| Employees of a Fortune 50 high-tech enterprise were interviewed to determine their use of desktop technology as a tool for informal learning strategies. The purpose of this study was to consider whether a new model of workplace education might be extracted from their experience. At the time of this study, the American business community had recognized that pressures and potentials of globalization required a workforce capable of responding to the rapid pace of change by upgrading job skills. The predominant model of workplace education was then a formal one with instruction usually delivered in the classroom. Yet some researchers were aware that traditional models could no longer meet current needs, observing that in the new business climate, organizations that wish to remain competitive must learn more and learn it faster.; Having worked in the corporation that was the study site, I had observed that workers were not depending upon formal classes, but were themselves tackling learning problems using desktop technology. A survey instrument was designed to translate that observation into analyzable data. Among the questions of this study were: what helps and what hinders the use of technology for informal learning, and what are the outcomes of technology-aided informal learning. The data revealed that participants felt more constraints to learning from their organizational environment than from limitations of technology or their ability to use it. They reported that informal learning experiences had given them increased self-confidence as learners.; Among the conclusions and recommendations were that managers, as carriers of corporate culture, need to be educated to the potential of informal learning strategies. In addition, the corporation studied should institute a mentoring program, since participants reported using desktop technology less as a tool for acquiring data and more for making contact with other individuals who could assist them in informal learning activities.; These recommendations are applicable to other enterprises facing similar problems. Further research might contribute to the development of a desktop technology model of informal workplace learning. |
