Human Performance Technology

Noninstructional solution to solve a performance problem  

During my son’s first year in school, he had picked up some less than desirable behaviors from other students.  As a result, his behavior took a turn for the worse.  In order to correct the negative behavior I implemented a behavior chart.  The chart would record his behavior for the month and if his behavior for the day at school was good he would receive a star, if it was okay he would receive a smiley face and if it was in need of improvement he would receive a sad face.  At the end of the week he would receive 2 stickers if he had no sad faces, 1 sticker for 1 to 2 sad faces and no stickers for anything over 2 sad faces.  He tried really hard to get his stickers at the end of the week and as the year progressed the negative behavior eventually declined.

 

Electronic performance support systems

An electronic performance support system (EPSS) may also be known as electronic performance support, automated job aids, electronic performance support tools, electronic coaches, intelligent online help, performance centered design, embedded support, or enriched learning environments. Defined by Susan Mullen, Technical Communications Project Manager, Write on the Edge, Inc.

Gloria Gery, in 1991, defined EPPS as “the use of technology to provide on-demand access to integrated information, guidance, advice, assistance, training, and tools to enable high-level job performance with a minimum of support from other people” (Snodgrass, 1998, p. 298

An electronic performance support system is, according to Barry Raybould (1991), "a computer-based system that improves worker productivity by providing on-the-job access to integrated information, advice, and learning experiences." 

I like the definition by Susan Mullen because it appears to have a broader perspective than the other definitions.  I think that electronic performance support systems have not been widely used because of the time it may take to train individuals on how to use, lack of support or unwilling to learn and the cost aspect.  I think in the long run as companies seek ways to cut costs, they may begin to look toward using EPPS more.  I also think as more young people enter the work force there may be a push to move more in this direction.

Blended learning and knowledge management system

What immediately came to mind after reading this section was web enhanced courses.  I remember one of the first classes I attended was a web enhanced class and I had no clue what that was.  I later learned that it was a face to face class that utilized some online course features.  I have taken several classes in this format but there is only one that really stands out in my mind as being very effective, which was an accounting class.  I felt our class discussions along with our online assignments actually helped improve the learning experience for me.  I was able to have an immediate response for any errors found on my homework and allowed the opportunity to go back over the problem again before submitting for a grade.  I also liked the fact that if there were any problems that I could not solve on my own, I had the chance to ask about it in the next class and to understand what I was doing wrong before our test. 

Informal learning exposure

Over the years, I have been exposed to several types of informal learning.  I have engaged in discussions with people knowledgeable in different areas that I am interested in.  I often seek information from others especially when trying or learning something new or different.  I have also found myself searching for information over the Internet, especially when it comes to finding an answer to a problem that I may be having with equipment or wanting to learn how to use a technology that is new to me.  I remember when I first started watching YouTube for instructional purposes because of all the how to videos that are available.  I learned how to create my own video along with how to convert a video file.  It was a long process since I had no clue what I was doing, but after asking other people questions, watching videos online and reading information on the Internet I learned how to do it myself and became a little more knowledgeable about the terminology and software that is used to create videos.