Job aids are instruments used on the job to improve
human performance by enhancing the knowledge and/or skills
of performers. Conventional job aids are usually printed
on paper; examples include checklists, recipes, and decision
tables.
Expert systems are computerized job aids which interact
with novices to help solve problems normally reserved for
human experts. Because expert systems emulate human
intelligence, they are sometimes called intelligent job
aids.
The purpose of this study was to extend the body of
knowledge concerning conventional and intelligent job aids.
The intent was to learn what major differences and
similarities exist in the design, development, and
application of conventional and intelligent job aids. If
meaningful differences in the application were found, an
additional aim was to determine why they existed.
Job aids were developed to assist technicians in
diagnosing problems with Robert Bosch electronic fuel
injection systems found on certain John Deere diesel
engines. The job aids were validated and then field tested
by 42 John Deere technicians. Subjects used both job aids
to solve problems with a mock fuel system. The diagnoses
were video-taped for later evaluation, and subjects
proffered their opinions about the job aids through
questionnaires and in interviews.
For this project, the intelligent job aid contained more
textual and graphical content and required significantly
more time and resources to develop. In terms of accuracy
and efficiency, the job aids were comparable. Most users
preferred the intelligent job aid though it required more
time to learn to use than the conventional job aid. The
age, education, or experience of the users did not influence
their opinions of the job aids. However, the order in which
the job aids were used did affect opinions; subjects that
used the conventional job aid prior to the intelligent job
aid were more likely to prefer the intelligent job aid.
Implications for job aid project selection, design, and
application are provided. / Graduation date: 1991
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ORGSU/oai:ir.library.oregonstate.edu:1957/37529 |
| Date | 30 November 1990 |
| Creators | Ruyle, Kim E. |
| Contributors | Suzuki, Warren N. |
| Source Sets | Oregon State University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
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