Let's look at an example training process with the use of the Blue Mango Learning System.

1. The customer receives multimedia training materials in the Blue Mango Learning System at least 1 week before the Application Specialist is scheduled to arrive. These can be delivered via CD-ROM or the internet. This multimedia training package may have 60 or more lesson modules in it - clearly too much for the customer to consume before the Application Specialist arrives.

The Blue Mango Learning System has a powerful feature entitled "Custom Curriculums". This feature allows the training developer or the individual Application Specialist to create a subset of lesson modules and deliver that subset to the customer. So instead of 60 lesson modules the customer is presented with 5 lesson modules that each take about 7 minutes.

2. The Application Specialist tells the customer that they will need to complete the 5 lessons before he arrives for the training. These 5 lessons might cover:

The problem with most current ultrasound product training systems is that the Application Specialist is trying to function as an instructor. But they are an instructor faced with an impossible task. If their goal is to teach the customer or customers everything they need to know in 3 days of the type of training described in previous posts then they are destined to produce poor results. It is not their fault. It is simply an impossible task.

So what happens with subjects that are not covered during those 3 days? How does the customer get the maximum use out of their investment? What happens when there is employee turnover?

The role of Application Specialist needs to change from that of "Instructor" to that of "Facilitator". The goal needs to change from training the customer to use the machine to training the customer to teach themselves how to use the machine.

It is the difference between giving someone a fish or teaching them how to fish. The customer who knows how to fish is going to be much more satisfied in the long run.

So what was wrong with the scenario described in the previous post? It wasn't the Application Specialist's fault. It wasn't the sonographers' fault either. The problem was that the entire training situation was suboptimal. Let's look at some of the reasons why:

1. Too much time at once - Studies have shown that the average attention span falls somewhere between 15 and 18 minutes. But the Application Specialist was there all day. In most cases you will have a high degree of productivity initially and then retention is really going to drop off. Did you notice that the beginning of the day was when they spent time learning to turn on the machine? By the time they got to more interesting topics later on in the day the sonographers' brains were probably already overloaded.
2. No pre-training - When the Application Specialist showed up there hadn't been any pre-training. She was going to have to teach the customer everything, even basic skills such as activating 2D modes.
3. No training resources were left behind - When the day was over the Application Specialist left and the sonographers had nothing that would help them further study what they had learned that day.
4. Too many interruptions - With patients coming in all day the training process was constantly interrupted.
5. No individual pacing - All of the sonographers had to move at the same pace. Those who picked up on things quickly would most likely drift off as the Application Specialist re-explained something to another sonographer. Someone who missed something might feel too embarrassed to ask for clarification on a subject.

In our next posting we will analyze how the incorporation of the Blue Mango Learning System can dramatically improve this scenario.

Currently most ultrasound manufacturers include several days of on-site product training with the purchase of each ultrasound machine. The question is - is this the best approach?

Let's look at the pros of "live" training:

• Most customers are more comfortable speaking to a person than reading a user manual
• A live instructor can adjust their teaching material to your needs

• A live instructor can answer questions the customer poses

What it really comes down to is a live instructor can Customize Content, Present in a Non-Linear Fashion and Provide Background Information on Any Subject. Let's define these terms for our purposes:

Welcome to the Blue Mango Learning System Blog. Here we will be posting ideas on e-learning in general as well as how it can be applied specifically in the Ultrasound industry.

The Medical Ultrasound industry faces some educational challenges now as 3D/4D ultrasound is becoming more and more prevalent in the marketplace. Manufacturers are finding the 3D/4D capapbilities of their ultrasound machines are moving far beyond the understanding of customers and even their own employees.

The Blue Mango Learning System was built from the ground up to meet the needs of the Ultrasound industry. We not only developed technology for developing and deploying educational material extremely quickly but we designed an entirely new model for designing the educational framework.

Our system is built for people who:
• Want to spend as little time as possible getting up and running on a machine
• Want to get the most value (utilization) out of their machine
• Have low attention spans (actually all of us do - I have heard that the average attention span is between 15-18 min.)
• Would rather be shown than told
• Need not only a training tool but a reference tool (how can we be expected to remember everything we were taught in a training session?)

In future posts we will explain how address these issues. Please send us your comments or post them here.