SAVE | EMAIL | PRINT | MOST POPULAR |  RSS | | REPRINT
|
e-networks: Are You an E-Learning MVP?
May 08, 2009
By Margaret Driscoll, Ed.D., and Matthew Dirks, Ph.D.
Three trends are undeniable for training professions: reduced budgets, constrained resources, and limited learner time. None of these trends is new, but they are having a greater impact on organizations as the economic situation significantly impacts the status quo. This can be an ideal time to introduce change and improve productivity in an organization while also making your own position more secure.
This article provides tips for expanding e-learning in your organization, while making your organization more effective and your position more secure.
Become an MVP
That said, simply extolling the virtues of Web 2.0 will not secure your position. It is true that trainers must be familiar with the latest tools and technologies, but they also must understand how to implement and optimize traditional online learning tools to maximize organizational efficiency.
The following tactics focus on using e-learning to meet business objectives and explore some no-nonsense Web 2.0 options that add value. Some of these tactics offer direct value to the organization; others add indirect value by improving the skills and services of the training organization.
Tip #1: Use training as an incentive and benefit for retaining and recruiting employees.
In this challenging economic environment, employees are seeking learning opportunities to beef up their skills. The ability to develop job skills is a key factor in recruiting and an incentive to retaining staff. Think about the skill sets your organization needs to expand or create and develop a program to meet those needs. Utilizing e-learning strategies helps you take advantage of asynchronous learning strategies that respect the learner's time. Or consider producing lunchtime synchronous Webinars that leverage in-house subject matter experts.
Tip #2: Use e-learning to drive adoption.
Face it, most training focuses on initial deployments, especially for internal initiatives. Most change initiatives do not reach their adoption goals initially. Many times there are opportunities to help drive adoption; e-learning can be a fantastic method to accomplish this. Consider follow-up activities for existing initiatives. Help end users see the value of new tools and the differences in new processes; seek ways to win over those who have abandoned or ignored the change.
Tip #3: Use e-learning to address busy schedules.
E-learning can provide some innovative ways to get information to people who are ridiculously busy. We all feel like we are doing the work of three people; therefore, it is important to make training available when it is convenient. Determine the training content that requires synchronous events, and then take full advantage of asynchronous methods. Think about "snackable" content—small bites of timely e-learning that can fit easily into a learner's busy schedule. Snackable content is consumed in 5- to 15-minute blocks and is easy to access when delivered via e-mail or links from the company's internal portal page.
Similarly, if you deliver mandatory, annual training to a large segment of your employees, consider redesigning it for online delivery. This will allow employees to take it based on their schedules, and will make tracking completion easier.
Tip #4: Use the right technology.
E-learning has opened up exciting new opportunities for collaboration and information sharing. Unfortunately, we see overuse of page turner presentations in highly interactive environments. Determine the right medium to deliver your content based on the features of the medium, the content you are delivering, and the needs of the learner. Ask some basic questions: Do you really need to have a face-to-face meeting or would an e-mailed presentation and conference call suffice? Does it make sense to record a live virtual classroom (LVC) program when there is no interaction? Learners process information faster when reading rather than listening, so consider turning the LVC program into a document or info sheet.
Tip #5: Master and share the tools.
Add value by leading the way and testing new tools that offer innovations, savings, and productivity. Many times, technologies aren't adopted because we are afraid to use them. Don't wait for the critical project to try to record an e-meeting. Test the technology and try using it on standard projects, working out the bugs before using it in a crunch. For example, consider experimenting with e-meeting software on a weekly team call. This provides a safe environment for you and your team members to learn; the entire team is better informed to make logical decisions about whether or not the software is a good fit for your projects.
Tip #6: Move all or part of a traditional instructor-led class online.
Having people tied up in training means they aren't getting their work done. Consider shortening a traditional classroom course by a day or half-day. Revise the course so that part of the information—such as concepts, definitions, principles, or facts—is moved online. Use the new, more compact class time for practice, interactions, and student-instructor dialog. Yes, some learners insist on hand holding, but tracking online prerequisites before a class can help ensure that face-to-face time is maximized.
Tip #7: Design for reuse.
Plan to beg, borrow, and steal any and all e-learning collateral. As you build content, design it for reuse. What can be pulled out of an e-learning course that later can be reused? Can you turn a lesson from a course into a performance support link that can be accessed from within an application? Is there a glossary, set of formulas, or a table that would make a good job aid? Also consider assets from the e-learning course's infrastructure. Is the screen layout particularly intuitive? Can buttons be reused? Are there background graphics that may be useful later? Plan on reusing the assets you create today to help you be more effective tomorrow.
Tip #8: Extend the impact of online learning classes.
Following a class, stay in touch with learners and their managers at the 30-, 60-, and 90-day marks. Use the class roster to send learners follow-on information that keeps the class objectives fresh. Contact the learner's manager and determine if part of the training needs reinforcement or if managers need help coaching the new skills. Consider offering "office hours" with the instructor, or sending out Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), or sending an article that provides additional information. Use Web 2.0 tools such as wikis to help class participants keep notes and share ideas. Social networking tools, such as virtual worlds, social bookmarking, and wikis, also can be used to support communities of practice.
Tip #9: Tone down the bells and whistles.
Most of us are guilty of putting one of the cool software features in a course just because we wanted to see if we could do it. As designers, we must ensure that the course provides the content the learner needs, filtering out unnecessary noise. Make sure the cool font, the extra color, and that wildly animated text don't detract from the primary mission of teaching.
Tip #10: Teach others how to use templates and style sheets.
Think about where you can add value outside the traditional e-learning domain by providing tool and techniques instruction. Believe it or not, you may be one of the most experienced people with templates in your organization. But even if you have used a technique infrequently, you probably can master it quickly and then teach your team. Helping a team develop standard templates for RFPs can have a huge impact if it improves the team's productivity, increases professionalism in the organization, and helps you gain recognition outside of your department.
Margaret Driscoll, Ed.D., is a consultant, for IBM. Matthew Dirks, Ph.D., is a senior learning specialist at IBM.
|
SAVE | EMAIL | PRINT | MOST POPULAR | RSS |
|
|
| Back to Training Index |
|
|
