Section 4: Human Performance Technology

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. 



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 A performance problem in my area of work is students failing to complete and/or turn in assignments, even major projects and papers that they have had ample time, both inside and out of class to complete.  This is a problem that all of my fellow teachers in my school are experiencing. Ideally, we'd like to see all of our students complete and turn in their assignments. Obviously, figuring in a zero into any average will dramatically lower the average, plus, if the students don't turn in assignments, teachers cannot tell whether they are successfully learning the concepts covered in class.

Our school is attempting to remedy this problem by improving communication with parents.  We compiled parent email addresses at each campus, and held staff development over how to create distribution lists in our email program.  This way, teachers can send out short emails to each class or grade, letting parents know when a project, paper or test is coming up.  We realize that students don't always communicate these types of things to their parents, and we hope that if we let the parents know, they can help us keep their children accountable for taking care of their assignments and responsibilities. We are also using a texting service called Class Parrot (http://www.classparrot.com/).  Class Parrot is a free service that teachers can sign up for.  Once a class is created, the teacher is given a unique code that she distributes to students and parents.  The students and parents use this code to subscribe to the teacher's texts.  The teacher can then log into her account and send out a text to everyone who has subscribed to send reminders about due dates and other school activities without having to divulge her cell phone number. We have just recently set up these new solutions, but since almost everyone has a smart phone nowadays, we are hopeful it will help improve parent communication and prevent students from failing due to not completing assignments.

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. 

Our textbook (Reiser and Dempsey, 2007) defines Electronic Performance Support Systems as electronic systems that provided integrated access to (1) information (2) advice (3) learning experiences, and (4) tools to help someone perform a task with minimal support from others.

Other definitions:

• 
  PCMag.com: (Electronic Performance Support System) A computer system that provides quick assistance and information without requiring prior training to use it. It may incorporate all forms of multimedia delivery as well as AI techniques such as expert systems and natural language recognition. http://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia_term/0,2542,t=EPSS&i=42707,00.asp
• L-3: An Electronic Performance Support System (EPSS) is an invaluable tool for your maintenance and production staff. The integration of software tools, leading technologies, knowledge, and learning experiences results in a computerized system designed to support the actual performance of a worker as needed. The EPSS electronic infrastructure captures, integrates and disseminates the knowledge, information and tools a worker needs to achieve high individual and organizational performance http://www.l-3training.com/

I think PC Magazine's definition is the friendliest. I like that it mentions that you don't have to have prior training to use it, because to me, if you had to have training to use the training, technology would be getting in the way of learning.

I feel that EPSS have not been widely used because the devices and equipment needed for thee systems have just recently become readily available.  Now that more and more people, schools and workplaces are gaining access to mobile devices, wireless Internet access, and technology in general, EPSS are much more accessible and convenient. When I think back to even just 2 years ago, my district did not have many mobile computers, but now we have wifi across the district, mobile carts and iPad carts.  Having access to these tools makes using EPSS much more convenient that trying to use only 2 computers with a large group of people.

I definitely think use of EPSS will increase in the future.  The kids we teach today are wireless and digital. They don't know any other way. Perhaps some of the older generations have been resistant to EPSS simply because it is unknown and uncomfortable, but our kids don't know fear of technology. As the technology sticks around longer, more and more people accept it. For example, since it's tax season, I think of online tax returns. When I first started working, preparing your taxes online was viewed as risky and unreliable.  Now, the majority of people I know prepare their taxes using an online program. These online programs provide access to IRS information, provide advice (the series of questions and answers that guide you through the process), they help you know what to expect for the next year, and allow you to complete filing your taxes with minimal outside help. We all agree that technology is a constantly changing field. This aspect also leads me to believe that the use of EPSS will continue to increase because it is capable of evolving and changing to meet needs that are constantly changing.

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? 

A problem I see in my school is performance on past TAKS (soon to be STARR) math objectives, especially in the problem-solving and higher-order-thinking-skills-types of problems. A blended learning approach could help this situation. Our students get 50 min/day of traditional, classroom style teaching, with the instruction coming from the teacher. (Of course she uses technology aids, but the majority is delivered by human instruction.) Last year, our school had a subscription to Apangea Math (http://www.apangea.com/). Apangea offers students adaptive instruction, based on the student's performance. As the website explains, "Apangea Math provides one-student-to-one-teacher differentiated math instruction through a unique integration of proprietary tutoring technology and live, online certified teachers. As a web-based solution, Apangea Math can be accessed from any computer with an internet connection – ensuring students can learn math anytime, anywhere."  The data accumulated from the practice problems is collected and organized into various reports available to the teacher. This blended learning approach is beneficial to the teacher and the students. With the close monitoring and differentiated instruction the program offers, the students are always engaged, and working on the specific skills he/she needs. Keeping track of the individual student's needs allows the teacher and the program to tailor instruction and practice problems.  This also allows the teacher time to pull struggling students aside and do one-to-one or small group tutoring on areas of weakness, so she can ensure the students' needs are being met.

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

I have been involved in many types of informal learning in my adult life. Most of the times, the purpose was simply to learn something new. Looking back on my experiences, access to the Internet was common to many of these experiences; Googling "how to...", watching YouTube clips, browsing Pinterest and reading on the Internet has provided me with a wealth of knowledge. In my professional life, a lot of my informal learning comes from conversing and observing my colleagues. Just as I believe that my kids learn best by DOING things, I do, too.  When I find a new strategy or classroom idea, I try it out.  My role in these types of situations is being an active learner, and constructing my own ideas about how things work for me along the way. I believe that instructors in these situations serve as facilitators. When my classes are emerssed in learning activities, and I am able to roam around my room and poke my head into their group conversations, I feel like I'm really in my groove. Admittedly, I am a product of how I was taught; that the teacher provides all of the information, but I do try to turn loose of those ideas for my kids. When we can get our hands on new learning and actually DO it, for real, the learning is far more engaging, thus valuable, than just reading or listening about it. 



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