Improving Transfer-of-Training with Learning Management Systems: Where We Are and Where We Should Be

Because of increased job requirements, workforce flexibility and lifelong learning, corporate training services have grown into a key approach for improving organizational performance. Transfer-of-training is a key output of these services, defined as the application and generalization of new competences at work acquired in training._x000D_ Today corporate trainings focus on blended learning by combining learning technologies and face-to-face scenarios. Despite the growing prevalence of blended learning, the extent of transfer-of-training support by IT-based learning management system solutions has not yet been sufficiently addressed in research._x000D_ We first evaluate to which extent the leading learning management system solutions provide support for transfer-of-training. We do so by building on evaluation criteria that have been developed in a process of theory-driven design and industry requirements. Based on the findings we propose areas for future research and development opportunities where evidence based design knowledge is needed to extend the capabilities of learning management systems

Enhancing transfer-of-training for corporate training services: Conceptualizing transfer-supporting IT components with theory-driven design

Corporate training services have grown into a key approach for improving performance and a substantial industry in recent years due to increased job requirements, workforce flexibility and lifelong learning. Transfer-of-training is a key output of these services, defined as the application and generalization of new competences at work acquired in training. Corporate trainings are exemplars of highly co-created services. Improving the output productivity through better transfer-of-training requires collaboration between providers and customers. IT could be an enabler to embed transfer-related activities for transferring training contents to the work. However, IT support is missing for improving transfer-of-training in corporate trainings. Inspired by service logic and based on training research, this paper employs a theory-driven and iterative design approach to develop transfer-supporting IT components for corporate trainings. Furthermore, we present the implemented prototype, findings from several design interactions and report on the on-going summative evaluation in an international service management training

Managing for Transfer of Training: Directions for the Evolution of Learning Management Systems

Due to the still growing relevance of lifelong learning especially in a corporate context it is necessary to ensure that efforts taken in developing competencies of employees are affecting the performance at the workplace. This transfer of training (TOT) is a well-known concept in education research. As this paper shows there is still a lack of methods that are actually utilized in practice. Especially, there is still a lack of knowledge how information technology can help to raise the TOT. For this reason this paper is grounded on an extensive literature review and identifies how support of the TOT is utilized. After that it analyzes the use of information technology in this context and leads to implications for further research and the development of tools to enhance the TOT

Analysis of Learning Management Systems According to a Holistic View on Corporate Education Services

According to the still growing importance of services and especially knowledge-based services the importance of lifelong learning increases, too. In these premises the European Union targeted a rate of workforce participating in lifelong learning to at least 15 %, the current value is 9,3 %. The main impulse for current participants in an ongoing learning process is to improve career opportunities and to perform better in their jobs.Keeping these changes in mind, corporate education services are a good example of knowledge-based services. First of all, these services integrate the customer in depth to identify their specific needs and to deliver the service. Therefore, they can be seen as a good example of services following a service-dominant logic. Secondly, this sector gains on importance due to the economic as well as the demographic changes. Thirdly, corporate education services bear potential for economic growth. In 2008 market had a volume of 26,5 billion Euro in Germany. With the aspired increase in lifelong learning there is still potential to increase this number.Therefore this paper examines the potentials of current learning management systems to support corporate education services from a holistic perspective based on Kirkpatricks Four-Level Model. Based on this analysis potentials for further improvements of the support of the learning process are derived

Design and Evaluation of Transfer-Supporting IT Components for Corporate Training Services

Corporate training services have grown into a key approach for improving business performance and a substantial industry in recent years. Transfer-of-training is a key output of these services, defined as the application and generalization of new competences at work acquired in training. Researchers have shown that participants apply only few of their learnings at work following training. Thus, corporate trainings seem to suffer from low productivity. IT could be an enabler to embed transfer-related activities to transfer training contents to the work. However, IT support is missing to improve transfer-of-training output of corporate training services. Based on training research and inspired by service logic, the design science research paradigm is utilized to iteratively design transfer-supporting IT components which leverage IT to influence known determinants of transfer-of-training to improve the transfer-of-training output of corporate training services. The final naturalistic evaluation reveals that the components improve the transfer-of-training output of these services