As I mentioned in my previous post, the five moments of
learning need have been popularized by Mosher and Gottfredson. They are
learning for the first time (New), learning additional (More), learning when
need to remember (Apply), learning when things break (Solve) and learning when the world changes
(Change).
Last time I focused on "New" and "More". This time I’m covering "Apply", "Solve" and "Change". Again I invite you to compare your learning delivery
to this idealized standard.
The first two moments of need lend themselves to formal
instruction methods, however the remaining three are best served by performance
support delivery. The "Apply" moment of need is easily recognized by the learner
saying something like, “I know we covered this in class, but I just can’t
remember it now that I have to use it.” Likewise the "Solve" and "Change" moments
of need occur out in the real world at a time when the situation demands the
learner’s skilled performance.
"Solve" means that something does not work as expected and now
a problem has presented itself. "Change" means that the something in the world has changed. Maybe it’s the process or
the tools or the competition.
Each of these moments of need require a rapid response. All
the foundational content is not needed. Just the steps that were forgotten are
needed in the "Apply" case. Just the new steps are needed in the "Solve" or "Change" case.
Tempo users find that their set of tools give them this
rapid response capability. By building the
right size modules, the Tempo catalog and chapter index can serve as a task
oriented performance support tool guiding the learner to just the steps needed
at the time.
When something breaks or the world changes, Tempo users can
quickly create new modules or replacement modules and distribute them across
the enterprise.
Tempo’s support of multiple mobile devices means that the
Tempo users can access this new content on the fly when and where it’s needed.
This is key to providing performance support capability.
How does your learning solution stack up? Does it provide
support to learners at each moment of need? Can you re-use your content to
provide both formal instruction and on-demand performance support? Can you
deliver this content when and where your learners need it? My Tempo clients tell me yes, they can.
Rick Darby is President of SEDATA, LLC , consultants
specializing in video-centric Interactive Distance Learning and
technology-based training.
