Learning Styles software
Available from PSi-Press, 54 High View Road, Guildford, GU2 5RT
Tel 01483 567606
Fax 01483 456239
Email sales@psi-press.co.uk
Honey and Mumford’s Learning Styles Questionnaire is widely used to assess and develop the way people learn at work.
Now it has been released as software for Windows, Internet and Intranet, so there is no need to administer a paper questionnaire and score it, the software scores the questionnaire and puts together a report instantly. The software comes with detailed installation instructions, but when I rang the company to obtain a password for the demonstration CD, they were very helpful and talked me through the installation.
Once into the programme you set up a profile and proceed with the questionnaire. The 80 questions were simply displayed one at a time on a dark background with true/false buttons, the simplicity meant the learner was not distracted when answering the questions. After the final question, a graph, bar chart and two reports were instantly produced, as advertised. There is a detailed long report or shorter version, providing a summary of the learning style, optimising learning opportunities to suit your learning style and how to improve your learning style.
The learner’s profile can be checked against the standard norms or else against the norms for a specified occupation.
A couple of colleagues, who were not familiar with the questionnaire, found it easy to use and were impressed with the reports and results.
In addition to individual profiles, there is an optional team module that allows you to look at team development, strengths and weaknesses, and how members learn within the team. Individual profiles are simply dragged and dropped into a team profile.
As well as the paper instruction manual there is an electronic help available with a find and content feature.
PSi-Press say the software is network compatible or, alternatively, profiles can be available via the internet or installed on company intranets. Results can be made immediately available to a trainer prior to the course/programme. PSi-Press also state that profiles can be imported from previous versions of the software.
You can try before you buy, PSi-Press are offering 5 free profiles to test, so take up their offer. The basic software costs £250 for an annual licence per major site use and £6 per profile. For occasional users there is just a £10 cost per profile. Once the software is installed you can just ring up and pay as required for additional profiles.
If you are interested in the learning styles of your learners when developing or delivering learning, and you are working with learners online or have access to a network, this could be the software for you.
Renee Raper
learning-channel.com Ltd
August 1999
