Transfer Enhancement

Human learning and cognition research, as well as results from training programs, suggest how we process, retain, and retrieve information.

• Gain Attention and Motivation - At training initiation, the learner's attention must be captured, and the learner must be motivated to learn. Techniques are:
  • Present the link between training achievement and job performance and potential positive outcomes for the learner.
  • Tie skills and concepts as closely as possible to job requirements.
  • Provide a meaningful, job related context for concept/theory learning.
• Accommodate Learning Styles - Individuals have different learning styles; some are "visual" learners while others are "auditory." Also, individuals differ in learning by "observation" or by "doing."
  • Present information in several forms or media so that it is usable by individuals with different learning styles.
• Use Cross-Sensory Presentation - Evidence suggests separate memory stores are used for visual and verbal information. Information encoded in both memory stores is more likely to be retrieved.
  • Present information in visual, auditory, and verbal form.
• Provide Feedback - Feedback on performance is essential for learning. The immediacy of feedback and content will vary with the stage of training.
  • Feedback should be specific, especially in early perceptual-motor skill training and in initial knowledge acquisition. It is important to inform the learner of specifics of an error--not just that response was "wrong."
  • In later training stages, feedback may be withheld until a drill, practice, or test is completed. Otherwise, it may be disruptive to the task at hand.
  • Some tasks contain "intrinsic" feedback, such as the "feel" of the steering wheel when driving or of the rudder pedals when flying which should be replicated in simulator training.