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). I have found that they serve as a useful check list for
assessing an organization’s learning strategy. We will focus on New and More in this post. I
invite you to compare your learning delivery to this idealized standard.
New and More, the first two moments of need, are usually
addressed by formal learning techniques.
When a learner is completely new to a subject, a prescriptive approach
is often the most efficient. The typical “Introduction to …” course covers the
foundations of the subject and lays the groundwork for understanding the more
complex, advanced topics. The advanced
topics (More) are covered in the same way.
Subjects that are key to an employee’s performance in a
critical role are usually supported by formal learning in mature organizations.
These often include line management, sales, service delivery and customer support. A curriculum of courses is created for each
of the critical roles. The content of each course is derived from job task
analysis, ideally using Performance DNA methodology.
This approach assures management that employees new to these
critical roles gain a solid understanding of the fundamental knowledge needed
for job success.
My Tempo clients find that they have a set of state of the
art tools that allow them to quickly create and update modules for their formal
training courses. The Tempo platform supports live, distance learning sessions
that leverage facilitator and subject matter experts’ time and availability
without having to schedule travel to distant outposts or the tremendous expense
of bringing the learners to a central facility.
The immediacy of real time, high definition video gives the
learners the feeling that they are right in the room with the instructors and
their peers. Client surveys have found that the training received in this
manner is just as effective as the traditional classroom training approach while
yielding a significant savings in time and money.
My Tempo user clients also find that they have the ability to
create self-paced modules from the live sessions without the overhead of major
editing and configuration required of other systems. With a modicum of planning
and foresight, the self-paced, on demand versions of these modules are available
for distribution almost immediately. In addition, the interactivity
presentation and tracking are the same for the on-demand attendees as the live
session attendees. The self-paced modules are used to deliver pre-requisite
content, background information and as make-up modules for those who cannot
attend the live sessions.
In my next post I will address the three remaining moments
of need and how they can be implemented in an ideal learning strategy model.
Rick Darby is President of SEDATA, LLC , consultants
specializing in video-centric Interactive Distance Learning and
technology-based training.
