HR Horizons HR Blog

Nick Roy October 27th, 2007

There has been a steady increase in the number of people looking to continue their education. With the unemployment rate hovering just above six percent, more and more people are going back to school to bolster their skill set. A large percentage of these students are looking to online schools which have been growing in popularity since they first started appearing on the Internet.

Through online programs, people are able to interact with faculty and fellow students in a virtual classroom. Online education allows people to adjust their study schedule to their busy lifestyle with daytime, evening and weekend classes. With the large amount of Online schools now present on the Internet, people can go back to school for anything ranging from Diploma programs to a Masters Degree.

To easily find an Online school specializing in your field of interest or find a Campus school right in your back yard, just answer a few basic questions and we will find the schools that match your needs and get you free information from each.

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Related: Interested in distance learning?  Why not learn how to get your online degree and complete your education at this online college today!

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Tags: distance learning, education, online degree

• Distance Education , Training , organizational development
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Nick Roy January 26th, 2006

The KASH Model consists of four phases: knowledge of a better way, attitude, skillful application of the new knowledge, and habit. Knowledge of a better way is trying to get learners to accept that there is a better of doing things. It involves selling the new way to the employee. Let’s use an example of a company implementing a new technology that will be used to make a company more efficient and profitable. There are two ways that can be used to implement this component. The first technique is to place fear into the employee by saying that they will lose their jobs if they don’t learn this new technology. This fear could be the motivation they need to be able to stay employed. This is happening with the new security screeners at the airport. Many of them are older people who have never touched a computer and are faced with the task to take the test on a computer. Many of them come away from the experience that they need learn how to use a computer.

The second component of the KASH model consists of ability or aptitude. Ability is something that can be taught, such as the ability to use a computer, ability to throw a football, etc. Aptitude helps to attain ability. Aptitude refers to any personal characteristics that relate to learning and thus can include a broad range of variables, such as styles of thought, personality, and various scholastic aptitudes. In most cases it is born, it cannot be taught, however it can be developed over time. For some people it can be a quick process, while for others such as those with learning disabilities, it can be a long drawn out process. This is why that one of the key skills for trainers is patience. Aptitude is another way of saying intelligence or levels of cognition. Aptitude can be seen as closely related to an individual’s self-efficacy. Self-efficacy is the belief that one can do a particular task, therefore the level of an individual’s aptitude can increased over one’s lifetime. A person’s level of intelligence, or aptitude, can influence a person’s belief in doing a particular task. A person with high level of intelligence will generally exhibit high levels of confidence. On the hand, a person with low levels of intelligence will generally exhibit lots of frustration when performing a task. It is people such as the latter that need the support of a mentor to succeed.

For the third component of the KASH model, people must have the skill to develop a new and better way. How is skill developed? It takes lots of practice to get to a given skill level. It takes lots of practice to maintain that skill level. For example, learning to play running back for a football team is considered a skill position. It involves using your sight to look for the holes to develop. This also takes patience to allow the blockers to get into position to allow the holes to develop then using his speed to get through the hole before it closes. Another skill position in football that takes a lot of practice is the quarterback position. When teaching a new player to be quarterback, the best way to have the coach or another player call the plays in from the sideline. This will allow the new player to learn how plays are called in and what situation to use the particular play. Every year as they progress through the system, give that player some autonomy to call the plays himself from the huddle, while still retaining the play calling for situations such as the two-minute offense. Hopefully by his senior year, his skill level would be fully developed to call all the plays himself.

Can you teach a person with Down’s syndrome to throw a football? A person with Down’s syndrome, depending on the degree of severity, needs some assistance with day-to-day functioning. A person with Down’s syndrome can be taught the ability to play football, because they do have some level of aptitude to understand concepts of holding a football. The aptitude is much lower for this type of person so it will take much longer to teach this person how to play the game. You can do this by showing this person how to grip a football by placing the fingertips along the laces. Next, observe the person trying to grip the football. Don’t jump in immediately when they have trouble. Observe them as long as you think you need to allow them to try and figure it out. If they still can’t figure it out, then correct them. When they exhibit holding the football the correct way, give them some positive reinforcement to make them feel good. This will raise their level of self-efficacy to hold a football. Once you have taught him that skill, you can now move on to showing him, you can now demonstrate how to throw a football.

A habit is best explained as having the ability to do a task without any conscious thought; it becomes a routine. An example would be walking the grocery department at the start of your shift and making out your list of things to be done that day and prioritizing them by order of importance, because this routine has been ingrained into the individual that it becomes a habit. When learning a new skill we typically give our total attention to learning that skill. To make a skill a habit takes lot’s of practice. In the end, we are able to use that skill in a sense that it requires limited attentional capacity to be performed.

The KASH model is a good model for teaching learners that have knowledge and experience in a particular area. It is useful getting learners to think in terms of continuous learning, that there is a better way of doing a particular task. Whereas when teaching newcomers to an organization, Bloom’s Taxonomy would be an excellent model, since you are teaching learners that are green to a particular subject.

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Nick Roy December 31st, 2005

Observational learning occurs when someone acquires new knowledge vicariously by observing what happens to others. This is the most common, and the most effective form of learning on the job.

Four processes must occur for observational learning to be most effective.

• Attention: the learner must pay close attention to the model
• Retention: the learner must be able to develop a good mental image
• Behavioral reproduction: the learner must be able to do exactly what has just been observed. In other words, to be able to replicate the exact steps.
• Motivation: the learner must want to learn something new.

Learning how to bag groceries or stock shelves in a super market is most commonly taught using observational learning. Many new hires, regardless of whether they have experience or not, are paired up with the most senior or most experienced employee. This senior employee then shows the new employee the ropes. If the new employee is highly experienced in stocking shelves, then the senior employee shows how they do things around here.

The new employee typically watches the senior employee work. After some sufficient amount of time, the new employee is then given the opportunity to practice what they have just observed. The senior employee then watches the new employee to see if he or she is doing the job correctly. During the time that the new employee is practicing, the senior employee does not say a word. All this person does is observe. At the end of the practice session, the senior employee will work with the new employee explaining what they did wrong by focusing on what they did correctly.

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Nick Roy September 27th, 2005

By Barnaby Kalan

A recent poll conducted by Yahoo! Small Business showed that nearly 3 out of 4 Americans have considered starting their own business. In fact, of more than 2,200 adults surveyed, over half (51 percent) said they would like to launch their small business within the next 5 years.

Clearly, entrepreneurship is a part of the American Dream. But is everyone suited to being his or her own boss? Here’s a 10-question quiz that can give you a quick idea of your chance for success if you decide to go out on your own. Keep track of the score on a separate sheet of paper. Be honest. Give yourself a “2” for every “yes” answer, a “1” for every “somewhat” and a “0” for every “no”.

1. Are you organized? Do you like to make lists and prioritize your day?

[ ] Yes [ ] Somewhat [ ] No

2. Are you task-oriented? Can you focus on a specific task until it’s completed? Or do you frequently leave things unfinished?

[ ] Yes [ ] Somewhat [ ] No

3. Are you comfortable working with a personal computer? Do you have good computer skills?

[ ] Yes [ ] Somewhat [ ] No

4. Are you goal oriented? Do you have a 1-, 3- and 5-year plans for where you want to be?

[ ] Yes [ ] Somewhat [ ] No

5. Do you have a wide network of friends and colleagues from previous organizations you’ve worked for, or schools and organizations you belong to?

[ ] Yes [ ] Somewhat [ ] No

6. Are you comfortable serving other people? Have you ever worked in a service role before?

[ ] Yes [ ] Somewhat [ ] No

7. Would you characterize yourself as friendly, cheerful, and easy to get along with?

[ ] Yes [ ] Somewhat [ ] No

8. Would you say that you have a marketable skill that is needed by other people or companies?

[ ] Yes [ ] Somewhat [ ] No

9. Are you willing to work extra hours at night or on weekends to meet deadlines or to make more money?

[ ] Yes [ ] Somewhat [ ] No

10. Is making money and being financially secure more important to you than having “status” symbols like a fancy office, expensive car or a big title?

[ ] Yes [ ] Somewhat [ ] No

Your score:

Okay, add up the total. Remember, you should have given yourself a “2” for every “yes” answer, a “1” for every “somewhat” and a “0” for every “no”.

11-20 = You’re definitely suited for self-employment.

6-10 = You may be suited for it, but should learn more and work on your skill set and service orientation.

0-5 = Don’t leave your day job.

Self-employment isn’t for everyone. It often requires a highly-motivated, self-starter type of person who would gladly work long hours each day because they love what they’re doing. If you’re that type of person… maybe it IS time to break free and live your dream.

About The Author
Barnaby Kalan is an award-winning freelance copywriter and author of Outsourcing Yourself: How to Turn Your Job Into a Business for Greater Wealth and Security. For a free chapter of his book, visit www.outsourcing-yourself.com. info@outsourcing-yourself.com

Related Link: employment screening background check

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Nick Roy August 11th, 2005

By Steve Kaye

Training can be an expense or an asset. Here’s how to get the best return on your investment.

1) Use a live instructor. Adults learn best by doing, practicing, and experiencing. Effective instructors customize their programs to meet people’s needs, provide counsel on individual challenges, and respond to questions. Videos, CDs, and E-learning are seldom effective for primary learning. Since the greatest cost of learning is the payroll cost of the participants, you want to make sure the program delivers results.

) Hire external experts. They can speak candidly about crucial issues related to complex work skills. They are free of prior encounters with your staff. And they bring a fresh, outside perspective based on a worldwide view (instead of an internal one). Those who specialize in one skill area have developed extensive knowledge. Ideally, choose one who has written books or published articles.

3) Include accountability. Work with the instructor to develop a review and reminder process. Plan follow-up sessions to check on progress applying new techniques. Ask your staff to select one change that they plan to make and describe how they will apply it. Then monitor the application of changes being made. Include learning as a dimension in performance reviews.

4) Support learning. If you’re the boss, set an example of active learning. Attend the workshop. Then use what you learned. Encourage others to apply the new skills and reward those who make a special effort to do so. Also, recommend articles, books, and other materials that support the training program. Create a work culture that recognizes learning as the key to excellence.

5) Buy smart. Match the type of program with desired skills. Use employees for proprietary operations, routine procedures, and high volume (more than 50 sessions/year) tutorials. Select programs that teach skills required to meet company goals. Buy programs that show practical techniques (instead of facts and trivia) delivered by experts who use what they teach.

About the Author
IAF Certified Professional Facilitator and author Steve Kaye works with leaders who want to hold effective meeting. His innovative workshops have informed and inspired people nationwide. His facilitation produces results that people will support. Call 714-528-1300 or visit his web site for over 100 pages of valuable ideas. Sign up for his free newsletter at http://www.stevekaye.com

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Nick Roy June 6th, 2005

A person’s ability to learn is hampered when suffering from either the cold, flu, or other ailment. A person’s attention is diverted to alleviating those symptoms. If you have ever suffered from the cold or flu, you would have suffered from a runny nose, stuffy head, and body aches. If you have tried to read a book with your head stuffed up; it would be very difficult to concentrate.

Hunger is the same way. If you have ever skipped a meal, such as lunch, your attention processes will shift to finding food to satisfy the hunger.

Any normal person would not be able to learn in extreme heat or cold. The only people that would be able to learn in those conditions would be the Eskimos or Native American Indians. Since they have the experience in these conditions, they can focus on the task at hand. Adapting to those conditions has been automatic. For a normal person, the attention processes would shift to focus on getting warm or to cool down instead of on the given task at hand.

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Nick Roy May 29th, 2005

Blogging is quickly becoming all the rage as people everywhere start one up. The problem is that many people don’t really know how to go about it. Many of the blogs out there are a hodge podge collection of posts that merely copies that of a traditional diary. Yes, blogs are the electronic equivelant of the traditional diary. However, you need to know how to go about it since the people that use the Internet are mainly searching for somenthing. The blog content needs to be meaningful and useful for the reader.

What exactly is a blog?
Blogs are frequently updated web pages on which authors post short comments about news items, interesting websites, their thoughts and more. Blogs are the newest information age revolution that allows individuals to express themselves to the world.

Writing and maintaining a blog is a compilation of individual thought (reflection) articles on a particular subject of interest. The idea that should be behind blogs is for you to reflect upon the experience and the subject matter involved and the meaning that you give it. By making it your responsibility to develop each reflection article can help you improve your learning on the subject matter and remember it. Learning is not about memorizing facts and figures. It is about being able to explain the concepts in your own words.

There are many blogs out there that look like a hodge podge of meaningless entries. The purpose of maintaining a blog on a particular subject can provide yourself with a window into your own learning throughout life. Turn those meaningless short posts into full and meaningful articles and essays that you will get more out of and visitors will enjoy reading.

For example, The HR Blog is designed to be an e-zine for Human Resources professionals and small business owners by providing useful articles and tools that can be downloaded for free. Substantial, useful, and meaningful content will lead to more new visitors, more repeat visitors, and more visitors adding your site to favorites.

Go SURFing!
The content in your blog should be in accordance with the SURFing Model. Think about what people do everyday when they are on the web. They are out in the ocean waiting for that big wave of meaningful content to come along.

1. Substantial.
2. Useful.
3. Relevant
4. Focused

According to the SURFing Model, the content the better. First of all, search engines love content. The more content that you have the better the chance you showing up high in the search results.

Next, the content must Useful to the reader of your blog. For example, adding hr forms for your readers to download for free will get them coming back for more and tell their friends and colleagues about your site.

Keep your blog focused on a particular subject area of interest, such as human resources, e-learning, resume writing, etc. Don’t have a hodge podge collection of posts. This will only confuse your readers more than help.

Keep these points in mind when maintaining a blog.
Write your posts in essay form. Formulate your idea, write and outline, then start writing. What feels important/unimportant and why, what did you like or dislike and why. Maintaining blogs in this form will improve your critical thinking and evaluating skills.

Let’s say that you maintaining a blog about recruitment and selection strategies. You find an article in the latest issue of Workforce magazine that you like. Tell your readers, in essay form, what you learned from the article. What key insights, new thoughs, new ways of viewing organizations did you learn from reading the article. What happened that made a difference to you.

Always draw on your own experience when writing an article in your blog. This reflection is all about. Reflection is always based on some sought of activity in your life, good or bad. There is adversity, and with that adversity comes learning and growth.

By keeping these points in mind when maintaining your blog, you will not only increase your chances of mastering the subject matter that you are trying to learn, but also provide high quality information to visitors searching the web for information.

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Nick Roy May 19th, 2005

How some aspects of human cognition might affect a person’s perception of a trainer as effective or ineffective.

There are many opinions of what makes a good trainer and what makes an ineffective trainer. In today’s work environment, the supervisor is also playing the role of trainer. Supervisors are becoming increasingly responsible for the development of their employees and prospective employees are looking at that when researching companies to work for. What kind of training a company provides is becoming the number one concern in the job search process.

Some characteristics of good trainer’s would be that they are well organized and well prepared individuals. Another characteristic would be the trainer is using the whole-part-whole training model, where the trainer first gives overview of the program and then delves deeper into the parts. Trainer’s engage the trainees in discussions and relate the topic of discussion to the trainee’s life experiences. As most trainees are adults, adults learn best when the training relates to their life experiences. Trainers’s themselves are self-directed learners and tend to encourage trainees to become self-directed in the learning. They actively engage in learning about learning, gaining different view of training, and design ways to test them.

Trainer’s should take these characteristics to heart, as this view of training is more likely to lead to learning and improved organizational performance.

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