Chief Learning Officer - February 2008 - (Page 56)

Chief Learning Ofﬁcer Magazine is proud to present its CASE STUDY continued from page 51 Much of that “other training” revolves around the tortuous – but necessary – organizational procedures that surround the sophisticated work employees perform for the Yucca Mountain Project. “This is my first experience working with a government agency,” Seminara said. “One of the things I’ve found is that I’m bound by highly prescriptive procedures that tell me what I can and can’t do. We’re so bound by procedures that we actually have a procedure on how to write procedures. We have a guiding document called the Quality Assurance Requirements Description (QARD). This document says that we will have a training program that follows a systematic approach and qualifies people to do the work that they’re supposed to be doing. It gives us the basics.” An example of this procedural learning is the program for instructing workers on how to use scientific notebooks according to the standards of the project. “That includes everything from who looks at the notebook to the fact that pages can’t be stapled or taped,” Seminara said. “After they take this course, the first prerequisite is that they read the procedure, then they review the module, and after that they go their manager with a print-out sample of a scientific notebook. The manager will have an answer key, so they can have a discussion about that scientific notebook. So not only are they able to get the information and apply that immediately, but they’re also learning that their manager is a solution for them. If they have a question about a procedure, they should stop what they’re doing and speak with their manager.” To make these experiences truly valuable for the learners and ensure that they really retain the information, Seminara focuses on engaging their minds as they participate in the programs, regardless of the content. “Before I took over, they were just going over the procedure,” she said. “Anyone can regurgitate a procedure. If I have to teach scientists with Ph.D.s in nuclear engineering how to analyze models and calcs, I’m going to assume they know how to read a procedure. I want to hit them at their level, and make sure that they aren’t getting the same stuff all the time. I’ll give them a higher level of critical thinking. I’ll teach them the two or three key points in the procedure, why the procedure is important, how it impacts the entire project and what will happen if they don’t follow that procedure. “After they do that module, one of two things will happen. The first is that they may take a final exam. That isn’t just testing memorization and knowledge – it’s actually doing a scenario, application of knowledge or something that’s more difficult than just ‘X means Y.’ The next thing that can happen is they’ll do some kind of on-the-job activity. By building these classes online and focusing on higher-level elements and critical thinking, I can take what used to be an eighthour course and deliver that in two hours, and get better results.” While Seminara follows QARD to the letter, she also adheres to the policies used by nuclear organizations such as the International Atomic Energy Association (IAEA) and the International Nuclear Power Operators (INPO). She explained that these set a higher standard for learning at the Yucca Mountain Project and lay the groundwork for personnel when the site actually does come online. “They’re completely inclusive in terms of what our program requires, but they go above and beyond the call of duty,” she said. “We’re going to follow those standards now because if this repository is licensed someday, then we’ll have to abide by those standards. When Congress decides whether or not they’re going to license this facility, they’re going to ask, ‘Are they qualified? What courses did they take? What did you teach them?’” Seminara believes this focus on longterm performance will help the organization achieve its fundamental objective. “We might be a government agency, but we have to think about the organization itself. How do its employees interact? How does it grow? We’re all one big team working towards one big goal: to have a license application that we can turn over to the NRC (Nuclear Regulatory Commission) on June 30, 2008.” 2008 CHIEF LEARNING OFFICER BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE INDUSTRY REPORT Gain valuable insight from 2,000 of the most esteemed senior learning executives. This is your chance to uncover the critical trends, issues, ideas and learning methods that are shaping the future of the industry. It’s an opportunity you simply cannot afford to miss. Reserve Your Copy Today Available at www.clomedia.com/ biireport http://www.clomedia.com/biireport http://www.clomedia.com/biireport

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Chief Learning Officer - February 2008

Chief Learning Officer - February 2008 Editor's Letter Table of Contents Business Impact Trends Best Practices Effectiveness Guest Editorial Learning Solutions Home Depot: Building Better Associates CLO Profile Environment Realizing the Vision of “One Philips” Tactics Sun Microsystems’ Next-Generation Worker Video Game Recruiting Tool Productivity The Regence Group: Blended Measurement Human Capital NASA: A Case Study in Technical Leadership Development Case Study Business Intelligence Advertisers' Index Editorial Resources In Conclusion

Chief Learning Officer - February 2008

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