Paul Donovan

The learning transfer system approach to estimating the benefits of training: empirical evidence

Three steps must be implemented if a training programme is to be successful. The first is the identification of needs to identify what training is required. The second is an analysis of the firm to identify the issues that will affect the ability of the firm to exploit new skills. The third is an evaluation of the training to ensure that sufficient resources are applied to implement and to integrate the training programme. These latter two steps come under the heading of learning transfer. The article presents the findings of an application of this approach. The analysis shows the richness of the information that results from this approach and outlines its operational importance for managers engaged in decision‐making or in the design of training programmes. In addition, it suggests the next steps in the research towards improving the tools available for the evaluation of training.

Student response systems and learner engagement in large classes

The use of student response systems is becoming more prevalent in higher level education. Evidence on the effectiveness of this technology can be an important resource for tutors seeking to engage with learners and raise the quality of learning experiences. Student response systems have been found to increase student engagement and participation in the classroom, yet few studies examine why this is so. This research seeks to explore the effects of student response systems on student participation in large classes. The methods used included both quantitative and qualitative data. A pre-test/mid-test/post-test design (quantitative approach) was deployed to examine the effects of a classroom response system on interactivity. Students involved in a final year undergraduate business course took part in investigating the use of student response systems from the student perspective. Qualitative data were collected to identify the strengths and weaknesses of using a classroom response system to enhance classroom interaction through semi-structured interviews. This research builds on previous studies by investigating why students become more participatory, interactive and engaged during learning sessions which utilise student response systems. Implications for teaching practice are discussed, and avenues for future research on student response systems and student engagement in large class scenarios are outlined.

Learning transfer: the views of practitioners in Ireland

Considerable expenditure on human resource development (HRD) has not necessarily resulted in a significant impact on organizational performance, and research suggests that the failure to transfer learning may be an important explanation. The search for factors affecting transfer has been extensive, as shown in Grossman and Salass article in this issue, but, as they also show, more research is needed. The purpose of the present study is to ascertain the views of HRD practitioners (in Ireland) about the factors that they believe are relevant to the transfer of learning in the workplace. The aim is to discover whether practitioners have identified potential factors which researchers have not explored or not explored sufficiently. This group of practitioners was chosen because of the considerable control they wield over significant tranches of organizational resources. The method first involved engagement with 28 senior HRD practitioners in a workshop setting to create a transfer inventory based on their expert opinion. The initial inventory was then responded to online by a group of 314 practitioners indicating the relevance of the items to the question of transfer. Factor analysis was used to achieve parsimony among items, and 21 potential factors were identified. This study focused on the 15 factors adjudged by practitioners to be most relevant. It is concluded that trainer effectiveness, organizational linkage and training event climate, all deemed relevant by practitioners, may justify further research.

The Role of Debate in Moving Minds

Management development exercises aimed at passing on or scaffolding knowledge and skills in training programs are plentiful but exercises that can help change attitudes are in short supply. Role debate is a structured debating exercises where participants reconsider the way they think about important job-related issues. This article shows a case study where role debate enabled call agents to gain a greater grasp of their organization’s customer service policy. In role debates, participants, working in pairs, take up opposing stances on a given issue. After a few minutes debating, participants switch roles and argue the opposite to their initial stance. This allows for issues to be considered from many perspectives and for attitudes to adjust. Role debate has a wide applicability for teachers and facilitators in numerous settings. Instructions on how to design and conduct as well as several examples of role debates are given.

A Threshold Concept in Managing: What Students in Introductory Management Courses Must Know

In the field of management, a practice–theory gap has developed and consequently, management education has been criticized for being irrelevant to the needs of stakeholders. This article argues that introduction to management courses in higher education perpetuate this gap by not teaching what managers do. These courses fail to communicate well the threshold concept of managing as accomplishing results through other people. Understanding this threshold concept would give students clearer perspectives on the distinction between doing work and managing work in organizations—between being “one of the team” and “managing the team.” Using a class exercise as exemplar, the author demonstrates the use of a set of debate questions in the form of contestable statements regarding doing and managing, which are argued by students in small groups in class before final resolution in a plenary session. Students emerge from these debating sessions with a clearer definition and understanding of the core work that managers actually do. Learners also become cognizant of the need for managers to have an appropriate balance between the amount of managing and doing work they engage in on a daily basis. Without these understandings students become “stuck” and their learning lacks posteducational relevance.

The Measurement of Transfer Using Return on Investment

Research into transfer of learning was originally focused on outcomes’ evaluation in terms of reaction, learning, behavior, and results. Outcomes’ evaluation, widely accepted by practitioners, is criticized by researchers seeking a more systemic approach for assessing the effectiveness of training interventions. As a result, the field of transfer research developed approaches more cognizant of context with a muted emphasis on outcomes. In turn, these approaches were criticized for their lack of tangible evidence of transfer of training. This chapter describes the development of evaluation from its early days up until its current evolution. The original outcomes’ model, the Four-Level Model by Donald Kirkpatrick, is described and its contributions and criticisms are discussed. Phillips’ return on investment approach (ROI) is also described. An account of how to measure the transfer of training using ROI is discussed. Finally, the implications of using ROI as a measure of transfer are considered.

The Disaster Approach: Countering Learner Apprehension in Role-Play.

Training programs enhance the skills of participants. Role-play, one method used for such skill development, is learning through performing a set of behaviors, in accordance with predetermined expectations of a job role in an organizational context. Some learners find role-play daunting, even traumatic. To counter this experience, this article shows an innovative role-play format where, in advance of the program, tutors design and create a “disaster” video—an encounter where almost everything goes awry. In class, the video is shown and the group is divided into two teams: and one team designs and demonstrates a “corrected” version of the encounter. The second team composes a set of best practices on the ideal way to conduct such an encounter. The role-play event is performed in plenary by the “Demonstration” team, and the “Best Practices” team applies their guidelines to the other team’s performance. Instructions on how to use the exercise are given.

Actors and avatars: why learners prefer digital agents

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to compare learner experiences of recorded instructional videos (DVDs) with Machinima. Design/methodology/approach – In this exploratory study, sets of learning sequences in management skills training were delivered to 32 learners using both methods, and learner reactions were gathered using post-event interviews. Findings – Analysis of learner responses showed that participants prefer Machinima as a learning delivery mechanism. Participants also reported being better able to concentrate on the message of the Machinima learning sequences. Research limitations/implications – The sample was not representative, being a convenience sample derived by open invitation from cohorts of two master’s degree programmes conducted at the School of Business, Maynooth University, Maynooth, Co. Kildare. The age range of the participants was significantly skewed toward a younger age grouping. No learning test was given to assess the teaching efficacy of the methods. Implications for p...