BECKMAN COULTER: A CRI SUCCESS STORY
By Larry Wright, Specialist-Training, Beckman Coulter, Inc.

Training is used quite often as a scapegoat for lack of performance. Too often, we send employees and customers to school with the perception that knowledge will lead to success. The knowledge, however, may already be there, but may not be used at its full potential. What is learned, and especially how it is learned, determines the satisfaction that an adult learner will feel upon completion of a training session.

Having spent eleven years as a Sales and Marketing professional in the highly competitive Health Diagnostics field, I learned that there was a high degree of correlation between success in sales and customer satisfaction vs. the type, not amount, of training received. I also learned (the hard way in most cases) that, to be the best or "Number One," you cannot play the game -- rather, you must make the rules.

Understanding the true nature of effective learning opened up a new, refreshing and exciting perspective for me. Through Criterion-Referenced Instruction (CRI), I learned how to determine and analyze target populations, how to analyze the skills required to perform jobs, the difference between perceived and real learning hierarchies, how to develop clearly defined objectives, and the importance of knowing expectations up front. I also learned about obstacles to learning.

The CRI principles were applied to a training course designed to teach customers the skills needed to use a state-of-the-art coagulation system. Months were spent developing and testing the modules and training manual. Input was solicited from all stakeholders and the class was implemented.

Does CRI work? What happened in the classroom exceeded my expectations. I found that:

• Clearly defined objectives led to a controlled, self-paced learning environment.
• Self-paced learning allowed for multiple target populations in the same class and allowed students to move ahead at their own speed.
• Less instructor-led training was necessary, which meant that more personal attention time was available for those who required it, as well as practice time (which was not available previously).
• The skill hierarchy set-up and skill check sign-offs ensured that learners mastered certain skills before being able to move on.
• Group lectures were easy to schedule and were welcomed with a lot of enthusiasm.
• Modules with Performance Guides related to Standard Operating Procedures required by ISO.
• Competency was measurable and documented.
• It was easier to accommodate a mix of different competency levels in the same class.
• More students made it to advanced modules in the time allotted for the basic modules.
• Customers were able to take their training materials back to the workplace and use them to train others.
• Course materials, once written, were easier to update with class input.

And every professional instructor likes comments on their evaluations like:

"The modules were excellent."
"I feel very comfortable operating the system."
"The course was well organized and thought out."
"Thank you for an excellent experience."
"Lectures were well presented."

It was truly a joy to instruct in this manner and know that each student had learned the skills required to perform back at their lab. What I have found is it’s not how much time you spend training, it is what you do with your time. CRI provided an environment for effective, performance-based learning.