141 - "If We Build Learning Technology, Will They Come"; Orientation Redesign Project

1. "If We Build Learning Technology, Will They Come" - Landmark ASTD/MASIE Center Study Announced:

Technology-based learning is a hot item on the corporate radar screen.
Concept: Take technology and deliver workplace learning right to the
desktops of the workforce. Learn anytime, anywhere. But, the big question
is: If we build it, will they come?

The MASIE Center and the American Society for Training & Development (ASTD)
will partner to study the critical success factors behind learning
technologies. The purpose of the study is to better understand how
organizations can increase learner use and acceptance of learning
technologies.

"The future of learning and technology is bright," said Elliott Masie,
President of The MASIE Center in Saratoga Springs, NY. "This is the perfect
time to better understand how workers and their managers will accept new
delivery methods for corporate training."

Greta Kotler, Interim President of ASTD, observed, "The idea of workplace
learning is poised for a revolutionary change, and technology is the primary
driver. Companies aspiring to stay on the leading edge of workplace learning
need to know how to address the tremendous cultural challenges that learning
technologies present.

""We are very excited about the ASTD and MASIE Center research project,
focusing on worker's acceptance of technology-based learning", said Paul
Petrylka, a director of learning at Kmart. "As organizations such as Kmart
implement new models of learning and training, it is critical that we have
validated research to guide our efforts and decisions."

Kotler adds, "We see this unparalleled study as a partnership that draws
upon the strengths of both ASTD and The Masie Center."

The study is expected to launch in November 1999. Organizations interested
in becoming sponsors or participants are encouraged to contact Mark Van
Buren, ASTD Director of Research, at 1.800.628.2783, ext. 257. We will
post additional information on this study in future TechLearn Trends. The
complete press release is located at http://www.masie.com/study1.htm

2. TechLearn '99 Registers 2000th Attendee - Trends Hits 30,000: We are
pleased to announce that the 2000th person has just registered for TechLearn
'99 (October 31 to November 3rd, Orlando, Florida). There is a design
limit of 2,500 attendees for this industry event and we encourage our
TechLearn Trends readers to register ASAP. http://www.techlearn.com is
the place to go for registration and information. We have now posted the
information for Behind The Scene's Tours of Disney, a Charity Golf
Tournament and all of our case studies.

On Monday night of TechLearn, we will be hosting a special Investment in
Learning session led by , Howard Block, Ph.D., CPA of Bank of America
Securities. He is a Managing Director in the Senior Research Analyst
Department and a leading expert on investment and Wall Street views of the
learning segment. We are honored to have Howard and Bank of America host
these timely dialogues at TechLearn.

We also hit a new mark for TechLearn TRENDS readership. Today, the
registered readership hit 30,012. This is a fun and exciting experiment by
The MASIE Center. We are honored that so many of our colleagues are
regular readers and encourage you to keep sending comments and articles.

3. Orientation Redesign Project? How to Change It? New employee
orientation is the most widely attended training session in the world. Yet,
most people give it a C- or even F. If you were to use technology and new
learning processes to change the way in which we orient and induct our new
employees, what would you do? No limit of resources and no constraints on
models of learning. Brainstorm a few ideas and send us an email to
orientation@masie.com As always, we will publish the results in an
upcoming Trends. New Incentive: A free Behind the Scene's Tour at Disney
during TechLearn for the best entry!

4. Learning Quotation: Carl Rogers

"The only person who is educated is the one who has learned how to learn and
change."

~ Carl Rogers ~

5. Request from 3M: Ratio's of Training Expenditure to Sales Levels

John Humphrey, a training colleague from 3 M Corporation, submitted this
question to TRENDS readers. Can you help him out (and we will post a
summary of the results)

"What I'm looking for is the ratio of total $ spent on training to total $
sales for a year (or better yet, over a period of years) for a company.
Just to be clear, here's an example:

In 1994, Company X spent $1.6MM on training companywide, and had total
sales of $64MM, for a 1:40 ratio.
In 1995, they spent $2.5MM on training, and sold $75MM, for a 1:30
ratio.
In 1996, they spent $8MM on training, and sold $160MM, for a 1:20
ratio.
In 1997 they spent $10MM on training, and sold $500MM, for a 1:50
ratio.

I'm not looking for cause-and-effect. I understand many factors could
impact either or both figures positively or negatively. However, I'd
certainly be interested to know what was included in the 'total training $'
figure:
customer training?
facilities and salaries for training?
external as well as internal training?
education?
conferences and seminars?
time-away-from-work-for-class?
other cost centers (e.g., help desk, library) considered part of your training function/organization?
consulting?
internships?
other?

Please send your responses to John Humphrey via email to jrhumphrey@mmm.com
All responses will be kept confidential and a summary will be posted on
Trends in the future. Thanks!