Over the past few years, e-learning has taken the world of adult education by storm. It is now estimated that more than 3 million adults took at least one online course last year, and training managers in the field predict that e-learning will soon account for up to half of the training methods of most organizations. Despite its increasing popularity, professionals in the training-and-development field are still trying to figure out how to make e-learning really work. The one thing most companies do know is that they’ve spent a lot of money on it, but they’re not getting what they expected from their investment. How can you ensure that you—and your people—are getting the most out of this potentially valuable tool? Just throwing the newest or easiest technology at the issue does not effectively train people or provide good return on investment. What businesses really need is a best-practices guide that tells them what is working—and how to make sure the money invested pays.
As a consultant, Anita Rosen has worked with many companies, assisting them to integrate current business goals and objectives into a successful Internet strategy. In e-Learning 2.0, she discusses the current state of e-learning, and identifies what is productive and what’s not. She reveals sound e-learning principles—brought to life through examples and illuminating real-world case studies, highlighting how trainers can move from classroom to web delivery. Here, Rosen focuses on what you really want to know, like the hottest trends in the marketplace, what other companies are doing, and how are they doing it successfully. This book provides a compact, easy-to-digest discussion of the successes (and failures) in the field, and also explains the most recent developments in technology. e-Learning 2.0 provides invaluable advice on how to:
• Better communicate with management.
• Present your initiative to get funding and approval.
• Evaluate new and emerging technologies to see if they will power your initiative.
• Evaluate current courses to see if they are effective.
• Add new technologies to provide better learning.
• Understand what vendors are talking about so that you make the best technology decision.
• Better integrate training needs with business direction.
• Evaluate training initiatives.
Complete with the latest trends in Web 2.0 and the latest information on graphics and multi-media, as well as various types of e-learning, this is the one book that will help you develop a clearer vision, more focused goals, and a better way to measure your learning objectives.
Anita Rosen is a successful trainer, author, and speaker. She has appeared as a guest speaker on many business radio programs, and has been a keynote speaker for a number of conferences. Rosen brings more than 20 years of management experience in high-tech marketing, project management, and sales. Currently, she is President of ReadyGo, Inc. She lives in Mountain View, California.
Contents
CHAPTER 1.0: The Business Calculations and Business Objectives of e-Learning 1
1.1 The Goal of Training 2
1.2 A Simple Example of Return-on-Investment (ROI) Calculations 4
1.3 How to Measure and Evaluate Training 6
Return on Investment 6
Setting the Goals to Reap the Rewards 6
1.4 Identifying Your Audience 9
Identify Learning Demographics 10
Identify the Learner Experience 12
1.5 Biggest Mistakes in Top-Down “Command” (CS) and Bottom-Up Implementations 12
Top-Down Mistakes 13
Case Study: Texas Department of Transportation 14
Bottom-Up Mistakes 15
1.6 Communications Within an Organization 17
1.7 Getting Buy-In from Trainers, Employees, and Subject Matter Experts 18
Case Study: National Semiconductor Corporation 19
1.8 Where e-Learning Fits In 22
Case Study: Hospital Liaison Committee of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Leicester, United Kingdom 22
1.9 Checklist 23
CHAPTER 2.0: e-Learning Strategies 27
2.1 Five Stages of Adopting New Technologies 28
Stage 1: Denial 29
Stage 2: Outsourcing 29
Stage 3: PowerPoint 31
Stage 4: Execution 31
Stage 5: Integration 32
2.2 Five Developmental Stages of Web Sites 32
Denial 33
Outsourcing 33
PowerPoint 34
Execution 35
Integration 35
2.3 Five Developmental Stages of Web Courses 36
Denial 36
Outsourcing 37
PowerPoint 38
Execution 39
Integration 39
2.4 Fundamentals of Creating on the Web 40
A Simple and Clean User Interface: Less Is More 40
Access to Any Information Within Three Clicks 41
Support of Global and Local Navigation 41
No Bermuda Triangles 42
A Sticky or Ping-Pong Web Site 42
Rapid and Viewable Downloads 42
The Ability to Work on Any Screen and Browser 44
A “Look and Feel”: “Branding” in Web Page Layout and Design 45
2.5 The Characteristics of Good e-Learning 46
Simple and Clean User Interface 46
Access to Any Information Within Three Clicks 46
Support of Global and Local Navigation 49
No Bermuda Triangles 51
Sticky or a Ping-Pong Web Site 51
Rapid Downloads 52
The Ability to Work on Any Screen and Browser 52
A “Look and Feel”: “Branding” in Web Page Layout and Design 53
2.6 Current State of Web Courses 53
Trainers’ Reluctance to Change 54
The Need for Feedback and Communication 54
Creator-Centric Solutions 55
False Starts 56
2.7 Checklist 57
CHAPTER 3.0: Types of e-Learning 59
3.1 Types of e-Learning 60
Synchronous Training 60
Asynchronous Training 60
A Comparison of Synchronous and Asynchronous Training 61
Who Benefits from Synchronous and Asynchronous Training 62
3.2 Creating Effective Synchronous e-Learning 64
Personal Skills Needed 64
Tools Needed 65
Difficulties to Overcome 66
3.3 Rapid and Traditional Asynchronous e-Learning 67
Rapid e-Learning 68
Traditional e-Learning 68
3.4 Projects That Are Best Suited for Traditional e-Learning 69
3.5 Projects That Are Best Suited for Rapid e-Learning 70
Content Best Suited for Rapid e-Learning: 72
3.6 Development Needs of Traditional Versus Rapid e-Learning Projects 74
Traditional e-Learning Needs 74
Rapid e-Learning Needs 75
3.7 What Traditional and Rapid e-Courses Look Like 79
The Traditional Course Look 80
The Rapid Course Look 82
3.8 Tools 82
Traditional e-Learning Tools 85
Rapid e-Learning Tools 86
Graphic and Simulation Tools 86
Synchronous e-Learning Tools 87
3.9 Checklist 87
CHAPTER 4.0: Web 2.0 91
4.1 The Basics of Web 2.0 92
4.2 Application Services 93
4.3 The Long Tail 96
4.4 Mashups 98
4.5 Enlisting End Users to Add Value 98
4.6 “Intel Inside” 100
4.7 Providing Services Above the Level of a
Single Device 102
Scalability 102
Format Specifications 103
Browsers 104
Viewing Devices 105
4.8 Social Networking 106
Networking in the Business World 107
Networking Among Adults 107
Wikis 108
4.9 Checklist 109
CHAPTER 5.0: Web 2.0 Technologies 111
5.1 Web 2.0 Technologies 112
5.2 Rich Site Summary (RSS) 112
5.3 Podcasts 114
5.4 Web Techniques 116
5.5 HyperText Markup Language (HTML) and Extensible Markup Language (XML) 119
HyperText Markup Language (HTML) 119
Extensible Markup Language (XML) 120
5.6 Web 3.0 123
CHAPTER 6.0: Web 2.0 Trends for e-Learning 125
6.1 Web Trends and e-Learning 2.0 126
Case Study: Knowledge Pills 126
6.2 Application Services 129
6.3 The Long Tail 129
Case Study: Devereux 131
6.4 Harnessing End Users to Add Value 132
6.5 Microcontent 133
6.6 Providing e-Learning Services Beyond the PC 134
When to Use Smartphones for e-Learning 135
Smartphone Limitations 136
Smartphone Screen Limitations 137
Formatting for the Smartphone 138
Testing on the Smartphone 138
Smartphone Connections and Operating Systems 139
Authoring for Smartphone e-Learning 141
Case Study: Granville Stephens 142
6.7 The “Intel Inside” Approach 143
6.8 New Technologies 144
6.9 What a 2.0 Course Looks Like 145
6.10 Checklist 146
CHAPTER 7.0: Components of an Effective Course 147
7.1 Length of a Course 148
7.2 Layout and Course Organization 149
Level 1: Course 150
Level 2: Chapters 150
Level 3: Pages 152
Level 4: Subpages 154
7.2 Presentation Options for Content Pages 156
Tours 156
Step-by-Step 156
Self-Assessment 157
Simulations 158
7.3 Why Test Learners? 159
7.4 Certification Testing 161
7.5 Tips for Writing Test Questions 162
Test-Taking Tactics 162
Test-Taking Tools 163
Storing Answers 163
Types of Questions 163
7.6 Checklist 164
Chapter 8.0: Graphics and Multimedia 167
8.1 Computer Graphics 168
8.2 Web Graphic Formats 168
GIF (Graphics Interchange Format) 169
PNG (Portable Network Graphics) 169
JPEG or JPG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) 170
8.3 Choosing File Formats for Web Graphics 170
Web Requirements 170
Downsizing Images 170
Digital Photographs 171
Stock Photographs 172
8.4 Basics of Copyright Law 173
8.5 Guidelines for Employing Graphics 174
8.6 Audio for Web Courses 177
8.7 Multimedia Recommendations 179
Videos 179
Case Study: Highline Public Schools 180
Flying Bullets 181
PowerPoint to Flash 181
8.8 Checklist 182
CHAPTER 9.0: Standards and Integration 183
9.1 What You Need to Know About Standards and Integration 184
9.2 Aviation Industry Computer-Based Training Committee (AICC): A Practical Definition 185
Course Server Communication 185
Course Structure Definition 185
9.3 Sharable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM): A Practical Definition 186
SCORM V 1.2 187
SCORM 2004 188
9.4 Sharable Content Object (SCO) 189
SCO Definitions and Design Limitations 190
9.5 Sharable and Reusable Content 190
Information Access Versus Course Creation 191
LMS Compatibility 192
The Fallacy of All-Purpose LMSs 193
9.6 The Behavior of e-Learning Courses 194
Selecting an LMS and Authoring Tool 194
9.7 Questions to Ask 196
9.8 The Meaning of Accessibility 198
Ensuring That Your Tools Meet Accessibility Requirements 199
Case Study: Blair & Associates 200
Screen Readers 201
9.9 Checklist 202
CHAPTER 10.0: Conclusion: LMS/Tools with Good Implementation 205
CHAPTER 11.0: Resources 209
APPENDIX: Author Guide 211
Guidelines for Creating an Effective Web Course 211
Using Learning Objectives 212
Main Page 213
Chapter Title Pages 214
Bullet Pages 215
Tests 217
Glossary 218
Sample Course Content 218
Glossary 223
Index 227