Human Factor Considerations in Online Training Design

As more training is delivered online, training designers must think differently, and learners must take more control. SCT's Mario Pierobon investigates.

Online training has become widespread in safety critical industries as an immediate consequence of the global Covid-19 pandemic. There are many forms to deliver online training – with the distinction between synchronous and asynchronous being the most known; in general, however, online training has no immediate face-to-face interaction between the trainer and the trainees.

According to Sandy Baum and Michael McPherson in an academic publication entitled ‘The Human Factor: The Promise & Limits of Online Education’ [i], the central problem of online courses appears to be the lack of adequate personal interaction between students and instructors, as well as among students.

The Pre-conditions

According to Khaled A. Alshare, Ronald D. Freeze, Peggy L. Lane, and H. Joseph Wen in a journal article entitled ‘The Impacts of System and Human Factors on Online Learning Systems Use and Learner Satisfaction’ [ii], individual situations and attributes are influencing elements of trainee’s perception of online learning system success or otherwise. Indeed, there are some pre-conditions that must be satisfied.

To be successful as an online learner, the trainee needs to have self-management skills and need to feel comfortable with online learning, according to Alshare et al. “Learners who are comfortable with online learning will be able to easily access the Internet when needed and feel comfortable communicating electronically.”

The trainees must also be willing to participate in the online class. Those with a high comfort level will actively communicate with their classmates and instructor electronically. “Additionally, they feel confident about exchanging ideas with other students in online chats or discussion forums.”

Studies have demonstrated that successful trainees can be able to motivate themselves, even when they do not have the burning desire to complete a certain task. On the other hand, less successful trainees tend to have difficulty in applying self-motivation skills, such as goal setting, verbal reinforcement, and self-rewards, say Alshare et al.

Trainees’ Performance

People think and act differently and this implies that also their learning styles are different. In the assessment of trainees’ performance, different learning styles have different results, according to Harry Benham in a study entitled ‘Training Effectiveness, On-line Delivery and the Influence of Learning Style’ [iii].

In addition to learning style, many other factors may influence performance in training situations. In particular, an individual’s attitude toward computers is likely to influence their performance in online training situations, said Benham.

“Microcomputer playfulness and computer self-efficacy capture the way individuals relate to computers. Microcomputer playfulness measures an individual’s tendency to interact spontaneously, inventively and imaginatively with computers. In order to be able to interact with computers in such a manner, an individual must be comfortable and familiar with using a computer,” said Benham.

The computer self-efficacy scale measures an individual’s confidence in their ability to accomplish specific tasks using a computer. Higher computer self-efficacy scores are associated with greater confidence in accomplishing more complex tasks. According to Benham, in an online training environment individuals with more comfort using a computer and individuals with more confidence in their ability to accomplish tasks using a computer should perform better.

Trainees’ Responsibility

According to Alshare et al., a defining feature of online learning is that it places more responsibilities on learners than traditional face-to-face learning. “A different learning strategy, self-managed learning, is necessary for online learning systems to be effective,” they said. “Self-managed learning requires changing roles of students from passive learners to active learners. Learners must self-manage the learning process.”

Lori K. Long, Cathy Z. DuBois, and Robert H. Faley in a journal article entitled ‘Online training: the value of capturing trainee reactions’ [iv] observe that in an entirely online learning environment trainees are primarily responsible for motivating themselves and guiding themselves through the learning, whilst in a traditional environment the instructor generally takes care of these tasks.

“Thus, learning in an online training program is more likely to be compromised when trainees are unable to navigate through the training, or when they are lazy, careless, or do not know how or when to self-motivate,” they said.

ADDIE Model

The ADDIE instructional systems design model can play an important role in the embedment of human factor considerations in online training programmes. ADDIE stands for ‘Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation’, and it is an already common approach used in the development of professional training programmes.

According to Christine Peterson in an academic paper entitled ‘Bringing ADDIE to Life: Instructional Design at Its Best’ [v], ADDIE is a cyclical process that evolves over time and continues throughout the instructional planning and implementation process. “Five stages comprise the framework, each with its own distinct purpose and function in the progression of instructional design.”

In the analysis phase, the designers’ main consideration should be the target audience, according to Peterson. “The design process consists of several key facets. Primarily the designer is conducting research and planning throughout this stage. Designers must refer to the results from the previous two phases and construct a product for the delivery of the information during the development phase,” she said. “This transitional stage transforms the designer’s role from research and planning to a production mode.”

In the implementation of online training, the designers should take an active role rather than a passive one, said Peterson. “The designer or instructor’s role intensifies with the advent of this phase. In order for the product to be delivered effectively, developers must continue to analyze, redesign, and enhance the product. Throughout the evaluation phase, the designer must determine if the problem has been solved (relevant to training programs), if the objectives have been met, the impact of the product or course, and the changes that are necessary in the future delivery of the program or course.”

Training Delivery Style

In those training programmes where a trainer is involved (both synchronous and asynchronous), the trainer delivery style is critical to the overall quality of training, affirm Bertha Rangel, Wonjoon Chung, T. Brad Harris, Nichelle C. Carpenter, Dan S. Chiaburu, and Jenna L. Moore in a journal article entitled ‘Rules of engagement: the joint influence of trainer expressiveness and trainee experiential learning style on engagement and training transfer’ [vi].

Trainer expressiveness, defined as the extent to which a trainer uses appropriate and enthusiastic vocal intonations and verbal fluency, represents a specific characteristic of a trainer’s delivery style that has considerable importance for training transfer. Research examining trainer delivery styles has demonstrated that trainers who are expressive and stimulating are perceived as more effective in facilitating training transfer, Rangel et al. observe. “To boost training transfer, it is essential to find optimal matches between trainees’ learning style (accomplished through selection or priming techniques) and trainers’ delivery styles.”

Assessing Training Effectiveness

The evolution of technology that delivers and supports online training simplifies the collection of trainee reaction information during and after training. Organisations, in fact, have the possibility to make use of these tools to analyse trainee reactions in training evaluation and assess the effectiveness of the training delivered, according to Long et al.

Trainee reactions and learning are the easiest data that can be collected. “Evaluation at the reaction and learning levels focuses on what occurred during the training experience and are captured in the training setting by the trainer,” say Long et al.

Trainee reactions may play a more significant role in the effectiveness of training in an online environment compared to other delivery methods due to the structure of the learning environment, affirm Long et al. “Online training has two specific characteristics, trainee control and the absence of instructor-led interaction. These create a learning environment in which the trainee’s reaction to training may more significantly impact their learning outcomes.”

[i] Sandy Baum, Michael McPherson; The Human Factor: The Promise & Limits of Online Education. Daedalus 2019; 148 (4): 235–254. doi:  https://doi.org/10.1162/daed_a_01769
[ii] Khaled A. Alshare, Ronald D. Freeze, Peggy L. Lane, and H. Joseph Wen, The Impacts of System and Human Factors on Online Learning Systems Use and Learner Satisfaction,  https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/j.1540-4609.2011.00321.x
[iii] Harry C. Benham (2002), Training Effectiveness, On-line Delivery and the Influence of Learning Style, SIGCPR '02: Proceedings of the 2002 ACM SIGCPR conference on Computer personnel research May 2002 Pages 41–46  https://doi.org/10.1145/512360.512368
[iv] Long, L.K., DuBois, C.Z. and Faley, R.H. (2008), "Online training: the value of capturing trainee reactions", Journal of Workplace Learning, Vol. 20 No. 1, pp. 21-37.  https://doi.org/10.1108/13665620810843629
[v] Peterson, C. (2003). Bringing ADDIE to Life: Instructional Design at Its Best. Journal of Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia, 12(3), 227-241. Norfolk, VA: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE). Retrieved November 14, 2021 from  https://www.learntechlib.org/primary/p/2074/
[vi] Bertha Rangel, Wonjoon Chung, T. Brad Harris, Nichelle C. Carpenter, Dan S. Chiaburu and Jenna L. Moore, Rules of engagement: the joint influence of trainer expressiveness and trainee experiential learning style on engagement and training transfer,  https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/ijtd.12045?saml_referrer