What employees need to know

From David Burrows, Microsoft UK Director of Education:

What employees need to know is: one, can I get access to learning which is relevant to me, when and how I need it, in a way that fits in with my work and home life? Two, wil my employer give me the time I need to do the learning? And three, when I am successful in my learning will this be rewarded by my employer, and will it be recognised so that it will help me get on in my work and my life?

Enterprise Learning Leader makes annual predictions

1- There will be a continued increase in training budgets
2- The structure and operation of corporate training will change
3- The use of outsourcing will become standard practice
4- Leadership development will take center stage
5- Talent management will change the role of HR
6- Elearning will continue to mature and evolve
7- Content management will become an imperative
8- Elearning 3.0 will arrive
9- New approaches to eLearning will emerge
10- The LMS market will continue to morph

Growing market

quote

The corporate learning market continues to grow, with budget increases averaging 7 percent, according to findings published in the newly released Corporate Learning Factbook from Oakland, CA-based enterprise learning and talent management research provider Bersin & Associates. Total training spending grew from $51.1 billion in 2005 to $55.8 billion in 2006, while spending on products and services grew from 13.5 billion in 2005 to 15.8 billion in 2006.

/unquote

Currici - wiki for education

The most popular wiki is ofcourse wikipedia. I stumbled upon another wiki for educational content: curriki.com . There is not much content yet, but it is a good initiative. It is not the first project trying to share teaching content. I'm wondering if it will work. I don't know why but there is something going wrong with the whole content sharing for learning. It doesn't seem to happen. As always many takers, few to no givers. Why does everyone keep sitting on their lessons? Is making learning content something to personal to share? Is it something you only want to share with your direct colleagues and not with the world? Do teachers fear the reactions of their peers? Is it too much trouble to share? Is it more trouble than it is worth? Please teachers of this world, enlighten me...

Cost of e-learning content creation

According to a Brandon Hall research, the cost of having one-hour of e-learning course developed by a custom content vendor is approximately 30000 US$.

Benefits and drawbacks of Virtual Classrooms

Benefits:
- no need for travel for either participants or instructor
- shorter development cycle especially comparted to e-learning
- cost savings

Limitations:
- scheduling difficulty (timezones etc)
- bandwidth need
- technical difficulties (Murphy)
- specific instructor/facilitator skills needed for virtual environement
- instructional design different

Gerenations of content

You can recognize the different generations of content by these features:

Generation 1 (1996 to 2000)

   * Slides
   * Some audio
   * Online and on CD-ROM

Generation 1 content did little more than migrate classroom courses to the
computer — vendors didn't redesign the content to work well on computers.
This content wasn't well-received by workers, which led some companies to
believe that classroom instruction was their only viable option.

Generation 2 (2000 to Mid-2002)

   * Animation and rich content
   * Online, with limited offline delivery
   * Limited live delivery

Generation 2 content added more-sophisticated design and instructional
techniques. Live delivery has proven to be popular, but many companies use
it simply to share slides. Some vendors have packaged courses for live
delivery and received rave reviews. Just as with self-paced courseware, you
need to plot out courses on storyboards and design content for online
delivery.

Generation 3 (Mid-2002 to 2005)

   * Rich course design
   * Support for the Sharable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM)
standard
   * Online and offline availability
   * Limited use of simulation
   * Live delivery as an option

Many companies use Generation 3 content because they realize that rich
course designs help e-learning programs succeed with users. Courses often
lack flexibility by being hard-coded for online or offline delivery, but
this is slowly changing. SCORM support enables companies to reuse content
and run it on their learning management systems (LMSs), even if the content
is authored with different tools. However, because not all authoring tools
support SCORM, content has not yet become fully interoperable.

Generation 4 (2006 to 2009)

   * Dynamic course designs
   * Multichannel delivery (online, offline, live and mobile or wireless)
   * Consistent use of simulation
   * Just-in-time scheduling

Simulations will become pervasive and more advanced in their design. Some
companies will use simulations for tasks beyond training, such as screening
workers for job advancement. Generation 4 content will also be available at
any time, and links to just-in-time scheduling will connect it to the
business process or application. For example, if an employee leaves
unexpectedly, a colleague can train immediately to take over his or her
duties.


(source : Gartner)

Knowledge Management and e-learning

A free extract from a Brandon Hall report has an interesting section on Knowledge Management and e-learning. Is it possible to link both worlds that are artifically split anyhow?

Some sentences:

Knowledge Management

By simple definition, knowledge management is the practice of organizing information in a central repository, representing the best practices of an organization, and serving up that information in a timely fashion to those who need it. For some types of knowledge and some types of work, however, it is best to focus on supporting group interactions rather than structuring knowledge into databases and documents. This highlights the two sometimes divergent views of knowledge management: the “content” perspective and the “community” perspective. Ideally, both are applied in various combinations suitable to each particular context.

...

In contrast, some have described learning content management systems as the convergence between traditional e-learning and knowledge management. This oversimplifies the issue. We see this convergence as just starting to take place for the following reasons:

• Both learning content management and knowledge management share a similar purpose, namely to increase knowledge, learning and skills within the organization.
• Both share similar technologies. The database technology for both knowledge management and LCMSs are fundamentally the same. Both allow for advanced searching of content. The primary difference is that learning content generally includes opportunities for measuring performance through tests, quizzes and interactions such as simulations, while a knowledge base generally serves up only critical information needed to perform one’s job.
• Both represent expert knowledge and best practice information to achieve organizational goals.

... On the other hand, there are some significant barriers to this convergence. The obstacles are more structural and historical than they are technological barriers:

• Structurally, the management of learning almost always resides within the training department as part of human resources. Knowledge management, however, in most cases does not reside within the training department.
• Knowledge management often resides at a very high level in the organization, sometimes directly below the executive level or is dispersed among several departments. Very often, knowledge management is married to the establishment of the corporate intranet.
• Complex and ambiguous concepts: Knowledge management concepts are among the most ambiguous and misunderstood. There is only partial agreement on definitions of knowledge, content, intellectual capital and other basic concepts, leading to confusion and missed opportunities for collaboration.
• Divergent communities of practice: While this has begun to change, knowledge management and e-learning/training people rarely attend or speak at the same conferences.
• Divergent technologies: Knowledge management and e-learning have spawned totally different software sub-industries, with very few firms trying to serve both markets. Content and document management systems include virtually no learning or competency management functions, and learning management systems offer little support for content which is not structured training.

Top 10 characteristics for LMS

A free section of the Brandon Hall report 'LMS KnowledgeBase 2006' lists 10 charcteristics often found in request for proposals/tenders for a Learning Management System. They are:

- Standard-based e-learning launching and tracking (SCORM / AICC)
- Open model for interoperability with 3rd party content (NETg / SkillSoft / ElementK / ...)
- Ad hoc, customizable reports / reporting engine (not just some static reports)
- Classroom management capabilities with facilities/instructor management
- ERP/CRM integration capabilities (SAP/PeopleSoft/...)
- Content Management capabilities for in-house content
- Performance management capabilities (competency management/compliance tracking)
- Quick, efficient implementation
- Reasonable price
- Financial viability of the LMS vendor

4C From learner to e-learner

The ELEC project (sponsored by the European Social Funds and coordinated by BE-ODL) has published a booklet 'from learner to e-learner' to help people to make the transition to this 'new' form of web-based learning.

Currently the booklet is available in Dutch, but will be translated in English (and maybe French).

The ELEC partners found 3 types of learners. The booklet contains a short test to determin your own style, and has 3 color-coded sections to make suggestions on the learning formats, best practises and tools for your learning type. Furthermore there is a FAQ section and a glossary.

The online PDF version in Dutch is available here.

The related presentation from the international seminar in Ghent where the booklet was presented can be found on slideshare. It lists the findings of a learner survey that was used to make the booklet.

open content

After open source, open content is becoming increasingly popular. The MIT was the first to release many of its courses under a free and open license. The Open University in the UK followed its example last year.

http://openlearn.open.ac.uk/
Open University in the U.K. launched its first free online courses in October. The university is reportedly spending €5.65 million on the courses, which are housed on its OpenLearn Web site and cover subjects ranging from the arts and history to science and nature. The online learning material is taken from Open University courses and utilizes tools including videoconferencing, mind maps and instant messaging to facilitate learning. To learn more or to take a course for a test drive, visit the above URL.

2007: the year of ...

Everyone is making lists these days, so I couldn't resist. This is the list of topics I would like the learning professionals and the learning industry take to heart in 2007:

1- Architecture

Architecture is not just about IT systems. It's a combination of people, processes and systems. I would like to see more focus on the design of the learning function.

Architecture comes to mind when you think of buildings. Buildings need architecture because they are complex systems with many components (foundations, walls, electricity, heating,...), because you want to be able to redo it later on, and because you want to be able to change it later on. Without a blueprint that would be close to impossible. We need more architecture in learning for the same reasons: it is complex, we want to be able to redo it and we want to be able to change/maintain it. So we need a blueprint of how the people, processes and systems in the learning function deliver their goals.

2- Reuse of content

It has been a promise of the learning industry for years: reuse of content. It is one of the main reasons that make organisations standardize on SCORM or AICC. It is one of the main reasons why we design our learning products as a combination of small 'reusable' learning objects.

But it doesn't happen. Why?

There are dozens of LMS vendors out there, but end of this quarter we will have one single dominant worldwide player for content: SkillSoft. (And a bunch of small, local players.) There is just no competitive and efficient market place for content. I would like so see more focus on sharing/selling content. What stops us from doing it?

3- Localisation

Another wet dream of the learning industry is to one day be able to assemble a course 'just in time', adapted to the unique needs, delivery capabilities and style of the learner. It will not happen in 2007, but we can already progress halfway between this dream and the one-size-fits-all approach we still take too often. We can start localising our learning products better. With localising I mean not just translating (which is important on its own), but also making the examples and exercises relevant to the learner, the learner's organisation and the learner's work context.
So what does it take to be better at localising content?


So that's my proposal for the learning agenda this year. I'm even too realistic in my dreams: I did not dare include measuring the impact of learning, but some day we need to get our act together on that one too. Hypes last for years, but when they are over you need to be able to prove your value. Maybe in 2008...

Cost of learning in ERP projects

For enterprise tranformations, learning typically accounts for 15 to 25 percent of the budget. Learning for a full enterprise tranformation may include everything from setting learning strategy, developing multimedia programs, delivering learning and implementing learning technology.

Learning invested in process tranformation usually ranges from 10 to 20 percent of total project costs. This finding is in line with Gartner's recommendation, which suggests a learning investment of 10 to 15 percent of the total project cost for small/medium business ERP installs.

Learning initiatives for operational transformations typically range from 5 to 15 percent of the total investment.

(Source: Learning, a vital ingredient for successful business tranformation. IBM Learning Solutions, August 2005)

Select the right learning method for the heart, the head and the hands

According to an IBM Learning whitepaper 'Learning: a vital ingredient for successful business transformation', learning is in the heart, the head and the hands.

Heart : embracing culture changes

Head : developing new knowledge and perspective

Hands : learning new skills

The table lists some common learning methods that can be used for each of the 3 categories. Use it to help you select the most appropriate approach for culture change, knowledge transfer or skill building.

3C From content to e-content

The ELEC project (supported by the European Social Fund and coordinated by the BE-ODL) has published a booklet 'from content to e-content'. It is currently available in Dutch, but soon also in English and French.

The booklet gives very clear explanation and many examples on how to transform classical learning content to web-delivered learning content. It lists the tools and sites that can help you. It has tips on making multimedia suitable for web-learning. And it has a glossary to get familiar with all that e-learning jargon.

What strikes me is that after some search the authors decided to go with the often critisized but still standing ADDIE model for e-learning development: Analysis, Design, Development, Integration and Evaluation. This methodology is almost equal to that of application programming. In fact, an e-learning course IS a bunch of interactive web pages, making it a web application on its own. Sure, it doesn't have the complexity of a portal, but the project structure and steps are similar. It's a good analogy to compare the creation of e-learning with that of tradidtional software. Many people (at least in my sector) are familiar with the latter, and it will shape their expectations better. Anyway: ADDIE has a lot of critics and a lot of the critisism makes sense, but after all these years it is still THE method for creating high-quality e-learning in a reliable, professional and repeatable way.

You can download the Dutch PDF version here.

Free podcasts and video from Learning 2006

A lot of free podcasts and video's taken on the annual Learning 2006 conference (MASIE centre) are available online.

http://www.learningwiki.com/library

This is my personal top-3 of available video's:
- One-on-One Communication: Arch Lustberg
- The Speed of Trust: Stephen M.R. Covey, CoveyLink
- Learning in a Flatter World: Elliott Masie

Recommended.

Technology in 2007

E-learning is not a mature technology yet because the underlying technology 'the web', isn't either. It's still evolving at a daunting speed.

I'd like to share with you some predictions for web evolution in 2007 I found on the web:
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/2007_web_predictions.php

6C Coordination & Control

6C Coordination&control: management

Last but not least there is the management dimension, which includes ‘coordination & control’. The obvious functions are planning, process definition, program and project management, quality control, measuring tools, budget control, risk management, etc. In this dimension, the interaction between e-learning and the rest of the organisation should be reflected upon. For example, e-learning needs to align with the company strategy, calculations and reports on the Return-On-Learning (see ROI in figure 1) need to be made, not to forget the search for sponsoring new development of e-learning units. In a nutshell, it is the task of ‘Coordination&Control’ to effectively implement the operational and management processes for e-learning.

We firmly believe that e-learning projects are more demanding than traditional educational offerings.. Since contemporary organizations are still in search of best practices for effectively managing e-learning, we emphasize the role of a review board with the different stakeholders to guide and steer when and where necessary. The ‘6C learning’ framework may be used to survey the different components or function as the starting point of a scorecard. Next to the development and contrasts between 1^st and 2^nd generation, there are other growing tendencies a review board needs to take into account. A first one is a far reaching standardisation. Technically speaking, we here refer to the emerging SCORM-standard, which guarantees the interoperability of developmental instruments, learning platforms and courseware. Also the didactic and pedagogical standards need to be translated in a standardised design cycle. A second tendency is architecture. People, systems and processes of e-learning need to be mapped in an accurate way. As an example of an encompassing framework of e-learning architecture, we refer to the ELF (e-learning framework).

Conclusion

Second generation e-learning will have to prove that there is indeed a return on investment on the part of the learner and on the part of the organisation if e-learning wants to deliver as it has promised. At this moment the learning community is realistic enough to know that learning is a blend and that for better managing learning we need to map out better how personal styles, group contexts and learning actually interact.

The ‘6C learning’ framework aims at giving a high-level overview of the conditions that need to be met to guarantee a successful e-learning. It may serve as a means of communication, an ‘e-learning speak’ to reflect upon the conceptualization, design, implementation and outcome. As such it should also help in defining the sustainability of an e-learning investment.

5C Coaching and collaboration

5C Coaching: the sage not on the stage, but the guide by the side

E-learning of the 2nd generation is not synonymous to self-study as such. The function of ‘coaching’ is to identify the specific needs of the learner, selecting the proper learning materials, offer them in a coherent way and build competences and skills that help the learner to make the transition from ‘knowing’ to ‘can do’ and finally to ‘can adjust and adopt’. The proof of the pudding is not only in a certificate but in the actual integration of the output of learning into the task on hand. Formal learning up till now has primarily been based on courses. Standard taxonomies can be consulted for drawing up profiles of learners of whom the performance is clearly described. It is up to the learners to select from the range of objectives and improve these skills and competences. The expertise of the coach lies in a well-considered selection of options for a specific (group of) learner(s), to organize the input and to systematise the output. For formal ways of learning, we can summarise it in an SOS approach (Select, Organise, Systematise), containing the following steps:

- Mapping: based on a needs analyses, training modules are suggested The personal learning style of a learner is considered and learning strategies are acquired to improve the efficiency and effeciveness of learning. Examples of mapping are placement tests, roadmaps, info sessions, personalised learning paths, schooling options, a transparent cataloguing, etc. Vice versa, the typical learner is guided to standard and customized contents.

- Enrollment: once the student has been allocated the proper contents, a formal registration takes place. Registration happens on line and automatically with the necessary checking and red tape which might hamper a swift transition. Approvals from management, budgets, payment and profile controls, accounts and passwords are indeed part of the game.

- Orientation: orientation should not be overlooked in e-learning. It is the mental script of learning. The expectations on the part of the student vis a vis the course, the e-learningplatform, the ease of learning, the coaching should be compliant with the offer to ensure a smooth and swift progress. Coaching needs to be pro-active and thus the first step needs to be taken by the coach. An example of orientation is mailing ‘step-by-step’ documents, organise a kick-off session, show examples of good practice and demos, give tips as to timing, provide extra references, inform about ‘learning how to learn’, etc.

- Study: the obvious part of coaching is the follow-up and feedback, partially by asking and answering questions but here collaborative learning should be stimulated, It is the group that should perform and that should sustain the learning community. Coaching and interaction will evoke involvement and comitment. Examples are: moderated discussion for a, e-mail support, walk-in question sessions, FAQ-sessions, extra exercises, quizes and games with reward.

- Evaluation: the traditional evaluation upon completion of the course will measure the level of satisfaction of the different course contents and features as well as the learning results. Typical questionnaires with a Likert-scale are a good starting point to improve the project. Also exams and formal certificates belong here.

- Maintenance: More and more organisations wonder what happens after the training. How is knowledge shared? How will innovation be sustained and quality improved? Sustainability is therefore essential for 2nd generation e-learning. Here again, it is not the e in the e-learning that will be crucial but the effect of the learning, how people learn to adopt and adapt the new information. Examples of maintenance are updating courses, membership of a community concerning the topic or open access to discussion fora and the course.

For more informal ways of learning other approaches can be used, such as a learning portfolio, performance support systems or other. Portfolios may practically translate learning paths and outcomes of a learner. In portfolios (e.g. the European Language Portfolio ELP), learners keep track of their identity (passport), their learning process (biography) and their achievements (dossier with stocktaking).

4C Culture & Attitude

4C Culture&Attitude: the forgotten dimension

The borderline between 1st and 2nd generation e-learning is situated in between dimension 3 and 4. It is wishful thinking to assume that if all is provided for as to concept, technology and content, the end-user will automatically show up on the assumption that ‘if you build it, they will come’. Creating a favourable climate for e-learning requires efforts that are both top-down and bottom-up.

We cannot take for granted that users will find their way to an e-learning course themselves. E-learning is so fundamentally different to most employers and employees that the platform as well as the courses need to be constantly promoted and the participants motivated. We have called this dimension ‘Culture&Attitude’. ‘Culture’ refers to the organisation (top down) and ‘attitude’ to the personal attitude of the learner (bottom up). Hence, it is a learning climate that needs to be created. In that respect it is important to have sponsorship from the highest echelons in the organisation and to create a ‘champions’ community throughout the organization. The latter empower the workforce with e-learning and function as beacons for other learners in the organisation. Changing the organisation into a learning organisation, with active learner-users sharing their life long learning experience in a broad learner’s community is an objective that can be achieved with change management techniques if values and climate fit.

It should be stressed that the implicit expectations as to time and place (distance) play a crucial role. They are not only used as a handy excuse, they often are a real excuse. Therefore, the organisation needs to lower the threshold for e-learning and encourage it by valuing the time spent and reserve the virtual and physical space (e.g. reserving resource centers with tutoring and reference materials). Out of our personal experience, we suggest that an e-learning community finds itself in real encounters as well. A kick-off meeting at the beginning of the course and a wrap-up at the end open the doors to a lasting learning community. Also, a simple ‘busy e-learning’ notice on the door knob should not be mocked at, but rather respected. Changing culture and attitude are processes that take a long time and require constant attention. How do you create a 'language of learning' in your organisation?

Here are a number of features of this dimension: (i) Communication plan: e-learning is still a waste land to many learners. (ii) Sensitising : Who are possible champions? How can e-learning improve efficiency and effectiveness at the personal level? How are e-learning efforts valued by management? (iii) Motivatation: Why do learners drop out? Why do they show a low commitment? An organisation needs to question the reasons and take measures for a favourable climate and well-defined values. (iv) Learning strategies: how does a passive learner become an autonomous and responsible e-learner ?