Evolution of the Training Profession

  • Job Instructor Training (JIT)

    Job Instructor Training (JIT)
    During WWII, JIT was developed as a systematic method to provide fast and efficient training (Hardman, 1963). Image retrieved through Wikemedia Commons (n.d)
  • Training Society

    Training Society
    The idea of developing a training society was first suggested on this date at a meeting of the American Petroleum Institute Committee on Training (Clark, 2010). Image retrieved through Wikemedia Commons (n.d)
  • The American Society for Training Directors

    The American Society for Training Directors
    The American Society for Training Directors was developed from the training society. Copies of the constitution were mailed to 25 prominent training directors and Thomas S. Keaty was its first elected president (Clark, 2010). Image retrieved through Wikemedia Commons (n.d)
  • Theory of Human Motivation

    Theory of Human Motivation
    Abraham Maslow, published A Theory of Human Motivation in the Psychological Review Journal that theorized his hierarchy of needs model. This motivational model put forth that a higher need, such as self-actualization, is expressed only after lower needs are first fulfilled (Clark, 2010). Image retrieved through Wikemedia Commons (n.d)
  • Research Center for Group Dynamics

    Social scientist Kurt Lewin launches the Research Center for Group Dynamics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His contributions in change theory, action research, and action learning earn him the title of the "father of organization development" (Clark, 2010).
  • Skills & Acts

    Edwin R. Guthrie's study breaks skills into acts. Guthrie defined acts as complicated behavior patterns usually involving some goal accomplishment and learning an act requires practice so that the proper movement is associated with its own cues (Guthrie, 1952).
  • National Training Laboratories Institute

    The National Training Laboratories Institute was founded in Bethel, Maine (NTL Institute, 2015).
  • Organizational Design

    Organizational Design
    Research on organizational design in relation to adult education began when a group of researchers from London's Tavistock Institute of Human Relations, led by Eric Trist, studied a South Yorkshire coal mine. Their research leads in the development of the Sociotechnical Systems Theory which considers both the social and the technical aspects when designing jobs (Clark, 2010).
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    Human Relations Training

    During the 1950s, Human Relations training grew increasingly popular and supervisors were beginning to be trained in psychology.
  • The Psychology of Learning

    Edwin R. Guthrie published the Psychology of Learning
  • Behaviorism

    In 1953, B. F. Skinner's book in Science and Human Behavior was published. This book introduced behaviorism as an area of study in education research.
  • Cognitive Science

    Cognitive Science
    Cognitive views of learning and development gained dominance over the stimulus-response approach (Clark, 2010). Image retrieved through Wikemedia Commons (n.d)
  • Evaluating Training

    Donald Kirkpatrick introduces his four-level model of evaluating training (Reaction, Learning, Behavior, and Results) that remains one of the central parts Instructional System Design.
  • Taxonomy of Educational Objectives

    In 1956, a committee of colleges, led by Benjamin Bloom, published the Taxonomy of Educational Objectives for the cognitive domain. The taxonomy proved to be extremely valuable in the specification and analysis of instructional outcomes and the design of instruction to attain them (Clark, 2010).
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    Early Computer Based Training

    During the 1960s, individualized instruction was developed through the use of teaching machines, which was considered to be early computer-based training.
  • Gordon M. Bliss

    Gordon M. Bliss, the executive director of ASTD at the time, began to urge members of the organization to seek wider responsibilities and to understand the vernacular which is used to report profits.
  • Preparing Objectives for Programmed Instruction

    Robert F. Mager proposed his model for instructional objective in his book, Preparing Objectives for Programmed Instruction.
  • ASTD Name Change

    ASTD Name Change
    It was first called the American Society of Training Directors, but in 1964 the association changed its name to the American Society for Training and Development. Image retrieved through Wikemedia Commons (n.d)
  • Model of Cognitive Development

    Jean Piaget, a Swiss development psychologist, created a model of cognitive development which consists of four stages: the sensorimotor stage, the preoperational stage, the concrete operation stage, and the formal operation stage. This model is the basic foundation for constructivism.
  • Microcomputers

    Microcomputers
    Microcomputers, along with electromechanical devices, became increasingly available in 1965. Image retrieved through Wikemedia Commons (n.d)
  • The Case Method

    The case method became a new popular form of training within many organizations.
  • Adult Learning Theory

    Malcolm Knowles' book, The Adult Learner: A Neglected Species introduced us to the Adult Learning Theory. Knowles created the term andragogy at this time.
  • The 9 Events of Instruction

    Robert M. Gagne and Leslie J. Briggs published the Principles of Instructional Design and introduced us to the 9 events of Instruction.
  • Trainers' Competencies

    Models for Excellence, the conclusions and recommendations of the ASTD Training and Development Study, discussed the competency models that increasingly positioned the field of training and development as a part of human resources work.
  • Laptops

    Laptops
    PC laptops became available and were used as training devices in the workplace. Image retrieved through Wikemedia Commons (n.d)
  • Women and the ASTD Membership

    Women and the ASTD Membership
    Women made up 47 percent of the ASTD's membership by 1989 Image retrieved through Wikemedia Commons (n.d)
  • Learning Enterprise

    Peter Senge published his book, The Fifth Discipline, which explained the concept of learning enterprises.
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    E-learning

    In the 1990s, many advancements in technology were developed and e-learning, computer based training, and online learning started to become more appealing than traditional learning.
  • Performance Support

    Performance Support
    Technology has begun to aid in integrating performance support into the workplace. Image retrieved through Wikemedia Commons (n.d)
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    Technology

    Technology is a strong theme in the field of training and development in the 2000s. Best practices in adult training are formed by emphasizing making learning relevant, using learners’ experience as a platform for learning. This era is characterized by Web 2.0, computerized mobile phones, MP3 players, tablets, and social media.