Putting the ‘learning’ back into e-learning
Martin Addison reports on the latest learning technology webinar which discussed the emerging wave for Web 2.0 and practical guidelines for making e-learning more effective in organisations.
Does the fact that people are more comfortable with technology mean that e-learning now has a better chance of succeeding than ever before?
To discuss this issue, we were joined by Martyn Sloman, TJ’s principal consultant on the L&D 2020 research project and a former adviser to the CIPD on learning, training and development. A renowned researcher and author, Martyn is a visiting professor at Kingston Business School and a teaching fellow at Birkbeck College. Here’s a summary of the issues raised and the ensuing discussion.
Three waves
The first of these waves stemmed from the advent of the desktop personal computer in the 1980s. Although the term ‘technology-based training’ had been in use since the 1970s, it was the PC that created an expectation that workplace training was going to be transformed.
A second wave of optimism was triggered by the growth of the World Wide Web, which began to change the way businesses operated. In the 1990s, suppliers of computer-based training products started to explore the option of delivering learning via the Web.
Web 2.0
The third and latest wave of optimism for e-learning stems from Web 2.0, which broadly describes a movement towards using the Web as a platform for sharing information among peers, both within and between organisations. This has led to the creation of a second generation of internet-based communities that encourage collaboration between users.
Guidelines for e-learning
The fact that more people are comfortable with technology does give e-learning a better chance of succeeding. However, more needs to be done to realise its full potential. Some good practice guidelines include:
- Start with the learner
- E-learning is about learning, not about technology
- Relevance drives out resistance
- Trying to learn in isolation is not effective for individuals
- E-learning is effective when combined with other forms of learning
- Learning is not training
- Set it in your own context
Other ways that technology affects learning
Technology affects learning at work in other ways, apart from e-learning. Each of the following is linked with performance and each has a learning application in the workplace:
- The ‘Google-isation’ of learning
- Expert opinion
- Discussion threads
- Information repositories
- Online pre-assessment
- Webinars
- Virtual worlds
- Online performance support/electronic job aids
