Moving Beyond Self-Paced Learning
September 28th, 2001
By Paul Stacey
Access
anywhere, anytime has been touted as one of the primary benefits of e-learning
and for that matter the CD-ROM computer-based training (CBT) that came before
it. More often than not this has led developers to choose a self-paced model of
learning for their e-learning courses.
E-learning
offerings from industry leaders like SmartForce (http://www.smartforce.com),
DigitalThink (http://www.digitalthink.com),
NetG (http://www.netg.com),
and even local provider First Class Systems (http://www.firstclass.ca)
are self-paced.
Self-paced
learning lets you log on to courseware anytime of the day or night. Unlike a
classroom where instruction may go too fast causing you to get lost, or too slow
resulting in boredom, with self-paced learning you go as fast or as slow as you
want. Often there is a learning path for you to follow and when you exit the
course a bookmark lets you pickup from right where you left off next time you
log on.
Sound
good? Well yes and no.
Yes
self-paced learning accommodates the time constrained life of a working
professional and provides cost savings but ... it really doesn't fit the way
most adults like to learn.
I've
been developing and delivering learning programs for almost 20 years and
evaluation feedback from those programs confirms over and over again - high
quality learning experiences are social. Adults like to interact with and learn
from the instructor and each other.
Adults
want to hear first hand accounts of situations their peers and colleagues have
lived through and lessons learned. They want to hear the success stories and
failure stories of others. They want to discuss with others what works and what
doesn't work. Adults want direct access to an instructor for questions and
feedback.
What's
not so good about self-paced learning is that it's impersonal and isolating.
Without the camaraderie of classmates many e-learners lose motivation and drop
out. Worse the absence of interaction fails to generate deep learning
experiences.
Don't
get me wrong I'm not advocating elimination of self-paced learning. It can be a
useful method of learning for some subject matter. It may even suit the learning
style of some adults. But it fails to leverage one of the biggest strengths of
the Internet - interpersonal exchange of information, ideas, and discussion.
Commercial
e-learning offerings for the corporate sector have predominately been
self-paced. But that is changing.
Some
of the mainstream vendors, including those mentioned at the beginning of this
column, are taking steps.
SmartForce
now has an open forum and threaded discussion area. DigitalThink has a threaded
discussion area and a tutor you e-mail assignments and questions to. FirstClass
has implemented eCoaching that tracks a student's progress and sends them brief
reminders of what they have access to, how long they have access to it, helpful
hints on time management, encouragement on progress, and congratulations on
completion of their course(s).
Currently
these features are primarily optional add-ons to the self-paced learning path of
courses. Greater value will come when their use is instructionally designed in
to the course as a key learning activity.
Another
promising development is the burgeoning use of synchronous, live, online
learning. Tools like Centra Symposium (http://www.centra.com),
LearnLinc (http://www.mentergy.com),
and Interwise (http://www.interwise.com)
offer learners and instructors a kind of virtual classroom.
Synchronous
e-learning integrates multi-way audio interaction (voice over IP) with
collaborative classroom tools such as whiteboards, real-time response, polling
and evaluations, video, record and playback for asynchronous learning, and
controls for a highly structured virtual classroom environment. I am
particularly impressed with the application sharing capabilities of these tools.
Instructors
can segment learners into online work groups and provide them with a
collaborative whiteboard and audio. Students sitting at a PC thousands of miles
away can share applications, collaborate, and interact as if they were in the
same room.
While
self-paced learning has been the foundation for much of the e-learning content
currently available I am most excited by learning models that move beyond
self-paced learning and emphasize peer-to-peer and instructor-to-learner
interaction.
Paul
Stacey is the Director of Corporate Education and
Training at the Technical University of British
Columbia, a long time education professional in the high
tech private sector, and an e-learner.
Contact: Paul
Stacey
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