Purpose: The paper describes the purpose of and strategies for conducting post-occupancy evaluations (POEs) as a method for assessing school building performance. Set within the larger context of global efforts to develop and apply common indicators of school building quality, the authors describe research conducted within the newest generation of…

Emergency notification has become a critical component of every higher education institution's overall emergency plan, as incidents across the country have galvanized campus safety officials to find more ways to notify their campus populations. Emergency notification systems can help get and keep students, faculty members, and staff out of harm's…

The American Society for Training and Development (ASTD) defines human performance technology (HPT) as "a systematic approach to analyzing, improving, and managing performance in the workplace through the use of appropriate and varied interventions." The first step in this approach is the performance analysis (Gilbert, 1978). In this…

Discusses the impossibility of organizational change and how that impacts the role of human performance technology. Five components of technology are described, including systems thinking; personal learning and mastery; mental models; building shared vision; and team learning. (LRW)

To perform rapid analysis one must ask the right questions at the right time and engage in active listening. This article examines the fundamentals of rapid analysis: business need, performance requirement, work processes, interventions, and evaluation. Includes an analysis completeness checklist (organizational need/opportunity, economic…

Presents a simulated dialog that explores the issues surrounding the terms and concepts of "training needs assessment" and contrasts those with "needs assessment." Needs, needs analysis, and training requirements analysis are defined, and it is concluded that needs assessment is a better term than training needs assessment.…

Provides a practitioner's overview of the processes, models, and lessons learned from a successful application of Level Three training evaluation theory, tools, and principles. Focuses on the development and implementation of a program for a fast track, cost-effective evaluation that balances organizational needs, regulatory requirements, and…

Discusses the need for clear and measurable statements of the learning objectives in cross-cultural training and describes the process one training center used to address this need. The goal was to undertake a competency analysis of intercultural effectiveness to describe the performance expected of an interculturally effective person. (Author/LRW)

Describes STEP (Systems for Training, Evaluation, and Performance), a model consortium of senior training professionals for performance improvement. STEP activities are described, including networking and projects; costs, management, and replication of the model are also discussed. (LRW)

Describes strategies for fostering individual motivation, focusing on unique motivation issues faced by teams and how to overcome them. Suggests that motivational programs can improve performance and solve performance problems, and that the challenge is to find ways to support individual and cultural beliefs about success and what makes them…

Explains performance-centered learning (PCL), an approach to optimize support for performance on the job by making corporate assets available to knowledge workers so they can solve actual problems. Illustrates PCL with a Web site that provides just-in-time learning, collaboration, and performance support tools to improve performance at the…

Discusses electronic learning from the viewpoint of human resources professionals. Defines the promise of electronic learning, determines if it is real, and presents the factors that need to be in place to implement an effective electronic learning package for both organizations and their employees. (Author/LRW)

Discussion of assessing training effects on corporate outcomes focuses on a study that examined the effects of trainee characteristics on training effectiveness in terms of job performance improvement. Investigates reasons for leaving and high turnover of company personnel. (Author/LRW)

Discusses certification for members of ISPI (International society for Performance Improvement) and how it can enable a different level of conversation with clients, and allows clients to identify competent practitioners who can improve human performance and have committed to a code of ethics. (LRW)

Considers how performance support systems (PSSs) fit within a business training framework with its own ideal training principles and examines what theoretical principles of learning underlie learning with PSSs. Presents a formal model of learning support that maps out current implementations of this class of system, enabling discussion of its role…