Dr. Mary had used paper medical records for 23 years and struggled to learn a new electronic medical records system, relying on her staff for training after missing parts of the formal instruction. Her staff used various training methods including handouts, demonstrations, and hands-on practice, and with their continued help over time Dr. Mary was eventually able to use the new system without issues. She believes both her business and her own computer skills benefited from transitioning to the electronic system despite her initial difficulties and frustrations learning it.

1. Running Head: UNIT SIX 1
Unit Six: Dr. Mary Learns a New System
Learning and Instruction Perspective
Lauren Fowler-Carter
University of Houston-Clear Lake

2. UNIT SIX 2
Unit Six: Dr. Mary Learns a New System
Learning and Instruction Perspective
For 23 years, Dr. Mary Thomas and her staff have been keeping their office and patient
medical records in paper form. Mary has a computer of her own that her children bought her for
her 60th birthday, but she rarely uses the computer. She attempted to take a computer class at a
local community center, but after three one-hour lessons, Dr. Mary’s frustrations got the best of
her and she never was motivated enough to return for more lessons.
Hesitantly, months later Dr. Mary decided that it would be best for her business if they
began using electronic medical records instead of paper. When the new system was set up and
training began, Dr. Mary unfortunately missed a big chunk of the training. Since the trainers
were not able to extend the training sessions for Dr. Mary, she now relied on her staff to train her
on the new electronic medical records system (EMR).
There were a number of methods that Dr. Mary’s staff decided to use for her training on
the system. Dr. Mary received handouts with step by step directions and screenshots, hands-on
demonstrations through the system, along with other methods her staff felt Dr. Mary would
benefit from. More than often when Dr. Mary was seeing patients without assistance, she would
end up using paper forms because she felt that she was moving too slowly with the computer and
system while the patient was still in the room. She did not feel comfortable learning the system
as she was helping patients, even though in order to learn she needed to use the new system with
them.
With more help and instruction from her staff, Dr. Mary eventually after much needed
training, learn to maneuver through the EMR system without difficulty. Dr. Mary believes that
along with her business benefitted, she did also, because now her computer skills have improved.
Initial Focus Questions & Answers
1) Did the learner in the story obtain their goal?
- Yes, Dr. Mary after a lot of training eventually obtained her goal of learning the new
EMR system in her office.
2) What was the intended role of the instructor(s) in this story?
- The intended role of the instructors or staff was to systematically arrange conditions
of learning and events of instruction based on desired learning outcomes and learner
characteristics.
3) Would you say the instructor(s) accomplished this intended role?
- (subjective answer) I think that although Dr. Mary’s staff is not professional
instructors or trainers on the EMR system, they did a fairly good job at accomplishing
the intended role as instructors.
4) Which of the five major learning outcomes according to Gagne’s Instructional Theory
were apparent in this story?
- The learning outcomes that were apparent in this story are: intellectual skills,
cognitive strategies, motor skills, and attitudes.
5) Did Dr. Mary’s attitude affect her learning in this story?
- Yes. She did not feel comfortable using EMR in front of her patients, which delayed
her learning. Using EMR while she is in the room with her patients is important.

3. UNIT SIX 3
6) Did Dr. Mary’s staff verbally state any information to her that helped her learn the EMR
system?
- If any information was stated to Dr. Mary from the staff, it was not noted in the story.
So it is unclear to know if verbal information was a learning outcome.
7) What would lead a person to have an attitude that would positively or negatively affect
their learning?
- There is always a leading factor that can be associated with a person’s attitude. In Dr.
Mary’s case, it was that she did not know much about computers. Factors such as
preconceived notions or other concepts affect a learner’s attitude.