| Online
Learning or Shovelware?
by Cedric Richardson
Instructional design is the most important
skill needed to ensure effective online learning. Well,
we've all heard statements like this repeated over and
over again. And never has it been more true than now
as the Australian elearning market begins to heat up,
technological advances continue to challenge our notions
of what constitutes elearning and the shortage of suitably
qualified instructional designers reaches crisis point.
The past year has seen a dramatic increase
in interest in elearning by large corporations. This
is most noticeable in the financial services sector,
where the Financial Services Reform Act has placed elearning
squarely on the agenda by requiring financial institutions
to track the completion of training by all customer
service staff. But even outside of the financial services
sector, many large organisations are seeing system rollouts
or other change projects as an opportunity to fund an
elearning implementation. The interest has been helped
by more competitive pricing options and start-up packages
being offered by Learning Management System (LMS) vendors
and also by an apparent renewed interest in training
in general within organisations.
At the same time, more and more gadgets
come within our economic and technological reach. Virtual
classrooms allow us to mimic the interactions of traditional
classrooms from desktops across the globe. SCORM-compliant
Learning Content Management Systems (LCMS) claim to
provide the capability for subject matter experts to
load content into templates to create reusable learning
objects. And streaming technologies and higher bandwidth
connections enable us to include video footage in our
courseware.
But how do we resist the temptation to
use existing facilitator-led courses in a virtual classroom,
when common sense tells us that a virtual classroom
requires a different level of facilitation and interaction
to a normal classroom? And how do we avoid producing
page after page of template-induced read-and-click shovelware
that dulls out even the most ardent of online learners?
Or worse still, repurpose those eighties team-building
videos to save money on our flashy new online learning
program?
The answer lies in the instructional design
input. Top-caliber instructional designers know how
best to incorporate a virtual classroom discussion into
a blended learning course to maximise the benefit of
the online interactions. They also know how to work
within the limitations of existing LCMS technology to
build and reuse templates that provide truly engaging
learning interactions. And they can make informed decisions
about when video is possible within bandwidth constraints
and when it will enhance the learning experience rather
than simply increase the WOW factor.
These top-caliber instructional designers
know about adult learning theory, because elearning
is primarily about autonomous learning. They also explain
key concepts clearly and succinctly because they know
about instructional design principles. And they are
comfortable working across multiple Web technologies.
Oh, and by the way, they appear to be in short supply.
For more information, please contact:
Graham Whelan, Sales and Marketing Manager
Tel: +61 3 8631 3610
Email: g.whelan@olla.com.au
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