Turn back the clock six years to the turn of the new century—everybody was a “paper millionaire,” Google was a college experiment, and e-learning was poised to take over the world.
by Site Staff
December 28, 2005
Turn back the clock six years to the turn of the new century— everybody was a “paper millionaire,” Google was a college experiment, and e-learning was poised to take over the world. We all thought that the traditional classroom was on the edge of extinction, and blended learning v1.0 was the future.
Now, fast-forward to today—we find ourselves in a training conundrum where blended learning hasn’t lived up to expectations and traditional classroom learning is getting long in the tooth.
What is the answer? The future of learning is a hybrid of past and present learning techniques that interleaves the strengths of the traditional classroom (teachers and experience) and modern e-learning (multi-sensory learning objects and on-demand delivery).
Traditional Classroom Strengths
Traditional classroom training has been around for thousands of years. Computer-based training (CBT) via the Internet (aka, e-learning) has only been around for 15 years—a tiny “blip” on the radar of learning.
The traditional classroom has been successful for two simple reasons: teachers and experience. Teachers are the heart and soul of traditional classroom learning. In fact, teachers are the heart and soul of any learning experience. What do teachers offer that is so special? Tutoring and accountability.
Teachers are subject-matter experts (SMEs). They provide collaborative context so students can become engaged in the subject matter and learn interactively. In addition, teachers are exception managers. They respond to questions and provide specific guidance where and when appropriate. In this role, teachers also must monitor, assess and report on each learner’s progress. This level of accountability is a key strength of the traditional classroom, and it has been difficult to replicate on the Web.
A student’s experience in the classroom is just as important as the teacher. “Metcalfe’s Law” offers a perfect example of the classroom benefit of collaborative experience: The value of a network equals approximately the square of the number of users of the system. The classroom version of this law, “The Borg Effect,” states that the universe of content available in a given classroom equals the square of the number of student experiences.
There are primarily three ways to obtain experience:
On-the-Job Training: Learning on the job is perhaps the most common stop-gap solution for gaining experience. It costs almost nothing to deploy, but tends to be insufficient in providing the broad set of skills that learners need. It typically results in deep competencies in one narrow functional area, which ultimately inhibits an organization’s ability to respond to change.
Simulations: To gain simulated experience, learners interact with prescribed programs that provide packaged responses and guided feedback. Because simulations guide learners down a pre-determined path, they are useful and engaging orientation tools for learners who have little or no prior knowledge of a given topic. Simulations also are great tools for gaining soft skills experience (e.g., leadership or sales training).
Hands-On Labs: Unlike simulations, hands-on labs provide access to live equipment in a collaborative classroom setting. Live labs are most appropriate for technical training, because IT professionals typically enter class with some level of baseline experience. They look to build on this foundation by interacting with live equipment in real-world scenarios. Through trial and error, learners are provided the freedom to experiment and test their current skills in order to gain competencies outside of the realm of their day-to-day work life. Because the breadth and complexity of real-world scenarios and problems cannot be captured in simulations, labs provide a good means for learners to tackle more complex topics and IT challenges. Unlike on-the-job training, labs allow IT professionals to learn without jeopardizing production systems or requiring them to obtain critical skills while production systems are incapacitated.
Modern E-Learning Strengths
History is littered with failed attempts to “revolutionize” learning through innovative technology. Fortunately, these struggles have taught us one important lesson: In order for technology to improve learning, it must fit into students’ lives—not the other way around.
Modern e-learning has improved the traditional classroom experience in two significant ways: multi-sensory learning (MSL) objects and on-demand delivery. Over the past few years, we have come to realize that different students learn in different ways. Therefore, teachers should present students with multiple teaching mediums in a structured learning environment. These mediums should incorporate visual, auditory and kinesthetic sensory inputs to optimize content absorption. Each learner then uses one of these inputs as their primary method of learning while the additional inputs are used as reinforcement.
The result of multi-sensory e-learning is a significant reduction in the learner’s total study time by accelerating retention and improving recall of the program material. Each student’s personalized lesson plan includes an array of multi-sensory learning tools such as hands-on live labs, mentoring with technical advisers, and online and off-line books, videos, lecture notes, interactive simulations and collaborative exercises.
Multi-sensory e-learning only works if the courses fit into the hectic schedule of today’s demanding learner. On-demand delivery of multi-sensory learning objects is accomplished via anytime, anywhere access and broad scalability. Technology has sometimes gotten in the way of effective learning. That is why the content must be personalized and available when the learners need it.
Ultimately, e-learning success will be determined by the learners. While you cannot force students to adopt e-learning, you can implement some strategies to help them cross the chasm from the traditional classroom to modern e-learning, such as offering both synchronous and asynchronous e-learning to reach all audiences, providing proactive tutoring, using multi-sensory tools to keep the students stimulated and giving students time away from work to study and learn.
Blended Learning v2.0
Synergizing traditional classroom learning and modern e-learning can create the most evolved learning methodology to date: blended learning v.2.0. Today’s learners have simultaneous access to kinesthetic, auditory and visual multi-sensory learning tools. But to make sense of it all, they need guidance. So, whether personal or virtual, the teacher is back in vogue.
How can we bridge the time gap between yesterday’s classroom and tomorrow’s e-learning? In the past, blended learning v1.0 tried to replicate the traditional classroom on the Web. That was a mistake. We need a paradigm shift—better yet, we need four paradigm shifts.
Paradigm Shift 1: The New Teacher
The new teacher is any person or program that guides learners through multi-sensory learning objects and experiential labs. The function of the teacher has shifted from subject-matter expert to guru, exception manager and auditor.
As a guru, today’s new teacher relates to modern learners in a less authoritative, more interactive way. This is important because 21st century learners demand more collaborative peer-to-peer experiences. They look for contextual guidance, not teaching.
As an exception manager, today’s teacher must be able to answer questions and provide guidance in real time. For example, proactive tutoring (in person or through e-mail) improves student morale and helps keep learners on track. In addition, today’s teacher must act as knowledge auditors. Accountability is key, and it is the teacher’s responsibility to make sure that each learner accomplishes the training goals. Knowledge auditing can be measured in a variety of ways, such as skills assessment, usage reporting or performance-based testing.
What does today’s new teacher look like? Teachers can be people (in a physical classroom), Web-based projections of people (in a virtual classroom) or intelligent programs that act like people (avatars). Avatar teachers are interesting because they are always available, they can be personalized on demand to “fit” a particular student’s profile (learning type, language, tutoring preferences, etc.) and they “learn” over time and become a central repository for knowledge.
Today’s new teacher must be flexible enough to support our populations’ increasing movement toward displacing time. Today, people work and learn in micro-time, and teachers must be able to anticipate and respond to changing needs in the classroom and beyond.
Paradigm Shift 2: Multi-Sensory Learning Objects
Multi-sensory learning objects are customized on the fly according to learner type (modality) and content type (hard skills or soft skills). This new approach to multi-sensory personalization is better than its predecessors because it is learner-centric, it combines multiple online and off-line learning vehicles, it favors learning over technology, it offers anytime, anywhere access when appropriate, and most importantly, it doesn’t sacrifice the all-important student-teacher relationship.
The learner-centric blended learning v2.0 approach incorporates several multi-sensory learning tools to ensure effective and personalized skills transfer. These tools are delivered through assessment and personalized delivery.
In the first step, each learner’s strengths and weaknesses are assessed with numerous pre-tests. The resulting personal learning prescription allows learners to focus on the technical material that they don’t know. This allows them to maximize their time by building on existing skills.
In the second step, Web-enabled study material is delivered using a variety of multi-sensory tools. Some learners receive the most effective skills transfer by reading reference texts and analyzing diagrams, while others learn better by watching videos. Still others grasp sophisticated concepts best in discussion groups and hands-on lab exercises. In recognition of these diverse learning habits, courses can be delivered in a combination of media that address these different learning senses.
Blended learning v2.0 utilizes an objective-based pedagogical approach. This innovative learner-centric methodology maps individual learning packets into the following taxonomy: Each program contains courses (roughly six per program), which contain lessons (roughly seven to 12 per course), which contain objectives (roughly four to seven), which contain multi-sensory learning tools (roughly five per objective), which consist of roughly 30 minutes of learning. The result is a pyramid of learning objects that can be measured and configured at a granular level. In addition, this approach creates an unprecedented level of content depth for each course. For example, a single course might include: seven to 12 lessons, 40 to 60 objectives, 300 learning tools and 150 hours of learning.
Every multi-sensory course is individually built based on existing learner skills and personalized learning tools. The result is a personalized, engaging learning experience for every learner. This is a key element of blended learning v2.0. My 30-hour course is completely different from your 30-hour course, even though they are both drawn from the same pool of 300 building blocks. And the best part is that this personalized multi-sensory construction process is completely automated.
Paradigm Shift 3: Experiential Learning
Experiential learning consists of on-demand, interactive, real-world scenarios delivered to learners from a central repository of intelligence-based equipment or simulations. These are not old-fashioned labs. Experiential learning allows learners to interact with live, non-production workscapes. This approach is especially engaging because it feels “real” to learners and encourages them to test the boundaries of their comfort envelope without fear of retribution.
In short, experiential learning develops skills, and the difference between skills and knowledge is practice. Today’s new mode of practice is accomplished through live labs, smart labs and interactive gaming.
Live labs are remote, hands-on labs with live equipment running via a Web-based anytime, anywhere interface. The equipment is real. Learners get the benefits of traditional classroom labs from the comfort of their own home or office. Furthermore, they can access the equipment when it is convenient for them and build authentic solutions to real-world problems. Some define “labs” as access to equipment. However, in blended learning v2.0, “labs” are experiential learning, where the learner steps through a series of guided actions, works through real-world scenarios and actively controls live equipment.
Smart labs are a cross between live labs and intelligence-based simulations. Live labs are the best way to develop hard technical skills, but how does one develop “soft” analytic and planning skills? Smart labs provide instant, unscheduled access to real-world case-study exercises. Unlike live labs, smart labs do not focus on configuring equipment. Instead, they help users formulate a plan of action in a world of “imperfect” information. They allow users to practice architecting solutions to real-world case-based projects. Then, when the learner is ready to present the solution, the smart lab reacts with intelligence-based feedback, including curveballs. This is as close as you can get to the real world without actually stepping into it.
Interactive gaming technology is quickly becoming an accepted and successful modality for practice. Games offer learners a chance to collaborate and engage in simulated realities without concern for permanent consequences. And, to be honest, games are fun. Blended learning v2.0 leverages interactive gaming technology to motivate learners, simulate workscapes and assess performance.
A blended mix of live labs, smart labs and interactive games, complemented with other training materials, is the most appropriate solution for today’s increasingly distracted learners. This approach allows learners to self-select the modalities and techniques most appropriate for their skill level, learning style and schedule. Providing access to a broad range of experiential learning solutions is the best way to maintain skills in today’s challenging and rapidly changing workscape.
Paradigm Shift 4: On-Demand Delivery
On-demand delivery is an integrated, pervasive delivery platform for personalized, multi-sensory learning objects. In addition, this platform acts as an interactive launching pad for avatar teachers and experiential learning labs.
As an integrated platform, blended learning v2.0 offers asynchronous and synchronous access to multi-sensory learning objects. In addition, the platform employs a variety of emerging technologies for on-demand content creation and delivery, including, wikis, blogs and podcasts.
Conclusion
The key to success is being taught, not just shown. All of the new technology in the world will be ineffective if a competent teacher isn’t guiding a student’s success. Furthermore, the teacher needs to be the link between the old-fashioned classroom setting and new learning technologies. These technologies are great for customized learning, but the teacher must successfully integrate them or the learning success rate will not accelerate.
Due to the importance of training to an organization’s success, trainers also need to be innovators. As the variety of learning tools increases, trainers need to adapt in order to keep their company’s knowledge base at a cutting-edge performance level. Ultimately, with blended learning v2.0, everybody in an organization becomes a teacher. The role of the company is to make this function a component of every job description and to incorporate learning and teaching into the fabric of the company’s culture.
Blended learning v2.0 leverages technology where appropriate while keeping the student at the center of skills assessment, transfer and application. Today’s exciting new technologies will revolutionize learning—the trick is making sure that the student is always at the head of the class.
As Toolwire’s co-founder and chief evangelist, David James Clarke IV brings more than 20 years of industry passion and entrepreneurial spirit to his e-learning architecture, publishing and speaking projects. He can be reached at dclarke@clomedia.com.