For a Number of Years, IBM Has Had a Product on the Market Called IBM Learning Village

Unit 2 Major Assignment – Critic of Learning Village

Kemble Flynn

Cape Breton University EDU 541: Knowledge Management and Performance Support in Education Environments Prof. Terry MacDonald and Dr. Ken McLeod August 7, 2006 2

Introduction

If one was to observe any organization in today’s society you would find each organization is dynamic, not static. Growth is happening within each organization everyday. Growth does not necessarily need to mean an increase in the workforce or opening a new division within the organization. Growth equals change; however, this change can mean how one does the same thing but differently and more efficiently. In today’s fast paced society, one needs to be ahead in their field, to be the leaders of this change. This is especially true in the field of education. To help this growth and change, organizations are turning from traditional methods such as hiring expertise in the field to more innovative methods such as Electronic Performance Support Systems (EPSS) which incorporates Knowledge Management, Performance Support and Performance-Centered

Design. Educational leaders see the benefits an EPSS can have in the field of education and this why there are school districts within North America and other places around the world implementing an EPSS, specifically Riverdeep Learning Village™. However, before one understand how Riverdeep Learning Village™ performs, one must understand what specifically is an Electronic Performance Support System (EPSS).

Electronic Performance Support Systems (EPSS)

Glory Gery, who in 1991 came up with the term Electronic Performance Support

Systems, defined an EPSS as “an integrated electronic environment that is available to and easily accessible by each employee and is structured to provide immediate, individualized on-line access to the full range of information, software, guidance, advice and assistance, data, images, tools, and assessment and monitoring systems to permit job 3 performance with minimal support and intervention by others” (EPSS Central.info).

Gery’s (1991) EPSS was to allow for the employee to have needed information relative to what they were working on at the click of a mouse. This would allow the employee to get the information needed without even leaving their desk.

Miller (1996) realized the concept of an Electronic Performance Support System was evolving and developing and did not want to narrow what an EPSS should be and came up with a results-based definition of an EPSS. Miller (1996) stated “An electronic performance support system is any computer software program or component that improves employees performance by either 1. reducing the complexity or number of steps required to perform a task (process simplification), 2. providing the performance information an employee needs to perform a task, or 3. providing a decision support system that enables an employee to identify the action that is appropriate for a particular set of conditions.” With both Gery’s (1991) and Miller’s (1996) definitions, “an EPSS should…enable an employee to perform a task 1. in less time, 2. with fewer errors, 3. with better results, or 4. with less training or external support” (Miller, 1996). A truly valuable EPSS allows all 4 measurable events to occur.

Both Gery (1991) and Miller (1996) use the word software in their definitions yet

Miller (1996) goes further and states software program. An EPSS is in the form of a software program. However, one has to remember, an EPSS is not truly about the software but about the user and how the software supports the user. “True support includes quick and easy access to the information needed at the time the task is being performed” (Sleight, 1993). The employee wastes time and money if they cannot find the information they are looking for and need to stop what they are doing to go look for that 4 information. With today’s technology and the use of Knowledge Management,

Performance Support and Performance-Centered Designs, an employee should be able to access information with a click of their mouse and be back working with minimal time lost and most times without even leaving their desk.

“Information in an EPSS system can be provided in different forms such as data, instruction, advice and various tools” (Sleight, 1993). The information that is embedded within an EPSS has to be relevant to the user and what they are working on. Also, the information has to be able to be updated almost instantaneously. The whole reason for an organization to invest in an EPSS is to become leaders in their field and pull ahead of their competitors. Within the field of Education, we do not necessarily want to be competitors with other schools within our district; however, we do want each school to become leaders of education and even role models for other schools to see how success can improve student learning and even staff morale and in turn, would want to improve their school.

There are key components for an EPSS to be successful. Some key components of an EPSS can include but not be limited to the following: “computer-based, access during task, used on the job, controlled by the staff, reduce the need for prior training, easily updated, fast access to information, remote delivery of training, allow for different levels of knowledge in users, allow for different learning styles and integrate information, advice, and learning experiences” (Singhal and Prasanna, n.d.). Two other key components of an EPSS also include “providing alternate views of the application interface and/or data and the use of less cryptic language (user-friendly language)”

(Message no. 362, Team 3). If one does not have a computer with a modem, and ISP 5 account with a password and ID and a Java-enabled web browser, then the other key components do not matter because one cannot access Riverdeep’s Learning Village™.

Riverdeep’s Learning Village

“Founded in 1995, Riverdeep Inc., A Limited Liability Company, has offices in

San Francisco, California, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Dublin, Ireland and Manchester, United

Kingdom. It is the fastest growing education and consumer software company in the

United States. Riverdeep’s Web-based and CD-ROM solutions can be found in more than 45,000 schools in over 20 countries worldwide” (http://www.riverdeep.net/).

IBM is one of the most recognized names in business. IBM’s corporate overview states it “is the world’s largest information technology company, and the world’s largest consulting services organization. We’ve been at the intersection of the business and technology, under one name or another, for more than a century – and under this name since 1924. That gives our company a maturity and a long-term perspective about the role a company can and should play in the world today” (www.ibm.com). IBM has various programs through its company that strives to help other areas besides business.

Through its Reinventing Education program, IBM understands education is changing and

IBM’s experience in technology can help foster that change.

On June 17, 2002, Riverdeep Inc. and IMB announced a partnership to jointly market and sell a product sold as Riverdeep Learning Village™. “It combines the strengths of both companies – the IT integration and services expertise of IBM and the award-winning K-12 curriculum of Riverdeep” (PRNewswire-FirstCall). As stated on

Riverdeep’s website, “The new Riverdeep Learning Village is a powerful instructional web portal that leads to a world of opportunities for teachers, students, administrators and 6 parents – a single point for communication, collaboration, teaching and professional development” (http://www.riverdeep.net/ ). There are many features included in the

Riverdeep’s Learning Village™ instructional web portal. These features “enable districts to build, create, link, and maintain their curriculum within an easy-to-use instructional framework; provide teachers with a single instructional desktop and the ability to create customized lessons and activities based on individual student needs; align instructional plans, content and assessment to state or local learning objectives and standards; facilitate collaboration and feedback among all participants of the learning community, including peer review of lesson plans to determine best practices; help administrators manage the communication and learning environments within their state, district, and individual schools; provide secure access to all the district’s Web-based applications for teachers, students, parents and administrators, including award-winning Riverdeep curricular content; and encourage more parental involvement by keeping them informed of their children’s progress, school and classroom activities” (www.ibm.com). Riverdeep’s

Learning Village™ appears to be a one-stop shopping center for administrators, teachers, students, parents and community leaders.

Evaluation of Riverdeep’s Learning Village™ as an EPSS for Teachers

In theory, a full implementation of Riverdeep’s Learning Village™ should allow the user to get “information, advice and learning experience they need to get up to speed as quickly as possible and with minimum of support from other people” (Raybould,

1996). By using an established set of criteria, one is able to evaluate Riverdeep’s

Learning Village™ to see if it actually does what it is supposed to do. Glory Gery

(Raybould, 1996), the pioneer of the EPSS movement, has created an established set of 7 criteria (see Appendix A) that will be used to measure Riverdeep’s Learning Village™ as an EPSS from a teacher’s perspective. There are 26 attributes or behavior’s Gery measures on a likert scale (1 = Low Representation, 3 = Intermediate Representation and

5 = High Representation). (Raybould, 1996). The attributes can be grouped together as arranged into six categories as in Marion’s (2002) case study “Attributes of Performance- centered Systems: What Can We Learn from Five Years of EPSS/PCD Competition

Award Winners?”. Marion (2002, p.442) divides the attributes into the following categories: Set a context, clarify what you’re going to do, and then do it in the best way,

Optimize what appears on the display, Optimize system-user interaction, Optimize system behaviour, Optimize knowledge access and use and Be consistent. It appears

Gerry (n.d) added one more attribute “Creates a ‘big picture’. Provides an overall context for the process, work or activity”. This attribute can be placed in Marion’s (2002) first category. Overall, using Gery’s established set of criteria, one can see that Riverdeep’s

Learning Village™ does support the function/performance it was designed for. Going through Riverdeep’s Learning Village™ with Gery’s rubric, Appendix A has been highlighted to show the areas where Riverdeep’s Learning Village™ is performing at a low, intermediate or high level. As one can see, each attribute either falls within the

Intermediate or High level; therefore, is appears to support the function it was designed for – “a single point for communication, collaboration, teaching and professional development” (http://www.riverdeep.net/).

However with any program or system, there are good points and bad points. There are many good points of Riverdeep’s Learning Village™ such as it provides interfaces that are the same. For example, the Welcome page is typically the same interface a 8 teacher would see when going to login. This has its advantage where if a teacher moves districts or states but the teacher is still required to use Riverdeep’s Learning Village™, then the teacher is familiar with the system and there may only be a few changes to the

Welcome page. A second good point of Riverdeep’s Learning Village™ is the use of icons which again are similar for certain applications such as Best Practice Lesson Plans and Teacher Home Pages. A third good point of Riverdeep’s Learning Village™ is that once a user is logged into the system, they do not have to login again. Everything is there at their finger tips. If you are a teacher in the Halifax Regional School Board and want to check you e-mail, you have to log in to the IMP system; if you have a web site using

FrontPage, and want to change the homework for the week, you has to log in to

FrontPage; if you are typing up report cards using Dadavan, again, you have to log in and each password is usually different. Using Riverdeep’s Learning Village™ you only have to remember one username and password. A fourth good point on using Riverdeep’s

Learning Village™ is one can grab lesson plans, rubrics, assessments, resources and much more. It is a teacher’s dream. No more looking for hours on Yahoo or Google searching for a health lesson plan at a certain grade level; Riverdeep’s Learning

Village™ has the lesson plans set up with resources and any activity sheets needed for that lesson. One last good point about Riverdeep’s Learning Village™ is it allows leaders within the community to apply to become mentors which in turn allows a teacher to easily access these mentors and have them come speak to their class instead of searching through the phone book or internet to see who is an expert/leader in a specific field. 9

There are many more good points about Riverdeep’s Learning Village™. However, there are some bad points to quickly examine. One bad point of Riverdeep’s Learning

Village™ could be that since the EPSS is jammed with information, a user could become overwhelmed and not want to use the system. A second bad point does not actually come from Riverdeep’s Learning Village™ but just from an educational view. There are still teachers in today’s educational field that are not technologically literate and would be afraid to use Riverdeep’s Learning Village™. A third bad point has been stated already and that is access to the system. Of course a teacher would have access at school but if a teacher does not have a computer at home, they would not have access needed to plan lessons, assess students, up-date the class webpage.

Riverdeep’s Learning Village™ appears to have covered almost all the key components which help make it a successful EPSS. Riverdeep’s Learning Village™ can be accessed during a task, is used on the job to grab lesson plans or update the classroom’s webpage, put homework and/or projects on the webpage, and uses less cryptic language by creating the same type of language used throughout the system. As stated earlier, in Appendix A, attributes have been highlighted where it was felt

Riverdeep’s Learning Village™ supported the function it was designed for through a teacher’s perspective. While examining Riverdeep’s Learning Village™ with Gery’s

(n.d.) established set of criteria, it was difficult to not have a highlighted a mixture of responses within each attribute. When reading the User Guide to Riverdeep’s Learning

Village™, it states “significant enhancements have been made…since Release 3.1.0, both in the use and functionality of the available applications, and in the installation and administration of the system” (IBM Learning Village Complete User Guide, 2001, p.xii). 10

It is obvious the company is still working to improve this EPSS and will continue to make adjustments and enhancements until it fits all the criteria and all the key components. However, one can be sure these criteria and components will change because change is inevitable. The field of Education is changing everyday; therefore,

Riverdeep’s Learning Village™ has to change with it. Once Riverdeep’s Learning

Village™ becomes static, it is not helping the teacher, it is hindering the teacher.

Evaluation of an Actual Implementation of Riverdeep’s Learning Village™

The school site/district that has been chosen to be evaluated which has implemented Riverdeep’s Learning Village™ is West Virginia Department of Education

(http://reinvent.k12.wv.us/lt/state.nsf). When going on West Virginia Reinventing

Education site, the Welcome Page is the first thing one sees. If one is not a registered user, one can enter the site as a guest. One has to remember when entering as a guest; the site may only be showing you certain aspects of the EPSS. The assumption here is as a guest, one has not been allowed to view all the applications available to registered users; however, the West Virginia Reinventing Education site allowed one to see many aspects of Riverdeep’s Learning Village™ implementation. Due to the fact West Virginia

Reinventing allowed a guest to see so many applications as compared to other sites using

Riverdeep’s Learning Village™, one can see how it has been implemented successfully as an EPSS.

Once logged in, the Learning Village Application page appeared which again is designed to have the same type of interface that other school districts using Riverdeep’s

Learning Village™ has. As a teacher, one could go directly to the section called News to see if there was anything important the teacher needed to know before starting the 11 teaching day. West Virginia Reinventing Education site allowed one to view the following fourteen different applications: West Virginia Department of Education, West

Virginia Department of Education CSOs, CSO Modules, Technology Integration, A New

User-Registration Information, Best Practices Lesson Plans (either by author, subject, course or grade), Middle Level Professional Development Modules, Person Registration,

Strategies (other lesson plans found here), Teacher Home Pages (also called Instructional

Planner broken into three sections of teachers last names; i.e.: A-J), TryJoy2Learn

Resource, TryMarcPolo Resource, TryScience Resource and WV Basic Skills. On the

Navigation side, one always has access back to the Application page and Help. West

Virginia Reinventing Education site allows a guest user to really take a good look around and go through various applications and show a teacher that one can reduce their time significantly in searching for lesson plans, resources and it is very easy to use.

The only suggestion for possible improvements to make the implementation successful would be to allow the teacher access to another school district Riverdeep’s

Learning Village™ where the implementation has been successful and is thriving so the teacher can become truly familiar with a fully implemented EPSS. One should not just be given a username and password. One of the key components of an EPSS is to reduce prior training; however, one needs to get a feel of a successful EPSS rather than be thrown into something that has not been built up.

As stated earlier, because one can only log on to the site as a guest, one does not get to see Riverdeep’s Learning Village™ implementation in full use. The tools and information obviously available for teachers that are not evident at West Virginia’s site such tools as rubric builders, Assessment Planners, Teacher Forums and Private 12

Conferences. If Riverdeep’s Learning Village™ is fully utilized, at this point in time, it appears as if all components have been covered. However, as stated earlier, change is always happening, and it will be inevitable that more components will be added in the future.

Conclusion

As stated earlier, a truly valuable EPSS allows the user to perform “a task 1. in less time, 2. with fewer errors, 3. with better results, or 4. with less training or external support” (Miller, 1996). If utilized properly, Riverdeep’s Learning Village™ allows for all four to occur. 13

Appendix A

Rule of Thumb:

The more of these attributes evidenced by the software and the higher the level of representation of the attribute, the more powerful the software in generating performance. Attribute or Low Intermediate High Representation Behavior Representation Representation 5 1 3 Creates a "big Provides little or no Provides access to Includes explicit and picture". Provides visual, graphic, extrinsic information complete representation an overall context animated or about overall process, of the context (e.g. for the process, narrative but maintains little or process, equipment, work or activity. representation of the no context within the facility) and what will be overall process, interface itself. No necessary to complete it deliverables or context sensitive within or immediately outcomes. information about accessible from primary Performer must point in process (e.g. displays. Rich maintain "you are here") or representation of the understanding of summary of prior work context or process, context, process and choices. Performer possibly including multi- their point in must maintain process media representations. process. orientation in their Summarizes previous head. choices.

May employ visual Includes significant process maps, advance organization of diagrams, maps, expectations, steps, graphs, flowcharts, deliverables. etc., but no as the primary workspace. In 3-D or virtual Performer must representations of the reference these task, equipment, or resources as opposed workspace, performers to work in these work within the context. processes. Establish and Not task oriented. Employs some task Task centered. Employs maintain a work Presents itself as language or task language and context. "software". Employs representative metaphors to establish a technical rather than metaphors to establish psychological work work language. No work context. Low to context. Results in 14

task orientation, moderate fidelity to perception or feeling of cueing or actual work context. "doing work" rather than structuring. being in "software. Requires performer May employ some to make mental multimedia in connections between metaphors and the software and the objects. work context, task or deliverables. Aid goal Performer must Presents either some Presents explicit goal establishment. generate goals prior specific or general options from within to interacting with goals to stimulate primary displays. software; must performer interaction Employs dialogs (e.g. know options and from within the "What do you want to the relationship interface. May do...) and presents initial between options and provide detailed and progressive options goals and where and information about for selection Both overall when to execute goals within extrinsic and context specific goal them. support researches establishment are such as manuals, supported. May provides instruction, Help. intrinsic or extrinsic resource to help Goal states may be performer compare and presented in contrast goal options multimedia objects or and/or consequences. models to serve as points of comparison In rich 3-D or virtual for the performer. environments, goals and models of desired outcomes might be represented. Structure work Provides little or no Provides overall and Establishes and process overall summary of detailed process maintains overall process recommended or information in definition within or possible work extrinsic or external immediately accessible process. resources. from interface. May employee process maps Any work process May summarize as primary task information resides results to date in orientation using button in extrinsic or visual or text bars, process maps, etc. external resource. summary form. Cues performer to position in and/or Performer must May employ some completion of process initiate all process multimedia steps or milestones via orientation. differentiating factors 15

such as color.

In rich 3-D or virtual environments, performers may be led to the space and images that represent the conditions, problems, requirements, models or examples or demonstrations of best practice. Structure Depends on Provides some task Following goal progression performer to structuring -- most establishment the system through tasks and generate and often in the form of structures task logic structure task information contained requirements in proper or requirements and in extrinsic resources best known task or progression through (e.g. procedures, process sequence from proper task demonstrations, within the interface. sequence. No process maps). Guides performer system initiated task through appropriate sequencing or Employs menu options, choices, inputs. presentation of structures for task Filters irrelevant steps or relevant data or structuring, but options out. Via edits, tools. Rules and performer must models and examples relationships reside generate sequence. observation and advice, in performer Irrelevant options does not permit wasted memory or must be may be dimmed on activities or accessed from menus, lists, etc. inappropriate sequencing extrinsic or external that will result in cycle resource before and May actively present repetition or dead ends. during task guidance or Presents relevant data progression. suggestions. and powerful representations of data, May employ some conditions, equipment, multimedia. etc. at appropriate times during task sequence. Performer led to successful task completion or deliverable creation.

All aspects of work are supported including job task, system interaction, 16

cognitive and verbal tasks are supported.

Provides on-demand access to overall process or sequence information within extrinsic resources (e.g. procedures, process maps, coaches or demos)

In rich 3-D or virtual environments, performers are presented with more robust representations of the data, conditions, examples,. or external knowledge resources. Reinforce and link No implicit or Loose or indirect Business or activity to explicit content, reference to strategy organizational strategy business strategy functionality, advice is based in optional and goals are reinforced or process reinforces activities or is referred through advice, options, or links to to in extrinsic support or underlying logic organizational system content. which incorporates strategy. Any Business rules into business rules expected relationship between system logic relate to produce strategic behavior and primarily to data results. strategy must be manipulation, constructed by the transformation and Responsible parties alter performer. representation -- not system logic to reflect business practice or new strategy or business standard operating goals as it is changed. policy. When business strategy is Strategic information is incorporated into available within extrinsic system logic it resources. remains stable between major system releases. Institutionalize Interaction and Business task, Support for task current best process are data content, data, process progression or cognitive approach. driven. If tasks are or rule changes are processing reflects most supported from distributed to current and best known 17

within the display or performers in analog approach or content. described in or electronic extrinsic resource, announcements, Task sequence, content, the approach is meetings, and data, rules and tools are frozen in time as of informally. Changes continuously updated the construction are not and dynamic. Individual date. No changes are institutionalized learning systematically made other than within the feeds the system to during major release applications, except translate current changes or via major system experience and learnings revisions. Content version changes. Time into organizational may be very lags exist between practice. discrepant with surfacing of change current known needs and performers Responsible parties alter information or incorporating those system logic to reflect process. changes into their new knowledge. behavior. Performers have ongoing Individual interaction with experts performance changes via Groupware, forums, are a function of the or bulletin boards. performer receiving Computer supported and incorporating the collaborative work is changes into their actively employed and behavior without encouraged or required structure or guidance via context sensitive from the application. links and communications to appropriate people when limited resource o content is available to support processing, creative or knowledge development.

In rich multimedia, 3-D or virtual environments progression is through more realistic space with powerful models and examples, etc. Reflect natural Interface language, Partial match between Language, metaphors, work situations. metaphors, interface and natural behaviors, options, behaviors or options work situations. Gaps process, sequences and bear little or no exist in language, deliverables conform to 18

relationship to the appropriateness of the the way people real work, world or metaphors to situation communicate, interact, performer or task, sequence or observe and behave. expectations or other elements. Reality is modeled with experience. multimedia, 3-D or Performers must May employ some virtual representations of adjust the way they multimedia. space, equipment, think, interact and conditions and data. behave to system requirements. Communication and interaction is concrete, How to approach colloquial, obvious and work requirements natural. is not immediately obvious from within The match between work the interface. and the system is very close and approach and options are obvious. Use metaphors Displays and Some use of Extensive use of and direct content are data metaphors, metaphors and visual manipulation of driven and use little visualization or direct representation to variables to or no visual manipulation. construct familiar capitalize on prior representation or Metaphorical or realities and capitalize on learning and metaphors. visual content more prior learning. Direct physical reality. Performers must likely to be resident in manipulation of objects transform extrinsic resources employed to where requirements into rather than in primary physical movement of system terms displays. data, visual structures, employing etc. match real-world abstractions, codes May employ some tasks. Performers feel or commands. multimedia. they are working in "real" vs. abstracted space.

The most advanced environments employ multimedia, 3-D or virtual metaphorical space, objects and permit direct and powerful manipulation of situational variables. Provide One size fits all Alternative interface Two or more alternative alternative views interface. No possible for some or interfaces presenting of the application options for more or all tasks or for limited broad range of structure 19 interface less structure, differences in amount and freedom. alternative mode, of structure (e.g. some Alternatives may be interaction type, or use of Wizards or based on different navigation. Helpers vs. command interaction modes (e.g. Performer diversity or menu-based blank page vs. templates results in some interaction; or vs. wizards/assistants), feeling inadequate primary use of Wizard customization options or and others feeling structure with some expanded or collapsed patronized or spoon key stroke bypass view of the interface fed (i.e. little or too options. controlled by performer. much structure). May employ Alternate interfaces may animations or sound. include alternative media representations (e.g. visual, 3-D or virtual versions of the workspace, objects, data, etc. Provide Support resources Some use of Rich and varied views of alternative views represented alternative knowledge content and knowledge. of the support primarily in text representation within Use of multiple resources mode with limited extrinsic support knowledge or no use of other resources or in representation (e.g. media, content primary displays. textual procedure and organization or demonstration and knowledge May employ some voice-narrated representation. media beyond text demonstration). and simple visual objects or animations. Advanced applications employ multimedia, 3-D and/or virtual knowledge representation within the interface to represent conditions, options, etc. -- or within the extrinsic or external support resources. Observe Observation of Systems sense some Observes and notes performer actions performer actions performer, data, performer context, prior and data. limited to edits of physical, decisions, physical entered data. environmental, interaction with system equipment or system (e.g. mouse position, states and provides time delays, previous context-sensitive choices). Observes information. The relationships between 20

more "sensitive" the performer, context, task, system, the more data and goals. powerful the support. May employ visual, 3-D or virtual representations of resources tightly linked to state, data or user conditions or preferences. Provide contextual Feedback is either Feedback may be Rich, varied, explicit and feedback. generic, vague or linked to one or more continuous feedback non-existent; not elements (e.g. data, related to performer linked to context, point in process.) actions, data, task performer actions, requirements, performer system behavior or attributes. Anticipates data. performer requirements and communicates actively about states, conditions, results, requirements or options. May appear "intelligent".

Feedback may employ rich visual, auditory, 3-D or virtual feedback about conditions, data, alternatives, etc. Advise. Provides no task or May provide advice Ongoing, dynamic, rich conditional advice through extrinsic and explicit system or in either primary support resource or performer -initiated displays or extrinsic through Advisor advice. Observes and resource. components invoked monitors data, time, by the performer. options or performer behavior and provides Advisors may employ conditional, rule-based media beyond text. or "learned" advice. Advice may be information or directive.

Advice may include multimedia representations, examples, guidance, demonstrations, practice exercises, etc. 21

Shows evidence of Performer must System presents some System presents rich, work progression maintain conscious evidence on all task continuous and in-depth understanding of progression or evidence on all task what has been done, conditions or progression or conditions choices made and limited/in-depth or limited/in-depth consequences and evidence (e.g. images, evidence (e.g. images, relationships. time bars, narrative time bars, narrative descriptions) of descriptions) of accumulated choices accumulated choices and and system-generated system-generated outcomes. outcomes.

Some multimedia Task progression may be may be employed. represented with multimedia, 3-D or virtual representations to provide clear understanding of rules, relationships, conditions, outcomes, deliverables, etc. Provide support Support resources Support resources Context-sensitive access resources without are external to the within HELP or to support resources. breaking the task system and require a Searchable Reference, Support is organized in context. complete context but may not be granular structures or is change (e.g. signing context-sensitive in written and displayed to off system and any or all cases. conform to other system accessing on-line Performers are clearly display conventions. resource -- or in another space Sufficient support is suspending when working with embedded within or interaction with the support resources immediately accessible system to access (e.g. they are "in a from primary displays. manuals, training or training module). peer resource. Resources overlay the Accessing resource application or can be Accessing support often breaks the task sized or minimized. resource requires or thought context. While momentary shifts significant effort between task and/or time away Knowledge may be performance and use of from task. Often, the represented in limited extrinsic resources, effort required is ways that are not context breaks are greater than the faithful to the task of minor . payoff due to gaps physical workspace or between resource equipment. Rich multimedia, multi- content and Consequently, sensory, 3-D or virtual 22

performer needs. performers must representations of reconceptualize, knowledge are available transform or as primary or alternative cognitively resources. manipulate the Representation permit content due to low maintenance of task fidelity content context because of high representation, fidelity knowledge thereby breaking their representation. task context. Contain Any available Some directions, Extensive and rich embedded knowledge resides explanations or knowledge is contained knowledge in the in extrinsic visualizations are in in primary displays. Next interface resources. primary displays. steps are expressed or demonstrated. Content Rich and complete may be displayed in knowledge is included multiple forms (e.g. in extrinsic resources. words and images). Some multimedia may be employed. Examples, instructions and guidance may be represented with multimedia, 3-D or virtual reality. Business Business knowledge Business knowledge Business knowledge and knowledge is entirely external resides primarily in rules incorporated into available in to the system and/or extrinsic resources. embedded knowledge in support resources must be known by May or may not be displays or underlying and system logic. the performer prior rich knowledge system or programming to interacting with representation. logic. Rules and the software. relationships between Business knowledge data, tasks, goals, rules, typically must be concepts, requirements, learned by the etc. are tightly coupled performer in advance and explicit. (possibly just in time) and then applied to Learning about the work the task at hand. or process is tightly coupled with doing and Some multimedia is often a consequence may be employed. rather than a pre- condition of performance. 23

Rules and relationships and data may employ multimedia , 3-D or virtual representations. System Help or other Information about Information on the information extrinsic resource is procedures, system system, procedures, etc. contained in either limited in structure and mental tightly coupled to task support resources content or of models, requirements, context and available for inadequate quality. options, etc. contained context-sensitive access. in support resources. Typically organized Knowledge in hierarchical representation is rich and structure. Not context complete and may sensitive. Must be employ multimedia, 3-D invoked by performer or virtual (who must know that representations. they need help, how to phrase their request, and how to execute their request).

Some multimedia may be employed. Provide One size fits all More than one search Numerous search and alternative navigation (e.g. and navigation navigation options knowledge search index or table of mechanism provided. available including and navigation contents access; May include context hypertext, indexing, mechanisms. keyword search sensitive access to keyword search, context access). some resources. sensitive links, "sounds like" queries, browsing, VRML etc.

Users may "browse", be guided, or directed through the content, data, space or objects. May employ agents for searching, coaching, assessing, etc. Layered. Single view of May provide layering Multiple levels of interface, content or via hypertext or content, forms, information. What hypermedia links interaction methods, you see is what you within extrinsic feedback, advice, etc. get... resources. provided to 24

accommodate performer diversity in prior knowledge, goals, motivation, available time, and style. Provide access to The system presents May provide Rich, dynamic and underlying logic. its advice or explanations of logic, context sensitive access executes tasks in rules or representation to system and/or response to tasks. of decision tree business logic and structure when rationale.. May be requested by the presented by the system performer. Content (e.g. Here is the thinking most probably static behind my and in extrinsic recommendation...) or resources. invoked. The "thinking" may be presented via Some multimedia multimedia agents, may be employed. including video and sound images presenting content, advice or experience of high level performers.

May provide direct interaction with expert resource via videoconferencing, audio conferencing, chat lines, Groupware, etc. Automates tasks. Most tasks must be Some tasks are High task automation structured by the automated or the including data, cognitive performer. Proper performer can and judgment tasks. sequence must be automate them via Processing may be rule established and macros. or case-based. implemented. Some tasks must be Most task automation Performer needs are performed relates to data access, anticipated and externally to the transformation and automatically presented software (e.g. data representation, rather for acceptance or access, calculations, than supporting dismissal or are data manipulation, workflow, thinking executed. etc.) and/or human interaction. Allow One size fits all Some customization Significant customization displays, interaction options, primarily customization options 25

modes, task around display around displays, task sequence settings, keyboard, sequences, language and progression menu labels or lower system behavior. established by level interaction Alternative settings are system designers. behavior (e.g. available from multiple Little or no "confirm changes" contexts (e.g. options performer control. before executing). displays, check boxes within dialog boxes, layered buttons on displays).

Performers can change options for the task or document or establish as new defaults. Settings and options summaries can be accessed for evaluation and change. Explanations, illustrations or demonstrations of consequences of alternative summaries are presented as options are explored. Performers may select among media representations, if available. Provide obvious Performers must Some options, next What to do next or options, next know options, steps steps or resources are available resources are steps, and and resources in displayed in obvious always prominently resources. advance or access ways within the displayed and are clear them from extrinsic interface or via (e.g. Show me or Tell me resources prior to buttons with clear about or Do it... buttons) task performance. labels.

Some multimedia may be employed. Employ consistent Labels, display Gaps may exist is Once established, use of visual attributes, language, positioning language, navigation, conventions, positioning or or behavior. System displays, interaction language, visual navigation displays conform methods and system positioning, conventions are largely to platform behavior are consistent. navigation and inconsistent and standards. Performers experience in other system possibly in conflict. one context establishes 26 behavior. Expectations cannot expectations that are be established based always met in other on prior displays, tasks or displays/system contexts. behavior.

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