10 Social Media Tools For Learning

10 Social Media Tools For Learning: "

Do you have a training or information need that could benefit from a social media strategy? Understanding the universe of options can help you match your need to the best approach. So here are descriptions of ten applications representing different social media technologies that promote learning. Many of these tools and services are free or have a free trial period, which can encourage experimentation.

Each tool fulfills at least one of these criteria: encourages collaboration; enables user-generated content or input; provides a way to share; and facilitates informal or formal learning. Be sure to do additional research and comparison with similar products prior to making a selection as this is just a small sampling. (Listing is alphabetical.)

Audacity

Category: Podcasts

Although podcasts are a one-way form of communication, they enable the creation of user-generated content. Podcasts are fairly easy for anyone to make and with the free downloadable software, Audacity, it becomes an inexpensive option. Podcasts are a great medium for distributing an organization’s content and expertise because they can be played on hand held devices and computers.

Users can record and edit audio with Audacity and it runs on most operating systems, including Mac OS X and Windows. Key features include recording through a microphone or mixer, digitizing recordings from tapes, audio editing, importing and exporting audio files, effects and quality adjustments. For details on how to create a podcast, see How to Create Your Own Podcast on About.com.

Dimdim

Category: Interactive Webinars and Live Presentations

The forward thinking folks at Dimdim created an application that is completely in the cloud. Think of it. Users do not have to download or install software to participate in a presentation or webinar. This flexibility and ease of use could encourage impromptu learning events and meetings that can be set up in a moments notice, increasing the informal learning opportunities within and outside an organization. Users can share voice and video, display online PowerPoint presentations, documents, share their screen and show web pages, making annotations along the way. The collaborative feature lets participants get in the act with capabilities for marking up documents as well using as a shared, multipage whiteboard.

Dimdim has an open source version so developers can integrate it with other software. For example, there is a Moodle module for starting a Dimdim session directly from within Moodle. It  also integrates with a few open source eLearning tools. There are several pricing models for using Dimdim, including a free plan with full functionality for smaller groups.

Edublogs Campus

Category: Blogs

Blogging to teach others is common in the public domain, but not so within an organization. Edublogs Campus is hoping to change that. This software provides a way to centralize and manage blogs within an institution by hosting them all on one domain. Although Edublogs seems focused on academia, its also ideal for other types of organizations due to its centralized control, privacy options, security features, custom branding and support.

In terms of promoting learning, employees could use blogs to write first-hand accounts of case studies, lessons learned, project debriefings, travel tips and cultural customs. Internal experts could blog about their areas of proficiency. Blogging could help an organization’s knowledge quotient explode and is definitely something worth exploring.

Elgg

Category: Social Networking Platform

Elgg is a social networking engine and publishing platform for running your own social networking site on a public or private server. It’s a free and open source application with templates and plugins for enhancements. Elgg is an aggregate of many social media technologies in one platform. Users can create and join groups, connect with friends, display a profile, blog and microblog (similar to Twitter). In terms of content, people can add pages, upload presentations, documents and multimedia files as well as tag the pages. This makes Elgg an ideal platform for learning and collaboration.

For example, a large organization with geographically dispersed offices can use Elgg on an internal server to introduce employees to each other and to share internal knowledge across offices; employees can use Elgg to create online study groups; and nonprofit organizations can build communities of common interest where members learn from each other.

Google Collaboration Tools

Category: Collaborative Resources

It would be difficult to create a ten-list without mentioning some of Google’s continually evolving Google Collaboration Tools for Education and Business. Google has created a compelling infrastructure for a variety of collaboration tools. Some of the tools relevant to collaborative learning include: Google Docs (word processing, spreadsheets, forms and presentations); Google Sites (team website creation); Google Video (add comments, tags and ratings); Google Conversations (for integrating discussions) and Google Wave (combines email, Instant Messaging, Wikis and photo sharing), which has limited availability at the time of this writing.

The key advantage to Google Apps is that all the software runs in a web browser, so that users with permission can view and edit the documents. The collaborative environment this creates encourages people to share knowledge and learn from each other, to engage in peer review and to generate content in a collective manner.

MindMeister

Category: Mind Maps

One way to learn and solve problems more effectively is by visualizing information. MindMeister provides a browser-based service for creating mind maps through an intuitive interface. These diagrams can be used during brainstorming sessions, as a way to explain concepts, for information organization and for creative problem solving.

Mindmeister’s mind maps can be used in a collaborative environment, as well as saved and shared. When two or more users collaborate on the same map in real-time, all changes are replicated in a color-coded format so everyone can see updates instantaneously. Mindmeister comes with several pricing plans, from the basic free plan to a premium plan with enhanced security.

TalkShoe

Category: Talk Shows

Think of TalkShoe as a way to have your own radio talk show. This is a free web-based service in which anyone can create, join or listen to live interactive presentations, discussions and conversations. Talk shows can be recorded, making them available as podcasts later. Talk show hosts control the process and participants can just listen or join in by talking or via text-chat.

For informal and impromptu learning, you can browse through their list of current and scheduled shows. To create your own workplace learning, you can schedule events on TalkShoe and then publicize them. Would you like a colleague to teach a course with interactive comments from a broader community? Would your organization benefit from a question and answer session with an expert, an interview with an author or a panel discussion using expertise outside of your organization? Then a live talk show may be for you. Hosts have control, but should be prepared to manage participants, who can join from anywhere on the Internet.

VoiceThread

Category: Multimedia Presentations

VoiceThread is a tool for having discussions around media, such as a presentation, video or image. Participants watch or listen and then comment by telephone, web cam, microphone, text or by uploading a file. Users can then delete and re-record a comment, as needed. A small photo or drawing of the participant is then displayed around the media. To listen to comments, click the photos or the Play button. Although this approach to discussion does not facilitate real-time conversations, it does promote collaboration and threaded discussion. For example, someone could propose an idea or a pilot presentation and solicit feedback from colleagues. Or a staff member could create a starter learning event that gets enhanced by the knowledge distributed around the organization, added as comments.

VoiceThread features include control over which comments are shown, embedding the conversation to any web page, drawing on the presentation while creating a comment, ability to create groups, privacy options and support for most accessibility standards. VoiceThread has a professional version for businesses that provides features for secure sharing and management of threads for staff and clients.

Wikispaces

Category: Wikis

A Wiki is software for creating and editing interlinked web pages. Wikispaces is one of the more popular wiki applications, with its reputation for ease of use and varied pricing models, from free to Private Label. Wikis promote collaborative learning and information sharing because anyone with rights can add content to the system. Imagine software experts adding their top tips to an organization’s Wiki after a new software roll out or asking experienced project managers to write up a “lessons learned” page at the end of each project. Wikispaces features a WYSIWIG editor, widgets for enhancements to other services, ability to upload multimedia content, discussions, RSS and email notifications, revision tracking and security options.

If you’re looking for a completely free and open source Wiki for a large installation, check out MediaWiki, which is the downloadable software that supports Wikipedia. And if you’re willing to do some comparison shopping, see the amazing WikiMatrix to compare a long list of Wikis.

Yammer

Category: Microblogging

Who would have thought that 140 characters of text could be so powerful? Yet microblogging has become a revolutionary way of streamlining communication. Twitter, the most well-known microblogging platform, is highly public—an issue for many organizations. Yammer is a compelling solution to this problem, as it provides a secure enterprise microblogging platform. It’s a simple means for social sharing within an organization and can become a surprisingly virile form of messaging, collaborating and discussing.

At its most superficial level, Yammer can keep other employees abreast of the projects on which their colleagues are working. As participation grows and employees post their profiles with job titles, expertise and background, Yammer can develop into a social network with potential. This could transform an organization of isolated employees into a rich network of approachable contacts. As discussions grow to include questions, content links and information dissemination, content can be searched and serve as an organization’s knowledge base. Yammer seems to be a simple way to engage and to open communication across an organization.

Related Articles:

Social Media And Learning

Using Wikis For Learning

Using Podcasts For Learning

Post from: The eLearning Coach

10 Social Media Tools For Learning

• Share this on Linkedin
• Tweet This!
• Email this to a friend?
• Share this on Facebook
• Share this on del.icio.us
• Stumble upon something good? Share it on StumbleUpon
• Add this to 100 bookmarks

"

How to Play MP3s and or MP4s on a Mobile Device for mLearning: Part 3 - mLearning Playback from a CD

In Part 2, we reviewed how to transfer and play audio files and videos on MP3/MP4 players and smartphones. With updates of the Android platform, iPhone, iPod Touch, and Zune out, that was pretty relevant and timely material. For Part 3 however, “relative” is the key word…

During a recent needs assessment I was conducting in a discovery of learner profiles and required mLearning media types, I was surprised to identify a need for a transfer and route-to-play on of all things, a compact disk. We assumed we would be focused on the latest and greatest - playing mLearning on BlackBerries, iPods, iPhones, off the cloud…, but I discovered that some, and some in very high places (including an EVP of Sales who reported to the CEO), wanted to be able to take a CD with them so they could play it in their car stereo, laptop, or other CD-capable player. My first impulse was “wow, we need to upgrade some technology around here and train folks on how to use it,” but the reality is, that is what those learners needed and quite frankly, a little bit of training or job-aide assistance makes those baby-boomer execs equally capable of accessing the same mLearning media the typical millennial would access through more modern means. Bottom line, know who your learners are, know how they learn best, and know their work environments and the tools they use to do their jobs so that the solution you provide is relevant to the learner. The only way you can know these things and save time, effort, and pain is through a needs assessment. I love instructional systems design!…

That all being said, if a CD player is all you have handy and that is your preferred mode of learning, this tutorial is for you.

Part 3: Play mLearning on a CD Player

Play MP3 > Play on CD

The instructions that follow assume you have a CD or DVD burner and Windows Media Player installed as the default media application for audio. The instructions are similar for iTunes, or other CD burning software. See the instructions specific to your software or preferred application if you are not using Windows Media Player.

1. First, you want to save the MP3 or MP4 files to your laptop or workstation. Save as you would any file, but if you are accessing from a web page or email, click on the hyperlink provided (assuming you trust the source).
2. If prompted to display non-secure items, click Yes.
3. Click on the title-link you want to save.
4. Select Save Target As…
5. Navigate to the directory of your choosing from the Save As window.
6. Open My Computer.
7. Click and drag the MP3/MP4 file(s) from the directory to the CD/DVD drive in My Computer.
8. Right click on the CD/DVD drive.
9. Select Write these files to CD. The CD Writing Wizard opens.
10. Name the CD (optional).
11. Click Next.
12. Select Make an audio CD.
13. Click Next. Windows Media Player opens.
14. Click Start Burn (at the lower right).
15. Once the disk has completed burning, you can play it in any disk player that supports MP3 and or MP4 files for audio and video codecs.

In Part 4, we’ll review routes- to-play mLearning on the BlackBerry.

How to Play MP3s and or MP4s on a Mobile Device for mLearning: Part 2 - mLearning Playback on an MP3/MP4 Player or Smartphone

In the last entry, we discussed how to play mLearning media such as MP3 audio files and MP4 video files from a laptop; whether direct from an enclosed link in a browser and email, or if saved locally to the hard drive. Rudimentary stuff for some of you, but it's good to start simple. What's great about knowing how this is done from a laptop is that very similar methods and applications are used when playing from an MP3 player such as an iPod Nano, an MP3/MP4 player such as an iPod Touch or Zune, or a smartphone such as a Droid or iPhone. Most such devices have a local web browser or at least synchronize through one on your laptop, and each has local storage capacity in the form of a hard drive. Thusly, the tutorials we discuss moving forward are very similar in that we will access media directly from a browser on each device, or save locally and play later – just like music.

Part 2: Play mLearning on an MP3 or MP3/MP4 Player or SmartPhone

Play MP3 > Play on an MP3/MP4 Device or SmartPhone > Play Direct from Browser

These instructions assume your device has the ability to browse the Web and store downloaded file data, such as with an iPod Touch or Droid.

1. From the appropriate web page or email, click on the hyperlink provided to you for the MP3 or MP4 files.
2. If prompted to display non-secure items, click Yes (assuming you trust the source).
   
3. Click on the title-link you want to listen to.
4. The MP3/MP4 you selected should open and play in the device’s default audio player. Note that depending on your connection strength and file size, the file may need to load before it starts to play

Play MP3 > Play on MP3/MP4 Player or Smartphone > Save to Device and Play

These instructions assume your device has the ability to browse the Web through WiFi (a wireless internet connection) or mobile network and store downloaded file data, such as with a Droid, Palm Pre or a iPhone.

1. From the appropriate web page or email, click on the hyperlink provided to you for the MP3 or MP4 files.
2. Click on the title-link you want to listen to.
3. If prompted to Play or Save, select Save.
4. Navigate to the new MP3 or MP4 file on your device.
5. Press the Play button. The MP3/MP4 should play from the device.

Play MP3 > Play on MP3/MP4 Device or Smartphone > Save to Media Player and Play

First off, if you use media player software such as iTunes, Windows Media Player, or Winamp, (which is my personal favorite), save your mLearning audio and video files to your respective music and video libraries. These folders are referenced by the application so it automatically knows to add new files to the device. You may want to add a sub-directory entitled “mLearning” so it's all easier to find. These instructions assume your MP3/MP4 player has the ability to store file data when synched with a media player application on your computer workstation or laptop.

1. From the appropriate web page or email, click on the hyperlink provided to you for the MP3 or MP4 files.
2. If prompted to display non-secure items, click Yes.
3. Click on the title-link you want to save (assuming you trust the source).
4. Select Save Target As… (or Save link As... depending on your browser)
5. Navigate to the default directory for the audio or video files referenced by your media player from the Save As window. Follow your media player’s instructions for exact location for synchronization. In most cases, this is typically the MyMusic or /Music folder, however you may want to create a sub-folder, name it mLearning or MyPodcasts, and store your MP3/MP4s there. For Windows Media Player, this is a folder monitored by the Library as accessed from the Library tab. For iTunes, this is the iTunes Music folder location indicated on the Advanced tab under Preferences.
6. Click Save.
   
7. Follow the specific instructions for synchronizing audio files from your media player to your MP3/MP4 player. If you are using an Android based phone, you will need to "Mount" it first. This may involve simply clicking the file(s) and dragging to your device or clicking check-boxes and or setting up play-lists for synchronization after connecting your device to the computer.
8. Once the files are saved to your MP3/MP4 device, disconnect based on its instructions.
9. Navigate to the new MP3 or MP4 file on your device.
10. Press the Play button. The MP3/MP4 should play from the device.
    

In the next part (Part 3), we'll review how to create an audio CD for those who prefer to listen in car or some other type of disc player. Then we'll discuss BlackBerries in Part 4 because they are a different animal.

How to Play MP3s and or MP4s on a Mobile Device for mLearning: Part 1 - mLearning Playback on Your Laptop

Most folks who own a mobile device such as a laptop, an MP3/MP4 player , or a smart-phone , are tech-savvy people who know the ins and outs of their device's working s and can easily transfer media to it. For others, mLearning is a new delivery mode for training, the device and media type are new, or the thought of this technology just plain scares them. If so, this tutorial is for you...

Some assumptions before we begin:

• Mobile learning or mLearning as we refer to it, is a great medium for quickly delivering brief chunks of important information out to your workforce or students. Some instructional design should be going into when and how it is used. mLearning is not meant for teaching arduous HOWTOs or the type of things people would better learn hands-on. At the same time, it is best suited for the “learner on-the-go.” You know the types, the sales people, the students, or the field-techs who need a quick byte of info on the way to their next customer, meeting, or class. mLearning in the form of audio and video files is for knowledge-transfer only.

• I will cover how to play MP3 audio files and MP4 video files for mLearning purposes. I will cover how to create them in another article. The procedures that follow can be applied to most file types, but I reference MP3s and MP4s because they are the most device agnostic formats – meaning they are fairly neutral file types that can be easily created and played on most mobile devices. Podcasts are commonly distributed as MP3s while vid-casts are commonly distributed as MP4s.
  

• The tutorials are instructions or routes-to-play an MP3 audio file or an MP4 video file on a type of mobile device only. Because the number of device brands and models are myriad, the instructions are generic except where the specified route-to-play indicates otherwise. Likewise any software and application instructions are also generic.

• I will cover playing MP3s and MP4s for mLearning in four parts, starting with the most easily accessible device classes:

1. mLearning Playback on Your Laptop
2. mLearning Playback from a CD
3. mLearning Playback on an MP3/MP4 Player or Smartphones such as iPhone and Android
   
4. mLearning Playback on a Smartphone
   

• Laptops and include any type of laptop or netbook. MP3 and MP4 players include any type of iPod, iRiver, Touch, Zune, etc. Smart-phones refer to ultra-capable handhelds based on the Android platform, iPhone, Android, Palm Pre, or BlackBerry.

Part 1: Play mLearning on a Laptop

Most folks who can access mLearning have a laptop. We will get to doing this with MP3/MP4 players and Smartphones later. The instructions for play on a laptop assume that you are running Internet Explorer or Firefox. I will warn you now, the instructions that follow are basic and simple. They involve saving the audio or video file locally to your device and clicking to play them.

Play MP3 or MP4 > Play on Laptop > Play Direct from Browser or Email

These instructions assume you have a live connection to the Internet and that you are accessing content sent to you through hyperlink enclosed in an email send to you or from a web page in your web browser.

1. From the appropriate web page or email, click on the hyperlink provided for the MP3 or MP4 files.
2. If prompted to display non-secure items, click Yes (assuming you trust the source).
3. If a library or wrapper for several MP3 or MP4 titles is displayed, click on the one link you want to listen to.
4. The MP3 you selected should open and play in your default audio/video player (typically Windows Media Player, RealPlayer, or iTunes).
   

Play MP3 or MP4 > Play on Laptop > Save to Laptop and Play

These instructions assume you temporarily have a live connection to the Internet so you can save MP3 and MP4 files, but then need to play them later while disconnected from the Internet, such as when at an airport, on a plane, or on a train.

1. From the appropriate web page or email, click on the hyperlink provided for the MP3 or MP4 files.
2. If prompted to display non-secure items, click Yes (assuming you trust the source).
3. Click on the MP3 or MP4 title-link you want to save.
4. Select Save Target As… (or Save link As... depending on your browser). You may want to change the directory where this is saved or save to a new directory you name “mLearning.”
5. Navigate to the directory of your choosing from the Save As window.
6. Click Save.
7. Once you a ready to play, navigate to where you saved the file and click on the MP3/MP4 title-link you want to listen to.
8. The MP3/MP4 you selected should open and play in your default audio/video player (Windows Media Player, RealPlayer, or iTunes). If you want to switch to a different player, close out, right click on the file you want to play, select Open with... and select the player you want to use.
   

Say tuned... we will review how to Play mLearning on an MP3 or MP4 Player in Part 2.

Guidelines for Selecting an LMS (Learning Management System)

I am often asked or pulled into conversations regarding the selection of Learning Management Systems (LMSs). Selecting and implementing an LMS is not meant to be simple, but there is a process model you can follow. It is important to note the process is similar for any learning technology. Here's a punch-list for ya':

• Identify your learning stakeholders. Think internal customers, external customers, internal partners, and executive sponsors. Include those who represent employees, business partners, and customers. Involve representatives of all areas who impact and are impacted-by learning. Especially include IT.
• Do the front end analysis:
  
• Identify your business objectives, learner roles, preferred delivery modes (synch, asynch, social learning, and knowledge management requirements), budget, projected ability to support from an operations and admin perspective (do you need to support internally or on a SaaS model), etc.
  
• Factor in current vs. future needs (look three years out); and translate all this into your learning learning management needs.
  
• Internally, you may want to classify those needs into two groups: 1) mandatory requirements and 2) "nice to haves."
  
• Scenarios typically involve deciding if the organization must consolidate disparate systems into one vs. integrating two or more systems.
  
• Remember to consider integration with other learning technologies such as SCORM/AICC tracking, self-paced eLearning, mLearning, virtual classroom, virtual labs, virtual sandboxes, immersive 3D learning, traditional instructor led class management, testing, certification management, eCommerce support, etc. Will the system need to be a slave to a larger human capital management system or ERP, or will it need to include talent management capabilities? Database connectors and Application Programming Interfaces help establish the connections between these systems; you will need to know if prospective vendors support these for your systems, present and future.
  
• Yes - you need to do some research with industry reports. You may want to identify trends or features your team has not thought about. Know whether your company is small to medium business, enterprise, or global enterprise in learner-reach and size. This will help to determine which companies to look at, as many specialize in markets and services based on these classifications. I have found the Bersin & Associates annual Learning Management System reports to be very accurate and informative.
• Make sure your needs are outlined in your Request for Proposal (RFP). Many will respond and promise you the world. Comb through each thoroughly with members of your group. Identify a list of vendors who best meet the requirements in your RFP.
• Create use-cases and and or test-scripts based on your RFP and the critical business functions you will require the LMS to perform. Include a criterion based ratings system and comments sections for each use case. Remember the raters who fill this out for each vendor should be those who represent the learning stakeholders you identified earlier.
  
• Have each vendor on the short list visit your organization on-site and demonstrate how they meet the requirements outlined in your RFP and use-cases. Most should do this willingly. If companies resist - move on to the next vendor. During the use case demos, document and rate performance of each. Do not be enamored by bells, whistles, and promised-features not yet available.
  
• Compile, compare, and report on the results evaluated from each vendor. Report this back to your stakeholders so they understand the implications and can select their preferred choices. Meet and debate as many times as required to work through issues and identify which can best meet your organization's needs.
  
• When you have narrowed down to a "short-list" of 2-3 vendors. Work with each on who best meets your needs and who can negotiate the best deal for your company. Make sure stakeholders understand they are not just selecting a system, but a vendor with whom they will be establishing a long-term relationship. The efficacy of trust and reliability in such a partnership are critical. Have each vendor on the short list come back to with an implementation plan and an ongoing maintenance plan, with requirements and proposed schedules for each.
  
• Remember to do the cost benefit analysis and account for the capital implementation expenses (CAPEX) vs. the ongoing/long term maintenance, hosting, and operational costs (OPEX). Work with vendors to re-prove and re-demo on capabilities as many times as required. Those on the short list will submit contracts that need to be negotiated. Make sure all promises are outlined in your contracts.
• When deciding which to select, advise your stakeholders to select a system that:
  
• Most closely demonstrates your needs out of the box;
• Requires as little "customization" from the vendor as possible (vs. "configuration" which your organization's people can implement);
  
• Best meets your functional, budgetary, and operational requirements.
• Once you decide on a system/vendor and sign paper - make sure you have an internal team ready to manage and support the transition to the new LMS and that the team itself can transition from implementation mode to admin/operations and or oversight modes as the technology evolves and you mature with it.

This set of guidelines is not all inclusive, but you get the idea. Got questions or want to chat about this - give me a holler.

Ron Ateshian - AKA Son-of-Fire
Learning Technologist & Strategist

Tips for Driving the Appropriate Use of Learning Technologies through Practical ISD

Like many powerful tools, learning technology can help or hurt – it depends on how it is used. Getting others to use these technologies appropriately can be a challenge. Those of you around when eLearning was young were able to observed mismatches in learning technology to solution. In that case, eLearning often mismatched the needs and job context of the learner especially when the requirement included some form of behavior or skill acquisition that needed to be applied on the job. This problem is equally if not more prevalent today with new social media and mobile learning technologies available. Many are building wikis, writing blogs, and syndicating podcasts while grouping them under the Learning 2.0 umbrella, but does their content really support learning or a form of communication by providing access to information? If we are going to use or evangelize any learning technology, we need to get back to the basics – instructional systems design. If other learning professionals lack this basic competency, we need to help them.

Ideally, learning professionals have some training and background in instructional systems design (ISD), but we do not always see that in the real world. Even instructional design degree and certification programs tend to focus on the academic versus practice and lack preparedness for applicability when the graduate gets a job. Anecdotally, how many folks do you know with degrees in an area of expertise but lack the real-world experience required to apply it effectively? The old theory versus reality problem… At the same time, there is a basis for the application of ISD, and that’s the trick, applying ISD at practical and appropriate levels.

As learning technologists, practical ISD at a simplistic level tells us we need to help stakeholders and other learning professionals focus on alignment with business goals, business tools, and the work environment. Then we need to identify the needs of the learner by role and what must be accomplished on the job in the ideal world. We need to determine if a training or learning solution is required (it’s not when the problem is systemic or motivational), create a profile of the learner to include what they do in the real world, and map all that to the type of content that will be required (auditory, visual, kinesthetic, blended). Factor in budget, obstacles, and time to proficiency requirements and we can prescribe a set of learning technologies that meet those needs. As learning technologists, we need to push this approach.

If a learning technologist is not available, job-aides like tool matrices or decision work-flows can help stakeholders and development teams make decisions where learning technology is not a core competency, but later on, experts in the required technology need to be involved - especially in the analysis, design, and development phases. Learning technologists or experts will need to hold hands when their stakeholders are too far from their comfort zones.

If starting fresh or embarking on bleeding edge technologies, do some research to benchmark what’s been done successfully by others. When you have identified which technology will meet your needs, incubate and pilot. Start with small groups and the low hanging fruit during the initial test phases and then focus on the larger wins with larger groups as you proceed. Over communicate your wins but document your mistakes and don't forget the lessons learned - they drive efficiency and cost savings later on.

Lastly, ensure you communicate the purpose and value of the learning technologies up and down the food chain as this will drive adoption with your stakeholders and learners, along with prescriptive usage the learning professionals at your organization will need to drive.

Instructional Design and Technology: Where’s the Beef?

It's important to address the science behind instructional design. For reasons unknown, programmed instruction (PI) in eLearning seems to be all but abandoned in much of the learning content I review. In my opinion, this is a flaw in instructional design and worse, is only supported by popular eLearning development tools, because they omit this capability. Thus begging the question:

"Where's the beef?"

Gagne actually pioneered this mode of instruction in the mid 1960s. For those unfamiliar, programmed instruction models assess a learner's needs through some form of testing and loop back, branch-forward, or multi-path based on performance to pass/fail criteria. More robust PI models incorporate both pretesting an posttesting. The biggest advantage to this design model is that delivery of content is customized to a learner's needs because only filtered content is delivered (based on what the learner did not pass). In essence, a form of needs assessment is built into course delivery and the user experience. How cool is that?

Development tools like Authorware or KnowledgeTRACK were great at facilitating this mode of design. Unfortunately these tools are no longer available, (in all honesty - they were cumbersome to use.) I certainly don’t see this in most of the Articulate or Captivate content I’ve seen lately.

Meanwhile, social and Learning 2.0 suites are starting to bake PI functionality into learning path where not only a test can assess performance, but a virtual instructor or coach can pass or fail. Others even advance the learner automatically if they simply complete a task as instructed. More of such suites are capable of housing SCORM modules or acting as a friendlier front-face to what is typically presented in the learning path of a traditional learning management system (LMS). For an example, check this one it out by Q2 Learning at: http://www.q2learning.com/ . None-the-less, this is a methodology we should revive. Take another look at the process illustrated above and decide for yourself.

Have a comment or question? Leave one and I will get back to you.

Evaluation: Best Practices in Implementation

A scientific approach to evaluation must overcome extraneous variables, which are those things other than the learning event that may have caused a change in behavior or performance. One sound approach combines obtaining learning-measures with application and or performance measures in a Stepped Within Groups Design, which includes secondary (and possibly tertiary) posttesting on an interval basis. This is easier to set up than it sounds.

Capturing data with this type of design overcomes extraneous variables such as history, which has to do with how the timing of external events affect training measures - timing of incentives, change management, market forces, etc; maturation, which has to do with how the passing of time allows participants to learn what is required and affect behavior and results without training; and selection, which is how individual differences between groups affects measures.

Along with the reporting of descriptive data, an analysis of variance (ANOVA) to measure group differences and an analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) to measure differences in statistical power between testing intervals should be performed. These tests measure the changes and effect sizes within each group and between the times the treatment as Tx (in our the training event) was administered. If consistent and measurable changes are noted between the pretesting conditions and the posttests for each group, the results would support that training is attributed to changes in behavior and or performance and not some other factors.

Risks if not conducted or conducted improperly:

• Learning events that remain stale, stagnant, and out of date due to ignorance of the evolving needs of the course participants.
• Training products that result in participant dissatisfaction due to unidentified problems with the course content, materials, delivery medium, learning environment and other factors relating to participant reactions to the course.
• Learning events that produce no transfer and retention of knowledge and skill.
• Training products that result in no impact on significant increase in on the job behaviors and performance outcomes.
• A training product that produces no Learning ROI.
• Results (good or bad) that are falsely attributed to the learning events when events other than training are responsible.
• Attributing degradation of course effectiveness to the learning event delivered as opposed to the changing needs of the course participants.

Evaluation: Level 5 - Return on Investment (ROI)

Answers the questions – What is the return-on-investment (ROI) for the stakeholder based on outcome measures identified at organizational analysis? These are the cost-returns attributed to performance. Metrics can include profit-gains and cost-reductions such as cost savings in travel, time saved on-task, reduction in error, reduction in resource usage, decreases in down-time, quality in production and customer service, etc… Data from reaction, learning, behavior, and/or results evaluations can be mapped back into an LMS, a best practices library, and/or design to continuously improve the learning value of the training product and to adapt to the ever-changing needs of the stakeholder in a competitive global economy.

Evaluation: Level 4 - Results/Performance

Answers the questions – Did participants perform better and by how much? While the previously described behavior measures assess how and what gets done, performance measures assess the outcomes. Think of the difference between how a baseball player swings a bat, a behavior-based skill – what he does; and whether he hit the 'sweet spot' or 'knocked one over the fence' - performance outcomes. Performance measures tend to be based on the individual or departmental levels. Measured on an interval basis (by day, week, month, quarter, year, etc.), common examples can include increases in:

• Production
• Bookings
• Revenue
• Margin
• Number of customer interactions
• Average time spent with each customer
• Closures to sale
• Customer satisfaction
• Percentage of total tickets closed
• Project milestones hit

Or decreases in:

• Product defects
• Over expenditure
• Time spent on task
• Customer complaints
• Issues/tickets opened
• Project milestones missed

Again, based on the nature of these measures, sound methodology includes pretest and posttest measures while accounting for extraneous variables.

Evaluation: Level 3 - Application/Behavior

Answers the questions – Do participants apply what they learned after training or on-the-job? How are behavior-based learning objectives applied to the work environment? Do the participants perform targeted skill sets better as a result of the training, than if they had not taken the training at all? Behavior-based evaluation is a measure of efficacy, practicality, and utility based on transfer of skills to the job. Evaluation of application can be achieved through baseline at pretest and or posttest and follow-up tracking of on-the-job behaviors – measurable changes in behavior consistent with the skill-based learning objectives from a course support the affects of training on the job. Common methods for tracking on-the-job behaviors include use of trained judges using Behavior Observation Scales (BOS) or the use of performance support systems. Sound methodology overcomes extraneous factors so that training is supported as a root cause of behavioral improvement. This post-testing methodology also has the added value of reinforcing training based on the principles of organizational behavior modification (OBM). Examples can include any skill measured at Level 2 immediately after the training event, but for Level 3 as a follow-up measure back on the job; survey learners and managers to capture perception of applied skills in on the job settings; or a manager that targets required behavior such as conflict management based on observed and justified need - documents in a performance management system and assigns as a development goal > employee takes assigned and course(s) on conflict management > manager observes behavior/progress, provides feedback, and documents it in the performance management system. This level of assessment requires methodological rigor from the training and follow-up cycle and is typically implemented as a high-end solution.

Evaluation: Level 2 - Learning

Answers the question - Do participants know more and can they do more after the learning event than before? This evaluation is an assessment of immediate transfer of knowledge and skill. Although it is often conducted at the posttest level only, it should be conducted by base-lining through pretest and measuring change through posttest using module-level quizzes or course-level exams. A typical example might have a learner take a pretest before a course or each module > then run through the course or module > and then take a posttest to measure knowledge or skill improvement. Minimal and optimal criteria levels should be identified during Analysis and specified in the Design so thresholds (cut-offs) for score attribution can be applied to measured changes while this level of evaluation is Developed as part of the training solution. Other examples might include having an instructor evaluate (observes and rates) transfer in class; Watch-me > Try-me > Test-me approaches created with simulation tools and LMS tracking (SCORM) of outcomes; through the use of problem-resolution scenarios built into a course – problem is presented > learner selects solution > track responses and performance through the LMS (SCORM); or by creating broken environments in certification scenarios and having learners/candidates fix them with an instructor or remote-proctor verifying success. Gagne’s model for Implementing posttests as part of a course loops the learner back into a module or course if they do not pass the tests threshold and is the basis for posttest delivery in eLearning today. More robust eLearning design also incorporates the pretest component as a filtering mechanism for the learner by prescribing only the content that was not passed. This scenario might look like the programmed instruction model, which augments the training event with the benefits of a custom learning experience and a feedback mechanism.

Evaluation: Level 1 - Reaction

Answers the questions – What did participants like about the learning event? How do participants react to content, materials, instructor, medium environment, etc? These are satisfaction and quality measures. These measures are best obtained through the electronic delivery of questionnaires and should either be built into the courseware solution or supported and tracked through a Learning Management System (LMS) so they can be linked, filtered, and reported according to the course and learner demographics. Typical reaction-level evaluations assess quality of content, delivery, learning environment, and operational support. Reaction measures are the most commonly used and relied upon level of evaluation in the industry. They are highly useful when the learner is a customer as higher levels of customer satisfaction predict the likelihood they will return for additional training and thus drive revenue. Although highly relied upon, 35 years of research has noted no relationship what-so-ever between a learner’s satisfaction with the training experience, and his or her behavior and performance on the job.

Evaluation: Level 0 - Participation

Answers the question - Who did what as broken down by medium-type, subject-matter, population, or other variables along with the percentage completed? Participation measures usage broken down by the demographics of the learner-base and the parameters of the learning solution. These variables need to be identified in advance and tracked through data stores and learning management systems and are usually tracked on an interval basis. Examples include: number of learners trained and number of courses delivered as broken down by medium or subject by month, quarter, or year.

Evaluation

“Knowledge is power…”
– Sir Francis Bacon – Founder of the scientific method

Why should anyone know how effective their training efforts were? Why should anyone take the time to evaluate learning initiatives? The answers are simple… So stakeholders can:

• Baseline current performance
• Assess what employees, partners, and customers are achieving
• Set attainable goals based on data
• Track their investment in learning
• Continuously improve what they do by asking the right questions

The most effective way to improve development and delivery of courseware is through Evaluation. The goals are to assess the value of the course to the stakeholder and to continuously improve that value based on valid metrics. Valid metrics include stakeholder feedback received during the development cycle while success measures should be based on the required skill-sets, performance criteria, and delivery modalities identified during the Analysis phase. As the required skill-sets and performance criteria should be translated into the learning objectives that drive Design and how the course should be Developed, evaluative elements built into the design and developed as part of the course should measure if those learning objectives and success measures are met, or not. It is important to note that levels of evaluation that are measured (or not) are often determined by stakeholder budget, resource availability, and statements of work. When not measured, this often attributed to fear of reprisal based on misuse and misinterpretation of measured outcomes, versus the drive to improve process and the overall learning solution. In the long-term, such misunderstanding detriments all by depriving the process of a feedback loop that adds value for the learner and saves margin or increases profit for the stakeholders. The four levels of training evaluation have evolved into six and are listed in order of robustness below:

Levels 0 through 5 (Kirkpatrick and Phillips):

Level 0 - Participation
Level 1 - Reaction
Level 2 - Learning
Level 3 - Application
Level 4 - Results
Level 5 - ROI

A description of each level will follow shortly...

Implementation (Delivery)

Courseware is typically deployed and delivered in the classroom, onsite, and or through computer and Web-based media during Implementation. Goals during this phase should include maximizing usability, satisfaction, transfer, behavior-change, and impact and should be therefore measured. Implementation requirements are identified during analysis based on learner profiles and are designed and developed based on technical and media specifications. Requirements for delivery through an instructor, content server, or Learning Management System (LMS) should be identified in advance during analysis so that content is designed and developed in alignment with delivery requirements, standards, and goals.

Typical delivery media include:

• Instructor-Led Training (ILT) > in a classroom, lab, or onsite
  
• Virtual Classroom > synchronous eLearning delivered via live Web connection, Web instructor-led learning
• Virtual Lab > live and synchronous virtual machine or a self-paced sandbox
• Self-Paced Training > asynchronous eLearning delivered as hosted or through CD or file on the local machine)
• Mobile Learning > mLearning for MP3/MP4 player, PPA, and smartphones
• On-the-Job Training (OJT)
• Job Aides > cards, posters, ePaper
• Collaborative and Social Learning > includes collaboration suites, coaching, mentoring discussion threads, learning Wikis, expert-produced blogs, and relevant RSS feeds
• Learning Management System (LMS) and supports
• Evaluation Systems > reaction/satisfaction, knowledge/skill transfer, application on the job, on the job performance improvement, return on the training investments, and predictability of future success
• Blended media delivery combining any or all of the above as indicated by the learner and media specifications analyses and design documents
  

Risks if not conducted properly:

• Extended deployment resulting in missed delivery dates and costs
• Project failure at final implementation resulting in lost and dissatisfied stakeholders and learners
  

Development

Courseware is built during the Development phase, where the solution is created based on the specifications of the approved design architecture, and within the required timeframes identified at planning. The training product should be built in delivery media based on the learners’ profile, required testing instrumentation, hands-on images (real, virtual, or simulated), augmentative instructional aides, and pre-deployment technologies for blended media where appropriate. The training product and content should be audited, quality assured, and piloted (Alpha and Beta) for content validity (by SMEs), technical compliance (image, SCORM, AICC, etc.), learner utility, and publication-standards purposes. Beta pilots must simulate the delivery environment to minimize issues. Subsequent revision is typically required to meet stakeholder needs identified during analysis and therefore should be accounted for in project schedules. Curriculum owner involvement in testing, sign-off, and approval is required for each development milestone.

Based on statements of work and or a project charter, development formats include:

- Instructor-Led Training (ILT - classroom-based)
- Virtual Classroom (synchronous eLearning delivered via live Web connection)
- Self-Paced Training (asynchronous eLearning delivered as hosted or through CD or file on the local machine) (SPT, WBT, CBT, WILR, SPS)
- Mobile Learning (mLearning delivered to MP3/MP4 players, PDA, mobile phone, and smartphones like BlackBerry and iPhone)
- On-the-Job Training (OJT)
- Job Aides
- Collaborative and Social Learning 2.O tools (includes collaboration suites, coaching, mentoring discussion threads, learning Wikis, expert-produced blogs, and relevant RSS feeds)
- Learning Management System (LMS) supports
- Evaluation Systems (reaction/satisfaction, knowledge/skill transfer, application on the job, on the job performance improvement, return on the training investments)
- Blended media delivery combining any or all of the above as indicated by the learner and media specifications analyses and design documents

Risks if not conducted properly:

- A product that is not properly tested before final implementation to the customer and or their learners
- A product that is not fine-tuned to the needs of target learning groups
- Discovery of problems or technical difficulty with the product at implementation resulting in high issue counts as opposed to identification and resolution before delivery
- Project failure or extended development cycles resulting in missed milestones, deadlines, and cost-targets- A course that does not meet design specifications falls short of stakeholder expectations, and results in learner dissatisfaction

More on Design - PI

It's important to address the science behind instructional design. For reasons unknown, programmed instruction (PI) in eLearning seems to be all but abandoned in much of the learning content I review. In my opinion, this is a flaw in instructional design and worse, is only supported by popular eLearning development tools, because they omit this capability.

Gagne actually pioneered this mode of instruction in the mid 1960s. For those unfamiliar, programmed instruction models assess a learner's needs through some form of testing and loop back, branch-forward, or multi-path based on performance to pass/fail criteria. More robust PI models incorporate both pretesting an posttesting. The biggest advantage to this design model is that delivery of content is customized to a learner's needs because only filtered content is delivered (based on what the learner did not pass). In essence, a form of needs assessment is built into course delivery and the user experience. How cool is that?

Development tools like Macromedia Authorware or CA KnowledgeTRACK were great at facilitating this mode of design. Unfortunately these tools are no longer available, (in all honesty - they were cumbersome to use.) Meanwhile, social and Learning 2.0 suites like Q2 Learning's eCampus currently bake PI functionality into a learning path (Check it out at: http://www.q2learning.com/). None-the-less, this is a methodology we should revive. Take another look at the process illustrated above and decide for yourself.

In the Middle of the Curve: CA Case Study - Informal Learning

In the Middle of the Curve: CA Case Study - Informal Learning

Design

We specify how to build a course during the Design stage. When a house is to be built by a construction crew, an architect creates a blueprint that specifies the layout and measurement of materials for the contractors and construction crews. In similar fashion, instructional designers frame-out the architecture and content flow of the courseware solution in a set of design documents and or storyboards. A robust design leverages the data gathered during the analysis stage, which results in a record that outlines the learning objectives and instructional supports through appropriate delivery media. A valid design must be derived from accurate analysis data in order to develop learning objectives that can predict success through performance on the job. Learning objects based on the task-KSA analysis and support components should be designed as modular so they can be easily grouped, sequenced, updated, and reused. If it is practical, design document templates should be as media-agnostic, so they can be efficiently converted to any blended media with or without an LCMS (Learning Content Management System). At the curriculum level and based on learner analysis data, blended learning paths can be designed for any combination of instructor-led (classroom based), Web instructor-led (virtual class), or self-paced media (Web-based or computer-based). Based on media and technical specifications, instructional supports such as graphics, animations, video, audio, simulations, classroom-based images, virtual labs, pretest, and posttest objects, or any required interactive elements should be indicated. Blended designs and learning paths can also include job-aides, on-the-job training (OJT), coaching, mentoring, and collaboration through social media. Design documents should be submitted to both subject matter experts (SMEs) and stakeholders for validation and approval prior to development.

Design specifications include:
- Development of learning objectives that map to on the job requirements
- Section titles and topologies that indicate breakdown and sequence by module, lesson, and topic, which is also known as MLT
- Specification of instructional supports
- Targeting of critical learning objects for test, interactive, and certification development
- Specification of learning group differences and roles where applicable (multi-user design)
- Use of interactive exercises and practicums that map to job tasks
- Media types
- Timing estimates

Practical design structure at the module or lesson levels:
- Tell'em
> Learning objectives
> Explain what the learner will learn and why
- Show'em
> Demonstrate the task or concept
- Walk'em through it
> Guide and coach through the task
> Provide feedback as prompting
- Have'em try it
> Provide the learner with an opportunity to experience task with minimum feedback
- Have'em apply it
> Provide a real-world problem scenario where the learner can use the new skill
> Test the learner in a situation he or she will likely encounter on the job
- Tell'em again
> Reiterate the learning objective and explain what was accomplished

The structure above can be modified by using the parts that are appropriate. What is important is the progression from what is explained or demonstrated - to the transfer of learning.

Risks if not conducted or conducted improperly:
- Misdirected development efforts due to a lack-of or inaccurate architectural specifications
- (Think of trying to get from point A to point B in unfamiliar territory without a map)
- Extended development timelines and cost due to design error and misdirection
- A course that does not meet the required needs of the participants resulting in project failure and a dissatisfied stakeholder