How to make e-learning work! Tips & Tools CIPD Conference Presentation 23 April 2009 Jane Hart Social Media & Learning Consultant Centre for Learning & Performance Technologies www.C4LPT.co.uk

Is E-Learning broken?

Online courses take too much time and money to create; and employees (often) don’t like or fully use them Blended solutions provide limited interaction (communication and collaboration) between learners Systems and tools are costly; and are not paying off or living up to expectations Some of the problems …

Online courses

take too much time and money to create; and

employees (often) don’t like or fully use them

Blended solutions

provide limited interaction (communication and collaboration) between learners

Systems and tools

are costly; and

are not paying off or living up to expectations

5 Tips

1 Re-think your definition of “e-learning” REMEMBER the 80%-20% rule Focus more on the informal Place efforts on formal only where essential (compliance, regulatory training) “ Information, instruction, education, training, communication, collaboration and knowledge sharing” Tom Kelly, Cisco Systems, 2000

2 Think about productivity / performance improvement / support as well as training Think JIT not JIC Think on-the-job Think on-demand, workflow-embedded solutions REMEMBER Learning is a means to an end; not the end itself It’s about improving the productivity and performance of individuals, teams and the business Measure success in these terms NOT course completions or test results

3 Think PEOPLE not just CONTENT Help people to help themselves i.e. self-organise (= support a bottom up culture) Encourage people to: Communicate Collaborate Connect (Co-)Create Share

4 When considering tools, think FOSS and Hosted FOSS = Free and/or Open Source Hosted = ASP, SaaS Cloud computing

5 Think quick, easy, short and disposable solutions BUT don’t re-invent the wheel! Solutions need to be relevant to their needs and fit with their way of working Working and learning need to merge

10 Tools

1 Video Sharing : YouTube and ScreenToaster www.YouTube.com www.ScreenToaster.com

2 Podcasting : Listen to podcasts with iTunes ; and create your own with Audacity www.apple.com/itunes audacity.sourceforge.net/

3 Presentation sharing : find and share with Slideshare www.slideshare.net

4 Blogging - Keep up-to-date with what’s happening inside/ outside the business and write your own blog - WordPress www.wordpress.com

5 Bookmark sharing : find and share links – Delicious www.delicious.com

6 Online office suites : Work/Learn collaboratively – using Google Docs www.google.com/docs

7 Wikis : Contribute to wikis; and set up you own with PBwiki www.pbwiki.com

8 Real-time communications : with Twitter www.twitter.com

9 Social networking : join networks and build one using Ning 25tools.ning.com | www.ning.com

10 Social media platform : provide a cohesive approach to formal/informal learning and collaborative working/learning - Elgg www.C4LPT.net www.elgg.org

www.C4LPT.co.uk