignments, I now have a much more complete definition of distance learning. Distance learning has been around far longer than I had realized, with its inception in the early 1830’s when European newspapers first offered educational opportunities to the public (Laureate Education, 2010). The concept of “distance learning” has been around for nearly a century in a variety of guises, and it far predates the advent of modern Internet technology. From the early correspondence courses starting in the early 1830’s; to universities in the U.S. offering education via the postal service; to education being offered via radio, television, and telephone in the early to mid 1900’s; and finally to the advent of the Internet, distance learning has evolved and grown just as technology has. Distance learning has always been enabled by technology, from its earliest and simplest forms (postal mail, newspapers) to more advanced technologies (radio, television, telephone) to the advancements that we enjoy today (the Internet).

Based on the new information that I have absorbed in the outset of our course, I have revised my definition of distance learning to include a far broader and more comprehensive picture.  I now have a better understanding of the timeline of distance learning and its evolution over the decades. Simonson, Smaldino, Albright & Zvacek (2012) offer a detailed definition of distance learning that takes into account four components. According to the authors, distance learning is defined as institutionally based, having a separation of the teacher and student, featuring interactive telecommunications, and finally the including the interconnection of learners, resources, and instructors (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright & Zvacek (2012). Their definition of distance learning is far more comprehensive and detailed than mine, and that leads me to want to revise my own definition.

Based on what I have read thus far, I would revise my own definition of distance learning to be more inclusive of all types of distance learning and to be more structured. My new definition of distance learning includes the following:

·         

• Distance learning utilizes technology (from simple to more advanced) to deliver learning opportunities to students in nontraditional ways.
• Distance learning offers educational opportunities to students outside of the traditional face-to-face classroom setting.
• In distance learning, the instructor and students are not located together in the same classroom. Instead, they interact with each other from their respective locations, using available technologies to enable the learning.
• Distance learning can be synchronous or asynchronous, or a combination of the two.
• Distance learning takes advantages of current and emerging technologies to deliver rich and engaging content to students of all ages.

Distance learning will continue to evolve as new technologies emerge, enabling even better ways for students and instructors to connect and interact in learning environments. New and emerging “Web 2.0” technologies will raise the bar for distance learning, as more and more functionality is put in the hands of students and teachers. The future of distance learning revolves around providing students with more and more capabilities in managing their own learning. As the Distance Learning Timeline Continuum illustrates, wikis, blogs, podcasts, and multimedia applications continue to make it easier for students to create their own content (Laureate Education, 2010). Students have always been consumers of content, but as Web 2.0 technologies continue to evolve, students will more and more become the creators of content, as well as consumers. Dr. Michael Simonson predicts that distance education will continue to grow (Laureate Education, 2010). As distance learning becomes more accepted and more respected, more and more students will turn to it as a more convenient way to further their education. Distance learning is not for everyone; some students prefer a face-to-face, interpersonal experience with their instructors and peer students. But for other students, such as myself, distance learning provides the optimal mode for pursuing education.

References

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2010). Distance Education: The Next Generation [DVD]. Baltimore, MD.  Dr. Michael Simonson.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2010). Distance Learning Timeline Continuum [DVD]. Baltimore, MD.

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (5th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.

Exploring the World of Distance Learning

This term, I am taking a course on distance learning at Walden University, where I am enrolled as a graduate student in the Instructional Design and Technology program. I'm looking forward to this course, as online learning has been my chosen career field for the past 21+ years. I worked as an instructional designer of online courses for 18 years in corporate America, and for the past three years, I have been in higher education. I look forward to hearing about the latest development, trends, and thinking in my career field.