Online Collaboration MUST be Designed
One of the most wonderful things about the online classroom is the ability to bring learners together who may otherwise be geographically separated. If one individual in New York and one individual in Arizona need the same training, the virtual classroom not only allows them to partake in that training without travel, but also to take that training with fellow learners.
Too often, however, the virtual classroom is used in presentation-mode rather than in collaborative-mode.
All virtual classroom platforms pledge that their product enables your organization and your learners to work collaboratively. And it is true. All virtual classroom platforms allow for learners to interact verbally, via chat or instant messenger, through the use of feedback symbols or emoticons, and often through breakout rooms which enable smaller discussions and group activities to occur.
This doesn't just happen spontaneously, however. It is imperative that the training be designed to be collaborative.
One of the basic tenets of adult learning is that adults prefer to learn collaboratively; in other words adults prefer to learn with others. Therefore, it is imperative that the focus of the learning process is on the learners working together, discussing, questioning, problem solving, and in general, contributing to the learning process and the learning content.
As Instructional Designers, we must put quite a bit of thought into how we can ensure the learners work together to achieve the learning outcome, rather than sitting at their individual sites being passive recipients of a presentation.
The "Problem" With Virtual Learning
We recently read this blog post which really made our blood to boil!
In a nutshell, the writer, a college professor, finds himself stranded at the airport and decides his situation should not impede his regularly scheduled class. He can simply use the virtual technology his college supplies, to fulfill his teaching obligations.
After experiencing an unsuccessful "class," he wrote a lengthy diatribe about how virtual technology will never replace face-to-face teaching. Here are some things he failed to consider (and, quite frankly, most people who are new to virtual technology or use it occasionally, also fail to consider):
1. Choose the right technology for the job and be sure you know how to use it. We recently received a directive from a client telling us to not use the highlighter tool to highlight text on the slide because "it doesn't work, it scribbles all over the slide." In fact, the "breakdown" was with the Bamboo tablet in our office.
2. You cannot decide, on the spur of the moment, that you will teach using virtual technology. A delivery of this type must be planned for (see next article). The writer bemoans: Tonight was going to involve role playing, discussions, presentations, and even interactive trivia.
3. If you have a limiting belief that you can only "lecture" while using virtual teaching platforms, and that cannot be as successful as you would have been in the classroom - you will be correct. His sentiments exactly: Tonight I am subjecting my students to this hollowed-out lesson. I do so out of necessity. I know it is not the best experience for my students, or for myself..
The server and the virtual platform have little to do with one another other than being the "power cord;" would you say that your electric company was horrible if your lamp shorted out? We'd be frustrated too: I am now on my third attempt at uploading the lecture. During the two previous attempts a prompt came up, saying "server failure." The program crashed and nothing was recorded or could be recovered. An hour lecture up in smoke - three times over, but it has nothing to do with the virtual classroom.
Virtual classrooms ARE the training room of the future. We recognize that not everyone will be comfortable there, and that's ok (not everyone is comfortable standing in front of a room speaking, either); but don't blame the technology for a lack of forethought, planning, or skill on the part of the human.
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Interview with an Expert: Susan Boyd
How to Make Learning Stick in Online Courses
T/D: Susan, why is there the perception that e-learning doesn't stick and what can we do about it?
Boyd: I think there are a variety of challenges that can cause an e-learning program to fail. One in particular would be technology barriers which result in the trainee/learner not having the proper access to get to the course. Often a trainee/learner gets to the course only to find the content is really not pertinent to their job needs or find they have to go through 100 page turning screens just to find a small nugget of content that is pertinent. It’s quite possible the training will not stick because it's almost as though we're hiding the forest with the trees. Trainees are not getting the overall picture.
Some trainees/learners really just want to get through the content thinking the ultimate purpose to e-learning is to get to the end. Many are only looking to find the “next” button and continue to push it until it’s at the end of the session.
T/D: What are some tips that can make this better? Are your tips coming from the perspective of instructional designers who are the ones who create the training or are there tips for us as learners?
Boyd: Most of my tips have to do with content - I think that's the instructor and designer. How to break up the content into chunks of learning, how to make it as job specific as possible. Try to give the learner control of the content, make it interactive - those are things that instructional designers can do.
Preparing the learners and preparing the managers are also really key. Many managers thought e-learning was just this magic button people push on their computer and, through osmosis, people would instantly learn the topic. Managers don’t often invest enough time in following through: Did people do it? Do they understand it? And are they applying it?
The key thing for the learners is to ensure, they can access it. We have a generation of learners today that are more internet savvy - so that's wonderful. But their computers at home are typically better than their computers in the office.
We need to make sure we're preparing them by whatever wizards they need to test their system. Whether it's a webinar they're going to attend or it's how to get to the learning management system to enroll in the online course. It needs to be made as easy as possible. Maybe some frequently asked questions, or getting started guides are helpful.
T/D: That’s not as much making the learning stick as making the environment more accessible for the learning to stick.
Boyd: Right. Learning can't stick if you can't get to the course. Good point. I look at this as a multi-faceted problem. Part of it is the content design with the instructional design; part is working with the learners; part is working with the managers - providing them the right support material for what they need to do.
In terms of making learning stick, it’s important to make it real world. People can relate to it and find the information in the course, but can also find it outside the course. If there's a reference card or frequently asked question which can only be found in the course, that becomes the challenge because these are the types of things people need to access outside the course. So there ought to be a way that they know where to find those same types of online references.
T/D: What tips do we have for training designers then?
Boyd: I think it's engaging and having the learning relate to something - hopefully it's a real world example. Making some connection ia key part of it. Using graphics and pictures - for example in safety courses - I worked with one client and the pictures we use are pictures of people on the factory line. This particular client is a manufacturing company and there are examples of them where something is unsafe. Maybe they're not wearing the proper protective equipment or there's a tripping hazard. You're taking these real pictures and saying, what's wrong?
T/D: That's fun!
Boyd: Or saying, there are six things wrong with this picture, can you define them or click them. In that case defining them sometimes is actually click in the area where you think there's a problem. So it is forcing the learner to do something – we want the learners to do more than click on the “next” button.
TD: What I hear you saying, is in order to make e-learning stick, you have to understand how the learner is going to use the content and support them through the process. It's about managing the manager's expectations on how the learning will be used or what the end result of the learning is. Then designing it so that it's mentally stimulating and engaging for the participants, which is a design process. It's pulling the learning from the participants which is what we normally do in the classroom, but we don't think it can be done online in my estimation.
Boyd: That's the challenge. E-learning was supposed to be able to get the right content to the right person at the right time. They were equations that we had trouble with in the classroom - we could never deal with the right place and time - e-learning kind of takes away that barrier. But we're still struggling with the content.
The design of the content has to understand the environment in which the content is going to be used.
T/D: Thank you Susan, The most powerful thing you said to me today was that when we take the learners out of the equation, we design bad e-learning. That's really powerful because I think too often we think of e-learning as the 'e' part and we have to start thinking about it as the 'learning' part.
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Susan Boyd has over 30 years' experience in training and computer education, with extensive experience in planning and managing computer training projects. She has directed and participated in all phases of the projects including needs analysis, course development, train the trainers, course delivery and follow-up. Susan has developed and delivered training in a variety of formats including instructor-led classroom, virtual training sessions using a webinar, and online asynchronous e-learning courses. You can learn more about Susan and contact her at www.susan-boyd.com
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Does Anyone Work “In the Office” Anymore?
The term "telecommuting" seems like such a quaint, 1990s anachronism, but the fact is worker mobility is playing an ever-increasing role in where and when people work. Today's workforce is more mobile and wired than ever before. How millennials commute to work is becoming less of an issue than where they decide to live.
A [US] Federal Highway Administration report noted that as of 2010, 26 percent of millennials - that's more than a quarter of our [workers] who fall into the age range of 17 to 32 - don't have a driver's license. It's also somewhat of a wakeup call that a Deloitte study notes that 46 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds would choose Internet access over owning a car.
Time for us to rethink: Who we are hiring, where they will work, and how will they be trained? Things that make you go: hmmmmm. No?
Note: This article based on a column by Rick Bell, Workforce Managing Editor.
Training for the Taking
It's odd, really, for an instructional design firm, we are all-for not reinventing the wheel. If there is training already "out there" and it fufills your need - even if you need to augment it a bit - why not take advantage of someone else's hard (and brilliant) work?
Here are some websites we've sourced recently, where you can find training offerings from A (Audacity) to Z (Zbrush).
Educator.com - From physics to music theory, Educator bills itself as having the most comprehensive math and science content on the web. Pay monthly or annually for discount.
Edudemic.com - Lots of free resources and links to free resources. Geared toward teachers but their ideas and findings are really universal to anyone trying to be the best educator they can be.
Lynda.com - A video-based, on-demand, portal for software and business skills. Pay monthly or annually for discount. Free trial.
KhanAcademy.org - Their tag line says it all, "Learn almost anything for free." The topics are more academically inclined and so would be ideal for assisting your workers with basic skills such as mathematics or sciences. Also video based in a really engaging delivery format.
And for some interesting factoids that you can use as icebreakers, energizers or to amuse, check out the Smithsonian's new website: www.SeriouslyAmazing.com.
Tips for online learning
A recent Edudemic article titled 20+ Tips from the Most Effective Online Teachers provides a wealth of good information, not only for those who are teaching online, but also for those organizations that are considering offering courses online. For all the business factors that make distance learning or virtual learning a plus - there are some weighty considerations as well.
We highly recommend reading the full article - it will really give you something to think about. If you don't have time - here are a few of the things we consider to be "gems" in the article:
What the students can teach each other is just as important as what the instructor teaches
Online does not mean easy
Online courses take much more time to develop and facilitate than classroom courses
Being an online educator is more a life style than an occupation
Be proactive about course management
What you can learn about eLearning - from Engineers
Since 1980, The Society for Manufacturing Engineers – Education Foundation, has awarded over $31 million in grants, scholarships, and awards to high schoolers pursuing a degree in science, technology, engineering and math, more than any other professional engineering society.
Their website is a marvel of interactivity and engagement. It’s a wonderful model for e-learning as the ‘learner’ can pursue multiple topics and to multiple-depths, through their own decision making process. www.manufacturingiscool.com
Does Size Matter?
Very often, when organizations move to virtual training, they think that the constraints of travel and space (learning space) are removed and it is now possible for a larger audience to take part in the training offering.
Not true! Compare these two simple visuals:
A circular table of 8 where everyone can see each other, hear each other and be involved with one another in an engaging and collaborative way.
A town-hall meeting in which a lot of people are in attendance, but only a few get to take the floor.
If YOU wanted your opinion heard, or you wanted to come away from the meeting having developed a relationship with the others in attendance, which meeting would you want to attend?
The circular table of 8 is the visual we need to keep in mind when designing for virtual delivery of training. Our learners are already hobbled by the fact that they cannot make eye contact with one another or read one another’s body language; but they CAN make connections with each other when there is a smaller group involved.
The real benefit of virtual delivery is that you can deliver the same topic as many times as you like, at any time that you like. So you can run 3 sessions, of 8 learners, in one week. This allows for more interaction and engagement among the learners. When the facilitator asks a question, it is quite obvious if 8 people have answered or 3 people have answered. When you poll them for their opinion, there is actually time to hear why people chose the answer they did – and allow for comparing and contrasting results.
With larger groups, we might undertake the same activities, but they will simply be ‘watched’ by some in attendance – it is not possible to involve everyone, in every activity, to the degree that they feel they are contributing to the content.
Smaller groups enhance learning outcomes, and virtual learning deliveries allow us to economically utilize smaller groups.