Self-paced Instruction Services

In certain situations, self-paced instruction is a viable and easily implemented alternative which can offer significant benefits to your organization.

Even though the initial design and development costs of SPI are higher than those of instructor-led training, the savings on delivery are higher still:

• Dedicated instructor costs are eliminated, as regular staff can act as coaches and administrators.
• Training facility, travel, and accommodation costs are eliminated, as employees need only a quiet study space and small segments of time to dedicate to training.
• Employees experience minimal work disruption, as SPI courses are modular. Lessons are deliberately kept short so learners can study the material in small chunks at a convenient time during the working day.
• Learners do not have to wait until a live class is scheduled. They can start learning as soon as they begin work, thus becoming productive more quickly.

Paper-based SPI is relatively inexpensive to produce and update.

Organizations wishing to try SPI might consider piloting the approach with a paper-based course. Then, if the results are positive, further courses can be developed in CBT or WBT format as required. Paper-based SPI course materials are easily migrated to a CD-ROM or the Web.

Employees learn more effectively with SPI:

• The combination of modular design and diagnostic tests allows users to study only what they need to know, eliminating time wasted learning material that is irrelevant or already known.
• Delivery is on demand, enabling learners to study any time, anywhere, and for however long they choose.
• Learning acquisition, transfer, and retention are enhanced with opportunities for practice throughout.
• Performance errors are immediately corrected by means of feedback throughout a learning activity.
• Competency is measured, as learners must successfully complete performance tests before proceeding to the next segment.
• Learners can review a module or lesson as a refresher before performing a specific task, thus increasing the chances of it being properly completed.

SPI is the ideal training solution when certain tasks must be performed in a consistent fashion. SPI can help standardize both the learning experience and learner performance because every learner works through the same material and has to meet the same standards of performance.

Note: While SPI is highly effective, it must be adequately supported to maximize its effectiveness. Individuals who learn on their own require some kind of training associate—a buddy, a mentor, a coach—to provide encouragement, support, and guidance.

 

If a significant percentage of an organization’s resource materials are available in print or on the corporate intranet, it is possible that much of the knowledge component of a course could be delivered as self-paced instruction.

SPI is the solution of choice when:

• task performance must be consistent across the enterprise
• performance criteria are clear-cut and straightforward
• successful performance can be measured through standardized questions (e.g., yes/no, multiple choice, task sequencing, etc.)
• the topic consists primarily of facts (e.g., product features and benefits, regulations and policies, or procedures)
• course content is stable
• course material can be presented in small segments
• the number of employees requiring training varies significantly across time
• learners have varying needs (e.g., current knowledge and skills, learning rates and styles)
• learners are geographically distributed
• learners will take the training on an as-and-when-needed basis
• learners benefit from repeating training segments as refreshers before performing unfamiliar or infrequent tasks

SPI should not be used as the sole means of training when:

• there is physical risks involved in the training
• course content includes complex issues of interpretation that do not have clear-cut answers
• skills are best learned in an interactive group setting in which learners are able to perform and debrief comprehensive “live” practices (e.g., communications skills, sales training)
• course content cannot be easily broken down into small independent segments
• course content must be revised frequently
• unique instructor expertise cannot be accurately conveyed in a self-paced course
• behaviours should be modeled/demonstrated in a live setting
• learners would benefit significantly from group discussions and practices

In such cases, the better choice is to use instructor-led training or a combination of self-paced and instructor-led training.

 

BrainWave Solutions Inc. members have over thirty years of experience in creating powerful self-paced instruction solutions for a variety of training needs, including:

• job planning, blueprint reading, layout, and fitting for journeymen fabricators
• contract management skills for new and experienced public sector employees
• network management concepts for telecommunications sales staff
• equipment checking and operating procedures for front-end loader, moveable cranes, and trackmobile operators
• stepped pole climbing and ladder handling procedures for cable installers
• labour force survey principles and procedures for field interviewers
• basic first aid procedures for company safety personnel
• industrial hygiene for in-plant postal workers

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