Learning from Simple Systems: The Case of JPL 101 17Copyright © 2005, Idea Group Inc. Copying or distributing in print or electronic forms without writtenImpact of Communication Mechanisms
Because JPL 101 is a voluntary-use system, providing general rather than job-
specific knowledge, a number of institutional communication mechanisms were em-
ployed to let people know this resource existed. These mechanisms were as follows:
- JPL Universe: a traditional, biweekly organizational “newspaper” distributed to
personnel through interoffice mail. There was a multicolumn story about JPL 101
plus a sample quiz the week before rollout. - Cafeteria Monitors: closed-circuit television screens in the cafeterias that broad-
cast announcements. Consisted of “teaser” questions — shorter versions of quiz
questions, plus the URL for the site — for three days prior to rollout. - Daily Planet: electronic daily “newspaper” for JPL personnel. Accessible via
intranet. Publicity was via an a small graphic posted on the sidebar of the page that
linked to JPL 101, starting the first day of rollout and continuing through the 12-
week rollout period. In addition, a short informational article was placed in center
column “news item” area during Week 5 of rollout. - Inside JPL Portal: Web portal that provides central access to JPL Web space for
internal users. A link to JPL 101 was included in sections for new employees and
institutional knowledge management during the first week. - This Week: electronically distributed (e-mail announcement with link to Web
page) weekly newsletter that highlights personnel announcements, organizational
changes, and upcoming talks and events. A one-paragraph blurb about JPL 101
plus access information was included several times throughout the 12-week rollout. - All.Personnel e-mail: a tightly controlled list that sends e-mail to the entire
Laboratory population. A single all.personnel e-mail was sent during Week 9.
Publicity for JPL 101 began 1 week prior to its rollout. Prerelease publicity included
an article in the JPL Universe and announcements on the JPL monitors. In partnership
with the Internal Communications Office, the primary entry point for JPL 101 was the
Daily Planet. Unfortunately higher priority events limited entry to a single sidebar icon
during the initial weeks. This icon remained until the end of the initial 12-week run. Later
during the first week, access was added via the Inside JPL portal. These links continued
throughout the entire period.
The impact of each of these devices can be seen in the usage statistics shown in
Figure 8. The first spike in the graph occurs during Week 5 and corresponds to the
publication of the Daily Planet article. Additionally, a smaller increase, not visible in the
weekly statistics but present in the daily statistics, occurred when links were added to
the Inside JPL portal. The most prominent feature of the graph, however, is the gigantic
spike that occurs during Week 9. This corresponds to the sending of the all.personnel
e-mail publicizing JPL 101. This spike is due almost entirely to the day that the e-mail was
sent.
Learning Results
The primary goal of the system was individual learning. Success was assessed in
attaining this goal in two ways. The first, and most direct way, was to use the survey to
simply ask participants if they learned anything. Almost 90% of the survey respondents
indicated that they had learned something from either the questions, the answers, or