Research for this paper was accomplished through investigation of sources in published reviewed articles, journals, and periodicals. Specific sources were the online Morris library at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale and the Kitsap County Regional library.

The primary goal of workforce training programs is to develop needed worker skills

Many computer-based training products exist in the marketplace. Often times a company will contract a training firm to develop specific programs for use in a course of instruction of for self-paced learning. Of the products currently available, multimedia is the most popular choice for trainers and curriculum developers. Although initial investment in multimedia is expensive, companies actually save money in the long run. Hall (1996) warns, “Don’t ignore the cost savings and increased flexibility that multimedia training provide, especially when competitors are already reaping significant benefits” (p. 56). Multimedia is not always the answer for some courses of instruction. Gordon and Hequet (1997) state:

The now-standard guideline decrees that multimedia is the economical way to go if: 1) the training challenge involves a large number of trainees, especially when, 2) those trainees are geographically dispersed (meaning that either learners or trainers would incur travel cost if you chose the classroom route) and, 3) the content is stable (meaning that the material you’re teaching won’t need to be changed or updated often, forcing you to press new CD-ROMs). (p. 25)

The use of technology in training does not fully consider the human learning experience. Students can read information displayed on a computer monitor, hear the program commentator describe a particular process or idea, and watch a video demonstration. In regards to Dale’s Cone of Learning, they will retain approximately 50% of the required knowledge once they complete the course. How much will they retain after three weeks? Months? Learning is a process that occurs best when students interact with others and practice the concepts and ideas presented in class. Practice during learning also allows students a chance to apply new knowledge and skills in their workplace.

In support, Ingram (1996) states, “the goal should be to get the learner to interact cognitively with the material – to think about it, put it together, and use it. If the system does that, then we can almost guarantee learning” (p. 31). In addition, Ingram suggests to instructors that “technologies do not teach; people do. This I true even when we are using something like interactive multimedia, which seems to involve only a learner and the technology” (p. 33). What role should multimedia play in learning? Gordon and Hequet (1997) suggest that “multimedia can be used to supplement classroom training and vice versa; in fact, that is a common approach” (p. 25).

The premise that CBT is an effective training medium is founded on its interactivity with the trainee. Since the trainee directs his/ her own progress through the material and actively participates by responding to prompts and questions, s/ he pays greater attention to

Some topics in this essay:
Seabrook Rushby, Mike Cannell, Gordon Hequet, ROI Recent, Cone Learning, CBE/ CBT, CBT Lawson, , Foshay Bergeron, County Regional, workforce education, cbe/ cbt, technology workforce education, training programs, technology workforce, seabrook rushby, incorporating technology, technology based educational, nontraditional students, technology based, learning products, knowledge skills, based educational tools, gordon hequet 1997, workforce education development,