E-learning
enables businesses to establish a competitive
advantage and increase valuations by developing their
human capital, increasing employee performance, and
improving retention.
The
marketplace of e-learning vendors is exploding as more
and more new players join the early market leaders..
At this weeks On-Line Learning Conference http://www.onlinelearning2000.com
in Denver the number of trade show vendors was up 700%
over last year.
I
am frequently asked which of the various e-learning
providers I recommend; SmartForce? DigitalThink? Saba?
Docent? ElementK? ...? In answering this question I
like to draw attention to some of the differentiating
characteristics of these and other e-learning
offerings.
Before
e-learning, education and training were typically done
in two primary modes. Classroom based, instructor led
training and self-paced, computer based training (CBT).
Classroom
learning was place-based, scheduled and social. In the
workplace classroom training typically involved
instructors or subject matter experts lecturing using
Powerpoint slides with students referencing
paper-based training manuals or handouts.
Computer
based training was done using CD-ROM's, at a time and
place of the learner's choosing and independent of
social interaction with others. CD-ROM learning
materials were often media rich including audio,
video, animation's and simulations.
Jump
forward now to e-learning. Many vendors are primarily
focused on replicating the classroom experience over
the web. In e-learning terminology this is called
"synchronous" or live e-learning. Vendors
like Centra http://www.centra.com
and Interwise http://www.interwise.com
are perfect examples of this.
The
Interwise product allows instructors to deliver
Powerpoint presentations on-line over the web to
remote learners anywhere. Voice over IP enables the
instructor to talk to learners and vice versa. (All
participants where a headset with a microphone). The
instructor can generate simple tests true/false,
multiple choice, short answer on the fly and receive
answers from learners in real time. The learners and
instructor don't actually "see" each other
although all participants are represented by an icon.
Simple buttons like Yes, No, and OK allow the
instructor to get quick feedback from learners.
Learners can send notes to the instructor or each
other.
Other
vendors, especially those who had built up a large
collection of computer-based training assets have been
focused on simply replacing CD-ROM with the Internet
as the delivery channel for distributing the learning.
SmartForce http://www.smartforce.com
is a classic example of this form of e-learning and
has established itself as an early leader in the
e-learning space by moving its library of titles to
the web quickly and providing a web-based front end to
the titles that helps with administration and provides
access to additional learning resources.
In
many ways both these forms of e-learning are
remarkable and provide significant benefits over their
earlier forms. However, I'm not a particularly big fan
of either of them. In my view simply porting old forms
of learning to the web shortchanges the real potential
of e-learning.
The
worst case scenario is when instructors simply stick
their course notes on-line and describe it as
e-learning. Yuck! For e-learning to be effective you
cannot just take your course and plop it on-line in
essentially the same form. It must be redesigned and
optimized for the web.
True
e-learning is specifically designed and developed for
the web. In my view the heart and soul of e-learning
lies in emergent web pedagogical approaches and
delivery models. E-learning is all about making the
learner's experience richer and more engaging. Its not
about doing the same old thing we've always done
simply moving it on-line!
One
of the major enhancements and benefits that e-learning
provides over both the traditional classroom and
computer based CD-ROM training is greater interaction
between learners and between learners and the
instructor. E-learning solutions that don't provide
this are completely missing the mark. If you are
making e-learning purchase decisions look for this in
the form of threaded discussion inside a conferencing
system.
In
assessing commercial e-learning offerings I always ask
- Was this learning designed specifically for the web?
Does it make use of innovative pedagogy and learning
models? What is the learner experience like?
If
I had to make one overarching recommendation it would
be - Try it! Would you buy a car without taking it for
a test drive? Have you actually tried taking an
e-learning course yourself from this vendor? I am
amazed at how few of the people developing e-learning
or making e-learning purchase decisions have ever
actually tried taking e-learning themselves.
OK,
one more rant here. Too many of the commercial
offerings force fit learning into a singular method of
delivery. Everything is done the same way. At the
Technical University of British Columbia http://www.techbc.ca,
where I work, we are currently using five different
e-learning delivery models. Having multiple learning
delivery models provides choice and flexibility. It
allows you to match subject matter with the best way
to teach it.
An
interesting new development in the e-learning space is
the emergence of new product and service offerings
which mix e-learning with performance support.
Performance
support has been around in the training world, for
many years championed by the likes of Gloria Gery and
the International Society for Performance Improvement
(ISPI). But its been slow to catch on. Essentially
performance support provides aids to workers right on
the job as a way of boosting task performance directly
related to business goals. I've always liked the way
performance support is integrated with work rather
than a separate event the way training is usually
done.
Web-based
performance support is typified by a number of new
emerging tools and technologies. One example of this
new form of performance support e-learning is
TeachMeNow (http://www.teachmenow.com).
TeachMeNow uses Micro-Learning, Micro-Searching and
Micro-Billing. TeachMeNow's Micro-Learning breaks down
course material into micro-lessons, as small as 5
minute modules, enabling you to quickly zero in on a
specific skill or learning set. Micro-Searching allows
you to search for the specific help you need by word,
program or concept queries. With Micro-Billing you pay
by the module not by the course. A micro-lesson might
cost as little as $2.50. TeachMeNow learners focus on
a specific goal and avoid the redundancy of having to
waste time on learning they already know.
TeachMeNow
has granulized learning to the extreme. A five minute
learning chunk is about as small as it gets. Their
micro-billing system provides a baseline for all of us
in terms of pricing - a minute of learning costs 50
cents. This is the parking meter or telephone company
pricing model for e-learning.
Another
emerging example of performance support is Procarta
from Domain Knowledge (a Toronto based company) http://www.domainknowledge.com.
Procarta is a software program that lets you capture
how you do business by collecting policies,
procedures, templates, best practices and all
associated training materials into a process
framework. One of the coolest things about Procarta is
the way it generates Visio flow diagrams and a web
site of the process framework automatically.
Guru
Process Solutions http://www.guruinc.com
provides a different methodology for automatically
capturing and recording the best practices of
knowledge workers as they execute business processes.
The GPS Processor renders all user interactions with
an application, including screens, dialogs, system
outcomes, and user interface controls into industry
standard XML (eXtensible Markup Language) format. The
resulting capture files can then be used to rapidly
build documentation, user manuals, coaching wizards
and training modules. Having spent many hours creating
learning materials myself I was really impressed with
the efficiency gains the GPS tool suite provides.
Coming
next in the e-learning space. Wireless, and systems
that manage both e-learning and knowledge management.
