Focus Magazine - Fall 2012 - 25

FEATURESTORY

support — easy access and usability. Before the introduction of such devices, on-demand access to information in the form of mobile learning was challenging simply because of the lack of screen size available for viewing content. Although as educators and trainers we knew early on that multimediabased learning o en produced better outcomes, its use in PS was hindered by the lack of mobile technology platforms to take advantage of its adoption for on-demand learning. Planning for and the design of ongoing PS in any one area of learning requires thoughtful consideration up front and should be an integral part of overall curriculum design. Initial or prerequisite training that focuses on the learning of new information and the formal measurement of satisfactory completion is typically delivered in more formal learning systems, such as eLearning systems. It is the on-the-job application of knowledge gained through prerequisite training that leads to long-term retention and ultimately successful performance. Providing on-demand access to the requisite knowledge, when needed, supports the performance e orts of the individual. ere are important di erences between the way instruction should be built for traditional prerequisite training and the way instruction should be built for use in performance support. Keep in mind that in many cases the learning content may be the same; what di ers signi cantly is that the format and delivery in PS systems provides more immediate access to information, guidance and learning experiences wherever and whenever a user needs it. Knowing how to carve out and arrange the correct content for ondemand access is critical to overall upfront curriculum design. Here are some design and instructional-based elements to consider for a PS-based system: • Allow learners to choose their own sequence in performance support instruction. Use of an intuitive, well-labeled interface or interactive roadmap or providing a key word search function will give the user quick and easy access to targeted information. • Information or lesson segments should be selfcontained and as short in duration as necessary to deliver a complete learning concept. e goal is to access speci c knowledge for the job needs at that moment. • Although each learning concept is self-contained, link related concepts for easier access and retrieval. e targeted knowledge may not be found on the rst hit; if related topics are lined in some way, they can be easily accessed without the need for a new search. How does performance support translate into a moment of need, or the need for immediate access to information? Based on job need, these moments typically meet one (or

more) of the following three criteria: • When one is trying to recall or apply something. is is probably the most common, yet most critical moment of need. Such a situation might include a professional planning a sales call and needing to recall the segments of business relevant to the targeted physician or a nurse needing to recall the speci c use issues of a device when administering a product. • When something unexpected happens! Perhaps this is a need to access detailed clinical information to support knowledgeable objection handling by a sales representative. In another situation a Medical Science Liaison may need to prepare a last minute presentation, providing in-depth explanation of a complex disease. A PS system can not only provide the learning, but also be built to allow learning segments to be downloaded and used within the presentation, saving valuable time. • When things change and the most current information is critical. A good example is new information on competitor products. Although this is not learning content that can be repurposed in a PS system, the system itself can provide for new updated information to be continually added and pushed out to users. As we nd ourselves in an era of expanding competitive pressures combined with the rapid pace and complexity of information growth, immediate access to relevant knowledge, when it is needed, is critical to job performance. We have the tools and the technology to build learning systems that are e cient in their use (and reuse) of learning content; we just need to be smart about how we put it all together to provide the Next Generation Performance Support. I

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Michelle A.Youngers is president & COO of ScienceMedia. Email Michelle at myoungers@sciencemedia.com.

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Focus Magazine - Fall 2012

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