What is a Performance Support System?

by Tina Heindel

A Performance Support System is a way to learn. It is any support system that allows a new employee in a company or an existing employee who is required to perform a new or complex task, the ability to access information through technology. It is also a system that can be used in the classroom to teach a particular task or series of tasks that must be performed. A Performance Support System is where learning is not the complete outcome, although it does occur, but rather the desired outcome is performance. So, in the educational arena, this would translate to any system that allows a student to perform a specific task better - using technology to not only learn the task, but perform it and perform it well.

One such Performance Support System is an EPSS.

What is EPSS??

Educationnally, EPSS means:

• E for electronic- makes tools easily available on your computer

• P for performance- focuses on your thinking and task performance

• S for support- provides tools to help you do what you want to do

• S for system- helps you use the tools in all areas of your life

In the ground-breaking book Electronic Performance Support Systems published in 1991, Gloria Gery, defined EPSS as:

"an integrated electronic environment that is available to and easily accessible by each employee and is structured to provide immediate, individualized on-line access to the full range of information, software, guidance, advice and assistance, data, images, tools, and assessment and monitoring systems to permit job performance with minimal support and intervention by others."
An electronic performance support system can also be described as any computer software program or component that improves employee performance by

Business Applications

When knowledge is required to achieve individual performance in a business environment, William Bezanson (2002), points out that an EPSS should be considered. It would also be useful when skilled performers spend significant amounts of time helping less skilled performers, when new workers must begin to perform immediately and training is impractical, unavailable or constrained, or employees need to be guided through a complex process/task that can’t be memorized.

What are the benefits of using Electronic Performance Support Systems? They can help an organization to reduce the cost of training staff while increasing productivity and performance. They can empower an employee to perform tasks with a minimum amount of external intervention or training. By using this type of system an employee, especially a new employee, will not only be able to complete their work more quickly and accurately, but as a secondary benefit they will also learn more about their job and their employer's business."

A pioneer in Human Performance Technology is Deborah L. Stone, President and CEO of DLS Group. Her life mission is "improving human performance in ways, that directly impact an organization's bottom line." Not only is she a renowned expert in the development, design and implementation of performance based support technologies on a large scale, but she has received 20 professional awards of excellence for her work in performance technology, EPSS, and technology-based training. New and improved EPSS are being developed over time, impacting business and making companies take notice. Well trained, knowledgeable employees prevent accidents, improve production, are happier and more equipped while all the while making more money for the company.

Classroom Applications

How does that translate to the classroom environment? Teachers are challenged every day where large classes make it very difficult to determine if students have grasped the taught materials before proceeding to the next topic. Students could greatly benefit by using an EPSS in the classroom. This tool would be most effective for students who needed additional practice, want to perform the steps of a particular task in a faster amount of time, or a variety of other ways.

Another use for EPSS in the classroom is the development of electronic tools which enables children and youth with behavioral problems to design their own behavioral self-management plans. This software, based on technology, has proven to help many students with changing their unacceptable behavior. "The software was designed to extend the real-world use of the teacher training materials by developing a companion series of EPSS software programs for children to use in classroom settings" (Fitzgerald & Semrau 1998).

All of the programs developed for kids were made to be compatible with the cognitive-behavioral strategies in the instructional materials for teachers. The use of these materials allowed the children to take responsibility for their own behavior. It helped the student provide internal controls for behavior, thus the need for external control of behavior (discipline & punishment), are reduced. Computer-based training and support mechanisms are an innovative approach for helping students gain control over personal behaviors. Although there is limited data on the use of computer-based instruction to support behavior change in students to date, research results are promising.

An EPSS software program called, "KidTools" has been developed and has many significant applications [http://kidtools.missouri.edu/AboutKTSSPrograms.php]. KidTools has graphic characters to serve as "helpers or guides" for the different tools a student can use. It also has literacy related features of design which are applicable for a student's use. There is audio support using the natural language of children and child-friendly templates. For the application described above, KidTools incorporates several literacy-related design features to make them suitable for children’s use. There is a point card for monitoring success on three behaviors. The child selects pictures from a graphics library to represent the behaviors. Each behavior is given a simple descriptive name. The monitoring grid is printed on the card to allow the child to monitor success on the behaviors four times during the school day. Raise my hand, share my things and No bus problems are the three topics of the point card. This allows the child to evaluate his or her own behavior. According to the website, [http://vrcbd.missouri.edu//pdf/edmed99.pdf],
"based on formative evaluation data, KidTools will be revised during the summer months for full implementation in the schools during the 1999-2000 school year. Recommendations will be forthcoming regarding effective implementation of EPSS tools with elementary-age youngsters."

Another educational application of EPSS is found on the high school and college level of technology teaching. The StrategyTools software is made for high school students to promote their success in school. It provides the student with electronic tools to help with organization skills,hleps them learn and how to take and pass tests, complete projects, solve personal problems, and prepare for transition to adult life. The tools are easy to create and can be printed for their personal use.

Technical concepts and skills are now being easily taught with user-friendly technology, like EPSS. Students are now able to practice more easily and retain information longer and with better understanding. Because technology and media classes are task oriented, they are ideally suited for the EPSS model of instruction. Once the student has learned the technical basics, they are free to accomplish the creative tasks that follow.

For more information, go to any of these websites for further information:

http://www.epsscentral.info/knowledgebase/about/

[http://www.tgslc.org/pdf/epss.pdf]

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_performance_support_systems]