So you’ve been in the training field for a while and you’re doingpretty well, but new dimensions of eLearning are coming at you – fast. And justwhen you think you’ve figured it all out, it changes. Courseware andinstructional design must make room for informal learning, social media, mobilelearning, and performance support. The definition of blended learning keepschanging, and the advances in technology – well, it’s almost overwhelming.
Where to focus? If you are a trainingmanager, you want your team well positioned to provide a high level ofquality and service. You want to better allocate your resources – people,technologies, and money – to get the most bang for the buck. But how do you dothis in such a dynamic field? How do you plan for new eLearning projects whenthe very nature of eLearning is so fluid?
If you are an instructionaldesigner, even if you have some experience in “traditional” eLearning, it’sprobably time to rethink the notion of learning in the digital age. Doeseverything have to look like a course, or do other, more informational approaches also matter? When do you need to teach,and when do you need to guide? When do you need to put people in class, andwhen do you need to support them at work?
If you are into learningevaluation, you know that accountability and results are more important thanever. As your clients increasingly demand a focus on performance and the bottomline, especially when they are investing more in new learning technologies, youbegin to realize that a simple multiple-choice test at the end of an onlinecourse just doesn’t cut it anymore. With more calls for certification andcompliance, how do you show that your eLearning efforts, or your trainingefforts in general, really work?
If you are an instructor,you know that good teaching is both science and art. Perhaps you are interestedin moving more towards technology-based learning. If so, a great way to startis to teach an online class using synchronous virtual classroom tools. It’s notthe same as what you’ve been doing, but good instructors can make the transition,expand their repertoire, and ultimately impact more learners than ever before.How do you make this transition?
If you manage learningtechnology, no doubt you’re trying to keep pace with all the advances inthe field. You probably have a LMS or are looking to implement one. You mayalso be in the growing pool of organizations that are upgrading their LMS, orreplacing it entirely. On top of this, you have to keep your organizationup-to-speed on authoring tools, testing tools, SCORM engines, and now,collaboration, knowledge management, mLearning, and performance support toolsas well. Add to this is an increasingly complex relationship with your I.T.organization and an increasing focus on security, and it’s easy to see why thechallenges of learning technology and infrastructure can be so daunting. How doyou keep up with the changes?
If you are managing vendors,you know that the marketplace is constantly in flux. It can be hard separatingthe wheat from the chaff. Yet the amount of investment you are making inoutside support may be increasing, along with the risks of making a bad selection.In an age of expanding eLearning choices, how do you manage vendor selectionbetter?
If you are a Chief LearningOfficer, you’re going-forward strategy should be paramount. Can you answerthe question, “Where do you want to be two or three years from now?” Gatheringyour team and your stakeholders to work on this may be the most important thingyou do.
Finally, if you are an eLearningclient, how do you know what you need, and what to ask for? Do you reallyneed eLearning courseware, or would a performance support approach be better? Shouldall your people take the same training, or should you personalize the learning more?With a limited amount of money, a genuine performance need, and expandingoptions, how do you pick the right path?
There’s so much going on, and so much to learn! It reminds me of thestory of the hiker and the woodsman. Coming upon the woodsman, the hiker pitchedhis tent to watch him chop trees. After several days, the hiker made anobservation. On day one, the woodsman had cut down 20 trees. By the third day,the woodsman had cut only 10 trees, and by the fifth day, only five trees fell.The hiker said to the woodsman, “You are cutting fewer trees each day; your axemay be dull, so why don’t you stop to sharpen it?” To this, the woodsmanreplied, “I can’t stop; I’m too busy chopping down trees.”
It’s time to sharpen our axes. For many of you, as part of yourprofessional development, it might be time to attend eLearning boot camp. Atthe eLearning Guild’s LearningSolutions Conference in Orlando in March, you can attend a special two-daypreconference program, the eLearningFoundations Intensive, which will provide the most intensive set ofbriefings available on all facets of eLearning. If you are new to eLearning,about to face new eLearning challenges, or just looking for fresh perspective,and you want an opportunity to interact “up close and personal” with a luminaryfaculty, the eLearning Foundations Intensive may be just what’s needed tojumpstart your eLearning journey.
