Hybrid equipment training
Client:
Humanmade
Completion date:
July 1, 2022
Category:
E-learning
The challenge
The skill levels of new members wishing to use Humanmade's shared workshop varies widely from novices to professional tradesmen. To qualify, new members must attend either a hands on training course or demonstrate pre-existing skills through an assessment. However even the most skilled professionals may require a little bit of instruction if they haven't used the exact make and model of tools in the shop. This means Humanmade needs to communicate essential information to a wide audience without it going over their heads or wasting the time of experienced members.
The development process
When redesigning Humanmade training, I aimed to enhance efficiency and support for all skill levels by incorporating e-learning modules.
Current training materials include printed booklets and 1-page job aids, which are limited in information, can't be updated after printing, and lack multimedia capabilities. E-learning addresses these issues while also allowing users to learn at their own pace. Novices can take their time, revisit information, and access supplementary resources, while experienced users can skip familiar content and focus on filling in knowledge gaps.
While hands-on tools will always require some in-person training or instructor skill verification, I believe that developing online content can streamline in-person sessions, accommodate larger groups, and potentially reduce costs for trainees and the organization.
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The results
This training method is still in development and has not been tested on a large group, but early prototype results are encouraging:
- Skill Improvement: 8 participants of varying skill levels took the e-learning module and completed online and in-person tests, all showing score increases, including highly skilled users.
- Knowledge Retention: Novice users identified controls, safety tips, and workflow during in-person evaluations up to a week after taking the module.
- Efficiency: The module halved class time. Implementing it as standard pre-training could save staff time or allow more participants per session.
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