The future of business is not in brick and mortar institutions as historically viewed. The proliferation and miniaturization of communications mediums, cellular telephone, fax, Internet, personal data devices, and lap top computers, make offices available where people are – not where the office is.

Carpenter (1998) wrote the internet is more versatile for communication than any medium available today. People can interact with individuals or groups, they can identify by name, pseudonym, or be anonymous. She says the internet is “…a virtual community where people meet, engage in discourse, become friends, fall in love, and develop all of the relationships that are developed in physical communities” (pg. 1).

However, the internet may not be a panacea. The internet goes beyond technology into social interaction. Organizations face a dilemma of encouraging successful interactions and community building online. Statistics suggest almost ten million people work in virtual offices and that 40 percent of large organizations have policies on telecommuting. Yet, Carpenter (1998), cited above, says virtual employment equals only seven to ten percent of the work force.

Why hasn’t the virtual office flourished? Sociologists suggest it is the need for informal interaction – office banter. Organizations are stubborn to accept virtual teams believing team projects work best carried out over conference tables and virtual workers can only participate in individual assignments. Still other organizations believe virtual workers do not receive adequate supervision. However, is the problem supervision or trust?

Kohrell (2005), an adjunct professor at Bellevue University, is president of Technology As Promised. He is a specialist in developing virtual teams and addresses developing trust on virtual teams. He explains virtual trust in simple terms. Virtual trust is getting on an airplane, not knowing the air traffic controllers, yet trusting they are doing their jobs correctly. He explains building virtual trust through communication – frequently, with integrity, with certainty and predictability.

Other data, taken with Kohrell’s, also supports the economics of the virtual office. Verma (2005) offers some information that shows senior executives from Europe, Asia, and the Unites States report cost savings (69 percent) and increased productivity (64 percent) when using telecommuting. Verma cites comments of Joe Roitz, AT&T. Roitz said, “Telework alone generates over $150 million annually in productivity increases, real estate savings, and enhanced retention for AT&T.” These statistics suggest business recognize change and develop strategies for successful change.

Tucker, Kao, and Verma (2005) write there are trends in employment that organizations cannot ignore. One point they make is the work force globally is getting smaller. They also recognize that cultural norms are different now, more loose. Adding to the mix is more freedom for people to move globally. They point out there are personnel trends that organizations can count on

1. Smaller and less sufficiently skilled

2. Increasingly global

3. Highly virtual

4. Vastly diverse, and

5. Autonomous and empowered

They conclude that leadership focus within these trends “demand a new generation of talent management.” This new talent management has to take some strategic steps to manage the new work force in future oriented organizations. Those steps are:

1. Predictive Workforce Monitoring and Strategic Talent Decision Making

2. Flexible and Anticipatory Talent Sourcing

3. Customized and Personalized Rewards and Communications

4. Distributed and Influential Leadership

5. Unified and Compassionate Cultures

Computer-mediated Communication (CMC)

It is important to discuss CMC as virtual workers depend on – rely on – computer-mediated communication. Jones (1998) cites Patton (1986) in discussion about highway building as a means to connect people to one another. Patton observed that highways have not connected us rather increased our sense of separateness. Cities are divided, neighborhoods split, city intimacy destroyed. From this negative view, Jones concludes the internet may actually do what highways failed to do

Computer-mediated communication, it seams, will do by way of electronic pathways what cement roads were unable to do, namely, connect us rather than atomize us, put us at the controls of a “vehicle” and yet not detach us from the rest of the world. (pg. 3)

CMC offers new realms for social scientists to study. Traditionally, social scientists observed communities within certain identified boundary. However, new cyber societies exist without bounds and determination of membership in cyber society does not satisfy traditional categories given community.

Education in Cyber Society

What does this mean in terms of education? The United States Department of Education (US-DOE) provides a look into higher education statistics for twelve months 2000 to 2001. US-DOE figures from that period show 56 percent (2320) post-secondary two- and four-year schools had online courses. Another twelve percent desire to go online within the next three years. Finally, 31 percent said they would not go online. Clearly, two-thirds of colleges and universities have or want online educational opportunities for students. What does this mean for faculty? The following paragraph addresses that question.

The Higher Learning Commission accredits Bellevue University in Nebraska. It has an online presence offering 17 undergraduate degree completion programs online and 7 graduate degree programs online. The College of Professional Studies (CPS) of Bellevue University administers all of the undergraduate degree programs. CPS administers three of the seven graduate degrees, MBA and Master of Arts in Management reside in the College of Business, and MS Computer Information Systems and MS Management of Information Systems reside in the College of Information Technology. Although the College of Arts and Sciences administers no online degrees, it does administer several course clusters and individual online courses. Therefore, Bellevue University is an example of an institution highly oriented to the online student.

Online, mostly adult learner, students equal approximately 40 percent of the University population. Bellevue University also has both traditional four-year campus students and non-traditional in class adult learners making up the rest of the University student population. A boast made during the 2004/2005 academic year was that Bellevue University has students in all 24 time zones around the world and the North and South Poles.

CPS accounts for the largest number of faculty members. Of CPS faculty, about 150 are adjunct and one-third of those are faculty members at distant locations teaching online (information provided the Assistant College Administrator).

However, this is not unique to Bellevue University. A web search of colleges with online offerings returns dozens of institutions. Narrowing a web search to fully accredited schools with online offerings returns numerous hits. Well known in the online arena are University of Phoenix, Capella, Nova Southeastern, and Walden. Among these, University of Phoenix is very aggressive in both student and faculty recruitment. It is not unusual for students to transfer between online schools searching for lower tuition rates and/or more liberal credit transfer policies. In addition, it is likely an adjunct professor may instruct in multiple universities.

Online Faculty Interviews

Of the about 50 online distant faculty members at Bellevue University, five responded to invitations for phone or email interviews. Another interview with an online adjunct that lives in the Omaha metro area serves to validate other faculty comments. One distant faculty member does teach at two other institutions, one online, and one face to face. Finally, I will submit personal observations, my experiences, as an online adjunct, face-to-face instructor and one that taught in multiple institutions.

All those interviewed were unanimous in answering why they are adjunct college professors, they like teaching. The responses varied from “I like sharing what I’ve learned,” to “It is fun to see, through their postings, how they (students) grow and change over the year period of a degree program.” To follow up, they answered teaching online is new to them, an interesting way to link students, and a way to connect people geographically separate for a common goal (education).

One interviewee, a medical doctor in Indiana teaches healthcare administration at Bellevue University to “stay connected with nurses and other medical administrators. A hard lesson for doctors to learn is they don’t run anything.” In addition to teaching at Bellevue University, he developed a course adopted into the Master of Healthcare Administration in CPS. He shared that he also is a mentor for third and fourth year medical residents working to pass their medical boards. He does not teach in this role, rather facilitates medical residents’ leaning and board preparation. He related that this role requires developing a trust and trusting relationship between him and his mentored doctor. He said he always begins the mentoring relationship in a face-to-face environment before moving it to telephone or email. He told that teaching online and handling student problems and misunderstandings is much less trying than mentoring new doctors.

The local interview, conducted in person, was with the executive assistant to the university president. He used to teach in the classroom; however, schedule demands took him out of class. Teaching online lets him keep his connection to students while maintaining a busy travel schedule.

When asked why they applied to teach at Bellevue University, the answers ranged widely. One instructor, an Army retired Chief Warrant Officer, began teaching a year after graduating with a master degree from Bellevue. The university approached him rather than him initiating an application. Another, now teaching at the Atlanta campus of the University of Georgia, and previously at the U.S. Air Force Academy, applied to Bellevue because of the University’s close ties to military students. One respondent is an empty nester, disabled from her nursing profession, and wanted to stay active pre-retirement. There was not a consistent answer to this question except when tying it to their enjoyment of teaching.

All those interviewed are online instructors, therefore, virtual to their students. All reported using email and telephone as primary communication devices with their students. Additionally, they all use the Bellevue University Cyberactive® learning environment powered by Blackboard to conduct classes. They reported highs of 40 percent and lows of ten percent use of email for student communication. All reported using the telephone to contact students; however, telephone use was a low five to ten percent. Low telephone use is not unexpected considering the worldwide locations of BU students.

Probing deeper, email use is actually higher from instructor to student. Within the Cyberactice® environment there is a tab titled “Communication.” Within this link is an option to send an email to all or select users. All adjuncts confirmed this option is the choice they use to send messages to individuals, select groups, or an entire class. When probed, instructors agreed they use this email option regularly. After another query into percentage of communication by email using the Cyberactive® email option, instructors replied their email communication is higher, up to 50 percent. It is important to clarify that instructors did not directly associate email in the Cyberactive® environment with other email engines.

There were very broad concerns expressed by the interviewees and all were technical, from needing more technical support to wanting less technical support. This question needed more clarification. The respondents confirmed their meaning of technical support as surrounding the electronic classroom. Although all online instructors must complete the Online Facilitators Course, four of the five realized their attention to it was not the best possible. Challenged for why the four did not participate more in the facilitator course, they admitted to “filling a square” to teach online. All replied there are times when they all call or email the Cyberactive® Help Desk for assistance.

Another unanimous concern was how well prepared students are to enter an electronic classroom. Each respondent related at least one story of a student ill prepared to study online. Instructor receives a profile of each student in class, therefore a follow up question on student age suggested age was less a concern than students’ career and regular use of computers for email, topic research, and understanding of inter- versus intra-net.

Feeling as Part of a Team

The adjuncts all feel they are part of a work team. Specifically, they felt part of their work team, part of the Cyberactive® classroom group, but not closely connected to the University. The reason given is distance from the physical location – Bellevue, Nebraska. They did report steps taken by the College of Professional Studies as helping them become more connected. One example they all like is the weekly email of the campus bulletin, another is periodic email messages of faculty development seminars. Faculty development seminars are now video taped, converted to digital media, and available in streaming video online or DVD format mailed.

Supporting some of the research reported earlier, the respondents felt disconnected from the University and more connected if they could make trips to the campus, meet with program directors, deans, and fellow faculty members. Clarifying this point, they did not feel under supervised, rather did not feel a personal (personally) connected. An expectation was that those now adjuncts who were Bellevue University students would feel more connected. While the former students felt more connected, they too did not feel a close bond.

The discussion moved to questions of leadership. Specifically asked was how well do they know (know of) the University leadership team. All knew names and positions of the president, provost, deans, and program directors. They did not know any of the names associated with positions of senior administrative people and senior people outside their particular college. Asked if they knew any names of board members, each knew U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel is a board member. Others knew names of benefactors thinking they were board members.

Tying the interviews together, the discussion turned to specifics of communication. The focus at this stage was the level of interdepartmental communication compared to intradepartmental communication. Those interviewed commented that intradepartmental communication was good. Adjuncts knew, through email and/or telephone communication, their program director, some or all the department faculty. All reported a lack of knowledge outside their program area. An adjunct in healthcare administration is unlikely to cross-communicate with faculty from management or leadership. An instructor in business administration will not know anyone teaching in human resources or security management. Distant adjuncts in the College of Professional Studies seem isolated from faculty members of other colleges. Generally, faculty members in one college do not teach in other colleges.

The interviewees made recommendations to improve communication ranging from more email communication to making trips to the campus to meet the staff. Trips to campus from distant locations seemed impractical from a cost aspect because such a trip would not be at university expense. Asked how to improve electronic communication, all agreed more is better. Citing an example of missed opportunity, they said the university produces a faculty roster and places it on the server “shared drive.” However, distant locations do not have access to the internal system.

Personal Experience

Stated early in this paper, I am an online adjunct but live in the community the university calls home. This gives me a different perspective because I can personally interact with instructors from different colleges and programs. After five years in administration as a graduate enrollment counselor, I developed personal networks with many senior program directors and deans. For nearly the same period, I was an adjunct, first in the College of Arts and Sciences and now in CPS. I taught Organizational Communication in a face-to-face classroom and Leadership online.

Validating the interviewees’ comments, communication to adjuncts has been limited. One limiting factor was the capability of the university email server to support several hundred email addresses. This problem is resolved with the installation of a new larger email server. Another limiting factor was not all adjuncts had a “(name) @” university email address. An initiative of the Quality Council was requiring all adjuncts have an internal email address and remote access to the email server. This initiative is now complete with separate distributions for “all campus,” “all adjuncts,” and “all (college specific) adjuncts.”

An advantage to being an online adjunct in the same community where the university is located is proximity. With proximity, there is access to many in leadership positions and interaction with peers. A closer connection with faculty peers allows a support system to develop face-to-face that a distant adjunct cannot as easily develop. Proximity allows faster communication and reaction to communication. Closeness permits attendance to faculty development live rather than streaming video or DVD.

While the advantages of proximity seem favorable, there are some downsides. There are greater expectations that a local adjunct spends time on campus when there primary job allows. The faculty resource center offers an adjunct an office environment where one can have the office time expected. College meeting attendance by local adjuncts is not mandated; however, it is more favorable to attend. Those operating at a distance desire to attend meetings and cannot have it.

Conclusion

The interview process with adjunct instructors working at a distance offer supporting data to the statistics reported earlier in this paper. The adjuncts interviewed are part time virtual employees who feel less a part of the University team than someone local. They reported incomplete communication with and knowledge of many key leadership people.

Communication seems the center of disconnect. The Academic Quality Improvement Process also recognized this problem and implemented institutional change to tie all members to campus life. Although more effort is underway for broader communication, distant employees do not have access to local systems through remote means.

Considering these elements and considering the U. S. Department of Education’s statistics, online education is likely to flourish. Bellevue University attracts students from around the world with many of them earning degrees online from their home countries.

Despite the drawbacks, virtual professors as virtual team members are successful at Bellevue University because of the expressed desire to teach and watch their students grow and learn. The professionalism and expertise these professors exhibit in the online community of students supports the data from industry executives indicating improved productivity and cost savings.

Pfeffer (1998) identifies the use of sub-contractors in the work force. Adjuncts are sub-contractors. The adjuncts serve in non-traditional ways contrary to how professors previously served. It is apparent that education is no different from other industries using virtual workers. Virtual workers, like temporary workers, feel less connected – not given the same level of training.

In interview, establishing trust was critical to two adjuncts. In-person trust is much easier to develop than in virtual relationships. Bell (2002) says trust is a leap of faith and places trust below truth, “… caringly frank and compassionately straightforward… in pursuit of clean communication” (pg. 9).

An indirect conclusion from the interviews highlights that mentoring a virtual adjunct may help develop a sense of team participation through greater knowledge and understanding of the institutions vision and values. By developing greater emersion into the vision and values of the system, adjuncts may want to be more aware of those people filling leadership roles. Successful virtual workers need the same assistance and opportunity for growth as the worker inside the brick and mortar institution.

References

Bell, C.R. (2002). Managers as Mentors: Building Partnership for Learning (2nd edition). San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.

Carpenter, J. L. (Fall Semester 1998). Building Community in the Virtual Workplace. Online at http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/fallsem98/final_papers/Carpenter.html

David Kohrell (personal communication, September 18, 2005) noting virtual team performance.

Jones, S. G. (1998). Cybersociety 2.0: Revisiting Computer-Mediated Communication and Community. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publishers.

Kohrell, D. (2005). Effective Virtual Teams [PowerPoint presentation]. PMI North Carolina: Technology As Promised.

Marilyn Urquhart (personal communication, October 3, 2005) noting total number of adjuncts and number of adjuncts teaching online from distributed locations.

Pfeffer, J. (1998). The Human Equation: Building profits by putting people first. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.

Tuker, E., Kao, T., and Verma, N. (2005). Next-Generation Talent Management: Insights on How Workforce Trends are Changing the Face of Talent Management. Business Credit 107, 7. 20-27.

U. S. Department of Education (2001). Washington, DC. Online at [http://www.usdoe.gov].

Verma, N. (2005). Making the Most of Virtual Work. WorldatWork Journal, 14, 2. 15-23.

There are a variety of new cellular phones available on the market today. The following is a brief list of the latest cell phones from AT&T as well as their various features (as of August, 2008).

One example of the latest cell phones from AT&T is the Nokia 6085. This device has Bluetooth Wireless Technology and is a world phone, which means that you can use it with the different frequencies and operating systems that are found in other parts of the world. It has access to MEdia Net and Mobile e-mail as well as Instant messenger through AIM, Yahoo!, and MSN. This phone also has a VGA camera and video capabilities and a built-in music player. You can download information from Cool Tools and Games and can support music from MP3, eAAC+, MP4, AMR, and Midi. Additional tools that are found on the 6085 include a calendar, an alarm clock, call waiting, caller ID, a personal organizer, and an address book. There is also a built-in speakerphone and voice dialing and commands. The Nokia 6085 is available free of charge when you sign up for an AT&T service plan.

Another one of the latest cell phones from AT&T is the Pantech c150. This cell phone has Bluetooth Wireless technology and is also a world phone. It allows you access to AOL, Yahoo!, and MSN Instant Messenger as well as Mobile Email. It comes with a built-in camera, video recorder, and speakerphone. Additional features include a calendar, an alarm clock, call waiting, caller ID, personal organizer, address book, conference calling, and call forwarding. The Pantech c150 is also available for free with a new service contract with AT&T.

The Samsung A727 is another example of the latest cell phones from AT&T. This device has Bluetooth Wireless technology and access to MEdia Net and is also a world phone. It has a built-in 1.3 pixel camera and a music player that can support MP3, WMA, AAC, and ACC. The A727 also has Streaming Radio from XM Radio Mobile and a hands-free speakerphone. It has access to Mobile Email which consists of AOL, Windows Live, and Yahoo! You can download Ringtones, Answer Tones, Cool Tools, Games, and Graphics. Additional tools include a calendar, an alarm clock, call waiting, caller ID, a personal organizer, an address book, conference calling, call forwarding, and multitasking. The Samsung A727 is also free when you sign a new service contract with AT&T.

Another model in the latest cell phones from AT&T is the Sony Ericsson 2310a. This device is also equipped with Bluetooth Technology and is a world phone. It allows you to have Internet access via MEdia Net and Mobile Email. It also has Instant Messaging (IM) as well as text messaging. The 2310a has a built-in 2.0 mega pixel camera and video capabilities. It also has dual speakers and advanced speech recognition. Some of the tools that this model features include a calendar, an alarm clock, call waiting, caller ID, a personal organizer, an address book, conference calling, and call forwarding. The Sony Ericsson 2310a is also free when you sign a new service contract with AT&T.

There are just a few examples of the latest cell phones from AT&T. If you would like to see everything that they have to offer, you can visit your local AT&T store or visit their Website via the Internet.

Small and large businesses can benefit from using conference call services to keep contact with their clients and customers, technical support, legal advisors, and marketing and sales force. Setting up and coordinating face-to-face meetings can be a daunting task. You have to get a number of people in the same place at the same time. A lot of time and money can be saved if meetings are done through conference calls.

If you’re the employer, think of how much it would cost to send your employees on business trips. How much would it cost you to fly in your off-site employees for an hour-long meeting just so they can give you a report? Travel costs, hotel accommodations, dining and entertainment…these are only some of the necessary expenses your company would incur by setting up physical meetings.

Conference calls are your next best option. They are inexpensive compared to the cost of bringing people in. You can gather many people over the phone. Conference calls can even accommodate more than 50 people at a time. With a conference call service, you can have people planning agendas and conferences, discussing company issues and brainstorming ideas. If there are no programs, benefits, promotions or job announcements, getting your employees on a conference call will do that job more effectively than trying to get them to a venue at the same time.

Some conference call services offer a flat rate wherein callers pay their long distance phone company. The big advantage of conference calls is that they can be made regardless what time of day or night it is. Affordable conference call services offer rates as low as 9 cents per minute and expense tracking. They also allow anyone from anywhere in the world to join in a call. Every conference call package can be customized according to your needs. If you encounter problems with a conference call, customer support is readily available.

So if you want to remain competitive in the today’s global market, add conference calls in your business.

The Logitech QuickCam Pro 9000’s most noticeable and noteworthy feature is that it fits well in laptops. It is flexible with its two-hinged stand that works perfectly well resting on your desktop’s LCD monitor, your laptop’s screen or even on your desk. The installation is pretty basic. You just need to plug in the web cam and install the Quickcam software.There’s an audio wizard that allows you to optimize the volume sound for the microphone and speakers. You can also adjust the level of brightness, color intensity, contrast, and white balance. If you really want to achieve the best output, I highly recommend that you use or enable the Rightlight. This Rightlight technological innovation provides a vibrant, clear and balanced images even in low light scenarios.

Logitech QuickCam Pro 9000’s Carl Zeiss lens help a lot in the delivery of superior images. It allows you to shoot video to a resolution of 1,600 x 1,200, thanks to it 2 megapixel sensor. Some people have complained about the installation of Quickcam software and drivers. I never encountered such difficulties. The only problematic time was when I tried the installation of the beta 11.5 drivers to test the high quality video announcement that Logitech and Skype were promoting.Keep in mind to close the Quickcam software when you are using the web cam in video conferencing with a program like yahoo messenger or skype. This will cause erratic connection problems and you will end up restarting your video conference.

Logitech provides the QuickCam Pro 9000 with a two-year warranty. That is a good deal especially for a product that really performs well. The auto focus feature keeps the images sharp even in close-ups. The two-megapixel sensor can be enhanced for up to eight-megapixel. This is good for taking photos and can only be done with the use of a software. The integrated microphone is echo free and from other disturbing background noise to enhance clear conversation. Its stand is sturdy and flexible. Definitely a good buy!

Softphone software is essentially a new way to make phone calls using your computer and or a device that is connected through the Internet. Some people refer to this service as Voice Over Internet Protocol or VOIP. This software is so powerful and flexible that it literally replaces the need for a traditional phone service supplied by companies like Comcast and AT&T.

The beauty of softphone software is that you can use it for both personal reasons, as well as for your company. In fact my company uses this software exclusively to manage our business. It works by basically using the existing Internet connection as the transportation for your communications. This is analogous to the way the phone company used telephone lines to bring service to your house.

In the old days, the telephone company had switches in some central location. When a call came in for you or your office, the switch would route your call to your home or business. This has now been replaced with software, again, at some central location, that knows your phone number is tied to some Internet address, as opposed to a physical address.

Softphone software is so sophisticated that you can set up things like extensions, voice mail boxes, fax numbers and much much, more… at the flick of a switch. Additionally, you don’t need to mess with dealing with cables, etc. Once the basic installation is provided by your Internet provider, you are all set to go. There are many softphone software companies today. The key is to determine which one offers the services that you want at the price you can afford. Some services charge you for every option; for example, a separate price for faxing or voice mail or call forwarding. But, there are some great companies that give you a bundled package for as little as $10 per month.

This type of software is great because as new “services” get rolled out, all the company needs to do is to add it to your account, if you want to use it. And, you, the customer, benefit, because the service provider is taking all of the maintenance and support issues of your shoulders. Within the software there are plenty of options. You do not need to implement all of them if all you want is the basic service. But, the beauty of these solutions is in its ability to grow with you. For example, today you simply want to make and receive calls. No problem. In the future, you may want to consolidate also your faxing into one location. This concept is called universal communications. And, that also, is no problem.

As you can see, I’m a huge proponent of softphone software. In future articles, I’ll explain how I use this service to make my company look bigger than it really is. Many, if not all, of my clients believe we work out of one office building. In fact, we are all virtual workers if many locations across the globe.

In the last 19 years I have traveled the U.S. teaching memory training to students of all ages in an effort to develop their true potential learning abilities. I have determined that there are two types of students in the broad spectrum of learning ability versus learning potential. For the sake of this article I will call them START students and STOP students. I should say S.T.A.R.T. and S.T.O.P. students. Let me explain what I mean by that. There a few people in this world that has self motivation, drive, desire and the need to excel. You know the one’s that apply themselves to everything they do whether it be activities that involve work or just plain fun.

I have yet to meet a student that couldn’t fit in one of those categories with the exception of the unfortunate soul, limited due to mental structure and capacity. Even many of those have excelled in their given situations. The students I am going to describe are those that putting their mind to it, could be more, have more, and do more by just applying the tools available to them The same tools that I am going to describe to you in this article. So when I say the S.T.A.R.T. student I mean the “Students That Are Really Trying” the S.T.A.R.T. student. When I say the S.T.O.P. students I am referring to the, “Students That Often Procrastinate”, yes the real S.T.O.P. students.

So let me explain the difference a START student is the student that constantly strives to do his or her best. You know the student that goes the extra mile to make their best grade on everything the touch. The students when meeting challenges they always look for ways of improving their grades and then doing it when they find it. Students researching ways to make learning stick and then doing what it takes. They sometimes spend countless hours studying to know the material the best they can and plan for surprises. They are students that know their own limitations when it comes to learning new material. The boy, girl, man or woman students that searches for new strategies to make their efforts count and then use those same strategies.

Now let me explain my next student or the STOP student. STOP students always look for the shortcut or the easiest way to get by, not necessarily by the skin of their teeth but making at least a passing grade. This student tends to procrastinate and barely meet the deadline for their academic efforts. They may be students that could do more, be more and have more but they choose for whatever reason to do less, have less, and be less. Procrastination is a terrible time waster that brings many failures or less than desirable results.

To be a student that continues to learn the whole journey of their life requires doing a simple set of certain things to make sure that their efforts are always rewarded. It’s what I call having the winning edge when it comes to Making Learning Stick. Some simple tools that successful people use to make life more rewarding when it comes to learning will be folded into this article and tools that easily attained by everyone that wants to be a START student.

The first thing that a student needs is the will to achieve. I.Q. or intelligent quotient is a number that measures the results of a test of your intelligence. Stick-to-itiveness is a trait that a START student has internally and approaches learning in a positive attitude way. Start students see problems as opportunities and ways to learn a new path to fulfill their goals. Goals will play a big part in this article and be something that you will need to use in all walks of your journey. When learning is approached positively it will only result in positive results if you have a positive attitude. I strongly believe that your attitude not your aptitude determines your platitude. I call this have the winning edge or winners’ advantage.

I will spell out the components you will use and give you an explanation as briefly as I can as how I see your steps to becoming a START student for the rest of your life if you so choose.

Components:

1-Make learning a game.

2-Plan your study and study your plan.

3-Set Goals.

4-Track Results

5-Make Adjustments

6-Review results for future improvements.

Each component has individual steps and I will cover a few in each to give you a picture of How Making Learning Stick will work to make you a START student and not a STOP student.

Make learning a game works more than you can imagine, because the brain can learn more through building memory by making it novel and not just plain as it may appear as a subject. The plasticity of the brain allows us the ability to learn for our entire life not just in our early thought to be learning years in school. It was thought that our cognitive decline was age related wrongly unfortunately so many put learning on the back burner when they reached elderly status. The quote by Dostoevsky “that mans second half of his life is spent doing habits learned in the first half”, has been played out to long. (To paraphrase the quote) I must tell you that I feel have learned more in the first nine years of my latter half than I feel I learned in the first 50 though I know that’s not true it feels that way. This is because I learned how the mind really learns and remembers.

That is why I say make learning a game that’s fun! It will last your whole life!

The second component is very important. Plan your study and study your plan it is something I have observed more in the past 19 years of teaching Mnemonics as a training psychologist in the industrial and business climate, than any of the other components. I had a good friend that was Valedictorian in my class and I always wished that I could have been as smart as he was. You see little did I know that I had the intelligence I just didn’t have the know how. You see most of the students I meet that are STOP students are limited only by the limitations in their own minds and I have had a passion for potential to change the ones I can. I always thought that the Peter Principle was a mistake.

The planning process is one of the most underutilized components in all success. I am not saying that spontaneity or starting with no end in mind doesn’t work, what I am saying is that planning your study and studying your plan is more predictable. When doing this you are in control of the adjustments and priorities. System analysis is the result of such works. This one component is a lead in to most important part of studying and that is setting goals.

Goal planning is important to achieve the results you desire, you may still achieve results but those that come as a result of goal planning hold a different set of properties. Goal planning allows for priority setting and priority adjustment. Goals are not only the end of the steps to achievement; the steps are the most important learning processes we walk away with. Sometimes it takes the final successes to understand that particular point. I will tell you the best goal planning includes these key points: Is it achievable Is it believable Is it measurable and can you set deadlines. In conclusion is the simple ABMD method.

The component that involves tracking your results involves reviewing your results to look for potential adjustments, modifications or total alleviation. Learning comes from change in your mind at looking for at or within the coded data in your mind. The way we learn is to take data in and hopefully with the proper construction or reconstruction of existing knowledge to form a new data acquisition resulting in learning. Making it learning that sticks is entirely dependent on the way that you construct, reconstruct or lay down the new memory trace. That’s really where the making learning a game comes in to play. Excuse the pun. I have folded the next component into this paragraph unintentionally but I will approach it now.

Making adjustments will come in two forms one being a new construction of knowledge or reconstruction of the existing knowledge or both. Memory traces are formed as understood now by two brain cells or neurons forming together by firing an electrical and chemical reaction called a an action potential or synapse. I use this integrative biological term only to let you know that learning is now understood at new levels. It use to be thought that memory was a structure in our mind but now the understanding is that memory is not a structure but a process of many structures pulled together by a part of our brain called the hippocampus.

I recently attended a brain symposium at the brain health center in Dallas where the father of cognitive science Michael Gazzaniga of the university of California Santa Barber was awarded the 1st Charles Branch award in Dallas that day. After Dr. Gazzaniga accepted the award he made a presentation about the brain and the law that explained why he is called The Father Of Cognitive Science and the major researcher in split brain studies. The current research in the plasticity of the brain and its function will bring further understanding of why lifelong learning is the basis for new methods of learning.

This leads me to the final component of reviewing results for future improvements. The review of your final results will show you the true paths that lead to your achievement and allow you to learn where the adjustments or modifications for future learning will be required. We learn every day how our mind learns and still have a lot to learn. The shortcuts we learn are due to new research and our ability to improve our learning methods will give us the ability to create more START students and fewer STOP students.

We have developed a Successful Student System to give the aspiring student the tools necessary to improve learning and get the better results for the time invested in learning. We continue to develop such tools through experiential training and insure that you use methods that create Learning That Sticks. Researches in how memories are created are being unfolded at universities like U T and U of H proving that the proteins such as Protein Kinase C (PKC) and Transforming Formation Growth Factor B (TFG-B) are instrumental in our learning process. MTI continues to bring such research findings and interpretation of into how we can learn to be better developed through our experiential learning styles.

We have developed principles for Power note taking, Goal Setting, Project management, Developing a Winning attitude, Successful study skills, and Test taking techniques to enable the aspiring student to do more, have more and be more for the rest of their learning life. These skills with the aforementioned components will help make START students in the future.

A famous researcher of memory stated it best when explaining, “Memory is not the re-exercitation of enumerable fixed lifeless fragmentary pieces, but an imaginative reconstruction or construction built out of the relationship of our attitude, toward the whole active mass, organized by past reactions of experience. And to a little outstanding detail, that which commonly appears in image or language form thus hardly ever really exact, even in the most rudimentary cases of rote recapitulation and it is not at all important that it should be so.”

Students have the ability to be the best they can be with the proper studying and learning tools. Mnemonics are playing an important part of that process. Developing our brain to be the best it can be is a goal we must all strive to achieve.

Our brain is the only organ encased in a hard boney case to protect it from traumatic exposure. That very fact is thrust to the forefront of my understanding when watching the senseless sport of cage fighting and trying to fathom how it can be allowed, let alone entertaining to the observer of such a so called sport.

So students protect and feed your brain constantly and it will be the best back up for you in all of your life short of God’s grace.

How the Assessment Center method works: An Assessment Center (AC) is a process in which candidates for hiring, promotion or career development training participate in a variety of activities that simulate actual job tasks. The simulations may include:

*Role-plays about work activities.

*In-basket exercises that simulate handling routine work.

*Critical incident exercises that simulate handling unusual or critical tasks.

*Verbal presentations or written essays about job topics.

*Structured interviews that include hypothetical work questions.

*Group discussions.

*The performance of actual job tasks.

*Other activities that can be used to measure work effectiveness in the job being considered.

A Quick Overview of the History of the Process

The method was first perfected by the United States Office of Strategic Services (later called the CIA) during World War II, which was based on similar work done with the German military.
It was developed further by Dr. Douglas Bray, who used the process to great success with AT&T in the early 1950s and continuing for decades.
It is used around the world in industry, business, government and the military.
It can be used as a developmental tool to assess training needs and work strengths, or it can be used in hiring or promotions to identify likelihood of success.
Police Assessment Centers are a common promotional process in police and sheriffs departments, and fire departments, and have demonstrated the value of using job simulations rather than relying solely on interviews (Oral Boards) for promotions.

The Process In Action:

Candidates are observed by trained raters who take notes about what the candidates do and say that can be linked to traits needed for the job being assessed.
The raters assign a score in each trait area based on the quantity and quality of the behaviors in that trait. The trait scores are added together to provide an overall score for a simulation. All simulation scores are added together to provide an overall score for the entire Assessment Center.

The explanatory material above is a rather pragmatic look at the process, although the actuality is much more exciting and challenging!

A typical Assessment Center for promotion: Consider an Assessment Center for the rank of sergeant in a police department:

A candidate will be an officer who has little or no supervisory experience. Therefore, to demonstrate the traits required for success as a sergeant (leadership, problem-solving and decision-making, planning, interpersonal skills, written and verbal communication, role-readiness and others) he or she must not only learn the basics of the knowledge and skills, but be able to demonstrate them in a work simulation.

Many candidates hope for the best and just “do what comes naturally.” The most successful candidates prepare throughout their careers for a successful future. The correct preparation is not focused on learning tricks for doing well, it is focused on learning knowledge and skills and applying them in the Assessment Center.

In spite of the requirement for career-long preparation, it is true that many candidates are helped by focusing their efforts in the months or weeks just prior to the actual Assessment Center in which they will participate. Understanding the process is the first big step to effective preparation, whether you are in a police department or in private industry, or in the government or military.

How the process can be used in any work setting–including yours: One of the best uses for the Assessment Center method is to let employees demonstrate their job skills and get feedback, without risk. For example, if an employee in a call center is only evaluated while he handles actual calls, there is a risk of losing the business of unhappy customers if he does not do well. If the employee does the work of a “sample day” with several exercises to simulate typical work, he can receive feedback, and supervisors can determine training needs, in a safe environment.

Unless a job or promotion is involved (in which case the process will probably be stressful) most employees enjoy the simulation exercises and especially like the personal attention of feedback and a chance for them to discuss the results. The key issue is to ensure that ineffective behaviors are noted and that better methods are suggested, or “discovered” by the employee during the discussion.

Assessment Centers were developed over sixty years ago, but their value is increasing all the time. Challenge yourself to think of ways to use task simulations in your work group or in other groups or settings. It will enliven training and increase knowledge and skills on the part of participants.

You have seen war and military movies and seen soldiers squawking on their radios “10-4″ and “over and out”. This is real military radio protocol. I have a client who answers emails with 10-4 and this got me to thinking about email as it continues to be the main communications mode in getting business done. Faster than a letter, more efficient than a phone call and allows for documentation if you save your emails.

Ever wonder how many emails you send and receive in any given day during the course of business?

We are all multi-tasking, texting and im’ing so fast that proper spelling and even social etiquette gets abbreviated. Every email doesn’t need an answer but there is another person on the other end of the correspondence left to wonder if you got the email and read it. Email has its strengths and its weaknesses. One challenge is the spam box and the other is competing with volume and a busy executive’s attention.

Sometimes I don’t reply right away because I have to focus on what I am doing, I am preoccupied in a meeting or on a conference call or I make a mental note to address it later and it gets filed and risks falling into a black hole of my brain that doesn’t see daylight often.

As a child of a military pilot I watched my dad speak on the phone with “yes sir” and other military formalities. We also occasionally got to speak to him through radio transmissions while he was in the cockpit flying to or from missions. Those conversations were always marked with phrases that seemed stiff and awkward to me as a child, such as “10-4″ meaning he got our transmission and instead of saying good-bye, we got “over and out”.

The point was that each and every communication was acknowledged as received and even though the language sounded awkward, it in fact was useful to know that through the crackling of the radio he heard us and the message was received and understood.

My client who acknowledges every email I send with and immediate “10-4″ is effective as often nothing else need be said. He got the email message, understood it and we move forward. I love it! When you are knee deep in a project and the emails are flying back and forth with information relevant to the project, it is helpful to know that the message was received and read. You move onto the next issue or topic and the flow of the project smoothly continues. Although the message may appear to be lacking in etiquette and formality of thank you very much, it gets the job done and I find it oddly comforting. Maybe because of my upbringing, maybe because I hold some jealousy that I cannot incorporate “10-4″ but am left to struggle with wordy thank-you and awkward replies that I find difficult to text out on my phone. 10-4 would be so much easier. I have resorted to THX or THNX on an occasion and often wonder if that has the same impact as 10-4.

411 information services can become quite costly to businesses.There are now several free 411 services that work just as well as the traditional AT&T or carrier services. Of these services, Google (800-GOOG-411) has a ranking at the very top of the list for quality and ease of use. If you happen to use the service from a mobile telephone, you have the option to receive company information and maps also.

For businesses to save money, the requirement to use an alternate 411 service must be enforced. People are creatures of habit and these habits, in this case dialing 411 for telephone number look ups, can cost your business as much as $1 each time it is used. It is our recommendation that this service be blocked at the telephone system PBX.  

There are a couple of ways that a PBX or telephone key system can be programmed to block the more expensive 411 service.  

1:  Toll restrict the 411 number so that your PBX requires an extension to have a specific authority to dial it. Be sure your users know what free services to use and require them to dial it instead.

2: Choose your favorite free service and then program your PBX to dial their toll free number any time 411 or 555-1212 is dialed. This allows your users not to have to be trained to dial an alternate number.

By enforcing a policy of using free 411 services only, many companies can save hundreds of dollars a month.  There may be a cost for your telephone system vendor to reprogram your PBX or Key System but the savings will far out weigh it over a year.