The purpose of this White Paper is to propose an alternative to the conventional training methodologies currently in use for the desktop/digital video, compositing and special effects industries. This new epistemic paradigm is based on knowledge being delivered “just-in-time” - that is, at the moment that the knowledge is required.

What is Knowledge and Training?

“Knowledge” is applied information that is used to produce results. “Training” is the delivery mechanism by which this knowledge is imparted to the individual. So the purpose of training is to obtain knowledge to enhance personal productivity, creativity and/or personal satisfaction.


There is a market for training because there is a growing amount of knowledge required of people in this industry. Desktop Video and digital video has opened video production, editing and compositing to a much broader market that continues to grow faster than ever before. Our industry is no longer dominated by a small number of elite practitioners with prohibitively expensive hardware and software. More powerful, more affordable hardware and software is therefore available to more people from a wide variety of backgrounds.

Challenges facing the desktop/digital video, compositing and special effects industries

Since 1996, Philip Hodgetts has been conducting field research of our industry with a particular interest in user training. Mr Hodgetts been exposed to the experiences of thousands of end users through face to face classes and workshops he developed and delivered; monitoring email groups and internet forums; and consulting to suggest best practice solutions for end users From this research, we believe there are several critical issues facing our industry:


• There is a real reluctance by users to start into a new piece of software.
  
• There is no strong desire to master software, just to get the job done.
  
• People tell me they have no time to learn new software or to explore the software they have.
  
• People will use software they know instead of a more appropriate choice either because they are reluctant to use a new interface, or because they do not know that a “better” tool for the job exists.
  Most people “learn” the software by doing the tutorial. Most are not aware of other features in the software or other ways of working with the software.
  
• People want an answer to their immediate concern. They do not necessarily want to understand.
  
• People were not aware of applications, plug-ins or work techniques available to solve their problems.
  
• People would rather ask than look up a manual and work out the solution. Even when the answer is in a manual within reach, people will walk around an office to ask a colleague, send out an email or visit a web forum for an answer.
  
• People forget most of what they learn on training courses. The value of a training course is lost unless it is immediately put into practice. The most effective training courses are those that fulfill an immediate need in the individual or organization. If there is immediate application of what was taught, it is recalled. If not, then it fades into oblivion and the course is wasted.
  
• People buy training resources but don’t use them. The information might be present but if it is not in the form of an answer to the immediate question, or if it is not readily accessible, then they don’t use it.
  
• There is a strong trend to multi-skilling and an expectation that everyone will use multiple pieces of software to get the job done. Gistics Research reported that the average “best practice” user utilizes 16 pieces of software to get their work done. The modern desktop video specialist needs to know a bit about editing, a bit of compositing, some typography, design, technology and 3D modeling and animation. The new creative choices permitted by powerful software presents users with the challenge of choosing the appropriate tools and learning to use these tools effectively. It takes experience to get a feel for what is possible with each effect and which tool would be the most appropriate for a particular task. I am astounded at the number of times I have seen effects used at only the most rudimentary level – at their default settings! And I suspect that this is because users do not understand or don’t have time to explore the potential of many plug-ins and effects. Such mediocrity in our industry is regrettable.
  

Current methodologies for training have several limitations. The biggest challenge with training is that, in general, people don’t want to learn - they just want to be told enough to get their work done. There is no time for ongoing education when the base level of professional knowledge is increasing exponentially, software updates compound upon each other, and new creative techniques and processes are developed every day. Users are looking for assistance to help them in their work instead of training that attempts to increase their knowledge about the software they use to get their work done.


Our solution to the problems of conventional training is to develop new tools to provide assistance rather than creating different types of training.

Features of next-generation Assistance tools

The ultimate goal of next-generation assistance tools is that users should be able to use the tools to obtain any outcome the software is capable of. As well as being effective, they should also be economical and easy to use, leading to broad acceptance.


To be effective the assistance would need to be completely modular, delivering well-structured knowledge as and when it was needed, in a form that makes knowledge useful and accessible to the user - at a level they can understand and in a preferred delivery form.

Types of Knowledge

New assistance tools would have the following features:


• modular, delivering only as much information as needed.
  
• lateral integration - open-ended system to content design; and vertical integration - being able to access software competency, creativity and context. When lateral and vertical integration of knowledge are combined we have an effective bridge between theory and practice.
  
• chunking - breaking the content into bite-sized pieces
  
• clustering - associating chunks
  
• aggregation - across a process
  
• multiple entry and exit points
  
• multiple threading and linkages, allowing the individual to make their own path through what they want to know
  
• prompts best practice
  

Types of Delivery

We can categorize the delivery of knowledge as either linear or non-linear. For example a classroom-type presentation is linear, while mentoring is non-linear.


Classroom-type training has been proven to be the most inefficient. Classes strictly follow a set path, and therefore cannot meet individual needs or take into account the differences in people’s prior knowledge. People want to learn at their own pace, taking their own “chaotic” path through the information. Another problem with linear delivery is that it does not suit the innate curiosity of the human brain. It also relies on the user stacking up knowledge for possible future use.


In contrast, delivering knowledge through computer allows it to be presented in a non-linear, random access way.


New assistance tools would have the following features:


• Searchable - ask questions
  
• Context-sensitive in the application
  
• Intuitive - the system observes what the user is doing and predicts what help might be needed
  
• Just-in-Time delivery of knowledge. The paradigm shift is from gaining knowledge in advance with the expectation that it “might be useful” to providing the required skill and competence to be acquired as and when it is needed.
  
• Knowledge is delivered in the context of completing a job - when the user is most willing to learn, i.e. when the knowledge is most valuable.
  
• Use of short-term memory, focusing on task completion, which relies on proximity of knowledge acquisition to its application, minimizes prior learning, and may eventually lead to mastery.
  

Types of Individual Learning Styles

We can categorize the delivery of knowledge as either static or dynamic. Books, for example, are static storehouses of knowledge, but cannot adapt to the individual in any way. New assistance tools would have flexible delivery and provide the means to customize the level of presentation and style of presentation to the end user.


Neuro-Linguistic Programming has postulated that one differentiator of human behavior is that some people are “Form-to-Content” (big picture people who go from context to detail) while others are “Content-to-Form” (from an understanding of the details, context is derived). Conventional training has been based on context - big picture down to small detail. However, with computer-based delivery of knowledge there’s no requirement to follow that pattern. It may be easier to just learn an action and how to apply that action than to understand ‘why’. Computers also allow multiple media delivery styles: visual messages, audio messages, text, and using the right combination of technologies gives a better user experience.


Some examples of possible customization include:


• Sensitivity to the terminology in a question so that the answer is given back using the same terminology, i.e. answers are customized based on the question.
  
• Delivery mode preference - e.g. in general I would prefer a step-by-step instruction, prefer to see a video showing me what to do, or prefer to have someone talk me through it. This would be tracked against a level rating by the software comparing the level of experience of the user based on direct input and observation of the level of explanations required and questions they ask. When the assistance tool judges that their experience level and the difficulty ranking are not in harmony, it provides more detailed or less detailed explanations as appropriate. Presentations are trimmed to the level of experience of the user, getting progressively shorter, or higher level explanations as experience grows - always with the option to get more detailed explanations.
  
• Database technology can provide highly flexible customization. 3D database matrixing and database mining techniques will (eventually) allow us to have predictive help. (Note: we don’t have to actually achieve all of this to get most of the benefit - if it seems to be working most of the time then that is good enough.)

Case Study - Do it Now! technologies and Intelligent Assistance

Do it Now! is the only 21st Century technology to address the real needs of end users: to get their work done productively and profitably. The focus shifts from learning the software to using the software; from ongoing training to Intelligent Assistance. The goal of Do it Now! is to increase user productivity and confidence. Ultimately any process in digital media production, effects and distribution can be mastered.


As shown in the Intelligent Assistants currently available (for Final Cut Pro, Boris RED, Boris FX, Boris Graffiti, Media 100 i, Cleaner and After Effects), knowledge is structured into "How2s" – desired outcomes that users want to achieve with the application. These How2s are conveniently structured into 3 levels: Strategies, Techniques, Tactics/Tasks.


Strategies are your overview to a process or How2. They help you focus on what needs to be done in broad terms, and provide context. Its principle goal is to provide direction.


Techniques are not as broad as a Strategy and are not as specific as a Tactic. They are a description of a desirable outcome and they explain the Tactics you would need to use and the order you would need to use them. Its principle goal is to organize workflow across multiple Tactics.


Tactics/Tasks are your steps to success, and are the key to getting your work done as you learn. They both provide numbered, tutorial-style instructions and describe basic activities within the application. Their principle goal is to simplify the use of the application. Tactics and Tasks are complementary. Tactics display all the steps required in a single page that can be printed. Tasks complement this by returning you to the application and delivering the steps one-by-one in a floating Task palette. Some steps are presented as animated "Do it with me" movies so you can perform the steps as you watch and listen.


This deliberate multi-level structure means the user doesn’t need to wade through basic information to find what they need. This facilitates easy mastery of core practical and theoretical issues.


Do it Now! allows users to take the quickest path through the knowledge to get their specific task or job done. They learn to use the program by working on their own projects as “Super Tutorials” – with the option of Task palette level instruction on unfamiliar tasks. As these Tasks are used repeatedly they become second nature and the user skips the Task palette and even Tactic steps after a short while. Anytime users stray into new territory they can quickly take advantage of the feature(s) using Task palettes, until that part of the application also becomes second nature.


Intelligent Assistants share some features with conventional forms of training:


• Like books, Intelligent Assistants have lots of content. Text contains the maximum amount of content so that you keep on learning and so the answers you need are actually included.
  
• Like books, Intelligent Assistants have a Table of Contents providing an overall list of subject areas.
  Like training videos, Intelligent Assistants have video movies to show the basics, with clear visual demonstration and explanation showing you what to do.
  
• Like books, Intelligent Assistants are random access so you can get quickly to what you need to know.
  
• Like classes, you can ask questions and get answers from Intelligent Assistants.
  
• But unlike conventional forms of training, Intelligent Assistants do not require you to spend hours and hours learning in case you might need the knowledge.
  

This new epistemic paradigm has several advantages over conventional training methodologies:


• users can produce results for their clients without investing the necessary time to learn the software they are using.
  
• this methodology works because people learn best when they have a need to know. We all know that we learn more readily when the information is relevant and can be directly applied to what we are doing.
  
• the gaining of competence happens right at the moment it is needed, but makes it so seamless that there is no chore associated with gaining competence. There is no disruption to the work-flow while skills are gained.
  supports the increase in productivity.
  
• easy to use.
  
• motivational - provides instantaneous success, leading to increased productivity and eventual mastery
  
• encourages users to extend their skill base.
  
• reduces anxiety.