December 22, 2009
E-Learning is singularly poised to positively impact all aspects of one’s business. It is uniquely capable of making significant contributions to employees, management, shareholders and customers. For the very first time, organizations have a learning tool that can improve attitudes, skill levels, communications and the bottom line. How does e-Learning manage to do all this? Well, if the courseware has been instructionally designed to train (rather than to merely inform) and if...
December 17, 2009
A story in “The Washington Post” last week brought to life an issue that most of us have forgotten. The “digital divide” that captured our attention a decade ago is no longer in our lexicon as computer prices have dropped dramatically and our school systems have installed beau coups computers. The dramatic gap between the “haves” and the “have-nots,” when it comes to computer access has faded from our consciousness. Instead, we...
December 15, 2009
The rapid development and changes in technology over the last decade has had a resounding impact on the learning industry. Technology, coupled with the explosion of knowledge requirements in the information age, has led to the emergence of new learning modalities such as On-Line learning. With the recent flood of new products in the market, customers are faced with an extensive range of programs that have been developed without assurance of quality...
December 11, 2009
PART FIVE — “The Customer Support Review” The final review-subject in our 6-Blog series involves 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....
December 9, 2009
PART FIVE (b) — “Instructional Design Review” Yesterday, we looked at the supreme importance of “optional word-for-word audio” as the number one necessity in effective e-Learning. 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...
December 8, 2009
PART FOUR (a) — “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...
December 4, 2009
PART THREE — “The A/V Review” 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...
December 2, 2009
PART TWO — “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...
December 1, 2009
PART ONE — “The Previewing Process” For the next several blogs we’re going to discuss the buying process — from your point of view. Sounds like a snap, doesn’t it?!? However, 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...
