For instance, instead of sticking to one study location, simply alternating the room where a person studies improves retention. So does studying distinct but related skills or concepts in one sitting, rather than focusing intensely on a single subject.

As Robert A. Bjork, a psychologist at the University of California, reported in the New York Times, these principles have been known for some time but schools and businesses don’t pick them up.

Take the notion that people have specific learning styles, that some are “visual learners” and others are “auditory learners”; some are “left-brain” students, others “right-brain.” Recent research found almost zero support for such ideas. “The contrast between the enormous popularity of the learning-styles approach within education and the lack of credible evidence for its utility is, in our opinion, striking and disturbing,” the researchers concluded. Ditto for teaching styles. According to the researchers, “We have yet to identify the common threads between teachers who create a constructive learning atmosphere.”

But individual learning is another matter, and psychologists have discovered that some of the most hallowed advice on study habits is flat wrong. For instance, many study skills courses insist that students find a specific place, a study room or a quiet corner of the library, to take their work. The research finds just the opposite. In one classic 1978 experiment, psychologists found that college students who studied a list of 40 vocabulary words in two different rooms—one windowless and cluttered, the other modern, with a view on a courtyard—did far better on a test than students who studied the words twice, in the same room. Later studies have confirmed the finding, for a variety of topics.

The brain makes subtle associations between what it is studying and background sensations at the time, the authors say, regardless of whether those perceptions are conscious. It colors the terms of the Versailles Treaty with the wasted fluorescent glow of the dorm study room or the elements of the Marshall Plan with the jade-curtain shade of the willow tree in the backyard. Forcing the brain to make multiple associations with the same material may, in effect, give that information more neural scaffolding.

“What we think is happening here is that, when the outside context is varied, the information is enriched, and this slows down forgetting,” said Dr. Bjork.

Varying the type of material studied in a single sitting—alternating, for example, among vocabulary, reading and speaking in a new language—seems to leave a deeper impression on the brain than does concentrating on just one skill at a time. Musicians have known this for years, and their practice sessions often include a mix of scales, musical pieces and rhythmic work. Many athletes, too, routinely mix their workouts with strength, speed and skill drills.

Today’s HR Tip: Don’t accept all the stuff you have heard on learning styles at face value. Keep an eye open for further research in this field. Advise learners to vary their study habits as described above—they may just remember what you have been teaching them!

To get real about organizational training, think of learners in three categories:

• Category 1–Engaged Participants: about 10% of the class are there to learn. Their motto is, “Hey this is good stuff”
• Category 2–Vacationers: about 80% of the class are mentally on vacation. Their motto is, “This beats working”
• Category 3–Prisoners: about 10% of the class feel trapped and really do not want to be there. Their motto “I have a lot of other things to do”

Some tips for the trainer:

• Try and maximize the number of engaged participants early in the program by making the opening engaging and fun (icebreakers, attention getters, personalized exercises, etc.)
• Mix up the engaged participants in group work with the vacationers to try and spread their level of energy and engagement
• Identify the WIIFM (what’s in it for me) factor for the group ahead of time so you can link the training to current issues in to organization—this may capture the interest of some of the vacationers and prisoners.

By applying some of these approaches you may just turn a Cinderella training course into a thing of beauty.

That said, the quality and reputation of online institutions varies widely; some are good, many are bad, and occasionally there’s an ugly duckling. It is important, therefore, to make sure you don’t end up with a worthless piece of paper from a diploma mill.

What should you look for in an online program? It comes down to one thing—accreditation. You also need to consider such factors as the quality and breadth of courses, the faculty, and the potential for interaction and networking.

Kaplan University was an early player in the online education market, and is therefore a reliable and well-regarded source for an online degree. It is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA-HLC), and the Higher Learning Commission. University of Phoenix and DeVry University also offer reputable online programs.

Online degrees can be more convenient for working adults but are unlikely to be much less expensive. The bottom line—be very selective about the program and institution you select, and be sure to check out the accreditation. You don’t want to spend many thousands of dollars and a lot of sweat and tears on an ugly duckling.

According to Chis Dede of Harvard University we are going though a learning revolution mediated by the technology. The Internet is revolutionizing the filed of learning! Applications such as “groupware” for virtual collaboration, asynchronous threaded discussions, multi-user virtual environments, video-conferencing, and mobile, location-aware wireless devices such as personal digital assistants (PDAs) with embedded global positioning system (GPS) have shaken the roots of how people access new information. Research indicates that each of these media, when designed for education and learning purposes fosters particular types of interactions that enable (and undercut) various learning styles.

According to Dede three complementary developments will shape how people learn in the new-millennia:

1. “World to the Desktop” – Provides access to distant experts and archives and enables collaborations, mentoring relationships, and virtual communities of practice. This interface is evolving through initiatives such as Web 2.0.
2. “Alice in Wonderland” – Multi-user virtual environments (MUVEs). Participants’ avatars (self-created digital characters) interact with computer-based agents and digital artifacts in virtual contexts. The initial stages of studies on shared virtual environments are characterized by advances in Internet games and work in virtual reality.
3. “Ubiquitous Computing” – Mobile wireless devices infuse virtual resources as we move through the real world. The early stages of “augmented reality” interfaces are characterized by research on the role of “smart objects” and “intelligent contexts” in learning and doing.

So, if you are involved in the training and development of employees in your organization you better jump aboard the neo-millennial learning train—it seems like it is already halfway out of the station!

Andragogy tells us that adults generally develop a deep seated need to be self-directed. Thus, when adults find themselves in a situation in which they are not allowed to be self-directing, they tend to be resentful and resistant. For trainers this translates as:

1. Adults need to be involved in the planning and evaluation of their own instruction.
2. Experience (including mistakes) provides the basis for learning activities.
3. Adults are most interested in learning topics that have immediate relevance to their job or personal life.
4. Adult learning is problem-centered rather than content-oriented.

The bottom line—trainers need to adopt a facilitative style that involves people in their own learning and not think of themselves as simply purveyors of training content.

“Just a minute” I hear you say, “you can’t learn to drive on-line; you need practical hands-on experience to learn how to drive safely”.

For on-line learning skeptics this is an example of why on-line learning is a waste of time and money. But are they throwing out the baby with the bathwater?

On-line learning is a growth industry, even in these tough economic times. Organizations are waking up to the fact that they can save significantly by having employees take on-line courses instead of flying them to attend a training seminar.

But does on-line learning work? Well, like most things, it depends! Here are some tips to consider when thinking about using on-line learning programs:

• Identify the goals for the learning? If the goal is to communicate information or to provide concepts, then on-line learning can work. In the Drivers Ed example, the student driver could certainly benefit form learning driving theory from an on-line course (stopping distances, road signs, etc.). If the goal is to practice skills that require hand-eye coordination or interpersonal competence, however, on-line learning will probably not cut it.
• Use tried and tested instructional design principles. Many on-line learning modules are tedious and boring and are not deigned to engage people in the learning process. This is generally due to poor instructional design. Adults need to be able to see the relevance of what they are learning and become engaged in the process. Good instructional design uses tools such as quizzes and hands-on interaction to maintain the interest and motivation of the learner.
• Combining on-line learning with other forms of learning in a “blended” approach. Research shows that a “blended” approach which combines on-line and “on-ground” elements can work effectively to allow students to learn the concepts and practice the skills. By combining on-line with on-ground learning you can get the best of both worlds – cost savings combined with high impact skills development.

• Reinforce positive results and actions on the job with follow-up by supervisors and managers. Reinforce to supervisors the need to reinforce the training by checking periodically that it is being applied on the job.
• Make training and development straight forward. When employees see a clear plan and how it will benefit them and the organization they will be more likely to value what they learn and retain the information they have been taught.
• Practice – there’s a reason why there is the saying “practice makes perfect”. Allow employees the opportunity to practice the skills they learn in training sessions or seminars and do not expect them to get something right the first time. Allow for mistakes and offer corrective advice.