The eLearning Coach

DECEMBER 27, 2009

The arena of online learning is continually reshaped by technological advances. Just as we must pay attention to the latest research on learning and pedagogy, it’s important to be aware of current technological trends. These have the potential to redefine what it means to learn online. What technology trends of 2009 have impacted online learning and will continue to do so in the coming year?

Social Networks 76

Social Networks Authoring Tools Trends Online Learning 76

The eLearning Coach

NOVEMBER 25, 2009

How would you answer this question? How do I communicate the value of social media as a learning tool to my organization? Individuals and organizations gave their responses around the web this month. In case you missed it, here is a roundup of some valuable recommendations. Use Unique Strategies for Different Groups. At Minute Bio, Jeff Goldman advises taking a unique approach for each group in an organization.

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Social Media Media Communication Case Study 75

The eLearning Coach

NOVEMBER 19, 2009

Karl Kapp, professor, author and speaker, understands the value of games and simulations in learning. In this two-part interview, Karl covers everything from video games to virtual 3D worlds, their cognitive advantages and future trends in online learning. Coach: How did you become an evangelist for learning through games, simulations and gadgets? Karl: Well, I’m not sure I am an evangelist, I don’t think of myself that way.

Simulations 75

Simulations Games Cognitive Virtual Classroom 75

The eLearning Coach

NOVEMBER 5, 2009

You can’t make it through a year of designing eLearning without having to write test questions at some point. If you don’t have formal training in this area or if you forgot what you learned in that sleep-inducing Educational Statistics class, this article is for you. ( Personally, I found my Educational Statistics textbook to be an excellent sleeping pill. ).

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Learning Objects Online Instructional Design Social Networks 74

The eLearning Coach

OCTOBER 5, 2009

One thing we can learn from the field of User Experience design is how to create user personas , better known as learner personas in the world of eLearning. Personas are well-developed profiles of audience member groups for whom we are designing a course. These audience groups are prototypes of learners in your target audience that share common characteristics, such as their training goals, job responsibilities, educational background or skill level.

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Learner eLearning Examples Sample 73

The eLearning Coach

DECEMBER 28, 2009

Here is an end-of-the-year roundup of eLearning and related articles you might find helpful, interesting or enjoyable. They cover all kinds of topics. 12 Top Notch Online Presentation Tools. Almost everyone has to give a presentation at one time or another. Whether yours are formal or informal, this list of online presentation applications from SitePoint might be useful to you. 65 Tips for Getting the Most Out of Your eLearning Budget.

Web 73

Web Social Networks eLearning Strategy Brandon Hall 73

The eLearning Coach

NOVEMBER 9, 2009

After going through all the effort of developing a test, you want it to be an accurate measure, right? That’s why it’s so important to plan for a test’s validity and reliability. In the suspenseful and dramatic article, Are Your Online Tests Valid? , we examined test validity or how you can be sure a test measures what it claims to measure.

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Online Social Networks Score Social Bookmarking 73

The eLearning Coach

DECEMBER 21, 2009

If your job or life demand that you learn software applications quickly, then you’ll probably be interested in lynda.com. I’ve been a subscriber to the lynda.com training library for years and found them to be a life saver when working under tight deadlines with little time to learn something new. There’s nothing like sitting in a coffee shop with your laptop, sipping java and eating pastries (only the healthy ones) and learning how to use Captivate or Final Cut Pro with lynda&

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Library Online Tutorial Google Docs 72

The eLearning Coach

JULY 10, 2009

We have reality tv and virtual reality, so why not reality eLearning? I don’t mean in the visual sense, but in terms of cognition. Learning in the workplace is created to improve and enhance job performance. So workplace learning should include a strong dose of reality to prepare learners for the varied situations that arise during work. As far as I can tell, reality is fluid.

eLearning 72

eLearning Cognitive Examples Server 72

The eLearning Coach

OCTOBER 25, 2009

The computer user interface is that nebulous space where humans interact with the machine. Many people find this space frustrating because it’s easy to get lost or because the system doesn’t work as expected. As designers and developers, we can make sure our audiences have smooth interactions with our courses. After all, good user interface design is an essential part of eLearning.

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Coaching Diversity Training Design eLearning 70

The eLearning Coach

AUGUST 14, 2009

In a previous article , I noted that experts have different internal knowledge structures than novices. Expert knowledge seems to be efficiently organized and easy to search through, like an orderly file cabinet. Expert knowledge is deeply intertwined, creating many paths for recalling information. When you’re designing for experts in a field, try to match the design and writing with their unique characteristics, which occur both in how they structure knowledge as well as the circumstances

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Expert Design Simulations Exercise 70

The eLearning Coach

AUGUST 10, 2009

Remember those Your Brain On Drugs commercials? They always used the analogy of an egg. That same analogy works well to represent the brain of an expert. The expert’s brain is like a hard-boiled egg. We often have to turn a runny egg into a hard-boiled one. An expert has knowledge structures that differ from those of a novice. It’s important to understand these differences when designing for experts and when designing for novices.

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Brain Cognitive Expert Engineering 66

The eLearning Coach

OCTOBER 12, 2009

Today I attended a kickoff meeting to design and build a course that teaches medical personnel about venous access devices (VADs) and how to prevent infections from their use. VADs are those tubes that go into a large vein and hang around to administer fluids or medications. There’s more, but you probably don’t want to hear it. Anyway, this is an important and complex subject in medical circles.

Instructional Design 65

Instructional Design Coaching Instructional Instruction 65

The eLearning Coach

SEPTEMBER 4, 2009

As designers and developers, one of our purposes in life is to help novices in a particular skill or content area gain new levels of competency. Because the mental structures of a novice differ from those of the expert, instructional strategies should be quite different for the novice than for the expert. Let’s climb inside the brain of a novice and see why.

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Brain Network Expert Predictions 63

The eLearning Coach

DECEMBER 7, 2009

This seemed like the appropriate time of year to offer my recommendations of books from a variety of disciplines that you might find intriguing for yourself or as gifts. After all, one of the best ways to grow and improve is to stretch and learn from other fields. Enjoy! 18 Rules of Community Engagement by Angela Connor. Angela Connor uses her experience and wit to chart the unknown frontier of online community management.

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Cognitive Social Networks Social Bookmarking Community 60

The eLearning Coach

NOVEMBER 2, 2009

eLearning is an abundantly visual medium. As a result, designers and developers who can think visually are able to envision the final product, conceive visuals for content and visualize how information fits together. The great news is that visual thinking can be developed. According to Dan Roam, author of The Back of the Napkin: Solving Problems and Selling Ideas with Pictures , our built-in visual thinking tools consist of our eyes, our mind’s eye and a little eye-hand coordination.

Authoring Tools 60

Authoring Tools Social Networks Social Bookmarking Picture 60

The eLearning Coach

JULY 10, 2009

We have reality tv and virtual reality, so why not reality eLearning? I don’t mean in the visual sense, but in terms of cognition. Learning in the workplace is created to improve and enhance job performance. So workplace learning should include a strong dose of reality to prepare learners for the varied situations that arise during work. As far as I can tell, reality is fluid.

eLearning 60

eLearning Cognitive Examples Server 60

The eLearning Coach

AUGUST 19, 2009

Recently, an astute eLearning Coach reader emailed this question, “How do you visualize the narration so that the graphic or animation is emphasizing the narration and vice versa? Do you take the narration script and highlight keywords and then animate to those keywords?&#. This is a great question, Mr. Unnamed Reader, particularly because eLearning is such a visual medium that the graphics are a large part of how people respond to a course.

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Storyboard eLearning Strategy Sun Learning Objects 60

The eLearning Coach

DECEMBER 4, 2009

In case you haven’t heard, The eLearning Coach now has a collection of free downloadable storyboard templates for both Word and PowerPoint that were graciously donated by the eLearning community. If you would like to contribute to this collection, please let me know through the Contact form. Check out the Storyboard Depot. Post from: The eLearning Coach Announcing Free Storyboard Templates.

Storyboard 57

Storyboard Templates Free Social Networks 57

The eLearning Coach

JULY 27, 2009

If you are familiar with principles of graphic design you know that white space, also known as negative space, is an important part of layout. It refers to the blank areas between the pictures and type on the screen or page. In his book Design Elements , Timothy Samara states, “Space calls attention to content, separates it from unrelated content around it, and gives the eyes a resting place.&#.

Cognitive 55

Cognitive eLearning Strategy Picture Specialist 55

The eLearning Coach

JULY 27, 2009

If you are familiar with principles of graphic design you know that white space, also known as negative space, is an important part of layout. It refers to the blank areas between the pictures and type on the screen or page. In his book Design Elements , Timothy Samara states, “Space calls attention to content, separates it from unrelated content around it, and gives the eyes a resting place.&#.

Cognitive 55

Cognitive eLearning Strategy Picture Specialist 55

The eLearning Coach

AUGUST 22, 2009

Screenr has a lot of potential for online learning. It’s Articulate’s new Software As A Service for screencasting, tagged as instant screencasts for Twitter. Screenr is trendy—it screams Web 2.0. It helps users quickly create content for Twitter or embedding into a web page, it promotes sharing and it’s entirely in the cloud. How It Works.

Screencast 53

Screencast Wiki Webcast eLearning 53

The eLearning Coach

AUGUST 19, 2009

Recently, an astute eLearning Coach reader emailed this question, “How do you visualize the narration so that the graphic or animation is emphasizing the narration and vice versa? Do you take the narration script and highlight keywords and then animate to those keywords?&#. This is a great question, Mr. Unnamed Reader, particularly because eLearning is such a visual medium that the graphics are a large part of how people respond to a course.

Storyboard 51

Storyboard eLearning Strategy Sun Learning Objects 51

The eLearning Coach

AUGUST 3, 2009

I’m a member of the temple of the progressive revelation. Are you? I wholly subscribe to the instructional strategy that involves slowly revealing information, especially visual information. I like to start with one part of a visual concept and then build on it. I show one part of a diagram and then slowly complete it. For example, picture a simple hierarchical diagram where only the box at the top is visible.

Flash 51

Flash Brain PowerPoint Instructional 51

The eLearning Coach

JULY 17, 2009

Adding realism to eLearning should improve learning transfer, which will prepare learners for situations they might really encounter. Realism also adds credibility to a training course, which is quite important to the busy, cynical, or tired employee. In the previous article, Reality eLearning , you can find some ways to get a sense of your audience’s workplace reality through interviews and observations.

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Case Study Simulations eLearning Strategy Propaganda 48

The eLearning Coach

AUGUST 6, 2009

You are probably familiar with Robert Gagne, the educational psychologist who identified the events of good instruction and a key influencer in the early days of what was called “computer-based instruction.&# Less well-known is his daughter, Ellen Gagne, whom I had as a professor way back in graduate school at the University of Texas, Austin. Ellen was an excellent instructor of Cognitive Psychology.

Cognitive 46

Cognitive Theory Coaching Picture 46

The eLearning Coach

JULY 17, 2009

Adding realism to eLearning should improve learning transfer, which will prepare learners for situations they might really encounter. Realism also adds credibility to a training course, which is quite important to the busy, cynical, or tired employee. In the previous article, Reality eLearning , you can find some ways to get a sense of your audience’s workplace reality through interviews and observations.

Case Study 43

Case Study Simulations eLearning Strategy Propaganda 43

The eLearning Coach

JUNE 26, 2009

There are really TWO categories of learning objectives based on their purpose. One type of learning objective is for internal use—the design team, client and subject matter expert. The other type is for the audience members. If designers would write different learning objectives for each category, the world would be a better place. This is because internal learning objectives tend to be too technical and non-motivating for your eLearning audience.

Learning Objects 41

Learning Objects Learning Objectives Instructional Design Analysis 41

The eLearning Coach

JUNE 30, 2009

Measurable Learning Objectives. Part 1 of this series covered how to write three-part learning objectives. Part 2 focuses on making your learning objectives measurable. Thus, the clever tape measure graphic to your left. What Is Measurable? Measurable learning objectives are very specific and provide a way for designers to determine if audience members can demonstrate what they have learned.

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Learning Objects Learning Objectives Cognitive Bloom 40

The eLearning Coach

JULY 6, 2009

Learning Objectives for the Audience. In case you were asleep, the previous two articles in this series discussed how to write learning objectives for your internal eLearning team. Part 1 demonstrated how to write classic three-part learning objectives and Part 2 discussed how to make them measurable. Now let’s see how to write learning objectives for your eLearning audience that are so much fun the learners will react as in the photo shown here.

Learning Objects 40

Learning Objects Learning Objectives Cognitive Instructional Design 40

The eLearning Coach

NOVEMBER 30, 2009

People who create eLearning get involved in many types of content development tasks. In addition to researching and developing content for courses, you may find yourself creating training manuals for webinars or the classroom, writing web copy, making reference materials, and developing Electronic Performance Support Systems, Help documentation, presentations and so on.

Organization 85

Organization Content Instructional Design Cognitive 85

The eLearning Coach

AUGUST 31, 2009

Do your graphic designers speak in a secret language? Do you wish you could let terms like Hue, Saturation and Value roll off your tongue? Aside from impressing your friends, there are practical reasons for learning more about graphic design. Why You Should Care. If you’re involved in eLearning design and development, it’s important to understand visual communication.

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Communication Reference Tutorial Photo 80

The eLearning Coach

DECEMBER 11, 2009

In the very early stages of vision—before we’re really conscious of it—our perceptual processes are humming away, attempting to organize the sensory data from our eyes into something that might be meaningful. Both the Gestalt psychologists and modern perceptual researchers realized that perception tends to organize information into wholes, rather than parts.

Social Networks 71

Social Networks Social Bookmarking Association LinkedIn 71

The eLearning Coach

SEPTEMBER 15, 2009

Who has knowledge gaps, is easily overwhelmed and has difficulty solving problems? You’re right—a novice in a particular content area. Compared to an expert, a novice will have a limited network of mental structures or schemas related to the subject, a reduced ability to make relevant perceptual discriminations, fewer paths for recalling information and inaccurate or fuzzy mental models resulting in less competent problem solving.

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Design Beginner Expert eLearning Strategy 59