Session 3

PRE-THESIS (UPDATE)

 

Activity Log: 

April 28:  Reworked my pre thesis.

 May 1: Reworked my pre thesis, included Dr. Newberry’s suggestions. 

 

Introduction:

A successful partnership between temporary staff, the companies that hire them and the agencies that train and supply them (I say this as if temps are a commodity, which they are) allows for business, both private and public, to have temporary staff that is qualified, efficient and effective.  Training, usually done by the temporary staffing agency, is needed to better prepare the temporary employee for the workplace, having an understanding of basic clerical skills, meeting the government requirements for such things as workplace violence or sexual harassment and understanding the basic structure of a professional office will provide for a more successful relationship between the temp worker and the company.  A relationship between all the parties that are involved will help to ensure that the expectations of the hiring company are understood, and that any misinterpretations are addressed immediately.

 

Some areas of importance that my paper will draw from are (literature base):

• Computer Based Training
• Learner Choices
• Individual Differences, and
• Self-Efficacy

Attempting to create a training module that will help temporary staffing agencies better train their workers is necessary in this type of environment.

 

Preliminary Literature Review/ Outline

Bouffard-Bouchard T. (1990). Influence of self-efficacy on performance in a cognitive task. Journal of Social Psychology, 130, 353-363. 

This article directly relates self-efficacy (one’s own capability to execute the actions required to deal with prospective situations) to learning in an online or other self-propelled environment.  I believe that when training temporary staff it is important to understand how someone’s own perceived notion of self-efficacy affects how they respond to the training and how effective it will be.  This is especially important when the training of temporary staff is done online or through some form of independent instruction.

 

 Filipczak B. (1996). Training on the Intranets: The hope and the hype. Training, 33(9), 24-32 

This article discusses the impact of corporate intranets and their potential uses in training staff.  Computer-based training is discussed in detail and its many potential uses are examined to improve performance and training material retention.  The article discusses how intranets are primarily used as tools instead of as training delivery systems, and how a simple change in the use of this technology can improve a company’s bottom line.  I felt this article was especially useful in that it provides a strong foundation for the use of online teaching tutorials and also points out its shortcomings and how to overcome them.

 

Martocchio JJ. (1993). Employee decisions to enroll in microcomputer training. Human Resource Development Quarterly, 4, 51-69. 

Employees (as well as most people) rarely decide to complete some aspect of technology training without having a strong basis or interest in technology.  The decision to enroll in this form of training usually is made by the company and only required to improve or to learn a skill in which the person is lacking mastery of the subject (or even a thorough grasp of the material).  Other factors that impact their decisions are their age, time on the job and comfort level with new material.

 

Analysis Plan/Outline

1. Needs Assessment

a. Survey the need for the training module and the format that is best (PowerPoint, DVD, or some form of online training enhanced with EPSS) according to staffing agencies

b. Interview with staff agency personnel, what information is key for temporary workers to know prior to starting a new assignment

c. Contact private and public organizations that use temporary staff, find out what they want and/or expect

 

2. Analyze data collection

a. After collecting the data, decide what topic is essential

b. Make decision for final scenes that are going to be on the presentation

 

Design (and Development) Plan/Outline

1. Storyboard the scenes for the presentation

2. Meet with temporary staffing agencies and private and public employers to discuss temporary staffing needs

a. Issues to discuss
i. Equipment available for training (usually computers with internet access)

ii. Ideas for effective learning

 

 3. Meeting with subject-matter experts about content

 

 4. Plan with staffing agencies to tape some components

a. Tape all the different issues to be included for presentation

 

5. Create basic training module that can be downloaded off of a website (my website)

a. Have a feedback system

b. Include EPSS into the training module

 

Testing Plan/Outline

1. Alpha Testing

a. Staffing agency employees

 

2. Beta Testing

a. Substitute teachers or other temporary staff

b. One private business with temporary staffing needs

 

Implementation Plan/Outline

1. Implementation prior to starting a new temp assignment

 

2. Evaluation

a. Complete a survey

b. Employers will complete a survey or provide feedback about temps’ progress