This article explores long-term trends in spending using data compiled from the "Training" magazine Annual Industry Survey from 1982 through 2008. It builds on literature that proposes spending on training is an investment that yields benefits--and that offers methods for demonstrating it. After adjusting for inflation, aggregate spending on…

Interactive digital media, or video games, are a powerful new medium. They offer immersive experiences in which players solve problems. Players learn more than just facts--ways of seeing and understanding problems so that they "become" different kinds of people. "Serious games" coming from business strategy, advergaming, and entertainment gaming…

This research investigated expertise development among instructional designers by tracking novice designers' unfolding perceptions of instructional design (ID), design-related self-perceptions, and other individual differences. It examined development toward ID expertise from multiple aspects: processes, product, and cognition, through a case…

This research study examined the role of instructional design knowledge in the development of teaching expertise for university teaching assistants (TAs). ID theoretically supports the development of systematic and meaningful patterns of cognitive organization that characterize teaching expertise. Therefore, it should support TAs in developing…

Provides a critical review of recent research in metacognition and presents recommendations for assessing and improving metacognitive skills in trainees. Topics discussed include self-regulatory skills; training methods for problem solving; attention allocation; transfer of training; and cognitive-based techniques for task analysis and…

Seductive details are highly interesting information tangential to course objectives. The inclusion of seductive details generally harms performance on recall tests, but few studies have used multimedia training or investigated effects on performance on recognition tests or transfer tasks. We conducted two studies using computer-based training,…

Describes a study that examined whether students who completed a required MBA-level management skills course believed their skills improved, and whether the skills they were taught were those needed in the workplace. Discusses implications for structuring such skill courses and the need for further research into their efficacy. Includes 9 tables.…

Presents a model for the effective transfer of skills from training programs to worksite implementation for instructional designers and corporate trainers involved in performance improvement. Strategies for use in pre-training, during training, and in posttraining are described that will ensure transfer of training. (Contains 21 references.) (LRW)

Kerr wrote of the black box of design decisions--that time when the "heart of an instructional solution first appears." Petroski writes of judgment as indispensable for engineering design decisions. Both instructional design and engineering are design sciences, yet engineering has a rich tradition of discussing and reflecting upon design…

People may be an organization's most important resource but their performance is absolutely critical to the organization's survival and ultimate growth. What produces human performance? What are the critical components? This manuscript develops the basic thinking about what causes a human to perform and then presents evidence for the addition of…

Improving healthcare services in the developing world remains a major goal for many organizations and despite enormous training and program investments from international organizations, service improvements have been modest. This study looks at how to improve results by examining the relationship between the conditions in a healthcare providers'…

In a climate of continual change and innovation, lifelong learning is a critical professional development objective which has a direct impact on organizations' effectiveness and ability to compete and innovate. To help learners continually upgrade their skills and knowledge so they can effectively address emerging organizational and professional…

Describes a study conducted to describe computer-based technologies and distance learning systems currently used in employee training and to determine which technologies will be used in future training processes. The competencies needed by trainers were also examined, including preferred sources of competency development. (15 tables) (Author/LRW)

The need for workers in the U.S. nuclear power industry to continually update their knowledge, skills, and abilities is critical to the safe and reliable operation of the country's nuclear power facilities. To improve their skills, knowledge, and abilities, many professionals in the nuclear power industry participate in continuing professional…