FOCUSING ON THE LEARNER

November 23, 2015

“Passively-viewed video is not an inherently valuable learning tool, especially if the player features are skewed towards media and entertainment, marketing, or advertising. Finding ways to engage the student within a video is another matter. Facilitating and measuring student comprehension — the holy grail of eLearning in general — must apply to the interactive video learning experience as well.” (“What is Interactive Video Learning” by John Parsons in eLEARNING INDUSTRY)

Interactive Video Learning has a long and successful history. First with videotape — then with Interactive Videodisc (IVD) — and later with CD-ROM, instructional designers effectively utilized all the powerful learning components afforded by multiple-media into the most effective learning lessons the world had ever known.

Payback was amazing. Trainees learned faster and more successfully than at any time since the days of “ol’ Charlie” with his one-on-one hands-on instruction. And, the incorporation of full motion video and graphic animations led the way.

In some ways, e-Learning has an even greater potential.

But, to do so means to eliminate the large numbers of current e-Learning examples that are merely PowerPoint adaptations with their emphasis on printed words and still visuals —- far removed from interactive video learning.

It’s important to remember that our potential learners have grown up in a full-motion video age with access to information readily available on smartphones, tablets, computers and televisions.

Today we all learn readily from multi-sensory media. To regress into a reading-based design will seriously erode the advances our earlier designers created with Videotape, IVD and CD-ROM.

We must also demand that our e-Learning courseware includes optional word-for-word audio so that both fluent and less-fluent individuals can learn.

As trainers our goal must be to serve “the many” with dynamic multi-sensory media that results in knowledgeably designed e-Learning — rather than serving just a privileged “few” with adapted written procedures and adapted PowerPoint presentations pretending to be e-Learning.

It’s past time to uncover the awesome potential of e-Learning and leave the current examples behind.

Enjoy your Thanksgiving Weekend. More next Monday – – –

— Bill Walton, co-Founder, ITC Learning
www.itclearning.com/blog/ (Mondays & Wednesdays)

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

( This is a personal blog. Any views or opinions represented in this blog are personal and belong solely to the blog owner, jhbillwalton@gmail.com, an independent consultant. They do not represent those of people, institutions or organizations that the owner may or may not be associated with in a professional or personal capacity, )