Welcome back! So my first blog assignment was to create my blog and either post an introduction or create an About Me page. I opted for the second option because I thought it would make for a cleaner site.
Today’s blog post is about the goals and expectations (to be clear, my goals and expectations) of EDCI 528, Human Performance Technology. First, I should give a few thoughts on the picture to the left. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Faith is taking the first step even when you can’t see the whole staircase.” I think our goals and expectations are the same way. We know what we want from things, life, jobs, events, etc., but we don’t know what exactly will happen. Because of this uncertainty, we are hesitant to make goals or set expectations because we don’t want to be let down or not reach those goals. Life and change are adventures meant to be adapted to and embraced. Our goals and expectations should be the same, embraced, and adapted as needed. So, let’s dive in and see what fruit this adventure bears.
What do you think Human Performance Technology entails?
This is an interesting question; Human Performance Technology or HPT is or has been known as human performance improvement (HPI) or human performance assessment (HPA). At its root, I believe that HPT or any of its iterations is focused on improving performance at many levels. Similar to Instructional Design, Human Performance Technology requires a robust analysis of the requirements and performance levels that are being asked for. This analysis should uncover and identify the root causes of performance gaps and inform the processes used to improve and sustain the desired performance. In my mind, there should be some form of evaluation at the conclusion to see if the results match up with the given requirements.
What skills and knowledge do you already have that you feel relate to the content of this course?
I think back to my days as a tech support analyst troubleshooting computer issues and Internet connectivity problems. Those jobs gave me the critical thinking and process skills needed to question, analyze and deduct the cause of a given issue based on the performance requirement needed. As an example, If a customer was unable to get their email. The performance level required is the successful retrieval of email. From there, the questions asked would start broadly, “are you able to connect to the Internet and access a web page.” Based on the answers, I would narrow down the causes until the root cause was discovered, “the password in your email program is incorrect.” When I started in training and development, I used those same question and deduction skills when designing learning experiences for my learners.
What do you hope to gain from this course?
I have found that many of the “training” issues brought to me could have been resolved with non-instructional solutions, but I lacked the context to make the business case for those non-instructional solutions. My goal in taking this course is to strengthen my analytical and questioning skills to ask the right questions. In addition, I hope to gain the background context and knowledge needed to make strong business cases for non-instructional interventions and solutions.
What do you expect to contribute to this course?
I am hopeful that my years of experience in multiple industries will provide insight and help for my peers in this course. I hope that the questions I ask will be thoughtful and insightful enough to help my peers work through the content. If none of that happens then, maybe I can serve as an example of what not to say or ask in situations that arise.
How do you believe you will use what you learn in this course in your future career?
I will use the skills learned in this course in my daily work as an Instructional Designer. These skills will add to my existing toolkit and help me design and develop both instructional and non-instructional interventions and solutions to provide the performance needed by my stakeholders.
Wow, I didn’t think I would have much to say. I guess I was wrong. I look forward to your comments and feedback.
Talk to you next week!
Scott