Synapsys Blog - Design

Changing our thinking about VET trainer competency development

We've recently been working with a client to define a trainer progression framework for around 3000 trainers spread across the organisation. Our thinking was influenced by research coming out of the E.U. around competencies for VET professionals. It's produced by the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Education, and the 'Handbook for Practitioners' can be found here . It's well worth a read. Some of the key themes that made good sense to us include:
- The explosion of new learning technologies and pace of change of information now demands far greater flexibility and responsiveness of trainers than has been the case in the past
-In order to respond to this challenge, trainers need to see themselves in broad partnerships and networks. "Professionalism and expertise are no longer understood as personal properties..." p13.
-This change is sufficiently important to justify a quadrant of the framework being dedicated to networking.

The Handbook goes on to break down competencies across administration, training, quality assurance, and networking. These categories are mapped to teachers, in-company trainers, and leaders.

While written at a high level, the competencies provide a really pragmatic, useful set of indicators that can be adapted for individual organisational contexts.

It's always hard to know where to focus your limited time when exploring new models for trainer development. This should definitely be on your reading list.

Choosing the right delivery mode

IDC's Corporate Learning Buyer Survey series suggests that most corporates choose the delivery mode of training based on available content (IDC, March 2009, #217336, Vol. 1). Hardly surprising really; migrating content from one delivery mode to another is no small task. Moving the words from book to eLearning is one thing. Creating an effective learning experience in the new mode is another thing again.

In our experience, corporates are motivated to change mode because of the apparent significant savings, and the promise of 'better' results. A back-of-the-envelope calculation of the cost of flying 10 people to a workshop for two days quickly moves into the tens of thousands of dollars. Plenty there for some good eLearning content creation, surely?

The problem is that creating a new delivery mode is an upfront cost while business as usual needs to continue. Where does the 'extra' money come from? And what about the risk, maybe it won't work? And where do we get the specialist skills to develop the new mode without becoming dependent on an external provider?... Perhaps we'll just run workshops for another year....

We believe there are three critical steps to setting this process up correctly:
1. Use a sound process to choose the new mode. Base it on what will work for the learners. Audience analysis, organisational requirements, expected change, best model, and required resources.... It doesn't have to be huge, but it needs to ask the right questions.
2. Take small steps and start with the content. Don't leap in and choose an LMS, thre are plenty of cheap hosting options while you focus on creating some good content and the piloting process.
3. Take the time to do a basic Return On Investment analysis, and use it to measure the effectiveness of the pilot. It'll give you the confidence to proceed further - or not!

eLearning design process, moving on from ADDIE

Most training developers are familiar with the ADDIE training development model, based on a series of steps moving from analysis through development to evaluation. This article by Kevin Kruse suggests that eLearning development processes might benefit from the incorporation of systemic design models that involve an interative process. Creative teams evolve and test concepts until there is broad user acceptance. He also suggests that a rapid prototyping step can be inserted as part of CD ROM solutions design to test out working models.

Our experience is that project practicalities such as budget and timeframe often preclude an open ended process of iterative inquiry. If (and it's a big if) the right information is gathered in the initial scoping phases, we can have confidence that the proposed solution will fit.

A relatively linear model doesn't preclude creativity. The key determinant here is that the development team needs to have clearly defined roles and processes which allow the creative/expansive work to be done in a managed way. If the team composition isn't appropriate, or if the process is unclear, it's doubtful whether a truly effective solution will emerge, no matter what time or resource is allocated to it.

At Synapsys, the vision for the elearning experience is driven by the educational designer. Graphic designers and coding developers are charged with responsibility to 'make it so', as much as techncially possible.

As more and more of our work involves blended learning solutions, the other big challenge becomes clearly defining the relationship between the different media/experiences so that the learner has a clear pathway to follow that makes sense to them.

On larger projects we'll manage this process through the use of media-specific project managers, whose output is managed by the lead educational designer. It is this person who is charged with the role of 'champion of the learner', continuously monitoring from the perspective of the learner whether the final experience will be both seamless and effective.

Beginner's Guide to Distance Learning Issues

The California Distance Learning Project (CDLP) provides a useful overview of common issues and concerns in the development of distance learning materials. eLearning related development is also addressed. Content includes an overview of the history of distance learning, as well as coverage of more contemporary issues such as SCORM compliance and open source LMSs. Administration and evaluation issues are also overviewed. If you need to clarify what these terms mean, or orient yourself around broad issues, this is a good place to start:

CDLP

Interface Design Basics

Sometimes, when surfing the ‘Net, you come up with some real gems. And this web page is one of those.

I was searching out new ideas on Designing User Interfaces (namely how to design a page that people feel comfortable using). Of course, I do that every time I create a project, or so I would hope, however, there is always room for improvement. I wouldn’t say this article actually comes up with new ideas, but what it does is clearly focuses on the good ideas. So why is that important?

Well, if you are taking a web site design request to a professional and paying big bucks for the pleasure, you really need to know that what you get back is worth the dollars. This easily written article will give you the background to discuss with the professional exactly what you expect of your site.

Multimedia development process models

The process of multimedia development is complex. Each organisation will develop its own process which reflects its own culture, as much as it does good process design principles. Here's an example of one process module developed by Stephen Lowe for use by Level 7 Multimedia Diploma students. Note that each step has rollovers, providing useful background.

Mind Mapping Tools

Mapping
Concept Mapping, Knowledge Mapping, Mind Mapping, Flowcharting, & Note Taking are becoming increasingly important for today’s businesses. We have links to three software solutions for mind mapping included below. These can be useful tools for capturing information while on the go, while in meetings, and for helping you organize/brainstorm your thoughts while you think of them. The Synapsys development team uses Inspiration software, mainly for planning websites, brainstorming for projects, and capturing the groups’ ideas. Inspiration is very user friendly, great for visually minded people and you can easily switch back and forth from visual maps to text outlines. It is easy to learn to use, with lots of icons and symbols to choose from for your mapping. We have found this to be a very effective tool in our business.

MindManager software

Mind Mapper software

Inspiration software

Useful Blended Learning case studies

This White Paper: http://www.centra.com/download/whitepapers/CaseStudy_BlendedLearning.pdf contains a couple of useful case studies illustrating the way in which different blended media can be purposed for different business needs, together with commentary on the decision making processes sitting behind them.

They do a good job of selling blended solutions, but don't go into any depth around the actual change processes that have to take place for solutions such as these to work. Case study 1 includes the use of a range of different technology tools. Unless your organisation already has them bedded down as part of its culture, the job in getting people to work with them may well overshadow the learning that you're hoping to achieve through their use.

Implementing an eLearning Project

This is a very enlightening article that stresses a deeply-held Synapsys belief, the importance of a design-centred but well-balanced team approach that is central to making eLearning projects successful.

Read the article, Why eLearning is So Difficult to Eat, here...

The Promise of Simulations

We found this to be a well-written article on the promise (and some pitfalls) of using simulations as a learning platform. Of particular note is the commentary about when simulations are appropriate and why some past efforts have failed: "Overenthusiastic e-learning vendors have touted simulations in many areas where they should not have been used. Many companies that first adopted them were disappointed with the results. All too often, unfortunately, learning objectives were ignored in order to provide clients with the 'wow' factor. Simulations looked good, but little learning occurred."

http://www.clomedia.com/content/templates/clo_feature.asp?articleid=382&zoneid=29

Online Learning and Fun

It's important to remind ourselves that our learners will only learn when they are motivated themselves to do so. A little fun can go a long way towards opening people to learning:

Click here for more...

Blogs for Learning

This article from the Australian Flexible Learning Network looks at how blogs can be leveraged to create meaningful and engaging learning experiences:

http://learnscope.flexiblelearning.net.au

It also offers a useful piece of advice:

"I strongly believe (and I say this to all my colleagues) that if you want to get up-to-speed in your field, just subscribe to the weblogs in your domain and read them everyday for at least six months. I can confidently say that this works as people who have tried it out tell me that they are learning a lot."

We'll add a list of links to this blog soon!

What is Workflow Learning?

This is a great introduction to the concept of Workflow Learning, written by the person who coined the term, guru Jay Cross.

Here's a cute excerpt:

"A buff venture capitalist in a designer suit steps into my elevator. Soon she asks, 'Workflow learning? What's that??

I reply: 'That's something you won't have to ask five years from now, for by then Web Services and the integrated, real-time enterprise will be commonplace. Learning will have become a core business process. It?s what will connect humans to their work. "

The rest of the column is on the main page of eLearning Magazine, for now anyway:
http://www.elearnmag.org/

Learning in Communities

This is a great article by Stephen Downes covering many of the basics related to fostering community, and reminding us just how powerful a learning tool they can be.

He also makes some great points about the practice of tacking 'community features' onto courses, only to have the communities die when the course ends. His proposal is that the community be central to the learning experience and traditional course content peripheral. Interesting ideas.

http://www.learnscope.anta.gov.au

Top Ten Tips for Implementing eLearning

This is a great summary of ideas by Jane Knight, founder of the UK's eLearning Centre (lots of really excellent stuff on this site). She takes a no-nonsense, make-it-happen approach to eLearning, focusing on learning and collaboration -- definitely a breath of fresh air!

http://www.ncc.co.uk/ncc/myitadviser/archive/issue24/people.cfm

Workflow Learning

We are posting this presentation by Sam Adkins for both the message and its medium. The content is very interesting, addressing the phenomenon of informal learning and how prevalent it is in workplaces (backed up by several studies). In addition, the presentation has been exported from PowerPoint to the Macromedia Breeze platform allowing for synchronised voice-over along with the slides. You'll need a pretty fast connection to get all of the audio, but should be able to view the presentation regardless (no plugins required).

http://macromedia.marketing.pr.breezecentral.com/p29338483/

Getting the Most Out of Blended Learning

This article has a provocative title, "Four Blended Learning Blunders and How to Avoid Them", but it's really a primer on the best way to approach blended learning projects. It echoes many of the principles we believe in, like aligning training with business strategies, using the right delivery methods, etc.

http://www.learningcircuits.org/2003/nov2003/elearn.html

Research on Current Practice

In May 2001 Synapsys participated in a survey on online learning practices. The results of that survey are now available at http://www.publicationshare.com/docs/corp_survey.pdf

Respondents were from the corporate sector, spanning all sizes and industries, the largest respondents being education, I.T., Finance and Industrial. The results provide an interesting snapshot of how things were at that time, and canvas a range of issues including:

-barriers to learning
-organisational structure and training methods
-development methods and pedagogical approaches
-communities and resources
-methods for engaging learners
-Return on investment (ROI) measurement, or lack of it
-emerging technologies

Bear in mind the snapshot is of two years ago, but it still makes for interesting reading. There are 15 broad recommendations covering areas such as:

-learning objects
-online learning policies and procedures
-tool development
-freelance instructors/designers
-information portlas and communities

Simulations for Learning

Clark Aldrich is the author of a recent book, Simulations and the Future of Learning, in which he discusses how to leverage simulations as learning tools. In this Q&A article, he clears up some misconceptions about simulations (they needn't be complicated nor expensive!) and elaborates on their potential.

We're doing some work with simulations for a couple of clients of ours at the moment, so we find this stuff quite interesting.

http://www.elearningpost.com/features/archives/002199.asp

Real-life Lessons About eLearning

This is a fascinating summary of a talk given by Damien Faughan, Charles Schwab's Director of Infrastructure & Technology, at the eLearning Producer conference. Damien frankly discussed lessons the large financial services company has learned about eLearning over the last several years, including issues related to technology, reusability, learner motivation, blended learning, etc.

These lessons learned really substantiate many of the principles we espouse at Synapsys, for instance: "At the end of the day, all learning needs to be strategic and transformational, learner-centered and focused on contributing to the business."

http://www.internettime.com/blog/archives/001021.html

Synapsys Presentation on Educational Design

This is a presentation that we delivered to the Association of Technical Communicators in Christchurch, New Zealand on October 31st, 2003.

Many of the topics sparked lively conversation, particularly those related to leveraging opportunities like learning games for populations of learners who aren't motivated by traditional methods.

Download the presentation (right-click this link to save it to your hard drive)