Understand Training Needs First, Propose Solutions Later!

We do not prescribe “e-learning”! We provide learning solutions! And this is what all learning companies must do. Help the client find a solution by understanding the problem. Many a times, clients realize that “elearning” is not the “only” solution. Clients may also realize that “training” is also not the solution. That’s perfectly fine because only then is the solution most effective.

Today, most corporate is bitten by the “train-the-shit-out-of-people” syndrome. While this helps the corporate use its training budget, this also ensures that they have scared the learners enough to keep them away from “genuine” training programs. Most often, organizations believe that training is the solution to all HR, skills, productivity, performance, personnel problems, or even cultural problems. They either fail or do not want to analyze the training needs of the people.

I sincerely believe that before recommending a solution, a learning company must undertake “Training Needs Analysis” (TNA). Companies who provide learning solutions should encourage clients to first analyze the need for training and then opt for the right training approach.

Sometime back I met a client who is in the medical transcription business. It’s a good business to be in! But as with all business, they had trouble finding the right kind of people. And, if at all they found the right kind of people, they had problem getting them to deliver the kind of quality they wanted. And, if they managed to get them to deliver good quality, they had problem retaining those people. This is because this work required consistent quality day-in day-out with limited scope for variation in the nature of work.

This client, let me call them Medic, concluded that they wanted an LMS. Therefore, they started talking to elearning companies who could collate their training material on the LMS. Since they were very sure of their internal process and quality training, they were not willing to reconsider an introspection of their training process. All they wanted was to ensure that each employee had access to all training material at all times.

We decided to take the bull by the horn. Since we have the unique combination of usability and elearning, we sent them a proposal to analyze the training need of the employees. In our initial discussions with Medic, we could see several problems.

Problems

1. They could not afford to release a resource for training beyond a particular training duration. If they could not afford this, how can they expect employees to take time out to train themselves?
2. They had employees of average intelligence. Medic conducted small quiz and test sessions to reinforce memory. Medic assumed was that since employees were trained, they had the skills. However, most these employees (with average intelligence) had actually not learned in the initial training sessions. Remembering thousands of medical terms by rote was no mean achievement. They had a 500-page book with 1000s of medical terms and terminology that they were trying to memorize!! The initial training aimed at helping employees memorize the book; not the best of ways to train someone.

In view of the above problems, we submitted a proposal to Medic. An extract from the proposal follows. This proposal outlines the initial stages of TNA.

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Proposal to Medic

Analyze the need of the learners: The first challenge is to understand the learners: their needs, their desires, and their approach to work and learning. Work and learning becomes so habitual to the people who do it that they often have difficulty articulating exactly what they do and why they do it.

Methods Proposed

Gathering data through Contextual Observation and Inquiry: This method uncovers who the learners really are and how they work and learn on a day-to-day basis. We conduct one-on-one field interviews with learners in their workplace. We observe people as they work and inquire into actions as they unfold to understand their motivations, strategies, and learning styles. The interviewer and learner, through discussion, develop a shared interpretation of the work and learning.

Contextual Observation and Inquiry is a specific type of field data gathering method from learners. It is usually done with one observer and one subject at a time. Subjects are observed and then interviewed in their context, when doing their tasks, with as little interference from the interviewer as possible. In contextual inquiry, it is actually much easier, because the main part of the interview consists of watching users do their work and interacting with colleagues, which doesn't steal much time from the users.

Shadowing: This is another method of gathering data. It is specifically designed to collect data from learners who are learning offsite. In this technique, the interviewer shadows the subject during and after office hours where the learner is expected to learn. In shadowing, the interviewer actually observes the learner while they try to learn without much interaction.

Process

The various stages of the process are as follows:

1. Identification of learner groups

2. Identification of subjects according to demographics

3. Scheduling and preparing for the observation

4. Observation, inquiry, and shadowing

5. Assimilation of data

6. Analysis of data

7. Presentation of understanding

Benefits to Medic

Contextual Observation and Inquiry results would help Medic understand the problems and subsequently design the training such that the training ensures better quality of learning. This had major benefits:

1. Costs: Save training costs

2. Quality: Fewer errors in the delivered material

3. Satisfaction: Higher employee satisfaction

Timeline

1. Preparation and Contextual Inquiry – One week

2. Report Preparation – One week

Problem Findings

1. A Word document that explains the observations, problems with explanation, and design directions. This document will have problems rated on learning severity.

2. A PowerPoint presentation that explains the problems faced by the learners in learning and instructional issues.

Output

The findings would be submitted in the form of a Word document providing a brief outline of the possible solutions. Apropos Contextual Observation and Inquiry, Kern would work together with Medic to analyze good solutions for further implementation.

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Myths About E-Learning Outsourcing

Get it done cheaper: If you are looking for a cheap solution, be ready to sacrifice quality. If a cheap solution is really what you want, get a bunch of summer trainees to do the job. DO NOT expect a vendor to deliver what your team of experts delivers, at one-tenth the cost. Or, the next best solution—outsource to Uganda or Mogadishu, at least the conversion rate will make more sense.

Get it done quicker: If you think you are crunched for time and you want to outsource, chances are your project will be screwed. Outsourcing needs planning. More planning because there are two sets of plans—one at your level and another plan at the outsourcer's level. If you are crunched for time, you will not have time to transfer information, plan reviews, and monitor quality. Outsourcing works if you are crunched for resource, but not when you are crunched for time.

Provide selective information: Transparency works! Your vendors need to see the big picture to appreciate the constraints or put in extra effort for you. When you plan your timelines and review cycles, plan in tandem. Push vendors to take up anything that you don’t want to: This does not work. If you don’t want to do something, yet want a share of the pie, you have bought yourself a ticket to the heart of one unhappy customer! Your vendors are not your bunch of slaves, nor are they your second rung employees. Treat them like partners and both will benefit mutually.

Flexible payment time: Be prompt with your payments. Nothing worsens a relationship more than misunderstandings about money. If you are getting paid for the project that you are doing, respect the fact that your vendor is doing the same work for a payment. So, make you payments on time and as promised.

Save project management costs: Not really! You need to invest time into building a relationship. Set up a system of communication protocol between your team and the vendor's team. If your client is no where in the picture, it is all the more important to ensure that there is clear and transparent communication in terms of standards, requirements, and deadlines.

Remember that it is not a robot that you have outsourced your work to; it is a team of human beings that are alive and performing. Treat them as you would treat your partners. They are the ones who are helping you deliver.

Usability in Elearning

Kern offers two kinds of services -- usability and elearning. Often our clients inquire about this holy matrimony of usability and elearning. I think usability lends itself naturally to any elearning solution. This got us into an interesting discussion about how usability impacts learning solutions.

Geeta: How do we apply the learning from usability to our elearning projects?

Ripul: Usability is a measurable attribute where we measure the usefulness of a product. We can apply the same concepts to elearning where we measure the learning ability or "learnability" of learners. The basic premise of usability is to make something easy and useful. At times, things may be easy to use, but may not be useful for the user. So, applying the same principle to elearning, we can make things easy to access as well as more learnable for learners.

Geeta: That's right. But often usability is limited to UI issues where the focus is more on the "ease to use" of elearning. For example, the focus is more on making the interface student-friendly, make navigation simpler, and reduction in download time. Whereas, usability in the real sense should focus on the "learnability" aspect of the courseware. So, how do you think usability can enhance "learnability"?

Ripul: Learnability can be enhanced by designing a courseware based on learners' needs, goals, and aspirations. To do this, first, we need to have a clear understanding of the learner; analyze their demographic and psychographic profile; understand their needs and motivations; and then come up with a design that best suits them. elearning organizations can adopt user research processes and techniques like contextual inquiry and observation to understand the learners, their learning goals, learning motivations, and the current learning patterns. This will also help organizations understand how learners use learning while working.

Geeta: This is exactly what must be done in the analysis phase of traditional elearning. Sadly, in a real world elearning scenario, the analysis phase is a mere formality, more so when content development is outsourced (will blog this sometime). In such a situation, the client is God and the subject matter expert (lovingly known as SME) is demi-god! They drive the requirements, provide the learner details, and define what strategies to follow. Amidst all this, we forget the plight of the poor learners who are left with no choice but to wear sweaters in summer! More often than not, instructional design is decided based on: - the engine capabilities - standard successful strategies - client's preference - budgetary constraints, and - SME's diktats

Ripul: That's precisely where the problems come up regarding the effectiveness of learning. The course has to be designed as per the learner and not based on client requirements alone. Business stakeholders play an important role in the process, however they should not drive the design. We must design for our learners. There can be no "one size fits all" in instructional design. Gagne's nine events are not the holy grail of instructional design -- all learning challenges cannot have a single solution.

Geeta: To get back to our discussion, we can apply our learning from usability optimally. We can offer good UI solutions, make navigation intuitive, simpler, and reduce dependence on secondary instructions. We can use contextual inquiry process to derive learner requirements to complement stakeholder requirements. We no longer need to hide behind "interpassivity" to engage learners, we can ensure that the learner really learns. But tell me how do you measure actual learning?

Ripul: Learning can be easily measured using usability testing methods. However, I feel, these methods need to be adapted for learnability testing. Current usability testing methods are highly skewed towards correct navigation and completion of tasks, which is not the main focus while learning. The usability protocols must be designed to measure effectiveness of learning.

Geeta: The effectiveness of learning is in achieving the learning objectives that the learner has set out to achieve in the first place. Therefore, learnability testing should ensure that there is a one-on-one mapping with the learning objectives at the learners' workplace and not just in a laboratory setup.

Workflow Learning - A Real-life Case Study

The latest buzz word in the learning circles is workflow learning. While so much is written about workflow learning, I would like to take you through the workflow learning experience at our workplace.

Kern was all set to hive off its editing services. This was six months back. Today, six months later, editing is the “gas” that keeps the machine running. What changed in these six months? Anu joined Kern!

Anu had no clue about editing. She came from a BPO background; she had excellent communication skills and fluent spoken English skills (read American English). However, she could not care less if there was a missing comma after an introductory clause or a missing period at the end of a complete sentence! Today, she manages edits for two big clients. She is on her way to becoming an expert editor. And, most importantly, editing services is generating a steady income, which is always welcome by any organization!

I credit this change to Anu’s editing skills. But how did she acquire the skills? Kern is a small company. We do not have the luxury of making people go through days of classroom training or self-paced training. Anu had to hit the work floor on day 3 of joining Kern.

What worked here is workflow learning. I pushed all the handouts and study material to her. She thumbed through some “How to Edit?” books for a day - am not sure how much she learned from these apart from being awed by the vast expanse of the editing field. Initially, she checked the documents edited by others for 3-4 critical slips or misses. Gradually, she started editing the documents herself and I audited them. I made her sit by my side while I audited her documents. She jotted down critical misses and put some up in yellow post-its all around her monitor. She audited other editors’ work, discussed doubts with me, and sent them feedback. After a month of doing this, I had a stand-up edit training session for 2 hours. She could immediately relate to all the guidelines that she had referred earlier, clarified more doubts (she asks a lot of questions, I must warn you!), and bingo! the editing rules strengthened the synapse!

I would call this a classic case of workflow learning. Let’s draw a parallel between the critical elements of workflow learning and the learning that Anu had.

1. Anu has access to dictionary.com, answers.com, our 5-page internal style guide, a bunch of yellow post-its around her monitor, and a tattered notepad with all the rules, styles, and guidelines jotted in it. These tools are more relevant and useful than the expensive tools provided by a content management system! These tools are built-into the environment that she works, and deliver the same information that any sophisticated content management portal can provide through web, wireless, and mobile technologies. Now, she is in the process of documenting her daily learning. While Anu has access to the tools that deliver and collect relevant information in the right context at the right time, she also has a very secure system of knowledge capture. The knowledge that she captures is used immediately.

2. There are times when Anu turns back to clarify a doubt. “I just yell back, open the MSTP and search for it” or I simply type out the explanation on the messenger and send her. There are also times when I come across some information that I think will be valuable for her and either mail it across or share it verbally. Often Anu notes them down in her tattered notepad. Well, we are talking about information nuggets assisting her while at work!

3. Every time Anu asks a question, I resist from giving out the answer or solving her problem. Gradually, she has inculcated the habit of searching for information online or in books. While dictionary.com is one of her clear favorites, there are numerous other links that she has bookmarked that are useful to answer a client query or investigate an Am/Brit clarification. Today, Anu has access to most knowledge repositories that a person can possibly have at the workplace.

4. Anu has access to her mentor every time. Also, there is a solid system of feedback capture in place. She can just turn back and check with me, she can call me to clarify, and of course we spend a lot of time outside office editing menu cards, hoardings, or newspaper articles. While there is real-time collaboration with an expert, there is also a solid system of feedback and information exchange in place.

5. These days, I audit sporadically. I audit documents that come from new clients or a different domain. We discuss client feedback and document them. She discusses edit issues with other editors and communicates the changing standards or styles. The system of mentoring and peer collaboration has strengthened her learning to a great extent.

I am sure, the size of the organization does have an impact on learning and management of learning (will capture this in another blog). However, the effectiveness of this model can be replicated with no additional cost or inconvenience. Now, we are expanding our team of editors. Soon Anu has to move on to the role of a mentor in the workflow learning environment.

Laziness, work, or social compulsions

I havent been as prolific as I'd decided to be. Blame it on laziness, work, or social compulsions. Anyways, hope to make up for the lost time. Lost time reminds me of the time-- a year and half back. I had given up a comfy corporate job at Wipro; recoverd from a minor health setback; and had decided to start off my own consultacny. After seven rugged, painful-gainful, and memorable years, I decided to leave the comforts of a secured full-time job for the new challenging vistas of entrepreneurship. Thanks to my safety net Ripul (read hubbs), my constant source of unabounding energy, I could venture into the unknown wihtout any major worries. More than the failing paycheck at the end of the month, it was the oft-failing internet connection that was a major cause of worry for me. I began with small edit work, tapped my network, called friends, pinged old boyfriends to get as much leads as possible. My good old NIIT provided me the launchpad to start off. Then as luck would have it, my old bosses moved to new companies and thus started my journey into the world of editing and writing from the cool confines of my home. Thus began my SOHO christened "Kern Communications" by hubbs. Cut to today, May 15, 2004, 2 pm, about 6 major clients, over 10 projects old, and furiously working away... will write more about how to sustain the fire in the belly...more so when it's way past lunch time...:)