There must be something more to training and education than just the images that appear on a computer screen. Just-in-time programs must either be coupled with intensive off-site or on-site programs or integrated with one of the distributed education programs that I identified when describing the third mode of development.
A more tangible shortcoming of just-in-time development concerns the startup costs for e-learning programs. While our financial firm president was quite wise in proposing that future computer-based programs in his organization should be produced in cooperation with other financial firms, there is still a large up-front cost associated with most computerized training and educational programs. These costs include not only the expense of new hardware and software, but also expenses associated with the preparation of multiple training and education modules that will be available to employees at any time and in any setting.
Education and training programs being offered through the other three developmental modes can always be adjusted to fit a specific context and can be adopted for specific learning styles and needs. Who is attending the session? We’ll shift how we approach topic X. What has recently been happening in this organization? We can include some material that is specific to this issue. What is the nature of the relationship among the participants? We can add a specific exercise that will take advantage of this dynamic. A computer-based program, by contrast, does not have a context, nor can it be automatically tailored to the unique needs or styles of the specific learners taking the program. Thus, the computer-based program must be everything to everyone. This is a tall order, especially given that we are all still neophytes when it comes to digitalized education and training. All of this suggests large up-front costs for just-in-time programs.
