April 15, 2015 Growing up in a small South Dakota town with sparse financial means (my mother was left in significant debt after my father died), for me, equality-of-opportunity in education was not a major problem. My friends and I believed that if you “worked hard” and applied yourself, all possibilities were open to us. Well, that’s not as true in the American twenty-first century! Without doubt, money matters much more today....
April 13, 2015 In simple terms, we define “Usability in e-Learning” as to how user-friendly or appealing the program is to its users. In practice, usability goes deeper than this, and is closely related to how much users actually learn from the courseware you choose to implement. Even more importantly, how much newly acquired knowledge can your trainees actually put into practice after completing the curriculum you have provided? An excellent understanding...
April 8, 2015 Several previous postings have exposed the disconnect between PowerPoint and learning. On many occasions I have pointed out the great damage repurposed PowerPoints have done to the reputation of e-Learning. Such adaptations have turned off the majority of trainees (more than two-thirds never complete e-Learning courses that were adapted PowerPoint presentations). Here’s a new and interesting twist on an additional “Why” reason: “One of the many jokes about Powerpoint...
April 6, 2015 In previous postings I’ve pointed out differences between the benefits of education and the benefits of training. E-learning can effectively address both needs. One of the best explanations of the differences comes from an eLEARNING INDUSTRY article by Chris Barnes, “Education and Training – What’s the difference?”: “Education is all about learning the theory. Traditionally, an education may reinforce knowledge in which that you already have a foundation. For...
April 1, 2015 The politicalizing of American public education keeps gathering steam. Education, the heart of any democratic system, is continually under attack as politicians relentlessly strive to bend it to their own uses. And, in that process, we all suffer. George Washington certainly recognized the importance of education: “There is nothing which can better deserve our patronage than the promotion of science and literature. Knowledge is in every country the surest...
March 30, 2015 Sixteen years ago, in a speech delivered at ASTD’s Interactive Multimedia Conference, I described some of the negative fallout accompanying the emerging digital networking technologies. I cautioned that, “Today’s learner, all too often, is being left out in the cold. Talking about technology from the learner’s point of view, rather than the digital, seems to be an antiquated discussion packaged away with a box of yesterday’s videodiscs.” What I...
March 25, 2015 Five years ago, in an issue of “Training Industry Quarterly,” an article, “2010’s Top Training Technology Trends” by David Mallon, presented the trends in e-Learning the author believed we would see: “The lengthy page-turner is out. In its place is a next generation of e-learning, including: short video vignettes or audio podcasts followed by interactive assessments; pre-recorded virtual classroom sessions; scenario-based learning, 3-D simulations and serious games; e-books, articles...
March 18, 2015 I was born and grew up in the Northern Great Plains. During that time, the culture I encountered valued certain professions above others: doctors and nurses, police, firefighters and teachers. Those were considered the noble professions — individuals who had chosen a career of service to others. My respect for those chosen careers has not waned. Oh, I’ve been made aware of some of the abuses: redundant medical procedures,...
March 16, 2015 How many times has a co-worker come to you with a “good idea?” The idea even seems to make sense. And, because it sounds almost too good to be true, time and money are invested in that “good idea,” turning it into a reality. It is important to remember that even the best intentioned and best informed people make huge mistakes in their lives. In fact, it is often...
March 11, 2015 Within training departments, success or failure resides in the ability to understand, motivate, and adapt the learning initiatives to the workforce to-be-trained. Who are these trainees? How do they best learn? What motivates them? For one thing, management should tie promotions or pay increases to the training initiative being mandated. For another, training initiatives, if successful, must fit inside the trainees’ dominant learning culture. Unfortunately, with e-Learning being the...
March 9, 2015 A few years ago, Thomas Heath, writing in THE WASHINGTON POST devoted his column to a story, “McPadnet owner reveals secrets to her sales success” that featured a Karen Edwards. It’s a most interesting story as Ms. Edwards practices much of what we have been advocating for several years: “a consistent atmosphere of ‘mutual trust’ with a salesperson-partner.” Each of you needs to find a professional salesperson, whom you...
March 4, 2015 In order to be effective at developing highly qualified front-line workers, the stigma attached to vocational-technical education must be removed. In many European countries, an apprenticeship program bestows on its graduates respect for their high level of skill, and those nations recognize this with nationally accepted certification. But in America, the vo-tech track is, too often, perceived as dead-end — catering to society’s most disadvantaged by providing a minimum...
March 2, 2015 Without something resembling a liberal arts education, combined with an extensive vocabulary, in-depth thinking becomes restricted. Without the skills training one receives in high school and college, as well as from corporate training departments, the ability to excel in one’s chosen career becomes limited. In terms of the former, most individuals are on their own as a liberal arts education becomes more and more de-emphasized. No worry, however, for...
February 25, 2015 Typically, employee turnover costs businesses about one-fifth of a worker’s salary to replace that worker. A big number! Further, it is well known that investments in training can often improve employee retention statistics. But, there are costs associated with the training provided and these are the costs that we, as trainers, can do a better job of controlling. It is important to understand that the trainee-labor costs associated with...