2024 Community of Human and Organizational Learning 30th Annual Conference

Have you attended training only to have the content slip away after completing the program?  The combination of spaced repetition with existing human performance solutions can significantly contribute to optimized performance by fostering retention of new skills and knowledge.  Spaced repetition increases the impact of your organization’s traditional, just-in-time (JIT), on-the-job training (OJT), and performance support solutions.  The presenter will describe a methodology and approach that increases memory recall while simultaneously supporting a more effective transfer of new knowledge and skills from the training program to the job site.  It is based on proven research about memory: Knowledge and skills that are not quickly applied after training erode.  Spaced repetition of previously learned info/skills in small chunks (approximately 5 minutes) repeated over time greatly improves retention while simultaneously significantly reducing the knowledge and skill erosion associated with learning new information without immediate reinforcement.  The presenter will describe a proven process that combines technology-based spaced repetition with modern adult learning and human performance to provide timely and relevant training based on key job-task performance needs, experience, and other factors.  It enhances, not replaces, extant training and performance solutions to help individuals retain what they learn from their formal, informal, JIT, and OJT programs more effectively, with greater efficiency, and at minimal cost.  This approach is particularly useful to support high performance for job-tasks that are infrequently performed yet critically important, including those best practices associated with high reliability.  Spaced repetition is delivered directly to the performer as part of their normal daily routine.  Spaced repetition is not a refresher course or a short form of an existing course. Instead, key performances and their associated knowledge and skills are reinforced via a simple direct targeted multi-week campaign.  The result: Improved long-term knowledge and skill retention with a subsequent boost to performance, especially for challenging tasks (i.e., infrequent yet complex systems repair, language training to reduce erosion/provide easy practice, safety and security tasks that are a function of a non-primary duty, new system training, and competency development).  An added benefit of this approach is to reinforce critical behaviors required to establish and maintain a high reliability organization, reinforce organizational culture, and other associated behaviors.  The presenter will cite and leverage the science behind memory and training retention and the core best practices and technology associated with this approach.