Session Notes: Building Elearning That People Will Want to Use

The first session of the day was with Dr. Marc Rosenberg. His session was Building elearning that people will want to use. He began the session by asking the audience about their experience with elearning. How can we move people from a sense of dread to a sense of engagement?

Marc Rosenberg

Rosenberg pointed out that there has to be a coming together of learning culture, values, and instructional design and technology. He walked us through 40 questions to evaluate our organization. Here are the areas he focused on:

Define Results and Set Priorities

Begin with the end in mind. Don’t start with a solution in need of a problem. Questions to ask: Who is the client? Basically, who pays for the training? What results are important… to the client?

Focus on the right priorities. Align strategy with the strategy of the company or organization. Determine what is critical. Which items are essential to the training and must remain included because of their consequences? Be able to say no. Keep in mind you can deliver training that is quick, cheap, or good… Pick two.

Put technology in its proper perspective. Technology is not a strategy. It is an enabler. Your training should not be about the technology. It must be about the message. The technology helps to deliver your message. Is your technology focus in balance? Does technology meet critical user requirements? Can all participants access the content through the technology used? Is the program available anytime and anywhere?

Avoid shovelware. Don’t simply place content online and call it elearning. Is elearning appropriate for the message being delivered? Is the course or message any good in the first place? If it is a crappy course, first improve the course. Are you taking advantage of the medium? Understand and use the tools to your advantage. A bad PowerPoint as a video is just as bad as a bad PowerPoint .

Prepare Learners and Deliver Timely Support

Make sure learners are ready. Are expectations clear for both the course and technology requirements? Let participants know what will be required of them. Do learners have what they need to succeed during training? Do learners have what they need to succeed after training? Most courses fail because they do not support the participant after the session ends.

Make it timely. This is important. If you cannot provide a training solution at a reasonable time and place, people will not use it. People find training most useful when they need it.

Make it real. First, is the content correct and accurate? Is content authentic and believable? If it is not believable, then participants will not trust the content. It is important to use real-world examples.

If it is boring, they will ignore it. Remember, interactivity is more than just clicking through screens. Rosenberg predicts that the future of elearning will be about games and simulations. When developing simulations and walk thoughts, the challenges must be realistic.

Balance Instruction, Practice, and Usability

Less talking… More teaching. Instructors must balance their teaching with 50% explanation, 35% exercise, and 15% evaluating. Are there adequate opportunities for practice? Is the feedback robust enough?

Get user experience right. This piece focused on how the learner interfaces with the content. Is the program access pain-free? Is navigation effortless? Can the user personalise the program?

Match strategy with learners experience level. Learners sit on a continuum from being novice learners to being experts. Elearning at lower levels should look like courseware, and at upper levels, it should look like knowledge management. At lower levels, the system pushes information, while at higher levels, learners pull information. Do you know whether learners are novices or masters? Are strategies aligned to experience levels? Are you using push and pull methods?

Support Learning Beyond the Course

Facilitate learning transfer. Provide job aids and resources. Develop resources that learners can use beyond the classroom. Also, is learning well integrated into work? Are proper tools and resources available on the job? Is knowledge sharing strongly supported in your organization? Do learners know how to learn on their own?

Innovate. Are workers using the Internet to learn? Are people creating their own learning and content? Is the organization open to new ways of learning? Do you have a long-term plan to support this change?

If you can adequately address these areas, you are then on your way to creating engaging elearning.