PowerPoint – The King of eLearning Tools?

Is PowerPoint the most widely used tool for eLearning development? Should it be?

It seems that everywhere I go in the eLearning world I run into PowerPoint. Most of the new authoring tools either use PPT as their backbone or offer the ability to import slides. Interface creation, navigation buttons, LMS tracking, and testing abilities are then typically added to the PPT functionality.

I “grew-up” in eLearning world using Director/Authorware and then moving into Flash/HTML (PPT was “off-limits”).  In the past few years I’ve started using Articulate and Captivate to do the heavy lifting and using Flash more for specific parts of the overall course. Using these new tools meant that I had to start using PPT.

At first I was very anti-PPT, however I have changed my tune a bit in the past few years. I have come to appreciate that with some good thought and instructional design you can use most any tool to a decent level of effectiveness. I’ve seen terrible Flash and Lectora courses even thought they were created in amazing (expensive) tools. Then on the flip-side, I’ve seen some very creative content built with free tools.

Seems cliché but maybe it’s not about the tool. Good instructional design skills can be applied anywhere.

Here are a few reasons why PPT seems to be so widely used in eLearning:

1. Classroom training is often converted to an online format. Every classroom course has a PPT and it’s usually the first thing that someone thinks about when they want to put the course online. Unfortunately too often the PPT is simply thrown online without having truly turned it into effective eLearning.

2. Everyone has PPT. It’s probably already on every training person’s computer.

3. Everyone knows how to use it (and if they don’t it’s pretty easy to learn.)

4. You can quickly create content and there are tons of layouts, backgrounds, and color themes.

5. And last but not least, Microsoft already owns the world so why not conform?

What do you think? What has been your experience with PPT as a development tool? What is it missing? Do you think Microsoft will add features and turn it into a more robust eLearning development tool? Good article from Rapid eL Blog.

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eLearning flash interactions, games, and PowerPoint backgrounds for your online courses.

The English Language is Just Weird!

I got an email about this the other day and thought that it was fun to read. There are many times when we have to teach things that don’t make sense and don’t seem to follow rules. I’m glad that I’m not trying to teach English.

Here are some “weird” things in English:

1. The bandage was wound around the wound.
2. The farm was used to produce produce .
3. The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.
4. We must polish the Polish furniture.
5. He could lead if he would get the lead out.
6. The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.
7. Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.
8. A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.
9. When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.
10. I did not object to the object.
11. The insurance was invalid for the invalid.
12. There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.
13. They were too close to the door to close it.
14. The buck does funny things when the does are present.
15. A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.
16. To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.
17. The wind was too strong to wind the sail.
18. Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.
19. I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.
20. After I read the book I can say it was read.

More weird phrases:

• There is no egg in eggplant, ham in hamburger, or apple nor pine in pineapple.
• Quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.
• Why is it that writers write but fingers don’t fing?
• If teachers taught, why didn’t preachers praught?
• If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?
• A wise man and a wise guy are opposites?

Isn’t English great!

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Fun Learning Games.

The Forgotten Step in eLearning Design

There is a step in the design process that seems to be rushed-over at times: Brainstorming.

Many times we are presented with information that needs to be trained. We’ve probably done a similar course in the past and/or covered a similar topic. We probably have standards, templates, colors, and other various course assets in place so that we can build content more quickly. The course also needs to be done yesterday.

It is very easy to just “start building”. We have a learning need, the base content is provided, SMEs are lined up to review it, and we have a deadline….let’s do it! However we are missing a key “brainstorming” step.

We all know that a team of individuals can usually be more creative than just one individual. As ideas start to “fly” others can build off those ideas and come up with new/better ones. Each person’s unique background and skills leads them to new ideas. However many times getting together a brainstorming team is viewed as cumbersome and time consuming.

Brainstorming can be very simple and quick. Here’s how I like to brainstorm a course:

1. Come up with a basic outline of the course content and proposed flow.
2. Gather the design team (or anyone who wants to participate).
3. Briefly mention what topics need to be covered.
4. Ask for ideas on how this information could be presented. (high-level ideas and quick)
5. Write them down. (all of them….every comment is OK at this point)
6. When everyone is done, start to combine ideas that are similar and delete those that aren’t feasible.

Through this process the best ideas rise to the top and become more refined. This process can give you great ideas for how to brand a course, make it interactive, present content, and engage the learner.

Brainstorming Rules:

• No judgements (every comment is OK at this point)
• No discussions (save the discussion for later)
• No stories
• Quick responses (only spend 5-10 mins total)
• Get a lot of ideas before stopping (may set a goal beforehand)
• Keep going even if you have a great idea early
• Save the brainstorming notes

Here’s an interesting article on Brainstorming methods (right-brain vs. left-brain).

Brainstorming isn’t new but I think that if we spent a bit more time doing it our course could be greatly improved.

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eLearning activities and interactions

Hostages in Training Prison

Awhile back I did a post on Training Prisoners and how we can help participants not feel “trapped” in class.

I’ve been reading a blog called: Better Learning Better Earning and it has some interesting articles. One in particular touches on Training by Hostage.  They discuss Learning Liberty, Learning Tyranny, and You-niversity.

We really can’t force anyone to learn. We can encourage people to pursue interests and to feed those interest.

At times employees must learn certain information whether they are interested or not. That’s where good instructional design can help. Appropriate interactions, activities, scenarios, etc. can really help create interest.

I guess the best course would be when a participant gets so enthralled in the content that it turns into self-education. Check out their post.

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eLearning activities and games

Online Learning Takes Special Skills

What skills are needed to successfully learn from online training? Are there some users that will never be successful using eLearning? Are the skills needed to learn in a classroom environment different from skills needed online?

Here are some thoughts.

Classroom-based training requires:

• Listening comprehension
• Ability to pay attention for long spans of time
• Oral expression/ Ability to put thoughts into words
• Colleague collaboration / Teamwork

Online training requires:

• Reading skills
• Independent study skills
• Self-pacing and time management
• Self motivation and discipline
• A learning space created by user

Now the argument can be made that a lot of these skills apply to both classroom and online training. However it seems that certain skills seem more important for certain delivery methods.

As more and more courses move online we need to be more thoughtful of our design. We need to realize that some users might not be great readers, have a lot of self-discipline, and/or have time management skills. So how can we improve? What can we do to help out our learners?

Ideas to help learners that struggle in these areas:

Lack of Reading Skills

• We’ve all heard that “a picture is worth a thousand words.” Images can really improve the learner’s comprehension and speed up the learning. This is true for all levels of readers.
• Be sure to “chunk” text, use bullets, and make it “scannable“.
• Use audio and instructional video.

Lack of Independent Study Skills

• Add a forum or discussion area.
• Put the learners into virtual groups and have them do some online training and then hold a team discussion over the phone/email.
• Hold live WebEx sessions to connect with others.

Lack of Self-pacing and Time Management

• Make the courses short. This helps learners be able to complete training even if they only have a few minutes to dedicate.
• Indicate how long each module/lesson will take. This will allow learners to plan.

Lack of Motivation and Discipline

• Make the course visually appealing and interactive. (scenarios, quizzes, games, etc.)
• Content should be applicable to the learner’s job and interests.
• Possibly have the learner agree to a training schedule and have “check-in” points where they must indicate their progress.

Lack of Learning Space

• Tell learners what is expected. They should know that they need to find a quite place (free of distractions) before beginning the course.
• Provide a list of tips to create a virtual learning environment. Maybe they could turn of their phone, close all other computer applications, shut the door, put a sign on the door, put earphone on instead of listening through the computer speakers, etc.

What thoughts do you have?

Highlights from E-Learning 2.0 LinkedIn Discussion:

Anne Petersen: “One skill they definitely need is the skill to read instructions – and follow them”

Marian Heddesheimer: (for virtual classrooms) “Technical skills, like setting up audio and camera properly.
Moderating skills like allowing students to use their mike or camera.”

Ian Simpson: “My experience is that somehow e-Learning sharpened or at least underlined the distinction between good and not so good student performance.”

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eLearning games and interactive flash templates that you can insert into your favorite rapid eLearning tool.

eLearning Graphics – They Make a Huge Impact!

There is no doubt that graphics and images greatly improve online training content. The question is how to properly use them. I’ve come across some good articles lately and thought that I’d compile and list them here.  (the list also includes some posts on graphics that we’ve done in the past.)

Realistic Graphics and Learning: What’s most effective? (The eLearning Coach)

Really…Were These the Best Images We Could Find? (eLearning Brothers)

Don’t use Gratuitous Images in eLearning (eLearning Brothers)

Graphics: Adding Reflections (eLearning Brothers)

5 Common Visual Design Mistakes (The Rapid eLearning Blog)

Visual Design for Instructional Content (eLearning Post)

If you have some more good articles please let me know.

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(Check out amazing eLearning Games, Flash Interactions, PowerPoint Backgrounds, and e Learning Templates)

Instructional Design for Videos

A lot of training is using video and it’s becoming very easy to create and distribute. As things become easier and cheaper we often see the quality decrease. For example, if you had to spend $10,000 to hire a camera crew to come out and do a video shoot then you’d probably have all of the scripts and talent well prepared. However, if you can quickly create a video on your handheld camera and upload it to YouTube then you might be tempted to just “wing-it”.

Here is a great article by Jeremy Vest on things to keep in mind when doing instructional design for video.

7 Sins of Online Video Instructional Design
April 30, 2009
By Jeremy Vest (Chief learning officer of Splash Media and author of “Exploring Web Design.” )

(Post from SalesMarketing.com)

With the popularity of video sites such as YouTube, which now accounts for 25 percent of all searches on the Web, the consumption of video training is now a reality in most organizations and colleges.  This accessible forum has made it easier for organizations to produce and provide online training videos.  While this technology is available to anyone, companies do need to take time to consider the quality of the online training videos they are producing and providing.  The following will give you a perspective of common, yet avoidable, mistakes most companies make when creating online training videos:

1. Not connected to learners
Have the subject matter expert (SME) address the camera, and do not just show screen shots. Change up shots; do not keep static too long. The more impersonal you make your training videos, the less likely your learners will feel a connection to the SME.  This will cause a less engaged overall learning experience. Click here for an example of a connected online video.

2. Poor planning before the shoot
More…

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Fun Learning Games.

A Grammar Rule Gone Bad

Every time I try to spell a word with with the letters “ie” I say this in my head, ” I before E except after C”.

Well…that doesn’t seem to be correct. In fact maybe it’s wrong 66% of the time. This article that Dave Mozealous did is great! He gives us some real numbers around this rule.

I before E, ESPECIALLY after C

Here are some awesome e Learning templates to help you quickly build online courses. (and they will look great!)

The Advantages of eLearning

I came across this article and thought it listed some nice advantages of eLearning. Have a read!

The Advantages of eLearning

The Advantages of eLearning

By Karen L. Jones

Technology has revolutionized business; now it must revolutionize learning.

In the 21st century, people have to learn more than ever before. Especially for global organizations, live classroom-based training is becoming too costly and cumbersome. Even if employees had the time to attend all the courses and seminars and to read all the books and reports they should to remain up-to-date in their area of work, the cost of such learning would be prohibitive. The need to transform how organizations learn points to a more modern, efficient, and flexible alternative: eLearning. The mission of corporate eLearning is to supply the workforce with an up-to-date and cost-effective program that yields motivated, skilled, and loyal knowledge workers.

Anywhere, anytime, anyone.

The Internet can offer the logical solution for a company’s education and training objectives. Approximately 80% of the professional workforce already uses computers on the job. Technical obstacles, such as access, standards, infrastructure, and bandwidth, will not be an issue in a few years. The growth of the World Wide Web, high-capacity corporate networks, and high-speed desktop computers will make learning available to people 24 hours a day, seven days a week around the globe. This will enable businesses to distribute training and critical information to multiple locations easily and conveniently. Employees can then access training when it is convenient for them, at home or in the office.

Substantial cost savings due to elimination of travel expenses.

When delivered through technology based solutions, training is less expensive per end user due to scaleable distribution and the elimination of high salaries for trainers and consultants. The biggest benefit of eLearning, however, is that it eliminates the expense and inconvenience of getting the instructor and students in the same place. According to Training Magazine, corporations save between 50-70% when replacing instructor-led training with electronic content delivery. Opting for eLearning also means that courses can be pared into shorter sessions and spread out over several days or weeks so that the business would not lose an employee for entire days at a time. Workers can also improve productivity and use their own time more efficiently, as they no longer need to travel or fight rush-hour traffic to get to a class.

Just-in-time access to timely information.

Web-based products allow instructors to update lessons and materials across the entire network instantly. This keeps content fresh and consistent and gives students immediate access to the most current data. Information can be retrieved just before it is required, rather than being learned once in a classroom and subsequently forgotten. Training Magazine reported that technology-based training has proven to have a 50–60% better consistency of learning than traditional classroom learning (c-learning).

Higher retention of content through personalized learning.

Technology-based solutions allow more room for individual differences in learning styles. They also provide a high level of simulation that can be tailored to the learner’s level of proficiency. With 24 x 7 access, people can learn at their own pace and review course material as often as needed. Since they can customize the learning material to their own needs, students have more control over their learning process and can better understand the material, leading to a 60% faster learning curve, compared to instructor-led training. The delivery of content in smaller units, called “chunks,” contributes further to a more lasting learning effect. Whereas the average content retention rate for an instructor-led class is only 58%, the more intensive eLearning experience enhances the retention rate by 25 – 60%.1 Higher retention of the material puts a higher value on every dollar spent on training.

Improved collaboration and interactivity among students.

In times when small instructor-led classes tend to be the exception, electronic learning solutions can offer more collaboration and interaction with experts and peers as well as a higher success rate than the live alternative. Teaching and communication techniques which create an interactive online environment include case studies, story-telling, demonstrations, role-playing, simulations, streamed videos, online references, personalized coaching and mentoring, discussion groups, project teams, chat rooms, e-mail, bulletin boards, tips, tutorials, FAQs, and wizards.

Distance education can be more stimulating and encourage more critical reasoning than a traditional large instructor-led class because it allows the kind of interaction that takes place most fully in small group settings. Studies have shown that students who take online courses are typically drawn into the subject matter of the class more deeply than in a traditional course because of the discussions they get involved in.2 This engagement is further facilitated by the fact that instructors do not monopolize attention in an online environment. Another study found that online students had more peer contact with others in the class, enjoyed it more, spent more time on class work, understood the material better, and performed, on average, 20% better than students who were taught in the traditional classroom.

Online training is less intimidating than instructor-led courses.

Students taking an online course enter a risk-free environment in which they can try new things and make mistakes without exposing themselves. This characteristic is particularly valuable when trying to learn soft skills, such as leadership and decision making. A good learning program shows the consequences of students’ actions and here/why they went wrong. After a failure, students can go back and try again. This type of learning experience eliminates the embarrassment of failure in front of a group.

With all of these advantages of taking classes online, it is hard to imagine why anyone would opt to sit in a lecture to learn new information. There are online classes available free on a multitude of topics, just start surfing, find one to your liking, and start learning!

ENDNOTES

1 Jack E. Bowsher, “Revolutionizing Workforce Performance: A Systems Approach to Mastery,” 1998; D. Peoples, Presentations Plus, 1992; Training Magazine, 1998.

2 Greg Kearsley, A Guide to Online Education, 1997; Dennis A. Trinkle, “Distance Education: a Means to an End, No More, No Less,” The Chronicle of Higher Education, 1999; Colin McCormack and David Jones, “Building a Web-based Education System,” 1997.

For off-the shelf and customized eLearning programs, visit http://www.bryanttraining.com/elearning.htm Sign up today for an Office course for only $50.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Karen_L._Jones
http://EzineArticles.com/?The-Advantages-of-eLearning&id=603386

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Here are some awesome e Learning templates to help you quickly build online courses. (and they will look great!)

Course Tests…Do We Even Need Them?

“We test because we have to test.” (Comment by Gary Wise on one of my LinkedIn discussions, “What Should a Passing Score Be?”.)

That got me thinking about why I’ve put tests in some of my courses and what functions they serve. Below are some questions that ran through my head. I’ve also put down my thoughts but I know that there are many other ideas out there and I look forward to hearing them.

Testing questions in my head:

1. Why do management and/or my client always want a test at the end of the course?
I don’t know about you but it seems that every time I build a course someone wants to put a test at the end. (Ok…sometimes it’s even me.) We always want to know if the learner understood and retained the information from the material. A text-based test at the end seems to be a quick and easy way to gain some level of confidence that knowledge transferred. Are there better ways to track this transfer and application back on the job? Sure, but it is more complicated than a simple end-of-course test. (But I’m sure we can all agree that the data gathered around how well learners are changing their behavior would be much more meaningful.)

2. Do we always have to test? Does every course need a test?
There are some courses that are fairly short and don’t tie to an essential part of someone’s job. Can a course like this not have a test? My thought would be yes. I guess it would boil down to why the course was created and do you need to “prove” to anyone that the time/resources were worth it. Maybe courses are joined together into Learning Paths and there is one final test for the entire path instead.

There are also times where we must meet compliance/regulatory requirements and we must be able to show test results. Paper-based test results can easily be presented in spreadsheets and charts.

Another great point that Gary mentioned was that “learners need to know they’ve passed”. Most of the time when we start a task we like to know when it’s completed. This thought could hold true with taking a course as well. We’d like some feedback/closure that we did what we needed to do. That our time was not wasted.

3. Is a simple True/False or Multiple Choice test ok?
Sure, if that’s the level of confidence you want to have that participants accomplished the course objectives.

4. Pre-test vs. Post-test…which one should I use? (maybe both?)
There are quite a few ways to create tests. Which option works best?

• Post-Test only
• Identical Pre and Post Tests
• Pre and Post Tests share the sames questions but randomized
• Different questions in both

5. Is the test score really an accurate indicator?
Some people are really good at remembering information and recalling that to find the correct test answers. Do they really change their behavior back on the job? Maybe the test score is more a reflection of how well the material was presented instead of actual learning.

6. Is there a way to test without “testing”?
If we put a bit more thought into what truly means success for our courses then we can discover other ways of measuring results than by just paper-based tests. For example, if we look at a sales course there are multiple things we could measure about each participant:

• Increase in sales 1, 3, 6 months following a course
• Surveys to the manager about sales concepts being applied
• Mystery shops / Observation of the participant in action
• Number of product referrals
• Increase in commission
• Customer satisfaction scores

Overall, I think that many times tests are thrown together quickly and don’t really gather meaningful data. Too often the success of our courses and participants is determined by test scores and often is not the best data to be using for that decision. With a bit more effort and brainstorming we should be able to move from Level 1 testing and get to 3 and 4.

I know that there are many aspects of testing that I’m missing and there is tons of information that I missed above.  What are your thoughts? What questions run through your head?

(Check out amazing eLearning Games, Flash Interactions, PowerPoint Backgrounds, and eLearning Templates)

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