Column Two » E-learning

Usability testing for e-learning

James Robertson — Wed, 10 Aug 2005 01:23:09 +0000

Shailesh Shilwant & Amy Haggarty have written an article on usability testing for e-learning. To quote:

Culturally diverse and geographically far-flung, the new global workforce is leading businesses to search for better, more effective ways to manage growing requirements for employee learning solutions. Clearly, e-learning has become one of the most popular solutions to meet this need. While e-learning enthusiasts extol its lower costs, broader accessibility and personalization potential, e-learning also has experienced slow user adoption and high dropout rates in many organizations. In some cases, users become easily frustrated or unenthusiastic about the material, and if they don’t complete the course, the company might not realize a return on its investment. Usability testing can address some of these shortfalls in the learner experience, as well as provide designers with a set of principles and methods that can be used to design courses that will capture and hold users’ interest from start to finish.

[Thanks to InfoDesign.]

Personal learning

James Robertson — Mon, 28 Mar 2005 05:43:20 +0000

Denham Grey has written a blog entry looking at the role of personal learning. To quote:

My thoughts around learning have been profoundly altered by reading Wenger, Brown & Duguid and von Krogh and focus on collective workplace practices. Have come to appreciate the role, value and importance of social learning, situated learning, learning in community and culture. That more is learned on the playing fields and in discourse with peers than from the sage on the stage. Even in very structured training situations, it is the breaktime conversation, the secondhand explanation from a colleague that situates the new concept, validates its importance and sanctions its legitimacy.

Usability in e-learning

James Robertson — Thu, 03 Feb 2005 10:53:52 +0000

Michael J. Miller has written an article on the importance of usability in e-learning. To quote:

While a large number of organizations have adopted e-learning programs, far fewer have addressed the usability of their learning applications. More attention should be devoted to assuring the usability of e-learning applications if organizations are to fully benefit from their investments.

[Thanks to InfoDesign.]

Three steps to teaching decision-making online

James Robertson — Mon, 20 Dec 2004 22:02:24 +0000

Amy Gahran has written a blog entry on teaching decision-making online. To quote:

Decisions are a very important type of task. Maybe even the most important type, ultimately — in business and other realms.

I think e-learning can be incredibly valuable for teaching people how to make decisions such as evaluating, troubleshooting, researching, investigating, selling, communicating

Learning Management Systems: The wrong place to start learning

James Robertson — Thu, 25 Nov 2004 06:03:08 +0000

George Siemens has written an article on the problems inherent in starting with an LMS purchase. To quote:

Learning Management Systems (LMS) are often viewed as being the starting point (or critical component) of any elearning or blended learning program. This perspective is valid from a management and control standpoint, but antithetical to the way in which most people learn today.

[Thanks to elearningpost.]

Why e-learning is so difficult to eat

James Robertson — Fri, 10 Sep 2004 00:53:32 +0000

Patrick Lambe has written an article on the challenges of implementing e-learning. To quote:

To do enterprise e-learning really well, beyond the technical competencies present already in HR and IT, you have to be able to marry deep understanding of the operational needs at the front line, strategic direction, consulting and change management skills, quality and performance metrics, information architecture and usability design, workflow analysis and process redesign, culture influencing, and superb communication and negotiation skills.

701 e-learning tips

James Robertson — Fri, 30 Jul 2004 00:38:44 +0000

The MASIE Center has published a free online book containing 701 e-learning tips. To quote:

Thanks to The MASIE Center

The power of informal learning

James Robertson — Thu, 08 Jul 2004 02:10:05 +0000

Bob Mosher writes about the value of informal learning, compared with more traditional approaches. To quote:

Although more formal forms of instruction such as the classroom and e-learning will be around for years, it

How to use weblogs to create engaging learning experiences

James Robertson — Tue, 08 Jun 2004 08:27:08 +0000

Maish Nichani has written an article on using weblogs to support learning. To quote:

In conclusion, I would like to stress that the informal and engaging attributes of the weblog format can be used even in the light of tightly scheduled and highly focused training situations. The simple alternatives outlined in this paper can liberate us from the tyranny of product-oriented delivery and help us build continuous, engaging and memorable learning experiences.

[Thanks to elearningpost.]

Instructional design for flow in online teaching

James Robertson — Wed, 05 May 2004 00:24:05 +0000

Sandra C. Ceraulo has written on instructional design and online teaching. To quote:

Applied to the experience of the instructional designer or online teacher, the seven Characteristics now become the Seven Habits of Highly Effective Online Teaching. They are:

Focus on the Goals of the Project
Eliminate (or Minimize) Distractions
Match Designer Skills to E-learning Projects
Create an Inspirational Office-Studio
Employ the Principles of Web Design and of Teaching
Make Each Project an Original Work of Art
Request Timely and Consistent Feedback

[Thanks to elearningpost.]

E-learning predictions for 2004

James Robertson — Sat, 07 Feb 2004 00:40:42 +0000

eLearn Magazine presents its preditions for 2004. To quote:

What directions will e-learning take in 2004? Will we still call it e-learning? Will there be more or fewer vendors, products, or–most importantly–jobs? Will subject matter experts develop courses instead of instructional designers? Will we all play games and discover along the way that we learned more than ever before–and had fun in the process? Read on for predictions from some of the most thoughtful and opinionated people in e-learning.

[Thanks to elearningpost.]

Impediment no barrier

James Robertson — Fri, 12 Dec 2003 00:23:37 +0000

Eric Wilson has written an article on the Disability Discrimination Act and how it applies to e-learning in Australia. To quote:

New extensions to the Disability Discrimination Act, aimed at improving education and training, will soon affect online learning and computer training generally. After seven years of unproductive consultations with the states, the Federal Government is set to act unilaterally next year, with regulations enforcing training accessibility for disabled people. The move is likely to cause the re-engineering of e-learning systems and curriculum, and modification of face-to-face software application courses.

It will apply not just to government- funded education, but commercial education as well.

Driving performance through training

James Robertson — Thu, 11 Dec 2003 23:09:28 +0000

Eve Drinis and Amy Corrigan have written an article on organisational learning, focusing on how to obtain measurable business benefits. To quote:

The goal of good training programs isn’t to get butts in the seats, but to get results. The first step is to know what your organization’s goals are. Management is probably well aware of these goals. They might even have published them for the employee population. If not, write them down. Is it a key business goal to increase sales? Increase market share? Improve warranty compliance for dealers? Sell more service agreements? Sell more parts? Improve close rates with an existing telemarketing staff? Improve call resolution rates with an existing tech-support staff?

[Thanks to elearningpost.]

Making sense of learning specifications & standards

James Robertson — Sun, 23 Nov 2003 00:53:33 +0000

The MASIE Center has published the second edition of an e-learning report titled Making Sense of Standards and Specifications. To quote:

The area of learning standards is one of the most powerful and misunderstood aspects of the e-Learning revolution. As organizations make significant investments in digital learning content, they seek greater assurances of portability and reusability. Organizations also desire the ability to more easily store, search, index, deploy, assemble, and revise learning content.

One goal of The MASIE Center’s e-Learning CONSORTIUM is to lower industry confusion surrounding learning standards and to accelerate their adoption. Thanks to the hard work of the S3 subgroup, we are able to release the Second Edition of “Making Sense of Standards and Specifications.” With over forty new pages of content, this new report focuses on the changes and learnings that have occurred since the First Edition was released in 2000.

[Thanks to elearningpost.]

Learning strategies

James Robertson — Thu, 06 Nov 2003 20:56:35 +0000

Jackie Dobrovolny has written an article on the learning strategies used by adult learners. To quote:

The model presented in “A Model for Self-Paced Technology-Based Training” specifies that adult learning begins with and is sustained by self-assessment and self-correction (metacognition). The model also indicates that in addition to metacognition, adults consistently use the following learning strategies: reflection, prior experiences, conversations, and authentic experiences. Here are specific techniques adults use when they apply these five learning strategies.

[Thanks to elearningpost.]