Title: Performance Improvement and Support for NATO Employees
Authors: Annetta Dolowitz, Jessica Collier, Aleshia Hayes, Cem Kumsal
Selected Case (Published Article): Iterative Design and Integration of a Microlearning Mobile App for Performance Improvement and Support for NATO Employees
1. Introduction
Let’s begin with a definition of performance support which Reiser et al. define as the field of strategies that support human performance at job sites and is crucial for the overall learning and worker performance of a company (133). Performance support can be implemented for cheaper than training/instructional/e-learning sessions in a number of ways including through print or technology and provides the user with immediate guidance for tasks/job duties. Different types of performance support includes external support that stands alone from the task such as user manuals, software help that assists users in using software such as installation wizards which are also intrinsic because they are embedded in the workflow, planners such as checklists that assist workers with metacognitive tasks, task and process support that assists workers fulfill procedural tasks, sidekicks such as Clippy the paperclip from early Microsoft 365 programs which helps the user accomplish a task in the moment, and finally diagnostic tools which assist the user in forecasting events and providing recommendations based on the forecasted events such as Credit Karma’s credit forecaster (Reiser et al. 136). Performance support makes job duties easier, assists employees in being more productive, is seamlessly integrated with the job task, is cost effective usually cheaper than producing a training or e-learning, is not difficult to scale nor update, and is mostly for workers who have already completed training and are looking for assistance in applying what they have learned to a clear, repetitive, and standardized duty in the workplace (Reiser et al. 136). Performance support is not meant to fix any and all problems that occur in the workplace and is not meant to teach workers concepts similarly to how instruction and trainings do, but rather is there when workers need support.
2. Overview of the Case
In the selected case, the type of performance support employed is microlearning. The case details the development, research, and implementation process of the NATO Headquarters Supreme Allied Command Transformation (HQ SACT) e-Learning Networking App (NeNA) which was developed in order to increase motivation among workers through various avenues. According to Gilbert’s Behavior Engineering model, this is an external incentive or internal motives non-training solution to a perceived performance gap. The development of this microlearning is in response to a changing workforce and seeks to meet the changing needs of said workforce. As older employees retire, younger employees are hired. Content therefore is designed to be self-directed and personalized yet reduces cognitive load, and reduces knowledge loss from turnover as well as being technologically available for the new generation of workers that have grown up with technology. Content is also designed to be efficient and effective with minimal disruption towards their job duties. The problem statement describes solving the problem of lost implicit knowledge with microlearning. Researchers’ goals are to personalize self-directed learning and at the same time decrease interruptions to job duties and to reduce the loss of knowledge, as NATO job duties are carried out by soldiers who have an average of 24 months to carry them out. Microlearning was the chosen solution due to both newer generations of workers having a better grasp on technology, but also tend to have shorter attention spans and because mobile learning can be utilized in formal and informal learning (Dolowitz et al. 144). With performance support and mobile microlearning in general, the learning experience is individualized and the content is short and informal.
3. Solutions Implemented
Researchers implemented the solution of microlearning on the mobile app NeNA. HQ SACT, a third party organization hired by NATO to develop an app to hold microlearning content, partnered the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) to serve as consultants in three areas (cognitive load theory, cognitive theory of multimedia learning, and self-determination theory) for the app and its contents. The app was modeled after an app that already exists for the United States military, an adaptive learning app named PERLS. However, in order to reduce the implicit knowledge lost by turnover, learners were allowed to collaborate and create content, known as an affinity space, which is a part of the three major design components of the app. The other two being motivation-based and channel organization. After this iterative design phase, content was developed. Content was chunked into very small chunks that are individualized and can be learned alone or as a part of a series. Social learning and gamification techniques were also utilized with a user-centered design approach.
4. Outcomes
The team created modules to instruct users on how to use the app and how microlearning can assist them in performing job duties efficiently. The app itself along with some of its content was presented at the NATO Training Technology Conference (NTTC), including guidelines for creating NeNA content, a checklist that was utilized to test the viability and reliability of the guidelines, and microlearning modules in the NeNA app (Dolowitz et al. 146). The team measured the effectiveness of the product through expert review and pilot testing. End-users were asked to complete two surveys: one on satisfaction and ease of use and one on ease of use and relevance. For both, results were positive and the team concluded that the NeNA was worth adopting. The researchers conclude that shared implicit knowledge between employees is secure and consistent with the microlearning app though many users tried to upload their own content based on their implicit knowledge that was already present in the app. Researchers made changes to the app which included design changes such as font and mobile device usability based on expert reviews as well as explaining user roles, clarifying these roles in the system, and clarifying the guidelines for user created modules.
5. Implications
Researchers conclude that with the development of a mobile learning app with the purpose of supporting worker performance, organizations can take a deeper look at how informal learning (in this case a mobile learning app) through the encouragement of instructional designers and capitalize on its use rather than the development of formal training programs in order to reduce the amount of implicit knowledge that is lost due to turnover or other factors. Researchers concluded that a content manager will be necessary to supervise user created content and that said content manager will need managerial support to ensure that user created information maintains uniformity in its design. Researchers also conclude that it is necessary to do further testing on microlearning non-training solutions to performance gaps as there needs to be conclusive data that supports microlearning, ensuring that goals are met with content being delivered this way. While this is performance support, a third party company was hired to design the product. This must not be as cost effective due to an entire app being developed, however perhaps its benefits outweigh the costs with users being able to use the app for years potentially.
References
Dolowitz, A., Collier, J., Hayes, A., & Kumsal, C. (2023). Iterative Design and Integration of a Microlearning Mobile App for Performance Improvement and Support for NATO Employees. TechTrends: Linking Research and Practice to Improve Learning, 67(1), 143–149. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-022-00781-2
Reiser, R. A., & Dempsey, J. V. (2017). Trends and Issues in Instructional Design and Technology. (4th ed.) New York, NY: Pearson Education