A quote from the article “A Picture is Worth 1000 Words: Visual Design in E-Learning” by Shevy Levy and Jim Yupangco in Learning Solutions Magazine kicks us off today: “We have all heard the expression “A picture is worth 1000 words.” But what does this mean, especially in e-Learning design? Using a common canvas, game and Web designers, as well as online marketing experts, take advantage of the 1,000,000 nerves connecting the...
It’s a pretty safe bet that most of you have moved at least some of your training initiatives into an e-Learning environment. An equally likely assumption is that most of you have been experiencing some disappointing results with some of those initiatives. Let’s look at the typical hurdles that must be overcome if your e-Learning initiatives are going to provide the positive returns your organization expects. First, and foremost, for e-Learning (or...
Today’s blog was actually intended for publication during the week prior to Christmas. However, because ITC’s beautiful new website was under construction, it was postponed. Anyway, here it finally is. I want to share a couple of December’s “interesting to read” items that expanded my awareness on issues currently facing American training and education. Manufacturing jobs and industrial training (by implication) is the subject of the first piece: “The nation shed manufacturing...
While readily investing dollars in task skills training, too many businesses ignore the basic skills knowledge gap that exists throughout their organization. And that means specific training in reading and math skills! Unfortunately, when they take the time to examine that skills gap, many find that their employees simply don’t have the reading and math skills necessary for effective job performance “Well-designed programs using the latest technology could be our best hope...
December 14, 2016 Today, there is a rapidly growing movement to emphasize the teaching of “critical thinking skills” in our public schools. Just what is it? — and can it be successfully taught? The opinions expressed by Carl Hendrik in an article published in AEON, “Why Schools Should Not Teach Critical Thinking Skills,” make a strong and reasonable case against such teaching when detached from context: “. . . Since the early...
December 12, 2016 Whether you buy or build e-Learning courses, design elements must be the focus if you want your workforce to engage with the training. “Instructional Design Elements EVERY eLearning Course Should Include” by Christopher Pappas in eLearning Industry gives us an overview: “Designing an eLearning course is not an easy task. . . . this article features the 10 most important Instructional Design eLements that your eLearning course should have....
December 7, 2016 Ever hear of the Flesch-Kincaid readability tests? (They’re both freely available as part of MSN’s Outlook and Word.) “The Flesch-Kincaid readability tests were named after a talented Mr. J. Peter Kincaid and his team of developers. The tests were originally developed under contract with the US Navy and were designed to assess the difficulty of understanding in technical manuals around the year 1978. Within a few years, the tests became...
December 5, 2016 “Establishing training content means focusing on what the job actually entails. Task analysis methods are important for this. These methods were developed within occupational psychology to ensure that what is trained is what is required. This is one of the most important areas in the psychology of training. If performance requirements are not identified, then training judgments may be inappropriate. . . . Left to their own devices, training specialists cannot...
November 30, 2016 While it is too early to panic, the subject of Charter Schools is about to hit the headlines. It is up to all of us to stay informed on this issue as it will have a direct impact on the educational future of the nation’s children. ConnectUS summarizes the issue: Some of the Pros: They offer flexible options for families. They encourage competition. They foster innovation. They carve out...
November 28, 2016 ILLITERACY STATISTICS from the Literacy Project Foundation reveal some disturbing numbers: “Illiteracy has become such a serious problem in our country that 44 million adults are now unable to read a simple story to their children; 50% of adults cannot read a book written at an eighth grade level; and, 45 million are functionally illiterate and read below a 5th grade level.” YEP, IT’S BUSINESS OBJECTIVES! After many years...
November 16, 2016 As I’ve written many times, if you wait for community colleges to effectively train your workforce, you’ll be waiting a long time. Without an emphasis on simulations and media-based instruction, few of our current crop of young people will ever learn enough from the traditional “lecture-reading-testing” teaching model that still prevails in many community colleges. In most cases, you’re going to have to do it yourself. So, how should...
November 14, 2016 “Many people working in training and instructional design came to it through side doors . . . There are heated debates about whether everyone working in the field should have formal training, as well as discussions of the pros and cons of academic instructional design programs. I’ve seen great designers who had no background at all in the field; I’ve seen terrible designers with every certificate under the sun. ...
November 9, 2016 I would maintain that, regardless of subject matter, education is very late in “coming to the party.” It’s no secret that most teaching in the classroom continues to be a “lecture/reading/testing” regimen — in spite of the undeniable fact that the learning culture of our young people is centered on their smartphones, tablets, and gaming. Most people are multi-sensory learners when it comes to skills acquisition. ‘Seeing’, ‘hearing’, and...
November 7, 2016 The ultimate test for instrument technicians, electricians and electronic technicians, as well as mechanics and millwrights will be their troubleshooting skills. Troubleshooting, using its simplest definition, involves determining the causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about them. While most maintenance tasks in a plant are routine, knowing how to systematically think through a problem is vital to a plant’s operating efficiency. Acquiring troubleshooting skills equips the...