Human factors specialists' education and utilization : results of a survey / Harold P. Van Cott and Beverly Messick Huey, editors ; Panel on Human Factors Specialists' Education and Utilization, Robert C. Williges, Chair ; Committee on Human Factors, Commission on Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education, National Research Council.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Van Cott, Harold P.

Huey, Beverly Messick.

Williges, Robert C.

National Research Council (U.S.). Panel on Human Factors Specialists' Education and Utilization.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Human engineering.

Engineers--Education--United States.

Engineers.

Physical Description:

xii, 128 p. : ill.

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Washington, D.C. : National Academy Press, 1992.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Does the education given by the nation's human factors graduate training programs meet the skill and knowledge needs of today's employers? Can the supply of trained human factors specialists be expected to keep pace with the demand? What are the characteristics, employment settings, gender distribution, and salaries of human factors specialists? These and other questions were posed by the committee as it designed mail-in and computer-aided telephone surveys used to query human factors specialists. The committee evaluates its findings and makes recommendations aimed at strengthening the profession of human factors. This book will be useful to educators as an aid in evaluating their graduate training curricula, employers in working with graduate programs and enhancing staff opportunities for continuing education, and professionals in assessing their status in relation to their colleagues.

Contents:

Human Factors Specialists' Education and Utilization

Copyright

Foreword

Acknowledgments

Contents

Summary

SELECTED FINDINGS

Characteristics and Use of Human Factors Specialists

Type of Employer

Focus of Work

Work History

Salary Received

Self-Perception of Professional Identity

Perceived Importance of Human Factors to Projects

The Training of the Supervisors of Human Factors Specialists

The Interactions of Human Factors Specialists

The Nature of Human Factors Work

Personal Characteristics of Specialists

The Education of Human Factors Specialists

Where were Education and Training Obtained?

How Did Specialists Perceive the Quality of Their Formal Education?

What Deficiencies Did Supervisors Report in Specialist Training?

Characteristics of the Education Programs

The Supply and Demand of Human Factors Specialists

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

1-Introduction

BACKGROUND

The Human Factors Specialist

Origins of the Study

Issues

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

ORGANIZATION OF THE STUDY

2-SURVEY METHODOLOGY

THE COMPUTER-ASSISTED TELEPHONE INTERVIEW SURVEY

Questionnaire Development

Sampling

Interviewing

THE MAIL-IN QUESTIONNAIRE

Cooperation Rate

Quality of Data

3-Characteristics and Utilization of Human Factors Specialists

THE WORK SETTING

Hours Worked Per Week

ROLE OF HUMAN FACTORS IN THE WORK SETTING

Human Factors Specialist or Something Else?

Importance of Human Factors to Projects

Supervisor Background In and Knowledge of Human Factors

SUPERVISION AND INTERACTION

Span of Supervision

Profile of Supervisory Tasks

Interactions With Others

THE NATURE OF THE WORK.

CHARACTERISTICS OF HUMAN FACTORS SPECIALISTS

Highest Academic Degree

Age, Gender, and Ethnic Origin

4-The Education of Human Factors Specialists

SCOPE AND QUALITY OF EDUCATION

Where Do We Learn What We Do?

Quality of the Educational Experience

The Human Factors Specialists' Perspective

The Perspective of Employers of Human Factors Specialists

5-Supply and Demand of Human Factors Specialists

SUPPLY

DEMAND

RELATIONSHIP OF SUPPLY TO DEMAND

6-Conclusions and Recommendations

CONCLUSIONS

Job Definition

Skills and Knowledge

RECOMMENDATIONS

Appendix A-Telephone Survey of Human Factors Specialists

HUMAN FACTORS QUESTIONNAIRE

Appendix B-Mail-In Questionnaire on Graduate Human Factors Programs

SURVEY RESEARCH LABORATORY UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS HUMAN FACTORS SURVEY UNIVERSITY QUESTIONNAIRE

Appendix C-Data Base Availability

HUMAN FACTORS SPECIALISTS SURVEY

HUMAN FACTORS SURVEY-UNIVERSITY QUESTIONNAIRE.

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references (p. 83-84).

ISBN:

9786610211432

9781280211430

1280211431

9780309584395

0309584396

9780585085371

0585085374

OCLC:

923262948