Back in January, I wrote about the evolution of e-learning. Now, we are about a third of the way through the year, and I have been surprised at the speed at which some of the memes I talked about as just emergent then are taking hold. In just the last 3 weeks, I’ve had questions from mainstream learning organizations (read: not early adopters) that focused on 1) shorter, multi-purpose learning content, 2) video – not as supplement to learning content but AS the content; 3) rapid simulation; 4) portable and ubiquitous learning; and 5) the new disciplines of the modern High Impact Learning Organization™.
It is clear that companies are on the move. The recovery is definitely underway. The learning departments out there that are in tune with their businesses get that they have to change how they operate, to do more than just keep up – to drive real business impact.
|
What are the implications of these changes for your department?
-
The need for and benefits of chunking content are finally sinking in; the average length of self-paced e-learning courses is shrinking. I suspect the success of Google and You-Tube might have had something to do with this pressure.
-
The use of rich media has never been easier. Anyone can create video now - with production values that are near enough to professional to be more than adequate for corporate training purposes. And recording virtual classroom events for replay is now a mainstream strategy for self-paced e-learning content creation.
-
Development tools for high-fidelity e-learning content, including 3-D simulations and games – while not yet as easy to use as rich media tools have become – are now easy enough and inexpensive enough to be at least within the realm of possibility for training departments beyond the Fortune 100.
|
Rapid simulation authoring is making high-fidelity, high interactivity content accessible to an increasing number of organizations.
Source: Caspian Learning 2010
|
-
The breadth and depth of content expertise requirements for today’s business learning populations easily exceeds what most L&D departments are prepared to support; so sourcing at least some content externally is a necessity. However, given the evolution in e-learning formats and the increasing ubiquity of smart mobile devices, libraries of digital media are gaining in popularity at the expense of libraries of formal courseware.
-
Even though mainstream adoption of mobile learning is a favorite annual technology prediction, we think what handset makers such as Apple, RIM, and the various Google partners (Android) have done to change end-user expectations and prejudices regarding mobile content will begin to drive bottom-up demand for mobile consumption of learning content.
-
Regardless of the type of content or the delivery method, content development tool selection is an important as ever. But the line between “rapid” and full-featured tools continues to blur. And as more and more content creation moves to SMEs and other end-user learners, buyers must finds tools that are appropriate for these audiences; and providers must change pricing models to make organization-wide use reasonable.
-
L&D must also expand its own tool box and the set of disciplines it uses. For instance, rich media development is now a required competency.
-
Your department’s role in building and maintaining a strong culture of learning within your organization is just as important as your role in meeting the knowledge and skills needs of the employees. Organizations have to be life-long learners too.
I am looking for additional stories of learning departments that are starting these sorts of transformations. Tell us about your situation in the comments below.
-David