Real-Time Work Flow Learning

Harvey Singh

oday, organizations are having a tough time coping with the unfulfilled promise of e-learning. Why has e-learning lost favor among those who once thought it was the one-step solution to all their training and knowledge transfer needs?

One mistake that organizations made was to deliver too much e-learning. Companies dumped hundreds or even thousands of courses into a portal or learn­ing management system (LMS) and expected learners to swim and find relevant courses. Learners did not know which of the thousand courses was best for them and how to extract specific information from the courses in order to fulfill job- or task-specific requirements. This left learners without the context in which to make effective decisions. They also wasted time trying to choose the right course and were frustrated; even if they found the right course, they could not apply this learning effectively at their workplace.

First-Generation Learning Systems

First-generation learning systems (learning management systems and learning content management systems) provide a static library or catalogue of courses. These systems use the Internet to deliver traditional educational products and services such as textbooks, articles, and training courses in the form of e-learning

Blending Learning and Work

courses. Some of the courses are more sophisticated and incorporate a high degree of interactivity by using animation, streaming video, simulations, and games. The first-generation learning approach delivers anytime, anyplace learn­ing and provides numerous online content libraries to a large audience at an attractive cost.

While organizations using these first-generation learning systems and courses save cost and time, they do not achieve the objective of increasing productivity and fulfilling the real training and job performance needs of employees, partners, and customers. These systems suffer from lack of engagement, lack of motivation, lack of time, and, most important, lack of tangible and immediate value or rele­vance. These learning systems simply attempt to compile subject matter expertise into a large, linear, and predominantly page turner course format. Even the addition of media rarely improves the applicability of the course and the transfer of knowledge and skill to a workplace context. First-generation learning fails to recognize the essential link between theory and practice—between learning and its direct application in the job environment.

As first-generation e-learning evolved, attempts were made to shift the con­trol from the instructor to the learner and make learning self-paced and person­alized with pretests to determine skill gaps and provide links to specific learning units or learning objects targeted toward the identified gaps. However, these early learning systems followed a courseware-centric learning approach and failed to provide a job context in the learning process. These early learning systems had a number of limitations:

• Content remains a silo or a separate repository. This requires the learner to log on to a separate Web site and search for courses that may not be relevant to the task at hand.

• Often learners do not recall what they learned during classroom training or virtual online experiences in order to apply that knowledge or skill during the performance of the job or tasks. Moreover, at the time of need, learners fail to find relevant information from the huge library of courses and modules.

• Considering the fast-paced and complex job environment in today's econ­omy, learners lack the time or motivation to complete long online courses. There­fore, the completion rate of e-learning courses remains low, undermining the effectiveness and intent of those courses.

• E-learning systems do not have an automated mechanism to verify or mon­itor the actual job performance of the learner or knowledge worker. This places serious constraints on course designers who wish to design courses relevant to the work scenario of the learners and managers who wish to provide remediation or mentoring in order to ensure expert performance.

The Handbook of Blended Learning

Recognizing these limitations of the early e-learning systems, organizations began to experiment with blended learning. This approach aimed to improve learner engagement, optimize learners' performance, and reduce delivery costs by combining self-paced (for example, Web-based tutorials) and collaborative (for example, mentoring by a live instructor) learning models. The objective of blended learning is to provide knowledge workers with practical tools and insights that lead to improved job performance. To achieve this, blended learning models need to evolve to a higher level of maturity.

Evolution of Blended Learning

The practice of blending more than one delivery mode of instruction is not new. Initially the blended learning approach was used to supplement classroom learn­ing with activities such as discussions or collaboration. However, blended learning is not just about mixing and matching various delivery modes. To be successful, blended leaning needs to focus on combining the right delivery technologies to match the individual learning objectives and transfer the appropriate knowledge and skills to the learner at the right time.

The ultimate success and effectiveness of learning lies in blending work with learning. Learning is optimum when work and learning are simultaneous—a sit­uation where learning is embedded in business processes such as hiring, sales, product design, and development. In this paradigm, work becomes a source of content that can be captured and organized as small granular chunks of content, or " knowledge nuggets." In the context of the learners' workplace needs, these knowledge nuggets are shared, accessed on demand, or pushed at the moment of need.

As delivery modes and choices of technologies have expanded dramatically over the past few years, blended learning has continued to evolve. We will look at the stages of evolution of blended learning in the corporate training industry (see Figure 34.1).

Initial Stages of Blending

Traditionally blended learning involved a simplistic blend of physical classroom training and supporting materials such as student handbooks or self-paced printed workbooks. Many times the instructor-led classroom lectures also involved hands-on labs, workshops, and field trips.

Blending Learning and Work

FIGURE 34.1. PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE OF BLENDED LEARNING.

Synchronous Learning

As the practice of blended learning evolved, virtual classrooms were added to the mix involving communication and collaboration between instructors and learn­ers in live capacity. This involved e-meetings, Web seminars, and instant messag­ing. This kind of training ensured cost savings through elimination of travel and related expenses while preserving the benefit of live human interactions and mentoring.

Asynchronous Learning

Unlike the physical classroom training that is typically instructor paced, asyn­chronous learning is learner paced. It brings flexibility of time, enabling stu­dents to learn at their own pace and revisit learning activities as many times as they want. Web-based training modules, computer-based training modules, assessments, tests, online learning communities, and discussion forums are the typical asynchronous learning modes.

The Handbook of Blended Learning

Simple Blending of Different Delivery Modes

A simple blended learning program is a combination of synchronous or asyn­chronous learning and face-to-face instructor-led learning. Often this means that learners have a combination of self-paced and collaborative learning expe­riences spanning different learning styles. In this approach, learners ask questions and receive feedback from instructors or experts. Blending asynchronous learn­ing with synchronous, live learning and physical face-to-face learning addresses diverse learning needs and styles (some learners require more mentoring and in­structor support than others). This type of blended learning allows learners to gain an understanding of concepts at their own time and pace and refine their un­derstanding through the help of a human mentor or guide. Furthermore, prac­tice activities, simulations, and assessments may be included to this mix to enhance the learning experience.

Seamless Blending

This is an advanced form of blended learning experience that leverages inte­grated learning and content management and virtual classroom systems. This form of blended learning allows learners to move between self-paced learning and collaborative learning technologies through a seamless or unified inter­face. For example, an instructor or a learner may expand the self-paced learn­ing experience by inviting others and sharing the learning activity or presentation. Learners can brainstorm ideas and mark up the presentation con­tent through an engaging discussion. Similarly, a collaborative experience may be recorded, broken down into parts, and rearranged for future learning experiences.

Performance and Personalization

The next evolution of blended learning is blending learning with work. Here, learning activities need to be embedded within business processes and tasks in the form of performance support. The performance support guides or mentors the learner and provides supporting materials to perform the task in an optimal fashion. The knowledge worker can seamlessly move between training, simulation, performance support (access to information and knowledge while performing job tasks), to direct work space environments. Furthermore, the access to information can be refined or personalized by pushing very specific pieces of information based on the skill level of the performer.

Blending Learning and Work

Real-Time Work Flow Learning: Blending Learning and Work

The industry has learned a critical lesson: you cannot move all your training to e-learning or distance education in the form of a large library of monolithic lec­tures or courses. In fact, even the classroom, physical or virtual, may not be the best place to learn. The knowledge gained in the classroom is typically lost before it can be applied in a job setting.

Earlier it was assumed that any e-learning system could instantly solve a com­pany's training and knowledge transfer needs. Many did not even consider knowl­edge worker skill profiles and the job tasks and work flows as part of the system. Without addressing the issues of transfer of learning to the workplace and the job and task environment, e-learning will continue to pose barriers to deeper penetration within organizations.

Real-time work flow learning aims to remove these barriers and bridge the learning and transfer gaps that the first-generation e-learning systems were unable to address. To narrow the gap between knowledge and its application, organizations need to continuously capture and organize every bit of information from their customers and their working environment. Furthermore, next-generation systems are needed to help organizations analyze and synthesize the essential knowledge needed to ensure expert performance, optimal and error-free execution of tasks, and, most important, create the next best-selling product or service. In effect, organizations need to see learning as part of work, not as an ac­tivity separate from work. The real-time work flow learning is most critical in knowledge-intensive and process-oriented business functions such as supply chain management, sales force automation, inventory management, facilities manage­ment, point of care, law enforcement, and scientific research and development.

Can learning transform itself by aligning, linking, and embedding itself into business applications, work flows, and the overall work context? To facilitate this transformation, there has to be a paradigm shift in the way we think about learn­ing and human performance improvement. This shift will not occur dramatically or in isolation; it will augment, complement, coexist, and, in some cases, trans­form the current first-generation learning systems over an evolutionary time pe­riod. Next, we look at this paradigm shift involving real-time work flow learning.

From Content Focus to Context Focus

First-generation learning and content management systems focus on capturing, man­aging, and distributing content. Content is king! Regardless of the job context, large reservoirs of knowledge and information are created for employees or customers.

The Handbook of Blended Learning

In real-time work flow learning, content is relevant only within a context. For example, while repairing a complex digital telephone switch, step-by-step instructions are pushed at the moment of need to a field technician to replace the faulty chip.

From Just-in-Time to Real-Time Learning (Pull versus Push)

" Just-in-time" means finding information when needed—that is, " pull" what you need. This requires the learner to first know about the information resource or best practice available in the knowledge base and then spend time finding and retrieving it. Similarly, in a classroom learning situation, the learner needs to remember large amounts of information to be used later.

Real-time learning is more proactive. It " pushes" the right information in the right context, at the right time, and in the right format. Real-time learning pin­points the exact type of information needed and automatically delivers that information to a learner.

From Courseware to Performanceware

In real-time work flow-based learning, common stand-alone learning conten models are transformed into context-driven, task-sensitive, and performance sup­port models. Examples of such real-world learning include guided tasks, proa dures, step-by-step instructions, job aids, and referenceware. The most common use of real-time work flow learning can be seen in Microsoft Office. For instant in Microsoft Excel, the Office Assistant pops up when it senses users trying t(use specific features of Excel application. The Office Assistant offers help in tl form of tips, suggestions, or step-by-step instructions to perform a desired task.

In the past, e-learning standards initiatives such as SCORM (Sharable C< tent Object Reference Model) focused on defining the notion of interoperable am i reusable learning objects that usually mapped to modular course objects. Stan­dards need to evolve to be extended to include the notion of performance objo (task-based organization of information to support effective performance) that can be delivered within the context of job tasks.

From Learning and Course Management to Business Work Flows

Business work flows and processes are the delivery platforms for learning and performance support in a real-time work flow learning environment. Real-tin-.-work flow learning links performance objects with automated business work flow For example, a loan calculator and a dialogue box containing a set of questi

Blending teaming and Work

for the client automatically pop up within a loan processing application to assist the agent in working through the loan application. This is a major shift from the earlier learning management systems and knowledge management systems that created catalogues of passive knowledge and vast libraries of infor­mation for the learner.

From Instructional Design to Performance-Based Design

Content compilation has undergone a shift in design approach, from instructional and content design to task-based performance design that maps information and knowledge nuggets to the job, tasks, or activities.

In real-time work flow learning, information is organized into task-based decision structures that support information and knowledge nuggets at each step. Learners or job performers can easily understand and use these nuggets while per­forming on the job.

From Desktop or Web Browser to Highly Distributed Mobile Delivery Environments

Today, information can be accessed on the Web browser and other client appli­cations on desktop computers, tablets, laptops, and other mobile devices such as cell phones and personal digital assistants (PDAs). Suppose a person wants to buy a ring tone on his cell phone but is unable to process the payment. The cell phone prompts him with relevant information to help him make the payment. This is an example of real-time work flow learning that presents context-specific content. Unlike a desktop computer, a mobile device interface can work flexibly into mul­tiple job task environments (for example, field based, manufacturing, retail, and clinical).

This shift also includes new forms of interactivity such as keyboardless (small or nonexistent keyboard) interfaces, pen-based handwriting recognition systems, and voice recognition information systems.

Building a Real-Time Work Flow Learning Architecture

Real-time work flow learning environments share a certain similarity to the first-generation leaning systems; for example, both contain features and options for user management, registration, content management, course catalogues, and metatagged information models. However, in order to blend learning with work, a real-time work flow learning architecture needs to provide seamless integration

The Handbook of Blended Learninc

of rich content and interactive performance support with the computer-supported job-task environments. Now we look at the components of real-time work flow learning architecture.

Portals and Web Parts

Portals provide a front-end access point for job tasks and integrated learning ac­tivities. The " Web parts" or sections within the portal environment allow infor­mation from different sources to be aggregated and organized for easy access to support different day-to-day processes and job roles. Portals support role-based views where information is organized around specific job functions. A portal is also a delivery mechanism for real-time alerts and notifications.

A single integrated portal that links learning and work tasks can become a doorway to business processes and associated learning. Learners will not need to switch the context or log on to multiple applications. Portals may also foster con­tinuous learning and knowledge communities or communities of practice by pro­viding a sense of identity (for example, team logos), learning rituals (for example, online chats), learning membership, a shared space for learner collaboration, and a place to promote accomplishments.

Internet and Mobility

Real-time work flow learning uses a distributed and heterogeneous architecture including Web, mobile, and wireless technologies such as PDA, tablets, and hy­brid phones to deliver and collect relevant information in the right context at the right time and in the right form. Powerful and flexible mobile computing mod­els provide seamless access to information and knowledge within the work envi­ronment: office, manufacturing, retail floor, or field based. Alternate interfaces such as pen-based digital ink, handwriting recognition, and voice-based informa­tion lookup provide the convenience to access, navigate, and manipulate the learn­ing and knowledge content more easily within the work context.

Granular Knowledge Nuggets

Granular knowledge nuggets are small, reusable, and stand-alone pieces of infor­mation that can be reused in multiple contexts. These nuggets are pieces of dynamic content just right for the context. Each nugget has a single learning objective linked to a specific job task or skill.

Examples of granular knowledge nuggets include step-by-step instructions, calculators, job aids, look-up tables, hints, tips, and advice. For instance, in an

Blending Learning and Work

assembly line of an automobile manufacturing unit, the workers can see a screen in their workplace that provides step-by-step instructions and tips. Such infor­mation helps them move the assembly line without delays and errors.

Knowledge Repository

Content management refers to the process of handling information in the knowl­edge repository. It refers to the process of capturing, storing, sorting, codifying, in­dexing, integrating, updating, and protecting any or all knowledge nuggets in the knowledge repository. Different kinds of knowledge nuggets may be stored in the repository They may range from performance support, job aids, and data lists through tips, suggestions, and instructions.

Collaboration

Synchronous and asynchronous collaboration tools such as chatrooms and dis­cussion threads can be linked and invoked within business applications to provide real-time, context-specific learning. For example, in an e-learning scenario, the mentor of the discussion board acts as a collaborator to provide relevant infor­mation to the learner. Collaboration tools are especially useful to impart soft skill training. Not every form of knowledge can be converted into a structured learning format. Also, a lot of knowledge resides in the head of subject matter ex­perts and cannot be captured as knowledge nuggets. Therefore, collaboration tools and technologies enable real-time knowledge creation and problem solving. For example, a sales rep may collaborate in real time with a product manager at the corporate office while addressing detailed inquiries from a client and may later refer to the notes captured during the online meeting to learn more about client requirements.

Work Flow Automation and Knowledge Linking

Work flow—based learning is characterized by task and performance support embedded within business processes, work flows, or enterprise software applica­tions involving real-time collaboration with people and computer systems. Human work flow management and automation systems ensure coordination of tasks (for example, insurance claim processing and approvals) between multiple knowledge workers and learners in real time.

As work progresses, work flow automation facilitates the assignment of tasks and pushes the appropriate performance support, knowledge support, and men­toring needed based on the knowledge worker's skill level. Knowledge nuggets can

The Handbook of Blended Learning

be linked dynamically to work flow nodes (where each node represents a specific unit of work or task within a work flow) to push learning, performance support, and other media. Each work flow node provides an opportunity for short, gran­ular bursts of learning and performance support. When a task is assigned or a knowledge worker receives an alert related to the task status on his or her dash­board or portal, the associated learning and performance support content auto­matically appears next to the task listing or alert.

Human and Automated Virtual Mentoring

Real-time work flow learning may also include mentoring support where the knowl­edge worker can either connect with a human mentor directly from the task-work flow interface (for example, using an instant messaging function) or an automated (nonhuman or virtual) mentor for help or consultation. The automated mentor cap­tures relevant information in various formats such as slides, narratives, images, video--, tips, and instructions. When needed, the learner can pull this information, or the mentor can push this information to the learner.

Presence Awareness

Presence awareness enables knowledge workers to be aware of the presence i other colleagues or subject matter experts. This feeling of presence of others who can assist as needed is a powerful motivational tool for knowledge workers or learn­ers. Presence awareness and instant messaging provide powerful tools to create collaborative spaces where knowledge workers can meet, collaborate, chat, or dis­cuss within the context of business applications and work flows. For example, mar­keting and product engineering managers may collaborate with instant messaging tools within document management and product design applications.

Simulations

Simulations situate the learner in the environment that imitates reality or takes the learner closer to the task. The more effectively the simulation imitates reality, the bet­ter are the chances of applying the learning on the real job. Well-designed instruc­tional simulations offer both right and wrong paths to arrive at the results and alio learners to make mistakes and get feedback. In the e-learning scenario, simula­tions offer a safe environment to practice and test learners' ability to perform the requisite tasks.

Simulations may also be used as performance support. For example, an air­craft maintenance technician may call a simulation object (a three-dimensional

Blending Learning and Work 485

model to understand the relationship between an engine part and its connecting parts) on a tablet computer while repairing an engine.

Business Process and Performance Monitoring

Automated business process monitoring tools track the processes (for example, status, time taken, task assignments, and completed tasks) in real time. Further­more, tasks within the business processes and performance of workers may also be tracked to prevent potential errors and provide additional information for re­mediation. Performance monitoring tools can assist in improving workforce skills, competencies, and the quality of performance support.

Such tools or systems also facilitate the monitoring and measurement of per­formance, delivery of personalized content, and management and routing of tasks. There are also automation tools to identify productivity bottlenecks. Combined with business process management systems, these tools assess the exact nature of the bottleneck and push the precise knowledge nuggets needed to offset perfor­mance problems.

Constant Knowledge Capture and Feedback

Traditional e-learning systems are typically designed as a one-way flow of infor­mation or instructional content. However, in real-time work flow learning, knowl­edge workers can provide feedback or capture best practices on the fly and link them to the business work flows. The information collected from the field can be reviewed by other experts. Then best practices and corrections to the existing knowledge can be collated and distributed back to everyone concerned in real time to create a closed-loop or continuous learning process.

Real-Time Notification, Aggregation, and Decision Support

Traditional online or Web-based learning systems track course completion and test score status; in contrast, real-time work flow learning tracks job and task performance, accuracy, consistency, and skill gaps.

Executive dashboards provide administrators and managers a cockpit view into the business process and overall business operation. Dashboards aggregate multiple data points into consolidated summary views and visual charts that highlight key performance indicators and pinpoint performance gaps that need immediate attention.

The Handbook of Blended Learning

Integration Between Learning and Enterprise Applications Through Web Services

Web services help software applications communicate with each other over the Internet. A Web service is a collection of functions packaged as a single entity and published to the network for use by other applications. Web services are building blocks for creating open distributed systems and are essential to integrate business process work flow systems with performance support and learning systems.

Web services streamline business processes by allowing software applications to be delivered over the Internet and run on different types of computers, from large servers to mobile handheld devices. Web services technology allows appli­cations to be integrated in real time so that data or information can be exchanged between the applications.

For example, an automated work flow—based application can call a knowl­edge nugget stored in a content repository, or data from a business application (for example, a spreadsheet) can be passed to a real-time collaboration or mentoring application. Web services are the essential underlying technology for facilitating real-time work flow learning environments.

Integrated, Interoperable, and Reusable Content Framework

Real-time work flow learning is supported by an integrated, interoperable, and reusable content object framework in which knowledge nuggets may be used within training applications, simulations, and on-the-job performance support. Furthermore, the knowledge nuggets (in the form of data, information, or per­formance support) can be used with business processes, work flows, and work spaces or portals.

Real-Time Work Flow-Based Learning Example

The following example describes real-time work flow—based learning in action. It highlights a sophisticated form of blended learning in which learning, per­formance support, and the job- or task-based work space environment inte­grate together to deliver context-based knowledge to support and augment a job or task at hand.

Field customer service technicians in the telecommunications industry work in a challenging and knowledge-intensive environment in which they need to sup­port multiple requests or customer problems, including maintenance, repair, part replacement, and installation of complex equipment. In order to perform these

Blending Learning and Work

complex tasks, they need on-demand access to procedures, manuals, schematics, learning, and technical data.

Although these technicians are trained and go through certification, they need access to a complex set of information in a highly mobile and fast-paced work en­vironment. Long sequences of e-learning courses do not provide an adequate model to support day-to-day field technician knowledge needs.

Real-time work flow—based learning is embedded in the field technician's work space portal in which the tasks are assigned and presented along with the package of documents, performance objects (procedures and step-by-step instructions), and other reference information required to perform the tasks (see Figure 34.2). The field technician can download the task information along with supporting materials onto a mobile device so that the information can be pulled up during the performance of the tasks (see Figure 34.3). The technician can pass on queries or information from the field to the corporate office through an automated work flow process. The technician can also connect with other peers or experts by

FIGURE 34.2. A PORTAL TO SUPPORT THE REAL-TIME WORK FLOW OF A FIELD TECHNICIAN.

The Handbook of Blended Learning

FIGURE 34.3. A MOBILE DEVICE USED TO SUPPORT THE PERFORMANCE NEEDS OF A TECHNICIAN IN THE FIELD.

conferencing to get live mentoring to perform a nonroutine task. Field technicians can also access e-learning modules, technical manuals, equipment parts, and tech­nical data in a Web and mobile environment.

The task and work flow status is tracked in real time along with the time and path taken to perform the tasks. Aggregated data are presented using management dashboards and portals for performance analysis, rapid decisions, and remedia­tion (to correct bottlenecks, prioritize task, plan resources and skills, and manage training needs).

Blending Learning and Work 489

Benefits of Real-Time Work Flow-Based Learning

Real-time work flow-based learning offers many benefits:

• The organization obtains expert performance from each knowledge worker. The knowledge worker has access to performance support about what to do and how to perform the task.

• Learners or performers obtain tangible value from the combination of busi­ness processes and learning as opposed to learning being separate from the real work.

• Organizations gain substantially from the reduction in overall training time and time away from work for learning activities. They can reduce the initial time spent on learning (for example, training of new employees) because most of the knowledge can be delivered through an on-demand model.

• Real-time learning ensures a significant reduction of errors because infor­mation needed to perform the job is pushed automatically during task execu­tion. This eliminates the scope for information loss that may occur when learning and execution happen separately. In effect, the skills obtained by the learner are better transferred to the real world when they are learned in the real world.

• Business processes are built into the architecture that supports Web services-based dynamic linking with knowledge and performance objects. This linking of learning to job performance ensures that learning is automatically aligned with the actual business operation (such goals have been wishful think­ing on the part of traditional training and first-generation e-learning systems).

• The executive dashboard provides managers and administrators with a cockpit view of the business operation in the form of aggregated performance views, graphical charts, and other analysis to support real-time decision making and remediation.

• The feedback captured during the performance of a task may be used to influence future training, practice, and performance support.

• Real-time work flow—based learning ensures business process optimiza­tion and cost-effective business operations.

Conclusion

While first-generation e-learning was successful in reducing the cost of informa­tion and instructional content delivery, the resulting virtualized classroom or courseware model remains ineffective to meet the requirements of an increasingly challenging business environment.

490 The Handbook of Blended Learning

Blended learning addresses many of the shortcomings of traditional physical classroom or pure e-learning courseware models by combining self-paced, col­laborative, and human mentoring approaches, which lead to higher learning com­pletion rates. However, blended learning must continue to evolve to blend learning directly with work or job tasks in a convergence of learning space and work space.

The paradigm of blending learning with the work paradigm proposes to trans­form e-learning from a silo repository or catalogue of courses and classes to a world where learning is tightly integrated and interwoven with business processes and mission-critical jobs and tasks. Real-time work flow learning is the next-generation learning that delivers real-time communication, collaboration, and knowledge transfer within the context of business processes or work flows to en­gender optimal individual, team, and organizational performance and produc­tivity.

Real-time work flow-based learning not only provides on-demand access to very specific and relevant information and knowledge transfer to ensure expert performance, but also aims to bring much-sought-after alignment between learn­ing and work and business processes. The evaluation of effectiveness and return on investment of such learning is not an afterthought but is automatically linked and tracked in real time.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE