Learning Management: Graduation

I received my M.Ed in Human Resources Education with a concentration in eLearning from UIUC. I want to thank everyone who has helped me reach this goal, including managers, co-workers, professors, fellow students, family, and friends.

The Master's program coursework included Project Management, Learning Systems Design, Instructional Design, Adult Learning Theory, Program Evaluation and Research, Web 2.0, Computer Ethics, Innovations in eLearning. I was also a member and volunteer of the Chicagoland Chapter of the American Society for Training and Development (CCASTD).

Since graduation, I was certified as an eLearning Instructor with the Princeton Review, and I accepted a full-time position with CEB (formerly Valtera). At CEB, I will be managing small to mid-size employee engagement survey projects, including all project management tasks, data analysis, and reporting. I am very excited about this opportunity, and I hope to periodically share my new found knowledge and experiences with everyone here.

Learning Evaluation: Learning Analytics

Learning analytics is the use of intelligent data, learner-produced data, and analysis models to discover information and social connections, and to predict and advise on learning. (Siemens, 2010) An analytics system includes the information repository itself, as well as a means for data optimization, predictive modeling, forecasting, and statistical analysis.

According to Ferguson (2012), there are 3 factors driving the development of learning analytics in higher education. They are:
1) Big Data
2) Online Learning
3) Political Concerns

When implemeting learning analytics, the following should be considered:
- Methods for visualizing data that are easy to use and understand
- Personalized dashboards
- Standards for the structure of data
- Ethics, privacy, and ownership of data

Data warehouses and the cloud make it possible to collect, manage, and maintain massive amounts of information, and technology platforms can now help us turn a mass of numbers into meaningful patterns. "Data mining uses descriptive and inferential statistics (e.g., moving averages, correlations, and regressions) and complex functions (e.g., graph analysis, market basket analysis, and tokenization) to look inside those patterns for actionable information. Predictive techniques (e.g., neural networks and decision trees) help anticipate behavior and events."(Wagner & Ice, 2012)

Learning Analytics is here to stay. Information gleaned from transactions and interactions in our online lives that can then be summarized in reports in order to provide us with intelligence for making decisions in a shift toward more desirable behavior is extremely valuable!

Resources:
Ferguson, R. (2012). The State Of Learning Analytics in 2012: A Review and Future Challenges. Technical Report KMI-12-01, Knowledge Media Institute, The Open University, UK. http://kmi.open.ac.uk/publications/techreport/kmi-12-01

Siemens, G. (2010). What are learning analytics?. Retrieved from: http://www.elearnspace.org/blog/2010/08/25/what-are-learning-analytics/

Wagner, E., & Ice, P. (2012). Data changes everything: delivering on the promise of learning analytics in higher education. EDUCAUSE Review, July/August. Retrieved from http://www.educause.edu/ero/article/data-changes-everything-delivering-promise-learning-analytics-higher-education.

Learning Tools: Twitter

The new network economy is about communities, collaboration, peer production, and user-generated content. As companies evolve within this new network economy, demands are being placed on internal learning and development departments to assist employees with mitigating the impact of increasing job demands, global workforce redistribution, cross functional projects, and formal information overload. (Pontefract, 2011) Given that many companies are also still burdened financially by recent economic crises in the U.S., learning and development departments are also under pressure to implement extremely cost-effective training solutions.

Due to these economic constraints, many companies are now turning to Web 2.0 tools, such as Twitter, as a means of cultivating formal, social, and informal learning in the workplace. The Twitter platform can be utilized at no cost to the account holder, is accessible anytime, and is especially good for mobile, on-the-go people who can learn anywhere. (Galagan, 2009)

When micro-blogging is encouraged within a company, it can help not only to address on-going employee professional development and training needs, but it also helps to create a company culture in which there is: (Pontefract, 2011)
• Better understanding of the organization across many teams & projects
• Personalization among employees and senior leaders
• Engagement and the feeling that everyone's opinion matters
• Information provided timely, be it formal or social/ community driven

Trainers should not only encourage the use of Twitter among employees for informal learning, but for formal learning as well. Twitter's interface provides a unique presentation platform for storing and sharing learning content and can be used as a delivery platform for training. The favorites tab is the key to designing a course (…) and critical to organizing the delivery of training. “Favorited” content that can be compiled for courses includes: (Wing, 2011)
• Hyperlinks
• Video Links
• Photo Links
• Geo-tagging Links

An example of using Twitter as a platform for course delivery and also a course on the topic, Building a Training Course in Twitter, can be found at: http://twitter.com/#!/ISD20/favorites

Resources:
Galagan, P. (2009) Twitter as a Learning Tool… really. ASTD T+D Magazine. Retrieved from: http://www.astd.org/LC/2009/0409_galagan.htm

Pontefract, D (2011) Micro-blogging is Good for Leadership, Good for Culture. Brave New Org. Retrieved from: http://www.danpontefract.com/?p=267

Wing, T. (2011) App Fusion: Twaining in Twitter. Learning Solutions Magazine. Retrieved from: http://www.learningsolutionsmag.com/articles/623/app-fusion-twaining-in-twitter

Learning Management: Project Planning

This post explores the elements of the initiation and planning stages of project management. As outlined below, the following information should be included in a project proposal and project plan.

Project Proposal
Purpose - Organizational goal
Scope - Breadth and depth of project
Resources - Content and/or personnel assistance needed
Anticipated Outcomes - Deliverables and benefits provided to organization
Constraints - Internal and External
Personal Commitment - Confidentiality and personal standards of conduct

Project Plan
Overview - Describe project concept and history
Phases - Data collection, data analysis, needs assessment, interim reporting
Action Steps - Decisions, meetings, deliverables, review points
Tasks - Chronological sequence of events to complete action steps
Instruments - Schedules, software, surveys, handouts
Cost Estimates - Estimation of resources necessary to complete project

Project reporting will be outlined in a future post.

Image Credit: http://www.mpmm.com/project-management-methodology.php

Learning Development: Storyboard Elements

Storyboarding occurs during the Development phase of the ADDIE model of instructional design, after the audience has been analyzed and the learning sequence has been designed. Storyboards serve as the "blueprint" of the eLearning module prior to development within an authoring tool. This post outlines and explains the many elements indicative of a good storyboard.

Slide Title - Main idea of the slide for learner's visual cue
Audio - Slide by slide script plus audio cues and background sounds
Graphics - Verbal descriptions, sketches, or file names of pre-selected graphics
Video - File names of any pre-recorded video clips
Text - On-screen text for both content and learner instructions
Navigation - Location and description of navigational elements
Interactivity - Description of how graphics, texts, and audio appers on screen and behaves including timing, roll-overs, screen clicks, and drags and drops
Programmer Notes - Description of interface elements, required learner actions, and any specific instructions to integrate learning within desired delivery platform

A good storyboard can be reviewed and understood by the client, narrator, graphic artist, and/or producer as necessary for approval. Storyboards are often completed in either Microsoft Word or PowerPoint, and a great resource for templates can be found here on The eLearning Coach blog.

Resource:
Michaels & Associates Consulting & Training. Storyboarding Strategies for Effective eLearning. Retrieved from: http://bit.ly/41o0Xo

Learning Development: Free eLearning Resources

Here is a concise list of websites to find free photos, sounds, and fonts for eLearning, web design, or graphic design projects.

Photos: Free Foto, iStockphoto, Stock.XCHNG, eLearning Stock, Every Stock Photo

Sounds: Freesound, Freeplay Music, Free Stock Music, Stock Music Boutique

Fonts: 1001 Free Fonts, Font Squirrel, Simply the Best Fonts, Google web fonts

Image credit:
http: http://freebabystuffforexpectingmothers.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/free-stuff.jpg

Learning Development: Scenario Based Learning

Scenario-based learning (SBL) is learning that occurs by following success and failure paths within a context, situation, or social framework (Kindley, 2002) in which learners are able to explore a problem, event or issue [to] assist with problem-solving, decision making, and interpretation of data or observations in the real-world.

SBL is based on the concept of situated cognition, which is the idea that knowledge can't be known and fully understood independent of its context. (Kindley, 2002) Using real life scenarios heightens the relevance of the learning because the focus is more on application than plain theory. The learner, therefore, becomes an active participant in the learning process.

The basic elements of scenarios (often referred to as branching) are as follows:
• The learner is presented a problem in the form of text, images, audio, and/or video
• The learner has to choose how to respond to the problem
• Based on how they respond, the scenario branches down a path
• At the end of the path, the learner may be presented with feedback and the option to retry the scenario to improve their results

Research completed by Will Thalheimer, PhD suggests that the scenario-based approach to learning aids in the following:
• Supports Long Term Remembering
• Provides Memory Retrieval Practice
• Enables Context and Language Triggered Remembering
• Boosts Learning and Performance

By building scenarios where [learners] have to actively make decisions, you’re better able to help them transfer the information and make it more meaningful. (Kuhlman, 2009)

Resources:
Kindley, R. W. (2002). Scenario-based e-learning: a step beyond traditional e-learning. ASTD Online Magazine. Retrieved from: http://bit.ly/13oM3V

Kuhlman, T. (2009). 7 Tips for Better E-learning Scenarios. Rapid E-Learning Blog. Retrieved from: http://bit.ly/dlgaC

Thalheimer, W. (2009) Using Linguistically, Culturally, and Situationally Appropriate Scenarios to Support Real-World Remembering. Work-Learning Research Inc. Retrieved from:http://bit.ly/yLjpQA

Learning Design: Working with SMEs

Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) are critical to analyzing audience needs, determining desired learning outcomes, determining the curriculum and sequence of learning activities, and writing content for scenarios, stories, or informational learning designs.



A few tips from my own experience working with SMEs include:

1) Identify your SMEs right away. It may be a good idea to not only have a content SME, but also a past trainee SME who can speak to the learner's experience, and/or a client SME, who can speak to desired learning outcomes.

2) Determine your SMEs availability; schedule meetings early and often. Since SMEs usually have full-time jobs, it is not uncommon for SMEs to be extremely busy individuals. Schedule meetings throughout your entire analysis and design process from the beginning.

3) Use your time with SMEs wisely. Prepare, prepare, prepare. Do your own research. Come up with your own content questions and send to the SME in advance. You also need to be sure SME sees value in the training effort, otherwise, they may also see little value in your meetings.

Ethan Edwards of Allen Interactions recommends the following questions as a great start for your first SME interaction:
- What do you expect learners to to do after completing the course that they can’t do now?
- What are the consequences if the learner fails to master the intended outcomes?
- Can you show me an active demonstration, a detailed simulation, or provide an opportunity to directly observe the desired performance?
- What specific performance mistakes do new learners make?
- What tools, resources, or help do successful performers use to do these tasks?

Lastly, for a humorous, though accurate, representation of how to handle the many SME personalities in a post titled, "How Important is the SME?" by Archana Nayaran, click here.

Resources:
Edwards, E. (2011) Analyze This: 5 Questions You Need to Ask. Allen Interactions E-Learning Leadership Blog. Retrieved from: http://bit.ly/hD88Mf

Image Credit: http://www.cjlt.ca/index.php/cjlt/article/viewFile/495/226/1417