Even if you create the best formal e-Learning course on the planet, employees are still going to need on-the-job information that they can reference. That’s why performance support is so important.
What is performance support?
According to the MASIE Center, “Performance support (PS) is any learning modality, resource or asset that is accessible and applicable at the moment of need.” You’re probably familiar with performance support in its paper-based form. Performance support can be any job-aid or quick reference, from post-it notes to handbooks. Electronic performance support is becoming incredibly popular. It’s quick, convenient and an awesome use for mobile learning.
So, how do you create the best performance support system at your organization? Here are a few tips:
Ask expert opinions.
In an article on Learning Solutions Magazine, Jennifer Neibert says that you can create virtual mentoring with performance support, getting ideas and tips from the experts at your organization: “Incorporate these ideas into your performance support, and suddenly your best people are mentoring everybody in the organization.” Getting the experts’ input is a smart strategy for sure.
Keep it concise.
Performance support should be just enough information to get the job done—nothing more. It’s a quick reference, so keep it concise. If your employees want pages of information on a subject, they’ll just Google it. And if you think that in-depth information is truly necessary, create a formal e-Learning course to teach it.
Make learning easy to access.
When you’re building the performance support system, consider which devices your employees will use to access it. Electronic performance support (as opposed to paper-based) is only helpful if it’s quick. That means you’ll need to make sure employees can access materials in a minimum number of clicks. If you want to get your employees to reference their expert mentors (and the system you worked so hard to build), you have to make it convenient for them.
Want to create the best performance support system at your organization? Use these tips, and make sure you have an authoring tool that’s ready for the task. Try a free 30-day trial of the cloud authoring tool Lectora® Online, and start creating the best performance support system today!
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