The
goal of a health care delivery site is to provide quality services to a
community. The clinical knowledge and skills of a site's staff is a critical
factor in establishing and sustaining quality services. However, there are many
other factors in the work environment that can directly or indirectly affect
the quality of services and influence the ability of providers to apply their
knowledge and skills in the services they offer.
The
primary purpose of the Transfer of Learning guide is to share strategies and techniques that can be
used before, during, and after training interventions to ensure support for the
transfer of knowledge and skills to improved performance on the job. The strategies and techniques for
transferring learning are presented in an easy-to-use matrix that serves as a
table of contents for the rest of the document. We have also included a brief
introduction to the many performance factors that can play important roles in
the transfer of learning. Users of this guide are encouraged to examine their
work environments carefully in order to fully understand all the factors that
may be affecting worker performance. A case story illustrates several of the
performance factors and demonstrates how to implement some of the ideas shared
in the matrix.
The
information in this guide enables all of the stakeholders involved in a
training intervention to play their respective roles in ensuring that transfer
of learning occurs. Stakeholders in the
training and learning process may include policy makers and officials at
national, regional and local levels, program planners, supervisors, trainers,
learners and their co-workers. For
learning interventions to be successful, stakeholders must work together as
partners with a common goal. While the guide outlines specific actions for
supervisors, trainers, learners and their co-workers, other stakeholders can
also use this information to gain an appreciation of the process and an
understanding of the support and resources needed to ensure transfer of
learning.
For
more information about transfer of learning, contact Rick Sullivan at rsullivan@jhpiego.org.
