Many learning executives are concerned about visibility. They lament that they are not included early and sufficiently in the strategic work of the organization. Many seek appreciation and recognition for the learning enterprise, their learning enterprise. This long-standing concern has well-worn answers. I've offered some myself: align vigorously with the strategic purposes of the organization measure the learning enterprise against the metrics that matter most to the organization and leaders communicate with leadership through dashboards and stories riveted to high value metrics use data to continuously improve experiences and … [Read more...]
Performance Support Goes to the Oscars
May 24, 2013 by
Mike Yonker, my guest blogger, is President of Learner Mobile for SVI Inc. Much of mobile training and development is broken. Few have the patience to go through courseware on a phone or even a tablet. Screens are small and content is long. Mobile can do so much more. Mobile was the buzz at the ASTD International Conference in Dallas in May, 2013. Even though they are keen for it, many learning professionals fail to ask the right questions. It's important to inquire about device compatibility with the organization's technical requirements. It's important to know how both mobile content and messages are managed and published and how they … [Read more...]
Worried about software? Consider performance support
February 19, 2013 by
I can't get enough of performance support. That passion began early, when I encountered the limitations of my own memory. It continues to this day as I discover even more flaws in my memory. Of course, I rely heavily on technology to help me travel, pack, commune, invest, eat and maximize the software residing on my computer. That's all good for me. But what of the enterprise? Performance support is a great idea that is finally working its way into learning and talent enterprises. This movement is driven by impatient executives, managers, and employees. They will not wait for a class to be scheduled. They recognize limitations in … [Read more...]
Want to go mobile for learning and support?
October 19, 2012 by
John Park is my guest blogger. I invited him to write this when I recognized my lack of clarity about the options for mobile development and delivery. I think you will enjoy his tour of our choices. We want to use mobile devices, but which mobile? There is great excitement about the potential of mobile devices for learning and support. It is hard to ignore the benefits of learning and information on demand, in close proximity to work. At the same time, there are all those devices out there, available, ripe for use by sellers, repairers, analysts and auditors. It makes sense to look to them. Workplace learning professionals now find … [Read more...]
Performance support “hearts” training and vice versa
September 19, 2012 by
In September I attended the eLearning Guild’s new conference, Performance Support Symposium. Ontuitive’s Bob Mosher kicked it off with a mighty bang, offering the jaw-dropping suggestion that we cast off training in favor of performance support. Like Bob, I am hooked on performance support. In the 80s, I wrote a book about job aids. More recently, I wrote another, this one called Handbook for Job Aids and Performance Support. This thing I have with performance support (PS) is a long-term relationship. My bond with training and development is just as deep. It began with a few years as a high school English teacher, then several decades … [Read more...]
On the brink with mobile– what learning executives say
September 8, 2012 by
Words without actions Words without actions. That's how I described the status of mobile learning in an article in eLearn magazine ten months ago. My point then was that mobile offers immense potential for learning and support but that it is not yet making much of a difference in the enterprise. When San Diego State University (SDSU) colleague Jim Marshall and I surveyed more than a thousand educators in companies, agencies and universities about their eLearning practices, they reported reliance on traditional eLearning approaches, like scenarios, virtual classrooms, and online assessments. Performance support and mobile devices only rarely … [Read more...]
I’m an educator who loves apps
August 2, 2012 by
I do love them. I love apps because of what I can do on the go. Apps on my mobile devices enable practice, a quick lesson, a conversation with a coach or team, or a reminder about how it is that I might think about something. Here is the story of how apps helped Aaron Ifland, a doctoral student, who attends two universities 118 miles apart, and teaches at a third. I also love their ability to support activities that appear mundane to others, but are important in the moment. Here is an example. A few days ago, I had to get from a hamlet in Maine to a hamlet in upstate New York. I knew I had to go south through New Hampshire and … [Read more...]
Investigating the Job Aid: Part I
March 3, 2012 by
Not Just Child's Play: Part I. Click thumbnail to view video … [Read more...]
Investigating the Job Aid: Part II
March 1, 2012 by
Not Just Child's Play: Part II. Click thumbnail to view video … [Read more...]
Mobile for learning AND results
February 10, 2012 by
Do you want to send your salespeople to training to memorize product features and prices? Would you take a class to prepare to get the very most from your time during a short visit to Paris? Do you want your physician to rely on her memory to anticipate all possible negative drug interactions? Do you want to rely on a college course taken in 1970 in order to comment, criticize and communicate on the subject today, in 21012? I bet you do not. You can use mobile technology to make sure growth and support happen whenever, wherever—at the learner’s convenience—rather than in a single, information-packed session. Visit my article in the … [Read more...]
