Week 11 - Module #12 - History, Trends, and Issues in HPT
This week's reading brings a new perspective about Human Performance Technology (HPT) and significant trends. According to Stolovitch (2015), HPT practitioners need to keep in mind that "research and theory has much to offer to practice. In fact, practice without a solid research and theory base, becomes little more than 'craft'" (p. 43). When it comes to using technology, some practitioners tend to focus on practical tasks without paying attention to research and development that can help get better outcomes. Stolovitch brings up the importance of having research and theory at the forefront of professional practices. In addition, Stolovitch (2018) points out the relationship between HPT and Human Performance Improvement (HPI). He mentions that "HPI is what we wish to achieve and HPT is the means we use to achieve it" (p. 124). One of the crucial factors of HPI is that it identifies workplace performance problems through a series of systematic processes to develop interventions to solve those problems (Stolovitch, 2018). HPI and HPT are movements that are not going away, and they are gaining more attention in different parts of the world.
Another interesting topic that was brought up in the readings is the one about massive open online course (MOOC). When I read about this definition I was a little confused by the term “massive” and the meaning behind that. Nowadays, these types of courses are more regular in different educational institutions. After the pandemic, it seems that more students want that the current education system changes towards the idea of having more MOOCs. “Consequently, instructional designers and other educational technology practitioners are increasingly asked to design, develop, and evaluate MOOCs” (Bonk et. al., 2010, p. 253).
It is acknowledged that instructional designers will continue playing an essential role in different fields such as education. Technology is evolving so rapidly that it is necessary to remember that research and theory must be aligned with practice.
Bonk, C. J., Lee. M. M., Reeves, T. C., & Reynolds, T. H. (2018). The emergence and design of massive open online courses. In R. A. Reiser & J. V. Dempsey (Eds.), Trends and issues in instructional design and technology (4th Ed.), (pp. 250-258). New York, NY: Pearson Education.
Stolovitch, H. D. (2015). Human performance technology: Research and theory to practice. Performance Improvement, 54(3).
Stolovitch, H. D. (2018). The development and evolution of human performance improvement. In R. A. Reiser & J. V. Dempsey (Eds.), Trends and issues in instructional design and technology (4th Ed.), (pp. 121-131). New York, NY: Pearson Education.
After these two weeks' readings, I solved my confusion about the difference between human performance technology and human performance improvement. The former is a means to the ends of the latter, which is “to achieve, through people, increasingly successful accomplishments, directly tied to organizational goals, that are valued by all stakeholders, including those who perform, their managers, their peers, the organization as a whole, shareholders, customers, regulatory agencies, and even society itself ” (Stolovitch & Beresford, 2012, p. 135).
ReplyDeleteChen, thank you for sharing this definition and differentiation of HPI and HPT. They are interrelated and complete each other.
DeleteGreat point Claudio, people became more interested in taking MOOCs during pandemic. I have recently listened to a podcast (by EdSurge) where one a university professor mentioned that there might be some design or instructional ideas to learn form MOOCs. Here is the link to the podcast: https://www.edsurge.com/news/2021-10-26-are-upstart-online-providers-getting-better-at-teaching-than-traditional-colleges
ReplyDelete~Dilnoza
Hi Claudio.
ReplyDeleteYour post this week insightful. What stood out the most to me was about MOOCs. To add to MOOCs, I recently read an article from the readings in our course that there are different types of MOOCs. If you haven’t read it already, I highly recommend reading it. Also, our professor Dr. Bonk is one of the authors so you know it is a good read! What you mentioned about HTI is excited but at the same time, frustrating. In my workplace, it is not realistic to develop interventions from a systematic process approach. However, I believe my department is going in the direction to dedicate time to thoughtful processes to improve associate performance. As time passes, I believe organizations will begin to notice the importance of HPI if some have not already.