Given the long-standing apprenticeship programs and the informal learn-as-you-go programs of development in most small organizations, one can conclude, from one perspective, that just-in-time development is the oldest and most widely practiced of the four modes. From another perspective, however, this fourth mode represents a dramatic departure from the three modes of development that dominated 20th Century HRD. Shifts toward this fourth mode that are taking place in the first years of the 21st Century may lead to the demise of many formal training and education programs.
This shift centers on the availability of just-in-time education via electronic/digital media. Often called “on-demand” learning, this new form of training and education is perfectly suited to a world of tight-scheduling, continual interruptions, complex and ongoing change, and an insatiable request for new skills and greater knowledge on the part of contemporary knowledge worker. Training and education are no longer synchronous, with all learners assembled in one place and at one time to acquire new skills or knowledge. Just-in-time and on-demand programs are asynchronous, for each learner can now chose her own time and place to receive training or education.
For this on-demand learning to be successful, the material being prepared must be brief and compatible with digital formats. Small chunks of information are presented. This information is linked to other small information units. The material must also be easy to comprehend. It must be geared to the lowest common denominator of learners and can’t be based on the assumption that the learner already has mastered related skills or retained foundation knowledge. On-demand learning also requires a multi-tiered structure. Applications and practice activities are interwoven with conceptual material. Learners branch off to higher order lessons after receiving feedback regarding their mastery of specific skills or comprehension of specific knowledge.
