AN INVESTIGATION OF COMPUTER GENERATED KNOWLEDGE RETENTION ACTIVITIES IN COMPUTER-BASED TRAINING WITH ADULT LEARNERS

The goal of this investigation was to evaluate the impact of training and the effectiveness of different types of knowledge retention activities delivered by computer-based training programs. This study focused on a computer-based learning system called the Profound Learning Delivery System (PLS). PLS is an application designed to improve the content knowledge retention of adult learners who are completing computer- based training. This study used a pretest-posttest experimental design to compare adult learners' knowledge of Microsoft Outlook ("Outlook," 1997) before and after a computer- based training session. Participants were trained using two different computer- based instructional programs; a commercially available software program matched for comparison purposes and PLS. This comparison involved three different formats for post-instruction retention activities that were; no review activities, user generated review activities, and program generated retention activities. Results indicate, there was a significant difference between the groups 60 days after training. This result demonstrated that PLS has potential worth exploring.