Top-rated research can improve the design and delivery of training

The Human Factors and Ergonomics Society has just released a new compilation of some of the best human factors/ergonomics research on training, Readings in Training and Simulation: A 30-Year Perspective, edited by Robert W. Swezey and Dee H. Andrews.

"With each advance in technology, the human has become the increasingly weak link in systems," says Harold P. Van Cott, author of the foreword. To be competitive in today's economy, corporations spend billions of dollars each year to train their employees. Yet only a tiny portion of this expense is invested in research and development to make training more effective. This book collects some of the most significant empirical research on training over a 30-year period from two major publications in the the human factors/ergonomics discipline. The editors compiled these papers because they believe the unique perspective of human factors/ergonomics on training issues "can help to inform anyone involved in training about how best to design, deliver, and evaluate training."

Robert W. Swezey is president of InterScience America, Inc., a research and consulting firm in Leesburg, Virginia. He has more than 20 years' experience in training research, simulation, and human factors engineering. Dee H. Andrews has been Division Technical Advisor for the Air Force Research Laboratory's Warfighter Training Research Division since 1988. His research interests include simulator design, flight training, advanced distributed learning, and distributed mission training.

To obtain a review copy, contact Lois Smith at 310-394-1811.

HFES is a multidisciplinary professional organization of 5000 persons in the United States and throughout the world. Members include psychologists, engineers, designers, and scientists, all of whom have a common interest in designing systems, tools, consumer products, and equipment to be safe and effective for the people who operate and maintain them.