As we are entering into a new year, I thought of having quick review of the most appreciated blogs in the year 2009. The list represents some of the most interesting and active learning topics.

Training Needs Analysis: To Skip or Not to Skip is the Question

Usually, training needs are identified during an annual performance appraisal done by HRD. These needs are handed over to corporate training to initiate involvement to address them. The needs are classified and collated; training calendars drawn; training budgets projected and so on. Most line managers want the training to be delivered yesterday! There is always a dearth of time, resources and money, which makes us think twice before we jump into a full-fledged analysis. So, the question is when can we skip and when can we not?

How can you learn, unlearn and relearn?

There is so much we unlearn without much effort. Knowledge not often revised, skills not regularly practiced and beliefs shattered by contradictory experience are all day-to-day examples of unlearning. But what about a situation where person’s knowledge, skills and beliefs serve him well and is therefore reinforced? How can he unlearn them in the face of a superior learning, which will serve him better?

Singular delivery environment for instruction (i.e. class-room only) versus a blended delivery instructional environment – when to use them?

In today’s technology and availability of multiple delivery media days, we are tempted to use a blended approach (more than one medium of delivery) to deliver training. In corporate training, many a times, singular delivery method is enough to do the job. Before we zero down on the criteria for selecting a delivery environment, let us know more about the typical singular and blended learning environments.

Sage on the Stage or Guide on the Side?

A leader motivates, envisions, inspires, communicates, cajoles, reprimands… so does a teacher. A leader is driven by his ego. Who among us can deny the thrill of self-gratification when we stand in front of a group and lead them? So, why belittle the ‘sage’ in us? On the other hand, how much of empathy does trainer need to relate to his flock? Does being a ‘guide by the side’ depend upon the kind of learners, the trainer is dealing with? Or are we just donning the role of ‘guide’ only to mollify the egos of learners? What exactly we mean by ‘facilitating’ learning?

Learning Styles and Instructional Design: Do they go hand in hand?

Kolb’s learning theory introduces us to four distinct learning styles (or preferences), which are based on a four-stage learning cycle – learning by feeling, watching, thinking and doing. My question is how practicable or feasible it is to try and accommodate various learning styles while designing a course, be it classroom or online?

How much of ‘Entertaining’ is advisable in Training?

We know the humor is an extremely powerful force, sometimes even life saving (Anatomy of an Illness, Norman Cousins).We tend to agree with Elliott Massie when he says that every great classroom-based class that he had attended contained humor and laughter. Off hand, we agree that positive humor will help establish a climate conducive to learning, reduce stress, aids retention of information, breaks down barriers between facilitators and learners, and foster cohesiveness. But the question is how?

Sales Training in a Classroom or Online?

Sales Training can comprise product knowledge, sales procedures & reports and selling skills. We have been developing sales training courses for automobile major in Europe, with market presence in Europe and Asia. During the development, we realized that this client company is using a blended approach by addressing certain aspects of training via online delivery and certain others in the classroom. What do you think? Is eLearning or online mode of delivery suitable for selling skills training?

Software Product Simulation – Captivate or Flash?

Software product training using authoring tools like Captivate or Adobe Flash is an effective mode of eLearning. Screenshots of the software acts as a raw content for developing an online course. The learner is taught on how to use the software by creating a simulated environment. The effectiveness of learning can be enhanced by using audio. Both Captivate and Flash can impart training. Let’s see, which one is more suitable.

What Are The Real Elearning Standards?

In the eLearning field, we usually come across SCORM/AICC as the standards to which the courseware should adhere to. But how far are these standards learner-centric? Are these standards impeding learning?

How to market social media as a learning tool?

How do we ‘market’ the use of social media as a new tool or avatar of learning? First, are we sold on it? Many of us have mixed experiences and opinions about using social media in an organizational setting to learn and improve workplace performance. I think I find blogging and LinkedIn more useful than Face book or Twitter. I am sure many of you have opposing views.

Wishing all a Happy, Prosperous and Peaceful New Year!

RK Prasad

CEO

A month ago, Connie Malamed posted a discussion in LinkedIn inviting readers to donate storyboard formats to be offered as a resource to the eLearning fraternity. Many have offered the formats they were using. You can find them at the eLearning coach. I too sent a couple of them (yet to be uploaded; Connie is a terribly busy person but still finds time to maintain an extremely useful site for learning professionals like us).

That started my thinking about this fairly “low-tech” component in a high tech world of technology-based learning and corporate training. I was amazed to discover that our ubiquitous storyboard is actually an 80-year old Ancient . The humble word document that serves us in developing eLearning courseware has an interesting history. According to Wikipedia, the first storyboard was developed at the Walt Disney studio during the early 1930s for the 1933 Disney’s Three Little Pigs! I also learnt that it is used in many ways by many professions – Film, Theater, Advertising, TV, Publishing, Business, eLearning…

We at CommLab use MS Word to make our storyboards. PowerPoint is also used by some and Authoring tools by a few. But I think ‘MS Word’ is by far the most extensively used in developing online course storyboards. Connie has a very useful section, “Storyboards for eLearning” on her site for those who wish to pick up some tips.

I wonder if we can give the ol’ storyboard a ‘makeover? Can we come up with a tool that offers all the following.

• Desktop Publishing software like Ventura or PageMaker to build a tailor-made formats with ease
• PowerPoint to create some elementary animation
• Clip Art Gallery for images / photographs
• Various Assessment Components that can just be selected and populated
• Audio / Video Gallery of music, standard instructions, video clips…
• Dictionary and Thesaurus

Any more ideas?

Thank you for reading my blog. I look forward to your comments.

RK Prasad

CEO

This month’s Big Question in The Learning Circuits “WHAT DID YOU LEARN ABOUT LEARNING IN 2009?”

Being a Learning and Training professional, I think it a good time to take stock about our own learning about learning. Reminds me of the adage, “Physician, heal thyself”.

It is in this year that I started to participate in various online forums and social media regularly. I also started to blog on learning and training with special emphasis on learning styles and learning tools.

Year 2009 taught me that you can learn a lot by:

• Asking the right questions
• Keeping your ego at subsistence levels
• Realizing that there is so much to learn from others

I discovered that humility is the best friend of learning. Maybe that is why we learn the most, in the shortest possible time, enjoying every minute of it, when we were children. Children instinctively follow all the three of my discoveries constantly. On the other hand, I have also discovered that our ego is the greatest enemy of learning. Maybe that is why our real learning drops as we become more accomplished in life (in our own eyes).

I have also learnt what Stephen Covey enunciates – you will learn best when you learn in order to teach or teach. Not only have I learnt that I have greatly learnt by using this quality of learning, but also realized that I thoroughly enjoyed myself in the process.

The third learning I have learnt about learning is that it happens when you suspend the noise in your head. I always wondered how the great sages achieved ‘nirvana’ (enlightenment) by meditation. Not by reading or discussing, but by keeping silent in the real sense of the word – achieving tranquility outside and inside, though for a short time. I have read somewhere that the human mind contains all the wisdom of this universe and all you have to do is to connect yourself with the ‘Higher Power’ to tap into it. [I think that it is an excellent idea to include a brief period of silence and contemplation in a corporate training session ]

I would like to take this opportunity to thank and salute all my colleagues, real and virtual, in helping me discover these wonderful aspects of learning!

RK Prasad

CEO

In order to offer comprehensive technology-based learning solutions to corporate customers, CommLab and Learning Net have come together in a synergistic partnership, after almost a decade-long business association.

The Management of both companies believes that this partnership will be mutually beneficial and will also greatly benefit customers of both organizations.

Learning.net is a software services company that offers learning management systems to organizations of all sizes. These services complement the custom courseware services and catalog courses that CommLab offers to address corporate training need across the world in a much better, faster and more economical manner than before.

About Learning Net

Learning.net is totally focused on software services, hosting software solutions to their corporate customers. Trellis, the company LMS/ LCMS provides a very cost-effective solution for smaller learning communities. The Trellis family of products – TrellisManage, TrellisAuthor, TrellisTalk – offer an opportunity for larger organizations to customize a learning management system to their unique needs at the cost of what others offer off-the-shelf.

For more information, please contact info@learning.net

About CommLab India

CommLab India is a custom e-learning solutions company based in India. Since 2000, it has been providing state-of-the-art e-learning services to organizations across the world in the areas of Custom Courseware, Catalogue Courses and Learning Technology. Some of its reputed clients are BC Hydro, George Washington University, Kawasaki and Deloitte. They are preferred vendors to some Fortune 500 companies such as Alcoa, Uniliver and Pepco Holding Inc.

For more information, please contact info@commlabindia.com

As most of you know, Second Life is a three-dimensional virtual world whose content is open-ended and created by its users based on their imagination. The access to SL is free to casual users, while additional benefits and services come with a price tag.

When I first heard about SL, I promptly created an account and explored it. Can SL change the way product training or sales training is done now? Will its three dimensional (3D), visually intensive and information rich learning environment offer us a powerful medium to address these critical training needs… were some of the questions that raced through my mind.

My first impression was that product and sales training will be ‘born again’. [But then, I can get very excited with new technologies] I started dreaming that companies can take initiatives of educating their sales staff and customers on their products, given its 3-D environment. But after some exploration, I think, although SL is “cool” and shows a lot of promise with its visual and functional capabilities; it is not something that you and I will happily welcome with open arms. More specifically, we will encounter obstacles such as:

1. A steep learning curve needs to be maneuvered due to lack of awareness about SL in the first place.
2. Internal Learning & Development teams may not have the required skills to deliver this kind of training online.
3. The current navigation structure is not intuitive. It is slow, awkward and confusing. Many a times, I got stuck.
4. It will definitely be expensive to develop custom applications.
5. Some organizations may have bandwidth limitations.
6. Integration with existing learning management systems will be a real challenge.

I am still convinced that Second Life has potential (I don’t know why; more of a gut feeling), but it looks like as of now, that it is overshadowed by a steep learning curve for new users, a non-intuitive interface, and the high investment of time and money required for programming content to justify the costs.

I would greatly appreciate your comments and sharing of your experiences. Thank you for reading my blog.

RK Prasad

CEO