Process Safety Management includes the implementation of a competency development & assurance program and requires in part the design and development of various learning solutions. One of the solutions is the design of learning activities. Generally, learning teams are employed to develop the learning strategies and activities that will be implemented to ensure requisite knowledge, skills and attitudes are successfully transferred to learners.
The results of poor learning can arise from a large variety of issues but particularly in the design of learning strategies and activities. In addition, problems for learners accessing the learning material and/or sessions and the overall learning experience can also affect whether the learning will be successful. These problems generally stem from a learning development team’s inadequate skills, as well as their inability to effectively collaborate.
A key performance indicator (KPI) for learning development teams is the efficiency with which they can design and develop learning solutions from concept to completion. Part of working smart includes developing proficiency in everything a learning development team is required to do. The efficiencies in which learning design tasks are completed are measured by the amount of overall time required to produce a certain result and/or complete a deliverable (i.e. achieve a milestone). This speaks directly to the management of learning development projects. In highly productive learning development project teams, the continuous monitoring of tasks in terms of time on task, progress, accuracy, and quality of the work completed each day is critical to the timeliness, accuracy and quality of the completed project. Equally important is a learning development team’s adherence to adult learning principles and/or theories and having advanced understanding of how learning occurs, which in turn impacts the effectiveness of the learning.
The effectiveness of learning is a product of the level of sophistication, which is determined by the complexity of the learning strategies and the corresponding learning activities. Take for example the sophistication of self-paced online learning sessions. The degree of sophistication will vary depending on the types of learning activities and the various types of visual media used, such as 3D models, computer-generated animations, video, digitized photographs, and 2D/3D static imagery. Additionally, learning activities such as discovery-through-exploration, critical thinking activities, and short games that transfer knowledge, skills, and attitudes can also determine the degree of sophistication.
There are many aspects to ensuring quality learning however, a highly qualified learning development team, ease of access to learning for participants, professional delivery, experiential learning activities and realistic learner expectations are central to the effectiveness of online learning, training materials and systems.