How to Perform On-the-job Training - Dean Amory

4. A Comprehensive Program to Deliver
On-The-Job Training
Excerpts from a study from July 1997 executed by
United States Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences
Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited
ARI Contractor Report 97-18 - http://www.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?AD=ADA327576
Caroline E. Zsambok, George L. Kaempf, Beth Crandall, Molly Kyne, Klein Associates Inc.
4.1 Scope of the Study:
Our intent was to derive a model that describes what good OJT appears to involve across a variety
of domains and types of tasks, and to determine if the model serves as a useful frame for both
designers of OJT training and for OJT providers who learn how to apply the model in the training
they deliver. Empirical validation of the model is a target for future research.
… We also wanted to learn about OJT. … We expected data from the selected "tracks" to broaden
our knowledge of good OJT practices, which we could then pass on to the military through our
training program. We also expected data from these tracks to inform our model, and to meet the
dual-use requirement of this project. Finally, we chose domains in which a partnership could
develop which might lead to follow-on work.
As we collected information in these tracks, we were focused on these questions:
What does a good OJT provider look like in this domain?
What do actual OJT providers do?
Are there opportunities for improvement in the way OJT is delivered in this domain?
Can you train the skills needed to provide effective OJT, and, if so, how?
4.2 Models of OJT
A prototypical procedural model of OJT from the literature includes these steps:
1. Plan your demonstration,
2. gather necessary materials,
3. practice your demonstration,
4. execute the demonstration,
5. allow trainee to try, correct trainee,
6. allow for trainee practice,
7. repeat last four steps until proficiency is achieved.
Models like this do not address the cognitive aspects of providing OJT, such as diagnosing barriers
to trainee learning, flexibly tuning an instructional technique to meet a trainee's needs, or managing
the learning process from a "big picture" perspective.
Other models contain cognitive aspects of tutoring, as in the cognitive apprenticeship literature. But
these models have been derived from studies of tutoring involving mostly declarative knowledge
transfer and the teaching of reading comprehension skills. Whereas, in OJT, the target of learning is
usually declarative knowledge plus procedural knowledge and skill proficiency on job-related tasks.
We therefore decided to develop a new model for OJT.
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