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From its roots in behavioral science and instructional systems design, the field of human performance technology has broadened significantly during the past three decades in terms of its interventions and the backgrounds and skills areas of its practitioners. This development brings with it many questions as to the field's definition, theoretical underpinnings, and future developments in research and practice. A brief review of the history of HPT, a survey of some of its leaders, and a model of the roots and branches of the field are presented.

As instructional design professionals are being asked more frequently to develop interventions for global environments, they must account for many complex intercultural communication and corporate globalization strategy variables. Simple rules of etiquette and stereotypes about particular cultures are tempting but dangerous assumptions upon which to base the design and delivery of training for multicultural learners. On the other hand, a full understanding of the subtle cultural differences that could impact global training is beyond the expectations to which instructional designers could reasonably be held. A more sensible approach than trying to know all the answers is knowing what questions to ask in the needs analysis and assessment phases. Based on a synthesis of literature and instantiated by several short examples, a framework for identifying important issues for instructional design and delivery in global settings is presented.

Current business and educational environments are mandating the identification, building, and assessment of specific critical competencies for the workforce. However, traditional approaches to competency analysis are often slow, expensive, and backward looking. This article presents several new computer‐aided approaches to competency analysis and provides examples of their use, including a detailed case study analyzing curricula and skills for professionals who provide benefits and work incentives planning and assistance to persons with disabilities.

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