Getting to grips with eLearning

This Updater focuses on eLearning. So many tools and solutions have been developed in the last couple of years, but has it got any easier? We'll start with some basics; 10 tips for producing effective eLearning interventions. The other articles in this Updater explore DIY elearning options, and the value of using communities to get real engagement.

Ten tips for creating eLearning experiences that actually deliver results:

1. Don’t start with the technology
2. Learning Management Systems – Get it right before you buy, not afterwards
3. Find your champion
4. Experiment with creating content
5. Get learners working together
6. Interactivity generates learning
7. Get managers involved
8. Know what your strategy is
9.Return On Investment/Cost Benefit Analysis, ignore it at your peril
10. Make sure you can demonstrate success

More
 

back to top

DIY eLearning - do it, but do it right

There has been an explosion of DIY eLearning authoring tools that promise the ability to create effective, engaging eLearning content without even the need to know what 'HTML' means. Expensive or free, downloaded or used online – the options are endless.

We've noticed that as clients start to explore them, as many questions arise as answers:
-Is 'simple' eLearning good enough?
-How do we make it genuinely 'interactive'?
-How do we make finished modules available?
-How will we maintain it?
-Do we have the expertise to use the tools well, and if not, how do we get it without getting stuck with an expensive consultant?

Our view?
-There are some fundamental attributes of any eLearning package that you should be able to achieve. If you can't, don't start.
-The better DIY authoring tools do set up an environment where you can create effective content without programming knowledge. However it doesn't follow that anyone can use them effectively. Not everyone can use a welding machine, a spreadsheet, or a syringe....

For more on 'the essentials' and our DIY solution, read the full article or visit our website.

back to top

Getting social and collaborative learning right

The goal of any learning initiative should be to make a difference. This difference could be increasing learners' knowledge in a subject or improving people's ability, efficiency, or satisfaction in their job. The value of these initiatives should be visible in the extent to which change occurs. Increasingly, organisations are seeing social and collaborative learning tools as effective in driving this change.

Social learning techniques give learners the opportunity to apply their learning in a practical context. It can be used to create ways for groups of learners to work collaboratively to achieve an outcome, learning from each other as they go. It can also provide an opportunity for personal reflection.

This kind of learning is less structured and formal than traditional classroom approaches; it can be difficult to monitor. As a result it can be also be difficult to motivate learners unless there is transparency about the expectations and outcomes.

The challenge for organisations is to make good choices about how they direct learners to do this, and to choose good tools for them. This article looks at some of the common tools that are being deployed, and outlines some guiding principles that should help you choose the best tool, and use it to best advantage.

back to top