“Generational clashes in the workplace are nothing new. What is new is the extent to which the retirement of the Boomers will leave employers scrambling to recruit and retain the talent they need. The American Society of Training and Development is predicting that 76 million Americans will retire over the next two decades. Only 46 million will be arriving to replace them. Most of those new workers will be Generation Y-ers.”

This quote from Steff Gelston at CIO magazine encompasses the shift in the workplace that we need to expect. As the Baby Boomer generation creeps closer towards retirement, the next generation will need to fill the gap. These workers are members of a generation known as the Digital Natives, or Generation Y.  This surge will require businesses to alter their strategies in training and management, especially if they plan on retaining Gen-Y workers.

So what kinds of changes can we expect?

Generation Y

First, let’s consider who the members of Generation Y are. Born somewhere between the early 1980s, and 1990s, arguably a little younger, these workers will have grown up in the advent of the digital age, learning from educational computer games and working on projects in school computer labs. The good news is that their saturation in media could potentially make them valuable assets. Because of their experience learning in the instant information age, they are generally eager to try new programs and tools, have a desire to constantly be learning new things, and tend to be most comfortable multitasking.

But these strengths come with weaknesses. Because of their eagerness, and their preference for multitasking, the Generation Y employee will probably have a much shorter attention span. In its July 16, 2007 issue, Time described members of Generation Y as “wanting the kind of life balance where every minute has meaning”, giving them little patience for spending time in lengthy training sessions. Creating another challenge, Generation Y workers have largely grown up with highly involved parents, leading CIO to warn that this may cause them to “require much greater up-front investment than their Gen X predecessors who were required (and preferred) to figure everything out on their own”.

Unfortunately, this need for fast paced, closely managed learning could potentially make Gen-Y workers come across as fickle initially, in spite of their tech savvy talents. As a result, lecture-based training alone will not be as effective with these new workers.

To harness the strengths and overcome the weaknesses of this new breed of worker, eLearning can be a smart solution to train and retain these workers. eLearning can provide more control over their learning experience. Rather than sitting passively in a classroom setting, eLearning would allow them move through the content at their own pace, satisfying their need for “hands-on” learning in a virtual setting that is comfortable to them.

Derek Baird offers another tip for engaging Generation Y learners. He argues, “Digital natives are not going to sit down and read tedious printed employment or training manuals. They want instant access online to information…Revamp your training techniques and methods, implementing tools that are more interactive, such as virtual environments and collaborative tools.” eLearning more easily allows for this kind of flexibility and engagement.

The simple changes in training format can make a world of difference for those fast-paced, control-craving next-generation minds. Although these new employees may seem threatening at first - seeking greater flexibility, control, and an immersion in technology – the results of more adaptive and flexible learning experiences can provide more favorable results in terms of retention and development.

Forbes published an interesting story earlier this year about the influence of Generation Y workers:

“Best Buy launched the Results-Only Work Environment (ROWE) program, where employees in participating departments are allowed to work virtually anywhere, anytime, as long as they successfully complete their assignments on time. This shift increased productivity 41% at headquarters and decreased turnover by as much as 90%, according to Ferris’ Four Hour Work Week.”

With results like these, perhaps the flexibility these Generation Y workers demand might not be so bad after all.

How do you plan to accommodate the changing training and development needs of Generation Y employees? It’s time to start preparing now.

There was quite a bit of focus at the 2012 Learning Solutions Conference in Orlando on Learning Management Systems (LMS) and how dissatisfied many users are. Digitec presented a session on “Making a Successful LMS Switch” which drew a crowd of conference attendees.

Some attendees were the victims of an LMS that had been acquired from a merger which had affected the product support. Some attendees mentioned that their current LMS vendor was either out of business or ending a product, but others are just simply unhappy with their current platform.

Here’s a recap from the session, including the first of a series of tips on how to make a successful LMS switch.

According to a 2010 eLearning Guild survey, only 62% of respondents said their LMS lived up to vendor promises. Here are the top five reasons people are unhappy with their LMS, as cited by various resource sites, including Bersin & Associates survey (2009), The Elearning Guild – Evolution of the LMS (2009) and Wainhouse Research (2012):

Why are people so unhappy with their LMS?

1.    Not user-friendly
2.    Lacks key reporting functionality
3.    Lacks technical support
4.    Unable to scale up and outdated
5.    Too costly

Of these dissatisfied users, 13% said they were planning to leave their current LMS, according to the eLearning Guild survey.  But with so much dissatisfaction, how can they make sure they choose a better LMS?  And how can they make sure the LMS switch is successful? Here are tips on managing a successful LMS switch.

Vendor Selection

The “Dirty Little Secret” About RFPs

Often, organizations choose a vendor by sending out a Request for Proposal (RFP). These are typically sent to a list of popular LMS vendors, which includes a list of features for the LMS.

But where does this “feature list” come from?  Often, there are Excel spreadsheets of LMS features floating around the internet, and an organization may be tempted to just copy and paste the feature list, without really understanding what a feature is or why they would need it.

When the vendors receive this RFP, they are expected to “check the box” to indicate if their system provides that feature or not. But the dirty little secret in the industry is that many vendors will often indicate that their system does these things, even when they don’t. The vendors justify this lie by rationalizing that if they admitted their system didn’t have a specific feature, then they would be automatically excluded from the list, and miss an opportunity.  If they check the box, and make it to the next round, they can always say that this feature is “on the roadmap” or can be done as a customization.

In actual fact, the feature in question may not even be that important to that organization, so an honest vendor is excluded, and the customer ends up with a platform that doesn’t really do what they were told it did. (There’s that 62% mentioned earlier). Or,  a customer may end up paying for features they didn’t really need in the first place.

The use-case analysis

To avoid this, when you select a vendor, it’s a good idea to do a use-case analysis to determine the features you really need.  This can reduce your cost and help you avoid ruling out qualified (and honest) LMS vendors that might be the perfect fit for your organization.

A use-case can be as simple as a white board exercise, walking through the steps a learner, administrator and content creator would perform to complete various tasks in the LMS. By following these steps chronologically, you can create a more realistic list of features. You can then prioritized each feature in terms of:

-    crucial
-    need
-    want

It’s a good idea to vet this list by your IT staff, too, so they can spot anything technical that may be missing.

TIP:  Brandon-Hall and other organizations provide LMS research sites that can help you filter down the number of qualified vendors. You can enter the specific features you are looking for, and then return results showing which vendors meet those criteria. This can help you arrive at a “short list” of potential systems, much more quickly and easily. But there is a charge to use this service! And be aware that often the systems descriptions are written by the vendors, so you still need proof, which leads to the next task.

Live Demos

Based on the responses to your RFP, you’ll want to contact vendors who made the cut to schedule a live demo of their system. Make sure that you specify exactly what features you want to see during the demo. As mentioned, often a vendor may list features in their marketing materials that aren’t really there, so give them a list of what you expect to see during the demo, so you can see those features in action.

For those who make it past this demo, schedule a follow-up demo with your IT staff, so that the vendor can address specific technical features of the system – things that you might overlook.

Once you’ve made a selection, you’ll want to check references and seal the deal. For more information on those steps and other tips, check out our white paper:  “8 Steps to Selecting your Association LMS.” While this is focused on the unique needs of the association market, there are some great practical guidelines that apply to the corporate market, as well.

In The Atlantic magazine cover story “Making it in America” (January/Feb 2012), author Adam Davidson offers some hopeful and some dire predictions for the American worker. The bottom line? Unless we can better train our workers, a large proportion of the unskilled U.S. workforce may continue to be replaced through automation or off shoring. How can eLearning help address this? Certainly, continuing to invest in a world-class education is crucial, but so is a new paradigm that uses eLearning to help workers continue to develop outside of a traditional classroom.

Like the modern manufacturing plants described in the article, educators need to:

1. Redefine workplace readiness, better matching the skills needed in industry;
2. Promote a higher degree of knowledge specialization; and
3. Adapt new technology to help continually develop our workforce.

And eLearning can be well-suited to meet these goals.

Redefine workforce readiness – Are we creating Level 1s or Level 2s?

Davidson’s article follows the story of two very different workers. Maddie is an extremely hard-working “Level 1” factory worker, and  Luke, the more highly skilled “Level  2.” According to the article, the major difference between these two workers is that Maddie, a high school graduate, can train her replacement in less than an hour, while Luke, with more specialized technical training, is earning three times more, and is much less likely to be replaced by automation.

The article surmises that regardless of how hard Maddie works, her job will inevitably be lost– either to factory automation or to an offshore worker, who can complete the job less expensively.  As a Level 2, Luke’s job not only earns more, but is much more stable.  And the more skilled employees contribute to creating a competitive edge that will keep U.S. industry strong.

So how can we create more Level 2s than Level 1s? Education is obvious. More and more jobs are requiring advanced math and science, as well as technical training. We need to recognize that trade schools and community colleges can be a very valid alternative to a traditional 4-year degree. Also, these institutions can often more quickly reflect the skills needed by industry, developing degree and certification programs that will produce more “Level 2” workers.

But Davidson’s article reflects the sad fact that often Level 1 employees do not have the ability to attend traditional classes. This is where eLearning comes in. By offering more eLearning programs designed for technical training that aspiring Level 2 workers can complete with more flexibly after hours, they can achieve the skills that will make them more valuable to an organization, and stabilize their future.

Promote specialization

It may be surprising, but according to Davidson’s article, the U.S. ranks either #1 or #2 in the world in terms of manufacturing. Over the last 20 years, this growth has come from a more highly automated, highly specialized manufacturing approach that generates higher quality and greater efficiency, while requiring fewer unskilled workers.

eLearning needs follow the same approach. We need to adapt and specialize instruction, rather than following the “old school” assembly line approach of “stamping out” generic parts.

Imagine if Maddie could take an assessment that would prescribe the eLearning she needs to complete to qualify for a Level 2 position. The assessment can create a “gap assessment” that specifies a highly tailored learning path, just for Maddie, reflecting exactly what skills she needs, determined by her current strengths and weaknesses. The eLearning can be self-paced, so that Maddie can complete the training around her schedule.

This is the type of learning delivery best suited to eLearning. Learners are encouraged to continually develop highly specialized skills, and industry can provide an efficient way to meet the needs of an ever changing world.

Adapt new technology to help continually develop our workforce

Gone are the days when a worker can achieve a degree or certification, start a career and be set for life.  Continuing education is critical, and eLearning itself has evolved to help workers continually develop to stay marketable.

With the growth of mobile learning, Maddie can now take practice exams using her tablet or smart phone. Learning apps can provide remedial loops, so she can continually assess her progress, take content automatically adapted, based on her performance, and allow her to continually apply and practice the concepts she needs to know to advance to Level 2.

The fate of tomorrow’s worker?

Davidson’s article does deliver a dire prediction.  Despite how hard-working Maddie is, as a Level 1 worker, she is doomed to eventual obsolescence, either through technology or from cheaper unskilled workers a continent away. But if we, as educators, can design and deliver eLearning that helps employees like Maddie use their work ethic to develop the essential skills on her own, there is hope for the future.

The rise of the Kahn Academy in mainstream awareness has sparked a great deal of controversy. Funded by Google and The Gates Foundation, this program is a completely free, non-profit source of “World Class Education for Anyone Anywhere”.

So what’s all the buzz about? The design is based on a relatively simple learning model.  Students log in and learn new skills, mostly from YouTube videos produced by experts in a variety of subjects. There are videos ranging from art history to advanced trigonometry, from the most basic to advanced levels. Students complete sample assessments, then are assigned these tutorials, based on their performance. After reviewing these video tutorials, students are able to advance through the concepts, after successfully answering a set number of questions, related to that knowledge area.

Because learner progress is so carefully tracked, if a student is unable to advance, a flag goes up in the teacher’s progress report, so that he/she can then intervene with more personalized help.

Despite the growing investment in our public educational system in the U.S., the nation still holds an uncomfortably average to low-average international position in math and science, even in comparison to countries who spend far less per student.

So why is the Kahn model so controversial? As classroom sizes continue to grow, this approach seems like an efficient way to provide individualized learning to large groups of students, who all learn differently and at different rates. If classrooms across the country embraced this model, we’d have an educational system that’s not only more effectively administered and measured, but also more accountable.

But that’s not how everyone sees it, especially the educators themselves, who have valid concerns.

The Controversy

It’s no surprise that Bill Gates was willing to donate money to the Kahn Academy fund. In a recent TED Talk this year, he proposed radical education reform, increasing performance while cutting educational spending in half to reduce the budget deficit. With this in mind, it’s not hard for educators to see Gates as something of a threat to the present school system model.

Another improvement he suggests would be to stop giving teachers automatic raises based on seniority, when they earn a master’s degree in pedagogy.  While some educators argue that a post-graduate degree improves the quality of teaching, others argue that learning these more theoretical education techniques doesn’t necessarily result in higher learning outcomes for students.

Although the Kahn Academy was largely designed to supplement the classroom setting and not as an alternative to traditional public school teaching, it’s fascinating how much retaliation the not-for-profit has already received from traditionalists.

To address the problems facing our education system, isn’t now the time for bold ideas? Ideas like the Kahn Academy are certainly disruptive to the status quo. But isn’t that what we need?  Just as technology has disrupted the music industry, publishing, advertising, shouldn’t we accept this change and embrace the opportunity to improve our educational model?

Do we see the rise of Kahn as a threat, or as the long overdue “reboot” to our educational system needs?

Here again, helping you navigate the turbulent waters in the sea of eLearning, is another post in the series on What eLearning Clients Get Wrong. I’d like to touch on a topic that tends to get overlooked on most checklists, but can be a very valuable tool in making your learning even more effective.

Tip #3: Don’t Underestimate the Power of Humor

“A business owner, a salesman, and a game designer walk into a bar…”

A lot of clients shy away from humor, and in their defense, there are a lot of reasons why they might. It can come off as hokey; it can be subjective and fall flat, and if done carelessly, it can even offend an audience. Is it even worth the risk? The truth is, yes. It can be. Let’s take a look at why humor might be worth it:

• Comedy is engaging, and learners are going to be attracted to engaging material. Even if you can’t get your audience to laugh out loud, just the attempt at humor alone can make a student relax, which will cause them to be more open and receptive to the material.
• A sense of humor can make you seem more relatable. Very few learners will enjoy being lectured at by an authoritative professor type, especially if it’s a subject they might not be particularly interested in in the first place. If you know your audience, some well-crafted quips will help form a bond with your learners right off the bat. Now, instead of talking to a robot, they’re learning with a peer that can joke with them on their level and keep them engaged when they aren’t otherwise feeling motivated.
• Humor enhances memory. Want your learners to actually retain your information? In a study conducted by Valparaiso University, students recalled as much as 50% more material when it was presented to them with humor.

Case Study of the Benefits to Using Humor

Digitec designed a learning game for new employees at a large entertainment company.  We knew that the target audience would be younger, excited about joining the organization, and would enjoy playing games.

The web-based game involved players flying through a 3-D galaxy, exploring content on various themed planets. The players then needed to recall the information they’d discovered to play mini-games, earn points on a leaderboard and capture a key to unlock a content area.

To create more fun, we created an evil villain character that the players chase through the galaxy. For humor, whenever the player lost a mini-game, we created a library of random audio responses, including evil laughs, etc. So when the player won… or lost, they could smile at the reaction, and enjoy the experience even more.

Why the Project Worked

What worked here was that the humor was universal. We needed to localize the game for a Chinese market. Despite the cultural differences, which can certainly cause humor to backfire, the Chinese players enjoyed the fun of the feedback just as much.

I think another reason this worked was because of the detail behind the design. As the renowned architect Mies van der Rohe once said: “God is in the details.” Here, the player was able to expose a “world” behind the experience – a world designed to make them smile.

How to Reduce Risk

There are many ways that humor can negatively affect the experience, though. Here are a few rules of thumb to make sure humor is right for your project:

• Make Sure it’s Not Inappropriate. Humor is very culturally specific, and very subjective. If the humor could be offensive, avoid it. Also, when dealing with issues surrounding safety or professionalism, humor can be seen as being too light-hearted about the subject matter.
• Make Sure it’s Repeatable. There’s nothing worse than hearing the same joke twice. If learners will need to retake the content or see the same “gag” over and over again, think of an alternative.
• Keep Your Humor On-Topic. The research is clear that using a couple jokes can make all the difference, but all bets are off when the comedy and your topic just don’t relate. Chances are, it’ll just come off as forced and inappropriate. Best case scenario? They’ll remember the laugh, but not the lesson.
• KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE. This is one of the most defining factors on whether or not eLearning humor is successful. Utilizing humor is very effective, but may not be right for every project.  For instance, while learners who might be less than motivated may need humor to stay engaged, be aware that very dedicated learners might not need humor, or might even find it pandering. Make sure you understand your company culture.

Do you use humor in your eLearning? Please share what works and what doesn’t.

This is another post in the continuing series on what I believe buyers of eLearning often get wrong. As a “survivor” in the online learning industry for last 20 years, I’ve noticed some recurring trends and misconceptions that I would like to share some insights on, from a “vendor’s” perspective.

Tip #2: “Remember the real end product”

Like other vendors, we are often sent requests for proposals (RFP) or are contacted by prospective clients who tell us they need an eLearning course. Often, they contact several vendors, giving all of us the same requirements: they need a course that’s a virtual office environment, like Second Life, where learners choose avatars and explore different environments… oh yes, and the course needs to be on marketing.

Often, vendors will take this information and scramble to respond, by pitching virtual worlds of “lip synching” avatars and full fidelity simulations. Not surprisingly, when the client evaluates these proposals, they get sticker shock when they see the high price tag. As a result, the client may lose enthusiasm and put the project on indefinite hold. Or, the client may select the lowest bidder, move into production, only to discover six months and countless dollars later that they can’t measure a return on the investment (ROI).

Begin with the end in mind

One of Stephen Covey’s “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” states that we should “begin with the end in mind.” For any type of learning design, it’s critical to remember that the true “end product” is not a virtual world, talking avatars or even an eLearning course at all. It’s a learner who knows or can do something they couldn’t do before the experience — something that directly aligns with a business need or objective that can be measured.

In this hypothetical example, the end product should have been a successful marketing manager. The experience needed to make sure the learner understands and can follow the process of market analysis, aligning with finance and creating test market plans. All of this might be best accomplished through a simulation, but perhaps not. Without fully understanding the learning gap and the problems within the organization, a vendor might just create the virtual world the client asked for, only to miss the mark on the real end product. A lose-lose.

If clients would invite vendors in to help determine what the problem is, then propose the recommended solution, this misalignment would happen less often.

Case Study — “Do It” Learning

At Digitec, we had a client who wanted an online course to teach search engine optimization (SEO). Instead of proposing a solution, right off, we met with the client several times to find out what the true end product needed to be. The “final product” was a business owner or marketer who understood SEO and could perform web site analysis related to their industry in order to create an effective SEO Web Strategy Document.

Other factors? The budget was tight and the content was very prone to frequent change. Knowing this, our solution was to use Knowledge Direct to create a series of PowerPoint modules that served as the tutorials. These short modules included animations, audio narration and embedded videos.

Using Knowledge Direct, we developed a constructivist learning approach. We uploaded the PowerPoint .pptx files into the built-in rapid content authoring tool within Knowledge Direct. Then we used the “Do It!” doc features within Knowledge Direct to enable learners to create their own SEO Web Strategy Document while they are learning. Do It! is a cloud-based “workbook-style” document creation tool. The feature enables a Knowledge Direct administrator to create document frameworks, then choose where to insert specific prompts within a module. Learners then respond to these prompts while they take the course content, to create their own final product.

Within a module — Demystifying SEO, for example, the learner used the embedded Do It! doc to answer questions and help them formulate their strategy by creating and researching their own search terms.

Throughout the course, the responses were redisplayed, so the learner could revise and refine their approach. Ultimately, at the end of the course, learners had completed their own SEO Web Strategy Document which they could export to Word, .pdf, email or access online. For the client, the end product was an easy-to-update course which enabled them to view detailed reporting, as well as view and comment on the learner’s actual web optimization strategy.

Why this worked…

In this example, the final product was not extremely flashy or expensive. The modules did not include virtual worlds, and there were no lip-synched avatars. But the project was produced well under the client’s budget, is simple for the client to update in-house using PowerPoint, and enables a coach to measure the effectiveness by accessing the learner’s actual Web Strategy Document — the true end product.

Let me know if you’d like to learn more about Do It learning.

With tablet technologies, the App Store, Android Market and so many technologies dominating the learning discussion these days, I wanted to tell a personal story of how the low-tech Apple iPod gave me insights into what we might be overlooking in a learning strategy: simplicity.

When I received my first iPod, my first chore was figuring out what to do with it. Tell me that some of you didn’t (or don’t) have a iPod somewhere at home gathering dust – especially now that our mobile devices store all our music, which will soon move to the cloud.

The paradigm shift for me came with the discovery of podcasts. What could be more low-tech? Audio recordings are downloaded to your iPod on a scheduled basis. Subscribers automatically get the latest downloads to listen to, when they want.

One of my goals has always been to learn Spanish, but I found it difficult to find classes that fit my schedule. I turned to Rosetta Stone, and while it was effective, I found that being “chained” to my computer was difficult to accommodate in my schedule, as well.

One thing, of course, I could always schedule was my Saturday morning 15 mile bike treks. So I started getting into the habit of strapping on my iPod when I strapped on my bike helmet. Finally, my iPod had a purpose! I’d synch my iPod to download the 80 or so Coffee Break Spanish lessons, then make my way through each one, episode by episode. I started with Lesson 1, three years ago, listening, unabashedly repeating the phrases to the wind, behind my dark sunglasses, babbling away on solitary bike trails in complete anonymity. If something didn’t make sense, I’d simply reach across to my arm-tethered iPod, pause, replay, continue.

How simple and effective can you get? I suppose I must be an aural learner, because after numerous episode replays, I found myself memorizing Mark and Cara’s dialog, verbatim. I was learning.

Why was the iPod so effective? I found out one Saturday morning, when my iPod was dead. So, instead, I brought along my iPhone. Same thing, right? Wrong. Now, when the podcast rattled away beyond my comprehension, I needed to unlock my phone, navigate to iTunes, pause the playback, then touch and drag on the timeline to try and replay what I’d missed. If you’ve ever tried this, you’ll see that not only is it awkward, but on bike at 15 MPH, it’s dangerous.

Shortly after this experience, I worked with my developers to ensure that our eLearning platform automatically created podcast versions of our modules. It captures the audio from PowerPoint recordings and creates a combined audio podcast. Very simple. Very effective, especially for all of us aural learners.

Just recently, after three years, I’ve completed the Coffee Break Spanish series and am on to another series called Showtime Spanish. I’ve augmented my learning with continual evening classes in intensive Spanish and continue to work away at the higher levels on Rosetta Stone.

This post is merely to suggest that sometimes the most effective learning can come from the simplest sources.

This is also my “shout out” to Coffee Break Spanish. The series is free and incredibly well designed and presented.

Mobile Learning Apps: Statistics and Trends

With the explosive growth in mobile devices, including smart phones and tablets, mobile learning, or “mLearning” is a natural application for this new technology. With the portability that these devices now give us, we can access the right information, right when and where we need it. How many times have you turned to your cell phone, when you needed directions or wanted to find out how to fix a leaky sink? It’s the perfect “learning” tool. Yet, many in the training and development industry are holding back on a mobile learning strategy, and I think that’s a huge mistake.

Making the case for Mobile Learning

It’s simple to make the business case for mLearning. Just look at the numbers. The growth is occurring so fast, that it’s no longer feasible to expect our learners NOT to be mobile. How fast is it growing? Here are some statistics from “Mobile by the Numbers” posted by Mashable’s Sarah Kessler:

* Of the 4 billion mobile phones globally, 1.08 billion are smart phones
* By 2014, access to the internet through mobile devices will overtake access from the desktop
* 50% of all searches are performed on mobile devices
* Americans spend an average 2.7 hours a day socializing on their mobile devices, which includes 1/3 of all Facebook posts and 50% of all tweets

What does this mean for learning? It’s already happening out there, so don’t expect your employees to go back to the desktop when it’s “time to learn.”

Where does mLearning fit?

Whether you offer mobile learning options through your corporate portal or not, your learners are already “mLearning”. It’s just that the process comes so naturally, we don’t think to call it learning.

According to a 2008 eLearning Guild 360 degree Report on mLearning, here are the numbers on how it’s being used today, according to a survey of eLearning Guild members:

1. On-demand access to information (64.1%)
2. Job aids and/or checklists (55.9%)
3. Procedures (51.4%)

While “training” did make this list as well, it was farther down, as it should be. Mobile devices and the explosion of wireless access everywhere opens up incredible possibilities for learning. Just because it doesn’t reside on a corporate intranet or has been assigned to someone’s learning plan, doesn’t mean it isn’t valid. As educators, shouldn’t this be our goal? Continual learning?

I’ve heard from quite a few training and HR executives on mLearning. Many are saying something like: “We’re not looking at mobile learning, right now. That’s further downstream for us.” My only response is to look out. The water is rising…and fast. You might not be ready, but believe me, your learners are.

The eLearning Guild recently released their “Getting Started with e-Learning 2.0” survey report, and the results serve as further evidence that the learning landscape is changing… and needs to.

The survey, based on the responses from 876 professionals from the eLearning Guild, asked about the use of Web 2.0 type applications in their learning programs. The survey also asked members how likely they are to begin incorporating these technologies in the future.

What is e-Learning 2.0?

The term “e-Learning 2.0” directly relates to “Web 2.0,” or the use of web-based collaborative tools or applications, such as wikis, blogs, YouTube or social media sites like LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. The results, at a glance:

70% of respondents said e-Learning 2.0 initiatives are somewhat or very worthwhile
50% reported needing to embrace these technologies to stay competitive
Larger organizations are making limited use of these resources, while smaller organization will be making significant use.

How e-Learning 2.0 Will Transform How we Learn

Typically, educators have followed the expert-based model. Formal learning is typically designed and selectively organized by a teacher or instructional designer. The “course” is then presented outside the work environment, where learners passively consume this knowledge and demonstrate mastery by answering multiple-choice questions, a measurement rarely suitable for measuring competency.
The key feature of e-Learning 2.0 is that it encourages two-way communication; whereas, formal learning has been more one-way. So why is this significant?

You might be familiar with the Princeton University 70/20/10 learning model. This model states that 70% of learning and development happens on the job; 20% of learning occurs during feedback and observation of others; and only 10% of learning and development comes from formal learning. Simply stated, e-Learning 2.0 features better align with the 70/20/10 model by:

- Providing more two-way communication, while on-the-job
- Encouraging feedback from experts and others
- Allowing learners to observe others doing the job, through YouTube videos for example.

So, based on this 70/20/10 learning model, it makes sense that social media is well-suited for education. And with the continued growth of mobile devices and the speed of change, learners will expect learning resources that provide solutions to their problems, whenever and wherever they are. So how do we adapt learning to meet these expectations?

Be sure to read my next post, where I’ll feature some specific ways that you can implement the most popular e-Learning 2.0 features into your learning strategy.

Are you providing any e-Learning 2.0 features in your organization? How successful do you think they are?