In just about every presentation I do about eLearning, I include the following statement: “Human beings – and the knowledge, skills and experience that they bring to an eLearning project – are the ultimate determinants of success.” This may not sound blindingly obvious. But in my daily interactions with those in the training and development…
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I have attended many conferences over the years focused on eLearning and/or workplace learning. And although many presenters at these conferences spoke of the brave new world of training and the need to do things differently and to engage learners in new and innovative ways, each event was really no different than any conferences that…
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We recently worked with university faculty members on the development of five online undergraduate courses (one Sociology course, two Philosophy courses, and two English courses) wherein students were required to read quite a few of the original texts of various theorists, philosophers, novelists and poets. Nothing new in this, students have been doing this since…
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A friend, knowing that I work in eLearning, recently asked “what kinds of courses are you working on lately?” Well, I certainly am working on developing courses for some clients, but most of my current project list is centred on creating electronic performance support systems, or online job aids for clients. These involve creating embedded…
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I remember doing a pitch to some potential clients once, showing them how they could really bring their eLearning to life by including some rich, multi-media, case-based scenarios. They seemed genuinely impressed by some examples I showed them and I thought we were making real progress. They said they would like to have their eLearning…
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Recently, in a moment of weakness, I almost submitted a response to a request for proposals (RFP). It was for an eLearning development project for which I knew our firm could have done a terrific job. However, I remembered an earlier vow that I had made to myself never to put myself and my colleagues…
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The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) released a report titled “Scientific Foundations for Future Physicians.” The central thesis of the paper was that current pre-med and medical school curricula are stuck in an old course-centric model that relies on memorizing information that is likely to change rapidly as the science and technology of medicine…
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I have been in the eLearning business for a long time and I am dismayed by its obsession with technology. Approximately 85% of industry-related emails I receive in my in-box are about the newest and slickest technologies that will supposedly transform online learning as we know it. Included among these emails are veiled messages that…
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I attended a CLO Magazine-sponsored webinar titled “Benefits and Best Practices for Moving to an Enterprise-Wide LMS.” The presenters were Josh Bersin of Bersin & Associates and Shelly Heiden of Plateau Systems. Bersin presented some survey results of why organizations purchase learning management systems and what purchasers found to be the key benefits of having…
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The Masie Center has noted that approximately 60% of new learning initiatives in large companies are driven by legal compliance regulations. There is a raft of health and safety, environmental, human rights, privacy, and financial reporting guidelines that must be adhered to, and training is seen (and often legislated) as a key component to remain…
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