Reuse of Learning/Training Materials in Industry

• In Event: Improving Materials Development With Shareable Instructional Objects: Demonstration and Discussion

Abstract

The purpose of this talk is to discuss how shareable contet objects (SCOs) changed the development of instructional materials in the private sector . SCOs work on different computers and operating systems, are reusable across different applications, and accessible on demand. Previously, there was little sharing of instructional content in industry, not surprising since much of industrial training is proprietary. Some content, such as Microsoft Tools tutorials are purchased and used widely in the private sector but there remains a large amount of instructional material that is potentially shareable, but is not shared. A repository of instructional material that may be shared is unlikely to work unless there is a way to offer a monetary incentitive for sharing. What industry has done well is is to make the content available for several individualized training programs; i.e., multiple use of courseware. To accomplish this smaller content units are needed.

Over the last decade there has been a dramatic change in the size of courses developed for industry. Now content is being developed in much smaller chunks than formerly. A course for the oilfield giant, Schlumberger, is a good example of materials development then (15 years ago) . At that time materials development tended toward large whole courses covering a complete training objective. The content of the Schlumberger course replaced eighty hours of classroom training and covered broad subject matter that dealt with oil and gas exploration. The Schumberger course is a relatively typical instance of material development before content was broken into SCOs.
Today the materials are typically broken into small SCOs that are assembled into courses. Additionally, much of that assembly may be done with features from the Learning Management System (LMS) used by the particular company. But much of the course size issue centers around providing smaller chunks that are more cost effective because they make it easier to combine training with job performance demands and because they facilitate the incorporation of content into multiple individualized training programs.

The Hydrogen Fire Safety Course used by Air Liquide, a large air products company, is a good example of the current trend. The course is deployed as a small chunk and is assigned to either individuals or job classifications using the LMS. Additionally, the course is deployed to some business units without use of an LMS. The course is certainly useable by any person, company or industry that needs knowledge on this issue. It belongs to a large international company and there is no motivation to share outside of their organization. Both a method for accessing courses and an economic incentive would help in gaining broader sharing of courses produced by industry.

Author

• Don Holmes, Imedia.it, Inc.