Chapter 4 Learning Technologies Flashcards
Which of the following might be most important method for a TD professional to stay in touch with technology? (Choose the best response.)
Network with peers internally and externally through social media and at conferences
Form an internal technology team
Search the Internet for best practices and software
Assess learners’ access to technology and their future needs
Network with peers internally and externally through social media and at conferences
Response A is correct. Technology changes rapidly and it may be difficult to stay up to date without information from others outside the organization.
What aspects of technology should a TD professional consider to ensure successful implementation of an organization’s learning technology? (Choose the best response.)
The organization’s technology capabilities
The learners’ access to technology
New technological developments
All of the above
All of the above
Response D is correct. An effective TD professional must be informed of all three aspects to ensure successful implementation of an organizational learning technology.
You have just been hired as a TD professional for a medium-size organization that wants to improve its use of technology for developing its employees. You have been asked for an initial review of the organization’s capacity to use technology for learning. What information will you gather first? (Choose the best response.)
A summary of how employees prefer to learn and their experience with technology
The degree to which content has been stored as learning objects
The hard technology capabilities and the dynamic capability available in the organization
The results of the most recent employee engagement survey
The degree to which content has been stored as learning objects
Response B is correct. All of the responses provide information, but the availability of learning objects is critical to establish a content foundation and will help you understand the organization’s readiness.
In designing a learning opportunity, which of the following questions is it most important to ask? (Choose the best response.)
Is a technological solution the most practical for achieving the intended change in behavior?
Do learners have access to this technology?
Will the learning object be developed in-house or by outside suppliers?
Is this technology acceptable to learners?
Is a technological solution the most practical for achieving the intended change in behavior?
Response A is correct. All of these questions are important, but the most important one is whether the technological solution is most likely to produce the desired outcome.
What is the purpose of the “flipped classroom”? (Choose the best response.)
To reduce the amount of presentation facilitators must prepare
To shuffle learners so they work with new partners regularly
To use class time to encourage learners to focus on higher orders of learning
To improve the quality of face-to-face education
To use class time to encourage learners to focus on higher orders of learning
Response C is correct. The expectation is that learners will complete the basic stages of learning, remembering, and understanding on their own outside of class and use class time for applying, analyzing, evaluating, and creating new things using their basic knowledge.
Despite Shirky’s argument for banning devices from the classroom, which of the following is the best reason to allow them? (Choose the best response.)
Learners would be able to multitask
Learners with learning disabilities who use these devices would not have to disclose their disability
Learners could communicate with one another without being disruptive
Facilitators could monitor the activities of learners
Learners with learning disabilities who use these devices would not have to disclose their disability
Response B is correct. Not all learners with learning disabilities disclose them, and requesting an exemption from a ban on devices might make them uncomfortable by singling them out.
What is the difference between teleconferencing and web conferencing? (Choose the best response.)
They are essentially the same
Teleconferencing is intended to reach a larger audience
Web conferencing requires less bandwidth
Teleconferencing facilities require a dedicated satellite dish for connection
Teleconferencing facilities require a dedicated satellite dish for connection
Response D is correct. It does. Web conferencing may also use satellite connections, but through regular telephony channels.
VoIP is ___________ (Choose the option that completes the sentence accurately.)
Web-based telephony
An early Internet protocol
A method of streaming video
A mobile application
Web-based telephony
Response A is correct. It means “Voice over Internet Protocol.”
Are the Internet and the web interchangeable terms? (Choose the best response.)
Yes, they are the same
No, the web is a method for sharing information on the Internet
No, the Internet is part of the web
Yes, the web is the latest development of the Internet
No, the web is a method for sharing information on the Internet
Response B is correct. The Internet is a very large network of connections, while the web uses the HTTP protocol to share information.
Which of the following refers to Web 2.0? (Choose the best response.)
A substantial upgrade in the capacity of the web
A governing standard for materials posted on the web
An expansion of the types of interactive media used on the web
A future standard for the development of new applications
An expansion of the types of interactive media used on the web
Response C is correct. However, it doesn’t reflect an upgrade in the same way as a similarly named software might.
Can cloud-based file sharing be considered a social medium? (Choose the best response.)
No, because it is more like a memory stick or external file saving device
Yes, because it is available through the web
No, because it is not secure enough to protect privacy
Yes, because it allows people in multiple places to collaborate
Yes, because it allows people in multiple places to collaborate
Response D is correct. Ability to exchange views and collaborate is central to social media.
EDUCAUSE lists laptop computers among the devices that enable mobile learning. Why might some others not include laptops in the list? (Choose the best response.)
Because they are more expensive
Because older ones use keyboards, touchpads, and mice as input devices
Because not all laptops can be connected to the web
Because they are less accessible in developing economies
Because older ones use keyboards, touchpads, and mice as input devices
Response B is correct. Modern laptops often have touchscreens and on-screen keyboards, but earlier ones use older forms of input that make them similar to desktop computers, which are not as mobile.
Which of these is a benefit of using mobile learning? (Choose the best response.)
It is conducted over a secure web server
It changes the learning dynamic to one of co-creation
It relies on a standard type of courseware
It is very inexpensive
It changes the learning dynamic to one of co-creation
Response B is correct. It can be conducted over a secure server, but use of some forms of social media may make it less secure. At the moment, there is no standard for courseware, and some of the common types do not play on all operating systems. The expense depends on connection and data charges, which may be large.
You are a new TD professional in a medium-size organization that deploys repair people. The median age of employees is 45. One of your first projects will be to develop an EPSS. What information would you like to have first? (Choose the best response.)
How will employees access the EPSS?
How comfortable are employees with web-based technologies?
What type of information with the EPSS contain?
Who will develop the information?
How comfortable are employees with web-based technologies?
Response B is correct. Avoid making assumptions about people’s skills and comfort with technology based on age. It is important to learn as much as you can.
Another project you will undertake as a TD professional is to identify people in the organization who are good at mentoring others. Assume that you do not have a big budget to do this. Which of these options might be the least expensive to use to begin with? (Choose the best response.)
Monitor social media to see who gets the most questions
Ask the head of HR who the most accomplished employees are
Develop a webpage with links to employees’ pictures and brief resumes
Post a PDF document on the shared document server with an index of skills and the people who have them
Post a PDF document on the shared document server with an index of skills and the people who have them
Response D is correct. All of these are good ideas, but the quickest and cheapest solution to publishing the information is probably this one.
The head of the organization has heard about gamification and would like your ideas about where it could be appropriately used. Which of these is an example of how the organization is currently using it? (Choose the best response.)
Offering a prize to the most productive worker of the month
Holding an annual picnic where workers compete for prizes
Holding a drawing for the closest parking spots
All of these
Offering a prize to the most productive worker of the month
Response A is correct. This is a very basic example of gamification.
Which of the following statements about social learning is true? (Choose the best response.)
Almost all learning is social learning
Instruction based on social learning strategies is less effective than traditional instruction
Social learning is usually based on face-to-face interactions
Social learning is more time-consuming than learning based on self-directed materials
Almost all learning is social learning
Response A is correct. According to Cross, social learning accounts for 80–90 percent of what people learn at work.
Which of the following is NOT an example of use of social media? (Choose the best response.)
Posting vacation photographs on Instagram
Using a shared cloud-based workspace with colleagues to write a report
Responding to a Twitter feed
Emailing a friend about her upcoming visit
Emailing a friend about her upcoming visit
Response D is correct, but just barely. One-to-one communication is often not included as a social medium. Including other people—copying them to arrange a date for dinner—would bring this under the definition.
What is the difference between blogging and microblogging? (Choose the best response.)
The device used to do it
The quality of the content
The length limit of the content
The type of media that can be shared
The length limit of the content
Response C is correct. Microblogging applications like Twitter set a limit on the length of a post.
You work for an organization that produces cutting-edge, potentially very profitable products. Which of these is the most important consideration for supporting employees to collaborate using social media? (Choose the best response.)
Whether there are adequate guidelines about what can be communicated using Twitter
How good the firewall is that protects the intranet
Whether they have access to web-conferencing software
Whether they have the latest equipment
Whether there are adequate guidelines about what can be communicated using Twitter
Response A is correct. The other answers are potentially important, too. However, employees should have a clear understanding of what sorts of information about the company and its products may not be shared, using Twitter or any other means.
To strengthen your case with management for using social media, how would you go about benchmarking it? (Choose the best response.)
Look in the professional literature directed to chief information officers
Contact colleagues in similar organizations and ask about their experiences
Contact colleagues in similar organizations and ask how they measure its contribution to outcomes
All of these things
All of these things
Response D is correct. They would all be helpful. Most important, though, might be seeing how their use can be tied to business outcomes.
EPSSs and LCMSs are primarily designed to _______ (Choose the option that completes the sentence accurately.)
Manage learning content
Enable learners to enroll for courses
Track learners’ progress through courses
Support gamified content
Manage learning content
Response A is correct. Both provide tools for developing learning objects and storing them so they may be reused to construct personalized learning opportunities.
If you were developing a course and wanted to encourage reflective observation, which of these strategies might be appropriate? (Choose the best response.)
Ask participants to discuss an assigned reading during a web conference
Present the information using slides with charts and diagrams
Use a stand-alone module with branched scenarios and a quiz
Ask learners to post comments to the course wiki
Ask learners to post comments to the course wiki
Response D is correct. Reflective observation generally takes place after contact with some sort of stimulus—possibly the web conference, charts, or scenarios. Posting comments to the wiki would be a way of capturing it.
Augmented reality can be used to ___________ (Choose the option that completes the sentence accurately.)
Tag objects in the real world with additional information
Show role play that illustrates a desired behavior
Heighten the emotional experience of a learning strategy
All of these things
Tag objects in the real world with additional information
Response A is correct. It uses a camera of some sort (cell phone, glasses) for input to show annotations to a real location.
Which of the following is a principal consideration in judging fair use of printed materials? (Choose the best response.)
The material is more than 75 years old
The use does not diminish the value of the original document
No more than 20 lines of the material is reproduced
The material is more expensive than students can afford
The use does not diminish the value of the original document
Response B is correct. In the United States, copyright depends on the lifetime of the author plus some additional years of coverage. Number of lines is not a measure, nor is expense of an original copy. Although other factors come into play, the goal of protections is to keep reproduction from diminishing the economic value of the work.
Learning analytics is (Choose the best response.)
A method of grading students’ papers
The curve on which a course is graded
A source of information for personalizing course content
A method for identifying learning objectives
A source of information for personalizing course content
Response C is correct. It is a way of using data from learners to tailor delivery of course content.
You work for a small nonprofit organization that has approximately 250 volunteers at any one time during the year, although the turnover rate is approximately 20 percent (current volunteers leaving and new ones taking their place). You would like to create an interactive online volunteer training module that potential new volunteers could take before they come for an in-person interview. What sort of system would you select to make this training available? (Choose the best response.)
An LCMS
An LMS
An EPSS
A CMS
A CMS
Response D is correct. Although you could use an LMS, this is probably the best choice for a relatively low-volume training module. Some CMS providers offer free services, which would not be true of an LMS, and you probably do not need the learning analytics or connection to HR functions that an LMS might offer. EPSS software might be a later choice if you decide that volunteers could benefit from an online performance support system to help them resolve questions or difficulties on the spot.
You work for an organization that has a highly mobile workforce of sales representatives who spend a lot of time driving from location to location. Which of the following might be an efficient way to inform them about new products and developments? (Choose the best response.)
Regular sales meetings at headquarters where new products are demonstrated
Weekly podcasts they can listen to while driving
Twitter feeds
Printed catalogs
Weekly podcasts they can listen to while driving
Response b is correct. Although the others are possible and potentially productive, podcasts would let sales representatives take advantage of their driving time to learn.
Talent management is a way to _____________. (Choose the option that completes the sentence accurately.)
Connect the organization’s productivity with the deployment of its personnel
Assess the qualifications of potential employees
Determine salary increases and bonus pay
Identify competencies of various jobs
Connect the organization’s productivity with the deployment of its personnel
Response A is correct. The purpose is to identify the job competencies the support the organization’s productivity and fill those jobs with the most able people. This may be tied to setting hiring requirements, and particularly productive employees may be rewarded with salary increases or bonuses.
An exclusive talent management strategy would ____________. (Choose the option that completes the sentence accurately.)
Devote resources to improving the skills of all employees
Track performance and focus on improving the skills of the most productive workers
Socialize new workers to usual practices in the organization
Rely on testing to weed out underperforming employees
Track performance and focus on improving the skills of the most productive workers
Response B is correct. Exclusive strategies allocate development resources to workers judged to be most productive. Improving the skills of all employees would be an inclusive/innate strategy. Socializing new workers would be part of any strategy. Testing might be part of an exclusive/innate strategy to identify individuals’ strengths (or in this case, weaknesses).
According to Cappelli and Keller, what is the drawback associated with hiring outside people to fill strategic jobs? (Choose the best response.)
There is always a time lag between posting and filling the job
It leaves the organization at the mercy of the labor market
It is less expensive than training internal candidates
They will not perform as well as internal candidates
It leaves the organization at the mercy of the labor market
Response B is correct. This was their point.
Performance management is ____________. (Choose the option that completes the sentence accurately.)
The global activity under which talent management falls
A component of talent management
An aspect of succession planning
None of these things
A component of talent management
Response B is correct. Regardless of the approach to talent management taken by the organization, performance management is the way the TD professional determines whether jobs are filled by people who are doing the work adequately.
Which of the following might be most important in determining whether the organization should adopt a talent management system? (Choose the best response.)
Profitability is falling
The organization has a diverse, dispersed, and growing workforce
The organization focuses on a single type of product
The organization needs to track employee compensation
The organization has a diverse, dispersed, and growing workforce
Response B is correct. If the main purpose of such a system is to manage performance in a large workforce and to acquire the best new employees, such a system might be beneficial for those two functions. Data generated by the system might give some information about why profitability is falling, but it would not be the primary source of such data. The type of product is not important; the competencies require to produce it are. Other human resources software could be used to track compensation, although talent management systems might include this.
Why does knowledge management fit in a chapter on learning technologies? (Choose the best response.)
It is a way to manage the creative people in an organization
Knowledge is the basis for an organization’s productivity
LMSs are the basis for knowledge management
Socializing new employees depends on how organizational knowledge is conveyed
Knowledge is the basis for an organization’s productivity
Response B is correct. It does not really matter what the organization produces. Its success depends on the collective knowledge of its employees. Whether and how that knowledge is managed so that it is accessible to employees is critical to their abilities to perform well.
One of the principal goals of knowledge management as a process is to _______ (Choose the option that completes the sentence accurately.)
Capture what employees know in a form that others can access
Catalog documents efficiently
Reduce the amount of paper used by the organization
Identify deficits in individuals’ knowledge
Capture what employees know in a form that others can access
Response A is correct. Codification of tacit knowledge to make it explicit is part of the process.
Which of the following is a way to codify tacit knowledge? (Choose the best response.)
Indexing and tagging the organization’s historical documents
Using a wiki to publish changes in procedure
Saving the contents of an electronic whiteboard after a brainstorming session
Using an EPSS to support employees in the field
Saving the contents of an electronic whiteboard after a brainstorming session
Response C is correct. While the other choices are part of knowledge management, they involve handing knowledge that is already explicit—that is, published in some way. Saving the contents of a brainstorming session captures the tacit knowledge of the participants. Posting and tagging it so that others could retrieve it would complete the process.
Where would an EPSS fit as a technological support in Evans and colleagues’ cycle of knowledge development? (Choose the best response.)
Identify and create
Store and use
Share and improve
All the stages
All the stages
Response D is correct. An EPSS stores knowledge that has already been created, making it possible for the authors to share it with users, who consult it to perform their jobs and learn from it. Feedback from learners may make it possible for the content to be updated and improved
What is a data warehouse? (Choose the best response.)
An air-conditioned facility to house large network servers
An extensive database that contains the data generated by an organization
A catalog of all the organization’s products
None of these things
An extensive database that contains the data generated by an organization
Response B is correct. A data warehouse contains the data generated by different sections of an organization from which employees can build both information and knowledge.
What is a data mart? (Choose the best response.)
Another term for data warehouse
A source where external data can be purchased
A top-down method of gathering information
Information gathered by smaller units of an organization
Information gathered by smaller units of an organization
Response D is correct. Data marts have been defined as data gathered locally by smaller units of the organization.
A decision support system _____________ (Choose the option that completes the sentence accurately.)
Automates the decision-making process
Uses statistical techniques to narrow choices
Replaces the need for managers
Rules out all but the best choice
Uses statistical techniques to narrow choices
Response B is correct. A decision support system assists the people who use it by collating a variety of data inputs and using statistical techniques to help in selecting a choice that accounts for all the information.
A TD professional is using completion rates and scores on a final qualifying examination to understand more about the success of a training program. What sort of information is she using? (Choose the best response.)
Data
Tacit
Information
Explicit
Data
Response A is correct. Once she has evaluated the data and made an oral or written summary, she will have converted it to information, which is explicit.
A TD professional is working to help his web development organization develop a knowledge management system. Which of the following is most likely to align with the knowledge management goals of the organization? (Choose the best response.)
Establish a collaborative online workspace for the IT specialists
Recycle the old memorandums in his filing cabinet
Request to monitor the web use of the staff
Establish a collaborative online workspace for the IT specialists
Response A is correct. A collaborative workspace could facilitate the development of new knowledge among the IT specialists. Although one can archive information from Twitter and similar social media used for organizational purposes, collecting it may not be worth the time or storage space necessary.
The management of a very large organization wants to develop a knowledge management system that can be mined for data, and they would like to do it by developing data marts. What might be a drawback of doing it this way? (Choose the best response.)
It would be much more expensive than developing a data warehouse
It would produce less useful information for talent development
A top-down approach might not be acceptable to employees
It might be hard to combine information from different marts
It might be hard to combine information from different marts
Response D is correct. Anupindi and Coady found that department-level data marts produced “silos” of data that could not easily be used together for analysis.
