Masters Theses

Date of Award

8-1996

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Major

Human Resource Development

Major Professor

Roger W. Haskell

Committee Members

D. G. Craig, R. R. Hanson

Abstract

The heart of the quality improvement process within an organization is the ability to show actual improvement. This research was conducted in an effort to determine a basis for measuring improvement in PC competency and to suggest effective training methods that are likely to help improve PC skills and knowledge within an organization.

Two questionnaires surveyed managers (17 with 85% responding) and PC users (173 with 90% responding) within the engineering department of a major consumer electronics company. Both instruments listed 31 skills/knowledge at the introductory level of Windows v3.1 and five additional competencies thought to be important by this organization. PC users were also asked five questions to gain additional insight into influences on their perceived level of competence.

Results indicate that managers expected PC users to have 85 percent of the skills/knowledge at the introductory level of Windows v3.1 -- all managers agreed on the importance of 11 competencies. As a group PC users did not perceive themselves as having the competencies managers' expected. In some cases this difference was significant. Influences on perceived competence found to be significant were: a) use of a computer more than once a week at home, b) having a clear understanding of their managers' expectations, c) using Windows on a near daily basis. PC users who volunteered to teach a co-worker perceived themselves to have a significantly higher level of competence than those respondents who did not volunteer. Traditional lecture/lab training was found to be preferred by 42 percent of PC users, tutorial by 33 percent, and computer- based instruction by 20 percent. It may be practically significant that only five percent chose video-based instruction as a preferred training method.

The literature review provided information on ways to help make training more effective. The training technique repeatedly encountered emphasized that training should support an organization's business objectives. Giving employees training choices appears to encourage personal responsibility for learning outcomes. Computer-based training provides numerous benefits. Time and cost savings are the most significant. Organizations with established networks will want to consider putting training courses on a server for ease in trainer updating and access on demand by PC clients. Using World Wide Web technology internally (intranets) is an effective way to provide interactive training with multimedia and hypertext capability. Because employees are adults, for training to be effective, those with the responsibility for providing training should consider the special needs of the adult learner.

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