What is an learning curve?
Learning curve theory suggests that the efficiency of a learner at an activity improves with time, the more often the learner is able to complete the task.
The application of the concept “learning curve”
There are two ways to use the word “learning curve”:
Generalized
“Learning curve,” also known as the “learning curve” is frequently used in colloquial terms to refer to the length of time and effort needed to master a new task.
The use of this application could be broad and general for example, such as explaining the learning curve of the process of learning to read. In these cases the use of graphical representations using mathematics is not employed to describe the progress of learning. Therefore, the term is utilized to define qualitative the development of knowledge over time.
Measured
Another use that makes up”learning curves “learning curve” is quantitative, where mathematical models are designed to show the speed of achievement or mastery an activity.
The learning curve model is only useful when it is it is used to determine the speed at which you complete the task in a certain amount of time. The task has to be repeatable and quantifiable, and is comprised of just one factor within an operation. It is not able to measure the entire process on its own.
Where can you put the lessons learned into practice
There are many aspects of learning that impact the speed of development and aren’t precisely captured in the learning curve model.
In the case of reading the variables include words, phonetics and the type of reading materials as well as teaching methods motivation, prior experiences or knowledge, the quality of practice , and many more.
The model for learning curves demands that the variable be monitored over time, repeatable and quantifiable. For instance, motivation of an individual could be difficult to quantify. In general, learning reading is a difficult process with many variables . It is not the best choice for a learning curve.
A good example of how an learning curve could be used could be an objective that is quantifiable like manufacturing workers learning to operate a brand new machine that has certain steps that are repeatable. As the worker is taught how to operate the machine by following the procedure steps they will get faster and more adept at working with the machine. A learning curve is a way to determine the speed of progression and proficiency.
The model of the learning curve is used most often in industrial or organizational management to enhance overall performance by enhancing the performance of employees.
The model was widely used in World War II (WWII) after it was discovered that the cost of aviation declined as production capacity increased. Later, it was used by both the corporate and industrial sectors for a range of performance enhancements.
Practical examples to illustrate using the theory of the learning curve
It is referred to under a myriad of names because of the many kinds of applications it could be put to use.
The terms employed to define the length of the learning curve are:
- Experience curve
- Cost curve
- efficiency curve,
- Productivity curve.
The model is able to be utilized to determine the time it takes for a single individual to master a skill or the amount of time it takes a group of individuals to produce the product. In many instances that use on-curve “learning” is often described as process improvement.
Let’s look at a few examples of where the curve is currently being utilized.
Industry
Cost of manufacturing versus performance of employees can be measured through the curve of learning. Instead of performance or number attempted, numbers may be unit cost or hours of labor and the accumulated manufacturing in unit. When employees produce more goods and more units, the price per unit typically decreases.
The learning curve is utilized to estimate the cost of modifying production processes. For instance when pricing a new product it is necessary to take labor costs into consideration.
If a product requires two hours to make it is then sold at a cost that is based on the two-hour production time along with other related charges and costs.
What happens if the production time is based on initial attempts? What if at the 100th time that the product was created then the production time reduced to a single hour? The product would then be available for sale at over the mark which could result in lower sales. Learning curves will provide you with additional insights into planning.
Business
The learning curves may also be applied to the performance of an organization via the generalized approach, or an analysis that is measured. The method you choose to use is dependent on whether the performance you want to achieve can be directly measured.
For instance, those who are working on a complex task, such as how to use a complicated software program, might initially fail due to the nature that the job. If the objective is for employees to be able to utilize the software in their daily activities, it can be difficult to quantify since there are many factors involved. When using the concept of the learning curve as a basis, businesses are still able to benefit.
Learning curves as a model can help companies to understand what it takes to learn the software this particular scenario. If support for training is identified along with time for practice as crucial aspects, then it is possible to find that those who receive the opportunity to practice using the software will perform better in time than those who do not receive any support or practice time will.
If software is crucial for productivity, performance of employees may decrease in time in the event that employees fail to utilize the software effectively. Companies can offer additional assistance or resources.
To benefit from an accelerated learning curve, businesses must identify an individual variable to examine. For instance, a company seeking to improve its the quality of customer service could consider that implementing a brand fresh initiative (number of times) could lead to a decrease in complaints from customers (performance). The company could monitor and study the repeated process of this initiative in time to determine if complaints from customers have actually diminished over time.
medicine
Many procedures need similar repetitive tasks to surgeons working in operating rooms.
Because a surgeon is performing the same procedure repeatedly while doing this surgery, the graph can demonstrate how well each individual performs over time.
This provides an understanding of the progress the surgeon is making but also aids instructors in determining where additional resources and help could be aimed to enhance the performance of the surgeon.
How do you apply the learning curve the theory of learning curves
Learning curve theory says that the effort required to finish a task should require less effort and time depending on how many times it is accomplished in the time.
If one plots a student’s repeated attempts against the amount of time required to finish the endeavor there is a pattern that is evident, indicating that the task will take less time to complete because the student gets more experience from repeated attempts. The concept can be expressed in an equation that can be used as a predictive tool.
This is the foundation of the formula for the learning curve that is also known as it is also known as the ” Cumulative Average Model” (or “Wright’s Model”) that TP Wright presented in the 1936 article ” Factors Affecting the Cost of Aircraft ” after realizing that the price of production of aircrafts diminished with the rise in output. There are a variety of variations of the formula that are used in various applications However, the basic concept is the same as the formula used in the beginning:
Formula for learning curve
The model that was originally developed uses the formula that reads: the formula Y = AXb
Where:
The Y the average time for the measured time
Arepresents how long it took required to finish the task in the first time. This is
Xthe total number of times completed is
Bthe gradient of the function
The formula can be utilized as a method to forecast the future performance.
The formula says that the more trials are added, the more total time reduces. The formula is able to estimate a learner’s rate for a task that is simple as well as help businesses predict the rate of production of their product.
For a more in-depth review, read the steps to apply the formula .
Examples of models for learning curves and learning curves
The theory is that more attempts equals shorter time, it does not always happen that way. Numerous factors can impact the final results and result in a range of learning curves with different shapes.
