Trends in Training Putting the “e” into e-Learning (w here “e” is for excitement, energy, enthusiasm and effectiveness) Brian Sutton Chief Educator - QA

Agenda for our discussion  Trends in the Training Market  Is e-learning the solution, the promise unfulfilled or paradise lost?  The corporate legacy  Silver Bullets everywhere - a plethora of delivery mechanisms  What is Blended learning - is it just more hype?  Putting the “e” back into Learning  Summary

Trends in Training Market Desire: –to reduce unit cost of learning –to minimise time away from workplace –for just-in-time, just-enough training targeted at operational problems Increasing: –emphasis on accreditation, as a simplistic measure of training effectiveness –dissatisfaction with 1st generation e-learning products –dissatisfaction with imposed generic training solutions –interest in coaching and mentoring as means of magnifying training effectiveness and reducing external spend

E-learning, solution, promise unfulfilled or paradise lost  We took the pedagogy of the classroom and applied it unchanged to a new delivery mechanism.  The last 15 years have seen great advances in multi-media design whilst learning design has been largely ignored - result  Very pretty courseware that provides little stimulus to learn  Criticisms of current courseware:  Learning that is not Authentic, no connection to real world.  Learning not reinforced, no mentoring or post course support.  Useless after first use, no indexing to aid finding things later.  Does not support information discovery, experimentation and what if type exploration  Not linked to enduring corporate repositories of knowledge  Expensive to create and maintain

The Corporate Legacy  Large installed base of generic e-learning materials from a range of providers. Mostly following a pedagogy of tell and test.  E-learning modules not linked to personal development objectives and rarely integrated with the rest of the learning portfolio, especially not linked with ILT provision.  Poor take up rates of e-learning and poor completion rates.  Workers find all sorts of excuses for not doing the e-learning, a current favourite is “I couldn’t get access to the net when I had the time to study”. (Don’t spend time and money trying to fix this, it is a symptom not the problem)  ROI based on avoided cost by not doing training some other way, rather than effectiveness of change in Knowledge, attitude, skills or habits and subsequent linkage to operational effectiveness.

Silver Bullets Everywhere - new delivery mechanisms The instructional designer is now faced with a plethora of potential delivery mechanisms, each of which is claimed as the ultimate solution –Instructor Led (Synchronous) - Self Paced (Asynchronous) - Traditional Classroom - CBT (CDROM) - Virtual Classroom - WBT (1st generation) - On-line mentoring - WBT (2nd generation), e-Labs - Study guides and workbooks - On-line resources and databases - Practice test environments - Mentoring and discussion forums to foster communities of practice Choosing the right mechanism and appropriate mix should be a decision based upon sound reasoning and best practice, not luck or fashion

What is Blended Learning - is it just more hype? A Definition –“A mix of any, or all of the above delivery mechanisms, in the appropriate proportions to create flexible, cost effective training solutions that can reach the widest possible audience in terms of geography, level and learning style.” Choice should be based on pedagogy not technology Guiding Principles –QUALITY CHOICE SUPPORT

Putting the “e” back into Learning  The promise of these delivery mechanisms (and new ones still to come) lies in their power to transform the quality of the learning experience rather than their ability to dumb down or remove cost.

“e” alone is not enough  One thing that should now be clear is that with learning the choice is not a binary one.  The answer is not ILT or e-learning, but rather a mix of these and other techniques blended together within a management framework that allows the student to take control of his /her own learning experience. (including the power to select, book and attend learning events whatever their nature)  The elements of the blended solution should be chosen for their ability to enhance Learning.

Summary E-learning in its present form has been an expensive experiment and has failed to live up to its promise. The solution to our problems is not more technological Silver bullets, but a return to the fundamentals of how people learn. Putting the needs of the learner foremost helps us to build learning programmes that support the ways that people learn. e-learning is getting better only because it is beginning to support; discovery, story telling, trial and error, application, experimentation and collaboration. But will only ever be a part of the solution, not the whole. When choosing delivery mechanisms - Don’t do it because you can - do it because it makes a difference at a human level.