“THE WALL STREET JOURNAL” published a brilliant article by Peter Berkowitz this month. In “Why Liberal Education Matters” Berkowitz argues most convincingly that,

“Today it is the connection of the humanities to a free mind and citizenship in a free society that requires defense.”

Liberal education supposes that while individual rights are shared equally by all, the responsible exercise of those rights is an achievement that depends on cultivating the mind.

. . .

How can one think independently about what kind of life to live without acquiring familiarity with the ideas about happiness and misery, exaltation and despair, nobility and baseness that study of literature, philosophy and religion bring to life? How can one pass reasoned judgment on public policy if one is ignorant of the principles of constitutional government, the operation of the market, the impact of society on perception and belief and, not least, the competing opinions about justice to which democracy in America is heir?

. . .

A proper education, culminating in a liberal education, gives science an honored place. It teaches students, among other things, the fundamentals of the scientific method and the contribution that science has made to human security, freedom and prosperity; it exposes all students to the basic achievements of biology, chemistry and physics; and it encourages those with aptitude to specialize. At the same time, a liberal education brings into focus the limits of science, beginning with the impossibility of explaining the value of science and math in scientific and mathematical terms — to say nothing of science’s incapacity to account for the worth and dignity of the individual.

As regular readers of this BLOG will remember, I have written several times about the importance of a liberal education to both the individual and to our country. I have repeatedly pointed out the decline of so many of our leading universities when it comes to a meaningful education. As I’ve stated, too many of those universities have adopted a trade school philosophy in which professional training has replaced critical thinking and intellectual exposure.

I sometimes wonder if it’s too big a stretch to compare the decline of a thinking education to the increased popularity of “opinion media.” Is there a connection between this “dumbing down” and the growing audiences for the two propaganda networks, MSNBC and FOX News? As Al Gore has cautioned,

“The ‘well-informed citizenry’ is in danger of becoming the ‘well-amused audience’.”

Have we regressed so far that we are exclusively interested in our own embryonically-formed opinions being reinforced by equally incompletely-informed “talking heads?” Have we stopped wanting to examine “all sides” in order to increase our knowledge and, in the process, move beyond “surface opinion” and onto wisdom and understanding?

I hope not . . .

Enjoy your long holiday weekend! More next Wednesday - - - - -

— Bill Walton, Founder of ITC Learning
bwalton@itclearning.com

“THE WORLD RELIES ON THE HANDS OF ITS MEN AND WOMEN”

With the potential for growth clear, how should producers of On-Line Learning programs proceed? First we must acknowledge that effective educational programming has always been a designer’s medium. It has never been an evolving electronic gadgetry world. Instead, it has been developed and used as yet another communication tool for efficiently transferring skills and knowledge, just as the written word, printed text, and video have all been in the hands of talented master teachers.

On-Line Learning does indeed offer the world the most comprehensive educational and training tools the world has ever known. If applications producers treat the Internet (both inside and outside the firewall) as another communication tool that can deliver effective learning –- learning, incidentally, which also happens to be multi-sensory, measurable, and more consistent –- then, “The Learner” will win without being sacrificed on the altar of technological whim.

“Single-Minded Focus” is a term that exemplifies successful individuals. Our single-minded focus must be on the User. It cannot be on the technology. If our Users learn, we win. If our programming fails to work because of antiquated infrastructure, we lose. If our programs reach effectively to those many individuals who do not “learn by reading,” we win. If we reach only those individuals who are fluent readers, we lose. Our single-minded focus must be directed toward the many –- and, variety of — Users we encounter.

E-Learning is the immediate future. However, as too few producers currently realize, it must be designed for the end-Users — THE LEARNER!

More on Thursday - - - - -

— Bill Walton, Founder of ITC Learning
bwalton@itclearning.com

“THE WORLD RELIES ON THE HANDS OF ITS MEN AND WOMEN”

Back from the “ASTD 2010 Conference and Exposition” held earlier this week in Chicago. A very successful event in one of the most beautiful cities in our country. Except for the Winter months, it’s really hard to match Chicago’s beauty, cleanliness and cultural/sporting/entertainment choices. “My kind of town . . .!”

While I do not know the exact numbers, this year’s exposition seemed much larger than normal with more visitors, including a large number representing the international community.

ASTD remains primarily an HR show with lots of “do it yourself” offerings. In terms of the industrial skills training representation, it seems pretty clear to me that the segment is consolidating and fewer, but stronger, companies remain.

E-Learning is dominant – so dominant, in fact, that Videos and CD-ROMs have almost disappeared from the show floor.

This show, so long dominated by LMS offerings had very few to offer this year. In my opinion, the LMS market peaked several years ago along with the VC backing of those firms. They are definitely not the player they used to be.

You won’t find any generic compressed video e-Learning offerings either – simply because the bandwidth issue remains a challenge for the majority of American manufacturers and process industries. Compressed video is primarily offered as a custom choice today and, only for those firms who have the necessary bandwidth available.

The promise of simulation training remains just that – a promise. The ultimate customer acceptance is still in the future.

All in all, a very good show this year. I hope you will make plans to attend a SALT Conference (August in DC or February 2011 in Orlando) or the next ASTD conference in Orlando next year. Either would be worth your time.

More on Tuesday - - - - -

— Bill Walton, Founder of ITC Learning
bwalton@itclearning.com

“THE WORLD RELIES ON THE HANDS OF ITS MEN AND WOMEN”

Continuing with our “Buying Process” discussion, the next step is the “Instructional Design Review.”

Today, e-Learning is not part of the video world. E-Learning is, also, not a part of the videotape, laser interactive videodisc, or CD-ROM continuum. At this moment, e-Learning is closer to the radio world.

Sure, the necessary compressed video capability is readily available — BUT, the infrastructure for most would-be corporate users is not.

Today, unfortunately, most e-Learning courseware creation resides with technical writers and programmers. Yet, with e-Learning, excellent instructional design may be more important than ever.

Without video tools, the instructional designer must be more creative than ever. The imaginative use of audio becomes the “secret ingredient” to effective e-Learning.

We already know that written words reach only a minority — almost half of our workforce does not ready above a 4th Grade level. Hence, instructional designers must find new ways to bridge the gap. All script language must have a “to-be-heard” option.

Effective use of audio as a critical instructional design element enriches the learning experience. Dialog brings “stills” alive. Sound effects provide motivation and realism. Mood creation establishes a familiar and comfortable environment.

Thus, when you are making your training purchase decisions, start with an analysis of the audio utilization. And, the place to start your analysis begins with “optional word-for-word” audio. That feature alone will guarantee that your learners who are reading fluent can turn the audio off and move forward at their own pace. It will also guarantee for your less fluent readers that, by listening to the complete audio they, too, will have the opportunity for full comprehension of the subject taught.

Here are some additional instructional design elements you should require:

1) Navigation through the course is simple, consistent and intuitive. In other words, are the screens user-friendly and obvious to the learner?

2) The instruction is both meaningful and interactive. In other words, are the individual units of instruction performance based and require meaningful responses from the learner? In addition, knowledgeable instructional design will segment the course into very small units of instruction, each tied directly to a performance objective.

3) Adult learning characteristics are accommodated. In other words, are the designed communication techniques consistent with the learning culture of the individuals to be trained.

4) Administrative management requirements are satisfied. In other words, the test results, time spent, etc. are readily incorporated into your LMS.

5) The media used is appropriately integrated into the learning experience. In other words, the graphics, stills and animations are directly appropriate to the subject being taught.

There are some practical expectations you should look for, as well.

1) Does the e-Learning lesson you are reviewing provide adequate learning for your targeted audience?

2) Does the e-Learning lesson you are reviewing work on your intended delivery system — internet, intranet, or both?

3) Is the e-Learning lesson you are reviewing SCORM compliant?

The final review-subject should be “The Customer Support Review” —an activity that many of you don’t realize is even possible. After all, customer support shows its pretty or ugly head sometime after the sale.

And, in many ways, that’s true. Some vendors regard their customer support activities only from a cost control standpoint. They believe that a customer support function is nothing but an expense item. So, they try to put roadblocks between them and the customer in order to delay the inevitable as long as possible in the hope that it will “just go away.”

Unfortunately, far too many training vendors put a “Contact Us” on their website, BUT only provide an e-Mail method of contact — no phone number!

Other vendors place the caller into a voice mail activity, bypassing the customer’s need to get immediate service even though that customer may have a class of learners waiting without a solid internet connection to the purchased courseware.

What can you do during your review process in order to minimize your chances of ending up with one of those non-customer oriented vendors?

Well, you should ask your salesperson for a “number to call” in the event of a problem and an e-Mail address to contact whenever you’re experiencing problems.

Now, run a test. Call the number provided and time how long it takes for them to get back with you. Ditto with the e-Mail address. The answer to those two tests will tell you a lot about the future problems you are going to encounter with that particular vendor.

We all know that technology is not perfect. There will always be hiccups. And, most of us know enough not to expect perfection.

But, it is not too much to expect vendors to treat those imperfections with the care and concern you, their customer, deserve.

Some vendors are truly customer oriented. Find one of those. It will save you a lot of grief.

This week I’ll be at the ASTD International Conference & Exposition in Chicago. If you can attend, and I hope you do, please stop by the ITC Learning booth (211) and say, “hi.” Would love to chat with any of you who can come.

More when I return on Friday - - - - -

— Bill Walton, Founder of ITC Learning
bwalton@itclearning.com

“THE WORLD RELIES ON THE HANDS OF ITS MEN AND WOMEN”

One of the problems in BLOG-writing is that some of the most important ideas are written about once and then never seen again. Such is the case with our “buying process” discussion, which first appeared in 2009. So, because it is such an important subject and because ASTD gets underway next week, here are the salient steps you should undertake in “The Buying Process” — once again.

More “live to regret it” decisions are made during the buying process than you can probably imagine. Worse, the wasted money that your company will spend — and, the wasted time your workers will invest in ineffective training initiatives — will do far more harm than good.

We’re going to start with a discussion of the previewing process. A process that is routine with almost all training purchases — whether it involves preview portal access with e-Learning or sample demo CD-ROM or text products.

During this initial step in the buying process, one of the biggest of all mistakes is made. And, it’s made time and time again — because the decision makers do not thoroughly grasp the ultimate goal of training initiatives:

“To bring less-skilled workers to greater proficiency levels or to cross-train workers who need to move from ‘little knowledge’ to ‘proficiency skills’.”

To accomplish the above objective you need to understand the ideal “previewing committee” process:

“Individuals in your organization who understand Learning, plus one content expert should evaluate the previews you are considering.”

Unfortunately, many preview evaluations are seldom performed this ideal way. For a lack of understanding of “The Learning Process,” committees composed exclusively of content experts are given the task of selecting the “best” preview product. A guaranteed way to continually make the wrong choice!

Content experts, too often, get excited about learning something from the preview that they, themselves, did not already know — totally forgetting the objective of the preview evaluation. And then, mistakenly, endorsing that preview as their number one choice.

Oops! The less-skilled or unskilled workers are going to suffer because of those misguided choices made by that content experts committee.

What you need is a committee of individuals who: 1) understand Learning; 2) the skill level of the workers to be trained; and 3) the skills required to do the tasks they will be expected to perform. Plus, one content expert to validate the information presented.

Previews should never be evaluated by an exclusive team of content experts simply because those individuals are looking at “information knowledge” and not at “basic skills training requirements for the less-skilled.”

You would be wise to think through your own situation to determine what voices will serve you well. Remember, we’re not playing “Jeopardy” here. We’re attempting to increase skills in order for your workforce to become more contributive to your organization. You will successfully do that only if your selection committee can recognize the difference between Skills Training (the simulated “Doing” of a task) and non-applicable Information Knowledge that, often, cannot be transferred to the actual job.

The second step in the buying process should be a “Readability Review.”

Ever hear of the Flesch-Kincaid readability tests?

There are two of them: The Flesch Reading Easiness and the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level tests. They use the same core measures: word length and sentence length. It’s the latter test that should concern you when making a training purchase decision.

National studies agree that close to half of our workforce does not read above a 4th Grade level. And, even more disturbing is the fact that only slightly more than one-third of our high school graduates can comprehend and form opinions from what they read today.

Here’s an illustrative story. Some time ago the CEO of a major automobile manufacturer did a study and discovered that the written communications and procedures being used by his corporation were the cause of many plant accidents and inefficiencies. He found out that the problem was a result of two things: a) those written communications were being written, for the most part, by college graduates and b) many of his employees had difficulty in reading comprehension.

So, he ordered that every document in his corporation be re-written to a 6th Grade reading level. Only after this project failed to make much improvement in plant efficiencies did he publicly state that he should have required a 4th Grade reading level.

What does all this mean to you? Well, when making your training purchase decisions it would serve you well to ask the vendor what Grade Level test had been applied to his products. Unfortunately, I would bet that he’ll give you a blank stare.

“Never heard of such a thing,” he’ll likely say.

Well, that will tell you all you really need to know. That vendor understands very little about the Learning process. He’s only in the business of taking your money. His products are not designed to improve the quality of life for your workforce nor to add to your company’s bottom line.

Knowledgeable corporations and the U.S. Department of Defense require either the Reading Easiness test or the Grade Level test before purchasing any written training material. So should you!

The third step in your buying process should be “The Review of the Media Used.”

Confucius is credited with the following:

“I HEAR AND I FORGET,
I SEE AND I REMEMBER,
I DO AND I UNDERSTAND.”

So it is with modern media training. While the “doing” is mostly vicarious, the learning results are close to ideal.

That is, if the programs you are evaluating for purchase have the right mix of audio and visuals — with a minimum emphasis on the written word. (And, as I’m sure you know by now, the written word will mostly fail to communicate with half of your workforce.)

Let’s start with audio since in today’s e-Learning world it is the most important. The operative phrase is,

“OPTIONAL full word-for-word audio!”

Optional so that fluent readers can turn the audio off and move forward at their own learning pace. However, for the half of your learners who do not learn well from reading, they will not be cheated if you require a full word-for-word audio track in any media training programs you buy.

The visual side of e-Learning is a little tricky. So many organizations and corporations either do not have big enough “pipes” to effectively pass compressed video or the IT people do not want compressed video gumming up the works.

So, you’re looking for animations, simulated video, brilliantly designed graphics or stills in order to convey the “doing” part of the training.

All of this is designed to facilitate that “do.” It’s what we mean when we discuss effective skills training. Education may teach us theory, facts, opinions and intellectual understanding. Training makes it possible for us to do things better and to acquire new skills.

As Thomas Jefferson once said,

“What we learn to do, we learn by doing.”

The remainder of this “Buying Process” discussion will appear on Friday.

— Bill Walton, Founder of ITC Learning
bwalton@itclearning.com

“THE WORLD RELIES ON THE HANDS OF ITS MEN AND WOMEN”

A week ago, we discussed the training alternative to e-Learning — at least until e-Learning gets its act together. Of course, that alternative is networked digitized CD-ROM instruction — an Intranet solution.

We also discussed its most obvious limitation. Digitized CD-ROM training is not an Internet training medium. It must be administered within range of a dedicated LAN. But, for training payback values, it currently has no peer.

So, if you choose to go the digitized CD-ROM route, what should you expect from the courseware you purchase?

First of all, it should be a complete training system, providing everything needed to run a comprehensive training program, including: pre-tests, lesson menus, short teaching segments, simulations, and post-tests.

The courseware design should be so easy to use that trainees can access courses readily. The performance objectives must be clearly stated so that the trainee can understand exactly what is being taught. Integral should be an administrative and report-generating capability.

The learning should be individually paced with trainees controlling their own path through the lesson. They should be free at any time to skip over material they already understand, or repeat any portions for better comprehension. And when a question is answered incorrectly, extra instruction should be provided to ensure that the trainee understands the material, before proceeding.

With well-designed digitized CD-ROM training, learning takes place through interaction and involvement with the multimedia presentation. Even trainees with poor reading skills can learn effectively from this medium, which is seldom the case with much of what passes for e-Learning today.

The instructional design should be based on short segments and trainees must demonstrate that they understand each concept before moving on to the next. Feedback should be immediate and the information presented should be, “need to know.”

The training should be conveyed though realistic video in a realistic job environment so that it is easy for the trainees to transfer the information from the screen to the job.

The design of effective digitized CD-ROM training is based on the principle that, “people first learn by seeing, in real time, the skills being performed. Then, they practice performing those skills via interactive simulations in order to fortify what they have learned. Finally, their knowledge is tested, again via interactive simulations of the real-world activity. This constant practice helps increase learning and the ultimate job performance.”

I know it’s becoming an e-Learning world. But, take a moment to look at networked digitized CD-ROM training. It, too, has a lot to offer — particularly when compared to much of the junk that is being passed off as e-Learning today.

More tomorrow - - - - -

— Bill Walton, Founder of ITC Learning
bwalton@itclearning.com

“THE WORLD RELIES ON THE HANDS OF ITS MEN AND WOMEN”

A very interesting Op-Ed piece by Charles Murray appeared in “The New York Times” this week. The piece focused on comparisons between schools as measured by those same standardized tests we’ve come to abhor. This latest evaluation has been performed in Milwaukee, matching 3000-plus students from the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program with a like number attending public schools in the city. Predictably, the achievement growth rates for both groups were similar.

Which, of course, is not the point!

Murray writes:

“So let’s not try to explain them away. Why not instead finally acknowledge that standardized test scores are a terrible way to decide whether one school is better than another? This is true whether the reform in question is vouchers, charter schools, increased school accountability, smaller class sizes, better pay for all teachers, bonuses for good teachers, firing of bad teachers — measured by changes in test scores, each has failed to live up to its hype.

It should come as no surprise. We’ve known since the landmark Coleman Report of 1966, which was based on a study of more than 570,000 American students, that the measurable differences in schools explain little about differences in test scores. The reason for the perpetual disappointment is simple: Schools control only a small part of what goes into test scores.

Cognitive ability, personality and motivation come mostly from home. What happens in the classroom can have some effect, but smart and motivated children will tend to learn to read and do math even with poor instruction, while not-so-smart or unmotivated children will often have trouble with those subjects despite excellent instruction. If test scores in reading and math are the measure, a good school just doesn’t have that much room to prove it is better than a lesser school.”

As we have written in previous BLOGS, standardized testing mistakenly confuses learning with memorization and, at the same time, short changes thinking and analytical skills. Too many people in authority continue to believe that “The Enlightenment” is the sole path to knowledge. And, unfortunately, our children continue to be sidetracked from their natural born traits of curiosity and imagination. Consequently, learning suffers and, ultimately, so will our nation.

More on Tuesday - - - - -

— Bill Walton, Founder of ITC Learning
bwalton@itclearning.com

“THE WORLD RELIES ON THE HANDS OF ITS MEN AND WOMEN”

I have had multiple careers in business and in education. I have watched many things change within the culture of our country. But, the change that bothers me most is the over-emphasis parents place on grades today — an emphasis they mistakenly pair with success.

Unfortunately, what those parents mean by success is almost always equatable with money. “Make straight ‘A’s’ in school so that you will be admitted to a prestigious school — so that you can, then, enter a field where large financial rewards await.” The implication is that “success” and “money” is irrevocably tied together.

Really?!?

Is a master mechanic not a success? Is a homeless shelter administrator incapable of being a success? Is a public school teacher destined to be a loser?

Sadly, we take pride in children who grow up to be “successful” in large financial institutions, for example, because they will then make really big bucks, flushing their “once upon a time” talents by merely re-shuffling wealth — contributing precious little to our civilization or to the dreams of its people. And so it is with many other high-paying careers that often leave the big earners feeling unfulfilled and empty.

Can a material-filled life of luxury ever compensate for the broken dreams of childhood?

So, it was particularly exciting this week to read in “The Washington Post Magazine” an article entitled, “First Person Singular: Wakefield High teacher and ‘It’s Academic’ coach Scott McKeown.” McKewon makes some interesting comments:

“Sometimes your straight-A students stink at this because they’re so meticulous. They have to dot all the I’s. They’re scared to be wrong, so they’re not pit bulls. Some of the strongest kids I’ve had are the C kids, just your old-fashioned gentleman’s C’s. They’ll just watch the History Channel and read whatever they want to read, but they don’t often care at all about grades. And they don’t care about being wrong every so often.”

“You need to have a killer instinct. Smart instinct is good; football instinct is good. Not every day needs to be ‘Everybody Gets a Trophy Day.’ You need to know what you’re good at and what you need to work on. That’s what’s so satisfying about ‘It’s Academic.’ . . . They know at 16 what a lot of kids don’t know: ‘I’m probably not going to be a movie star. I’m probably not going to be Super Bowl MVP. But by God, I’m going to be competitive at what I’m good at.’”

Make room for our children. Give them encouragement to pursue their own dreams, even when those dreams may be different than the ones we want them to have. Help them to achieve their own definition of “success.” Help them to see the wisdom of “following their own bliss” while avoiding the “Golden Handcuffs” that afflict too many adults with high paying jobs.

Grades are merely one measure. There are many equally good measures of success.

More on Friday - - - - -

— Bill Walton, Founder of ITC Learning
bwalton@itclearning.com

“THE WORLD RELIES ON THE HANDS OF ITS MEN AND WOMEN”

With the advent of CD-ROM instruction a couple of decades ago, we had a training-delivery system that had efficiency limitations. One either had to buy a zillion copies in order to distribute them to all involved or commit to a Learning Center concept. Since labor costs are always the single biggest training expenditure, we had a relatively inefficient system — plus one that did not have the learning-value compensations of “one-on-one” instruction.

What original CD-ROM instruction did have, however, was the power of rich multimedia learning (temporarily missing from today’s e-Learning courseware). Brilliant video that allowed trainees to practice, vicariously, the procedures so necessary to their job descriptions. CD-ROM training was not full simulation but it was the closest thing to it. Plus, it was affordable and was readily distributable.

Today, despite a few limitations, the unique power of full-motion learning is now achievable in a CD-ROM Intranet environment. Any organization with a training dedicated LAN can seamlessly present to its workforce unique multimedia training at a fraction of the cost of the original multi-copy CD-ROM training. And, what’s more, there are no physical CDs involved — it’s all digitized.

The limitations are obvious. This is not an Internet training medium. It must be administered within range of the dedicated LAN. But, for training payback values, it currently has no peer.

You’ve really got two options. Most will choose e-Learning because of its 24×7 appeal.
But remember, however convenient, current e-Learning instruction gives up the “motion picture value” — and, that is a significant weakness, even though that absence can be partially compensated for with carefully constructed optional full audio.

Your alternate choice is LAN-delivered, digitized CD-ROM training. The training values here are superior but the flexibility is not as useful as e-Learning.

Regardless, it’s important to understand that you do have a choice today — e-Learning or network-delivered digitized CD-ROM training!

More tomorrow - - - - -

— Bill Walton, Founder of ITC Learning
bwalton@itclearning.com

“THE WORLD RELIES ON THE HANDS OF ITS MEN AND WOMEN”