The purpose of this presentation is to present a case history about new method of training, Adaptive Learning. This new technology enables individual trainees to create a learning experience that is relevant and meaningful by providing information on a topic they have not mastered, rather than training them on information they already know. The result is better acceptance, higher knowledge retention rates, lower training costs and greater productivity.
This paper will describe the solution to the challenge of training a dispersed workforce on content that has been trained repeatedly over time. We will describe the business issues and the new training solution.
Safety training is many times thought of as an automatic process. Send out notices, put people in the classroom, show a video, have a discussion and hand out a quiz. Sign the training record and the training is done. Sounds simple, right? With this "one size fits all" approach, trainers assume that the information on the topic is transferred to the student and that the student will be a safer employee upon training completion. Unfortunately, this just isn't the case.
This often happens with compliance training. Because the law requires it, but doesn't in many cases stipulate what the trainee must be able to do upon completion, trainers often hand out materials, show a video or sit employees down in front of a computer. Without measurable outcomes or demonstrable behaviors to be evaluated, the trainee leaves the session no better than when they started the class.
A good example of this is Hazard Communication training. OSHA regularly cites for failure to train, but often bases this on training attendance records and employee interviews. Poor record keeping is one problem, but imagine a discussion between an OSHA Compliance Officer and an employee who attended training. The employee's name may have been inadvertently left off the written training record, or the employee failed to listen to the information about where the MSDS files are kept or who to contact if there is a question. The Compliance Officer likely assumes the training either did not occur or was insufficient and a citation is issued for failure to train.
Worse yet, safety training is often a "going through the motions" exercise. For example, if you've identified a safety issue that needs to be addressed with training. Only when the employees truly understand the content or process will the potential risk be controlled. If "butts in seats" is the only measure of success, rather than a definitive measurement of understanding, then the time and money is wasted and the hazard to the employees continues.