August 15, 1998: Technology News

"by Eric E. Smith"

This article was originally printed in Peak Performance, the New Mexico ISPI chapter newsletter.

In my last article, I discussed the idea of standards for computer-based training and the fact that the major manufacturers of computer-based training development tools are pushing at least the development of standards for record keeping and communication with HR databases. While, in general, I applaud that movement, it does raise some other issues.
All of the companies (Asymetrix http://www.asymetrix.com/, Macromedia http://www.macromedia.com/, Oracle http://www.oracle.com/) discussed in that column as well as companies like Allen Communications http://www.allencomm.com/ are working on training development systems that focus on delivery of instruction without human intervention. In other words, it is designed for the learner to communicate only with the computer. This is what we have come to know as computer-based instruction. Simply moving it to an Intranet, as these companies propose, does not change that basic character. So, the result is really no different from LAN or CD-ROM delivery of training, other than the interface from the browser and some ease in maintaining the material.
Don’t misunderstand my position. I fully support this kind of training, but not for all things. It is great if you are trying to transmit basic information or teach basic skills, say manipulating the fields in a database or the hazards of a chemical spill. And there is a tremendous need for this approach, along with the many benefits well documented elsewhere.
But, is this approach really making maximal use of the Internet technologies we now have? I will suggest that it is not and further that for many training situations, this type of computer-based training is not sufficient. Instead, we must consider the nature of the Internet and the other capabilities that it provides, beyond presentation of information and the ability to support human-computer interaction.
In essence, the Internet is a two-way (or multi-way) communication tool, between people. We all (or most of us) use email on a daily basis. Perhaps you belong to a listserv discussion or monitor some newsgroups. Such systems support discussion and even learning through the interaction of people. This kind of interaction is necessary for any type of person-to-person or "soft skills" training within an organization. Further, I would argue that designing systems to foster student to student discussion and collaboration, even for basic training supported by traditional computer-based approaches will significantly enhance the training and improve the outcomes.
But, person-to-person discussion is not supported by the authoring tools we use for computer-based training. It can be found, to a limited degree, in some of the web-based learning systems shells, like TopClass (http://www.wbtsystems.com/), WebMentor (http://avilar.adasoft.com/avilar/index.html), or WebCT (http://homebrew1.cs.ubc.ca/webct/). However, these systems are limited in capability and features, adequate for learning systems, but not appropriate for enterprise wide groupware solutions.
If you anticipate the need to work with enterprise groupware solutions to meet the need for person-to-person interaction in training as well as supporting work groups, then you need to consider the commercial groupware and conferencing tools now available. All have their strengths and weaknesses. Some support asynchronous conferencing while others are limited to synchronous.
For the geographically dispersed organization (or temporally dispersed student population) you may be more interested in asynchronous tools. To help you identify and perhaps select the tools most useful in your organization, check out the article Meeting of the Minds at http://www.zdnet.com/pcmag/features/discussion/_open.htm. This article is a great starting point in investigating the tools available and does provide a limited comparison of their features. Of course, using them in support of training was not the focus of the article, but you will find much of value there.
Remember, if you know of a web site or a technology that you think everyone in the chapter should know about, drop me a line at esmith@evandesign.com.
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Taken from Front Range Chapter's Excerpts from "The Criterion". August 1998.

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