September 26, 2018
Let’s take a look at some of the unique training challenges faced by American process and manufacturing companies today. While many of the observations are also applicable to all organizations, process and manufacturing plants rely heavily on in-house skills training as central to their success. Training methods vary widely — from traditional classroom instruction, with hands-on practice, to the latest in technology-based training options. But, which method is best? For training a...
September 24, 2018
While most of us think of training in terms of the formal classroom, learning center, or controlled WEB access, below are a few other uses for e-Learning that will help you get the maximum value from your training initiatives. (courtesy of G. H. Kaiz, co-Founder, ITC Learning). Engineer Training...
September 20, 2018
Several years ago, I was invited to review several e-Learning courses marketed by a Midwestern vendor. This particular vendor had a large number of offerings targeted at many industries. And, their catalog described their solutions as “skills training.” As we shall soon see, that catalog description could not have been further from the truth! What I saw astonished me. It was like traveling backward in time! Looking at those courses returned me...
September 18, 2018
Several years ago in a New York Times column by Virginia Heffeman, “Education Needs a Digital-Age Upgrade,” she reviewed a book, “Now You See It,” by Cathy N. Davidson. The arguments still apply today: “Simply put, we can’t keep preparing students for a world that doesn’t exist. We can’t keep ignoring the formidable cognitive skills they’re developing on their own. And above all, we must stop disparaging digital prowess just because some...
September 12, 2018
“Have I got a college for you. For your first two years, your regimen includes ancient Greek. And I do mean Greek, the language, not Greece, the civilization, though you’ll also hang with Aristotle, Aeschylus, Thucydides and the rest of the gang. There’s no choice in the matter. There’s little choice, period. Let your collegiate peers elsewhere design their own majors and frolic with Kerouac. For you it’s Kant. You have no...
September 10, 2018
Question: Who wants to pay for training? Answer: No one wants to buy training! Why should they? Shouldn’t their new hires be already equipped with the necessary skills — and ready to perform their assigned tasks? As you well know, that only happens in Utopia. So why, then, do you have to develop or purchase training programs for your workforce? The answer is not very complicated. We only purchase training programs when...
September 5, 2018
I have written many times regarding the attributes of well-designed e-Learning. I have, often, listed the salient characteristics that are found within effective e-Learning designs. And, I have emphasized learner-control as a key design feature of properly produced e-Learning with its resultant increase in learner-retention. Today, however, we’re going to reverse the process. We’re going to examine the characteristics you should avoid when buying or producing e-Learning. The following items are some...
