of technology, modern training is technologically enabled to be delivered within an any time, any place framework, “Smart technology breaks the cycle of same time, same place, training delivery, making possible any time, any place learning, as well as providing means for more customized training experiences, and applying methods that better match the sensibilities and learning styles of today’s employees” (Rand, 1996, 11).
The constantly changes tides of business and social change prompted by technological advance have made time-honored employee training methods obsolete. Neatly aligned rows of employees in stale classrooms with one instructor armed with a slew of overhead transparencies and a piece of chalk and blackboard are the stuff of history in today’s technology oriented training systems. Training has become a much more multimedia interactive process and more than one trend is responsible for making the traditional, instructor-led, classroom-based training style obsolete. As listed in Rand (1996), these trends include:
Iterative reengineered complex training requirements associated with a highly global competitive economy.
Progressively more heterogeneous employee populations making one-size-fits-all training ineffective.
Geographically dispersed workforces that render centralized training delivery inconvenient and costly.
Corporations downsizing of staff functions such as training and HRD combined with a general disinclination to build classroom capacity to keep pace with demand.
A contemporary workforce characterized by active and visual learning styles (the Nintendo and MTV generation) rather than the more passive and verbal learning styles (textbook and lecture) of prior generations. (11)
The purpose of this analysis is to discover what factors affect the effectiveness of newer training methods that utilize technology. Because technology training often involves those carrying out the training ...