By Elliott Masie, Host - Learning Systems 2008
- Focus on the Learner: Most
Learning Management Systems are focused on the organization’s perspectives
on learning and training. They know
how to track attendance, participation and certification. These are important, but not
sufficient. We need to have our
Learning Systems focus on the LEARNER. They should know more about the learner, from background to style
to context, and aggressively make learning easier, more efficient and
continuous for the learner. While
reports of learning consumed are interesting, we really want our learners
to turn to these systems for real support in learning.
- Content, Content and Content: When
the first LMS systems were launched, they were primarily “vending
machines” to dispense and track the consumption of e-Learning (then called
CBT) courses, mostly from 3rd party providers. As the creation of internally-created
content increased, many organizations purchased Learning Content Management
Systems (LCMS) to add content creation/management capabilities. Our Learning Systems now need to hone in
on the vast amount of UserContent (from PodCasts to FAQs to Performance
Guides) that will be created by workers in the workplace.
- Ratings, Please: Learners want to
know how other employees who are similar to them have rated and valued a
program’s content before they start that program. Why not provide ratings, sorted by
demographics and roles, to help a learner select the content and
activities that were most highly valued? This can be a simple Thumbs Up/Down, a 5-point scale or more
in-depth rating system. Great
content should rapidly float to the surface and be visible to the
workforce. Poor content should also
be labeled and either improved or avoided.
- More Context: Every classroom
experience blends formal CONTENT with informal CONTEXT. This may be in the form of a side-bar
story from the instructor, comments/questions from fellow students or
conversations at the coffee pot on breaks. Yet, as we move towards on-line learning, less attention is paid
to the role that CONTEXT plays. We
need to address how learners will get that context - from collaborative
tools like discussion boards/wikis and blogs to more fundamental design
changes - to incorporate the voice of the field more actively into the
learning experiences. I have yet to
see a Context Management System, even though in many situations the
quality of the Context is more impactful than the quality of the Content.
- Performance Support Tools: Our
Learning Systems are mostly geared for learning in anticipation of need or
requirement. I want my systems to
also have a healthy dose of Performance Support resources to allow for
“learning at the moment of need”. Ideally,
I should be able to pose a question, requirement or topic to my Learning
Systems and be provided with both an immediate Performance Support Tool
that will walk me through my need, as well as a module to learn about it
in greater depth for future requirements. Our learners need more Performance Support and our Learning Systems
have to step up to the plate for this!
- Social Knowledge: Learning Systems
will need to include and be integrated with Social Networking
Systems. Some of the best and most
important knowledge will be shared person-to-person in an
organization. The learner wants to
know, “Who in this organization has any experience that could help me as a
learner/worker?” In addition to the
LMS pointing to a module or course, we need to be able to link to a
colleague who may have the perfect, relevant experience based on their
work from 2 jobs ago. The social
dimension of learning needs to be harvested and accelerated by a new
vision of our Learning Systems.
- Learning Systems as Components: Most of our workers do not want to go your “learning portal page”. Instead, they want to have components
along the lines of “Gadgets” or “Wizards” that will live on their screens
or pop up based on tasks/situations. Those will feed content, requirements
and reminders from the learning systems. For example, if I am reading a document and I come upon a term that
I don’t know, is there a way to launch a component that would offer me
definitions, social networking and even registration into an on-line or
in-person class on that topic? Can
I have a graphic on my screen that changes color based on my current
continuing education requirements?
- Focus on the Role: Our workplace
is increasingly role-based. Most of
our learning systems are more focused on jobs or positions. If I am
assigned a new project, it may shift my role, and the Learning Systems
should help me prepare for and perform in that role. My history in previous assignments
should inform the set of learning activities that are offered to me in the
new role.
- UserContent Authoring: YouTube is
coming to the office! Our learners are already creating simple and short
half-life content, using simple video, audio and text tools. Many Learning
Systems are in shock at the thought of this new wave of content. How will we author, approve, edit, tag
and make discoverable this content? Should we even try to track the usage of UserContent? How do we blend authored learning
content with UserContent? What is
the lifecycle of content – when do we expire a module?
- Learning Systems as Service: Each
business unit may want or need a very different front end experience for its
Learning Systems. Do we allow our
enterprise LMS to evolve into a cluster of Learning Services that are
tailored for our business units, but that share a common set of data
profiles? In other words, are our
Learning Systems ready to be part of a Learning “Cloud”, where the
functionalities are delivered as a software service rather than from a
single enterprise system? This is
Web 3.0 - are our systems ready?
- The Lifecycle of Learning Systems: Many of our Learning CONSORTIUM members are in the midst of re-evaluating
their LMS and LCMS. Some are
shocked that this point of re-evaluation has arrived only 36 or 42 months
after the original purchase point. What are our realistic Lifecycle
expectations for our Learning Systems? We need to take an industry perspective on those systems which will
serve valiantly, but for a 2 to 3 year period. How do we have the Lifecycle
conversation with our IT department and even learning suppliers?
- Learning Systems as Human
Capital/Talent Systems: Ultimately, there is also a lifecycle of the
knowledge/skill sets of an employee. From the moment we start the recruitment/interview process, through
hiring/training to succession and promotion, and eventually retirement, we
have a need to integrate learning resources and information into the
larger Human Capital/Talent systems. If your organization were about to be purchased by another company,
what information lives in your Learning Systems that would assist the
valuation or merger process? Learning Systems must become more friendly
and integrated with their cousins.
These issues and more will be address by
Elliott Masie and
Cushing
Anderson at our annual User Group event, focused on LMS and
LCMS utilization:
Learning Systems ‘08
April 10 and 11, 2008
Las Vegas,
Nevada
http://www.learningsystems08.com
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