A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

e-Learning

Uses Internet and intranet technologies to deliver a broad array of learning solutions (information, instruction and tools) to enhance knowledge and performance. A synonym for online learning.

Electronic Performance Support System (EPSS)

Applications designed to run simultaneously with other applications or embedded within other applications that provide support for the user in accomplishing specific tasks. An EPSS can deliver job aids, and just-in-time context-sensitive information. A Web-based performance support system (WBPSS) is an EPSS that uses Web technology to deliver support in an enterprise environment.

Entering Behavior

Skills and knowledge the learner already possesses that are relevant to the learning objectives.

Entry Test

Conducted at the start of a training intervention to determine the level of skill and knowledge. In a fully individualized course such as self-directed e-learning, this test would allow learners to bypass instructional modules, if they pass the tests for those modules.

Equivalency Test

Used to determine if a learner already has the required skill and knowledge contained in the learning intervention, in which case the learner may be exempted from the intervention.

Essay

A relatively short prose composition on a limited topic. Most essays are 500 to 1,000 words long and focus on a clearly definable question to be answered or problem to be solved. An essay may present a viewpoint through formal analysis and argument, or it may be informal in style.

Evaluation

The process of assessing the effectiveness of a training intervention. In 1975, Donald Kirkpatrick first presented a four-level model of evaluation which became the industry standard:

• Level 1 – Reaction
• Level 2 – Learning
• Level 3 – Behavior
• Level 4 – Results

In this model, each successive level is built on information provided by the lower level and represents a more precise measure of the effectiveness of the training.

Evaluation Phase

The sixth phase in FKA’s Instructional Systems Design Methodology. According to Donald Kirkpatrick there are four levels of evaluation: Reaction, Learning, Performance and Results. Evaluation instruments are planned during the Design phase, produced during the Development phase, and used throughout the Implementation phase. During the Evaluation phase the results are analyzed.

Exemplar

Someone who always performs an ability at or above standards. Also called Master Performer.

Experiential Learning

The process of actively engaging learners in an authentic experience that will have benefits and consequences. Learners make discoveries and experiment with knowledge themselves instead of hearing or reading about the experiences of others. It is a type of Discovery Learning.

Expert Role

One of three roles performance consultants can play. The ‘expert’ consultant provides expertise and is responsible for the results, and may only collaborate with the client occasionally. See also Pair of Hands and Collaborative

Expert System

A class of computer program developed by researchers in artificial intelligence during the 1970s and applied commercially throughout the 1980s. It has two basic components: a knowledge base (gathered from experts in the field) and an inference engine. The system mimics an expert's reasoning process, e.g., the system used to interpret satellite imagery to forecast weather