Clark Quinn

FEBRUARY 1, 2022

Of late, I’m working in a couple of engagements where the issue of learning and performance strategy have come up. I think it’s worth laying out some of the issues and thinking, and of course I welcome your thoughts. So here are some reflections on whether to use learning or performance strategy as an organizing concept.

Performance Support 272

Performance Support Performance Strategy Association LMS 272

Clark Quinn

SEPTEMBER 10, 2008

In the past, I've had a few posts around how you can test your courses under an LMS: SCORM Test Test SCORM Courses with an LMS One of the problems cited was the lack of available LMS test environments. But still it's a great way to show people the basics of what an LMS does.

Dokeos 102

Dokeos Atutor MediaWiki LMS 102

Clark Quinn

MAY 11, 2021

Lots of things done in the name of learning (see above) are a waste of time and money. Courses are the answer to performance issues. One of the reasons Charles Jennings was touting 70:20:10 was not because of the numbers, but because it was a way to get execs to realize that only the bare beginning came from courses, if at all.

Augmented Reality 312

Augmented Reality Predictions Behavior Second Life 312

Clark Quinn

AUGUST 7, 2018

The original questions and responses: How has our thinking evolved on using technology to assist in learning and development? This adds performance support, resources and portals, and communication and collaboration tools to support learning alone and together from formal through to informal learning.

Trends 100

Trends Performance Support Portal LMS 100

Clark Quinn

DECEMBER 11, 2018

Of course, they’re organized by the business unit offering them. In today’s era of increasing speed of change and decreasing resources for meeting the learning needs, L&D can no longer try to own everything. If you create a good culture , the system will be self-policing. Ie, it includes the need for a portal.

Portal 185

Portal Performance Support Learning Library 185

Clark Quinn

MAY 16, 2019

So, I just finished teaching a mobile learning course online for a university. You have to think differently than what the phrase ‘mobile learning’ might lead you to think. I thought I’d share the learning lessons, both for my own reflection, and for others. First, the LMS interfered.

Lesson 125

Lesson Mobile Learning Pedagogy 125

Clark Quinn

JULY 25, 2019

In the course of it, in my usual teasing way, I asked a question. ” So, this was a manufacturer of an LMS (and some other, related, platforms). Whether it’s authoring tools, a course management system, a portal, a web meeting tool, what have you. I was talking with a vendor of a robust suite of tools.

vendor 176

vendor Portal Theory Learning Styles 176

Clark Quinn

MAY 23, 2017

Yalms: these folks are offering the ‘post-LMS’ It’s not an LMS, and instead offers course management, hosting, and tracking. It addresses compliance, and checks a whole suite of boxes such as media portals, social, and many non-LMS things including xAPI. Then it pushes them out on a schedule.

elearning company 102

elearning company Companies Compliance Training eLearning 102

Clark Quinn

SEPTEMBER 3, 2013

For a simple example, the term ‘learning management system’ can actually lead us to believe we’re achieving learning, instead of courses. And just because you have a course doesn’t mean something was learned. There are many ways we can mislead ourselves.

Pattern 163

Pattern Brain Learning Management System LMS 163

Clark Quinn

SEPTEMBER 8, 2008

and Asynchronous (self-paced, online courses/courseware) are both going up a little, but actually shows slower rate of growth than classroom. LMS - Learning Management Systems - are growing at one of the fastest rates of any of the established methods. Does a Learner WANT an LMS?

Methods 140

Methods Wiki Trends eLearningGuild 140

Clark Quinn

SEPTEMBER 4, 2013

Technologically, it makes sense to talk about content management systems, but learning management systems above that is the wrong language. Thinking about producing content makes it easy to go astray. The alternative, however, is still uncertain.

Content 179

Content Mentoring eLearning Strategy Alternatives 179

Clark Quinn

DECEMBER 11, 2013

What we see are courses as the only tool in the toolbox. The LMS, rapid elearning tools, virtual classrooms, and of course the omnipresent F2F training sessions are the rule. Worse, the courses that are being offered are largely knowledge dump/test. The flaws are myriad. And you’ve heard me go off on this before.

Virtual Classroom 187

Virtual Classroom Case Study Develop Metrics 187

Clark Quinn

JUNE 4, 2019

Not to the exclusion of the learning sciences, of course. Do you administer the LMS? We can be an instructional designer, or a learning experience designer, or an instructional technologist. I think the inclusion of experience does exactly what I want to focus on: the emotional trajectory and the motivational commitment.

Engineering 206

Engineering Instructional Design DevLearn Instructional 206

Clark Quinn

SEPTEMBER 22, 2015

There is plenty of vertical-specific software, from product design to transaction tracking, and of course more general business software such as document generation, financials, etc. First, formal learning software is really enterprise-wide. First, formal learning software is really enterprise-wide. Several ways.

Social Networks 100

Social Networks Simulations Portal Social Network 100

Clark Quinn

MARCH 22, 2010

There are assets (with media tools) you create that can (and should) be managed, and then they’re aggregated into content whether courses or resources, that are accessible through synchronous or asynchronous courses or games, portals or feeds, and managed whether through an LMS or a Social Networking System.

Social Networks 176

Social Networks Tools eLearning Guild Asynchronous 176

Clark Quinn

MAY 23, 2013

That doesn’t characterize many of our learning outcomes. The solutions were different, of course. It’s surprising no one’s baked it into their LMS, but there you go. design meta-learning mobile' One used mobile technology to provide reminders and access to content. The other used the web.

ASTD 180

ASTD Learning Conference Mobile 180

Clark Quinn

DECEMBER 17, 2019

There’s more, of course. To do this well requires content strategy, engineering, and management. Someone put it this way: strategy is what you want to deliver, engineering is how, and management is overseeing the content lifecycle. A sales person and a field engineer are going to want different things in the same location.

Content 132

Content System Cognitive Engineering 132

Clark Quinn

MAY 7, 2010

In addition to some great thoughts on my presentation for the Innovations in eLearning Symposium, and my workshop at the mLearn Conference, I thought about LMS and social media. It occurred to me to think that if someone can decide what goes together to create a course, why shouldn’t the community itself decide?

Blended Learning 157

Blended Learning Community Social Media Network 157

Clark Quinn

MAY 3, 2011

While my colleagues in the ITA and I are railing against the LMS as a complete solution for organizational performance (and the vendors rally back with their move beyond course management with social and portal capabilities, to be fair), one overriding cry is heard: “but we have to do compliance!&# And, yes, they do.

Compliance 180

Compliance Simulations Portal Classes 180

Clark Quinn

SEPTEMBER 17, 2014

This plays out in so many ways: order-taking for courses, equating information with skills, being concerned with speed and quantity instead of quality of outcomes, not measuring the impact, the list goes on. So many other technologies go through the hype cycle : initial over-excitement, crash, and then a gradual resurgence (c.f.

Social Networks 184

Social Networks Augmented Reality Social Network Mentoring 184

Clark Quinn

MARCH 23, 2016

On a recent conversation with some Up to All of Us colleagues, I was reminded about my ‘ reimagining learning ‘ model. The conversation was about fractals and learning, and how most tools (e.g. the LMS) don’t reflect the conversational nature of learning. It’s implicit, but not explicit.

Activities 0

Activities Cognitive Asynchronous Synchronous 0

Clark Quinn

DECEMBER 15, 2008

Of course we stopped those, as we need a coordinated approach. Our first move was, of course, to purchase an LMS. A good LMS is like a fine automobile, with lots of capabilities to handle all conditions. We got a full fledged authoring suite and asked our trainers to develop courses.

Wiki 133

Wiki Portal Association LMS Association Learning Management System 133

Clark Quinn

MARCH 7, 2017

I was tapped to host the Learning Design conversation (there were three others: LMS, Measurement, and Social Learning), and that meant that a subset of the group sat in on the discussion. Are you doing good learning design? What are the barriers to good learning design? What can we do to improve learning design?

Design 121

Design Micro-Learning Learning Discussion 121

Clark Quinn

APRIL 6, 2016

Of course, this could continue. What emerges is that the learners are learning about the meta-cognitive aspects of artefact design, through the guides. They are also meta-learning in their reflections (which may also be scaffolded). This is just a core structure. There are some unresolved issues here.

Cognitive 100

Cognitive Emergent Guide Evalution 100

Clark Quinn

FEBRUARY 1, 2011

I continue to get asked about social learning metrics. Until we get around to a whitepaper or something on metrics, here’re some thoughts: Frankly, the problem with Kirkpatrick (sort of like with LMS’ and ADDIE, *drink*) is not in the concept, but in the execution. As he would say, stopping at level 1 or 2 is worthless.

Metrics 179

Metrics Social Media Media Social 179

Clark Quinn

MAY 5, 2010

Again, we can leverage the 4C’s to go beyond courses to a fuller definition of learning. Social media systems will be much more integrated into the workflow, and LMS will have become just a cog in the ecosystem, not the ecosystem. This can be facilitated by standards. This is what I do and where I like to play.

Learning Technologies 166

Learning Technologies Technology Virtual World Augmented Reality 166

Clark Quinn

AUGUST 25, 2008

I wish to apply my experience designing courses for online learning; however I've searched and don't know where to begin to actually learn how to use the LMS and course design software available. I have great computer skills but am not experienced in creating web courses. How to keep the user engaged, etc.

Authoring Tools 113

Authoring Tools Authoring Tools Dreamweaver 113

Clark Quinn

MAY 18, 2010

Dave Wilkins , who I admire, has taken up the argument for the LMS in a long post , after a suite of posts (including mine ). I earlier made two points: one is that the LMS can be valuable if it has all the features. Or if you need the LMS features as part of a larger federated suite. Courses aren’t the answer any more!

LMS 200

LMS SharePoint Performance Support Suite 200

Clark Quinn

NOVEMBER 30, 2008

Obvious extensions I would infer from social networking would include wrapping discussion around resources (and, of course, having a way to make the resources accessible from multiple points of view, search, and other features in support of reasonable information architecture). User-generated content can be mined for new courses.

Social Networks 100

Social Networks SharePoint Wiki Portal 100

Clark Quinn

DECEMBER 31, 2015

The fact that a Learning Management System is not a strategy still doesn’t seem to have penetrated. And so we’re similarly seeing that other business units are taking on the needs for performance support, social media, and ongoing learning. Still pushing the Serious eLearning Manifesto.

Simulations 60

Simulations Performance Support Games eLearning Strategy 60

Clark Quinn

APRIL 2, 2009

Mzinga is clearly targeted at the learning space, being integrated with an LMS. Vignette’s story about building on their core content management system supporting knowledge management makes sense from the point of view of mining value out of the discussions.

Social Media 100

Social Media Media Social Lithium 100

Clark Quinn

OCTOBER 11, 2022

So, for instance, an LMS’s core affordance is managing courses. You might be able to do course management with a spreadsheet and some elbow grease, or you can mimic video with a series of static shots (think: Ken Burns) and narration, but the purpose-designed tool is likely going to be better.

Cognitive 219

Cognitive Virtual World Portal Social Media 219

Clark Quinn

DECEMBER 23, 2014

For instance, rapid elearning tools make it easy to take PPTs and PDFs, add a quiz, and toss the resulting knowledge test and dump over to the LMS to lead to no impact on the organization. There’s nothing magic about ADDIE as ‘the’ five steps (though having *a* structure is of course a good idea). Oh, the horror!

Instructional Design 184

Instructional Design ADDIE Authoring Tools Tools 184

Clark Quinn

FEBRUARY 11, 2020

But didn’t have a viable business case for me to care (I’m not a candidate for your LMS, for instance ;). I tend to think that infusing learning science is more likely to be a problem in their elearning. (So, So, of course, I made that my own challenge.) For instance, there was no expo. Even on the same stage!

TechKnowledge 39

TechKnowledge eLearning Guild Conference vendor 39

Clark Quinn

OCTOBER 2, 2008

One of the questions being raised this week in the free, online course Work Literacy: Web 2.0 for Learning Professionals is how social networks impact personal learning. Here was the challenge: I am currently trying to find a SME experienced with Moodle (a CMS/LMS) and WizIQ (synchronous web class technology).

Social Networks 100

Social Networks Conversation Ning Moodle 100

Clark Quinn

OCTOBER 1, 2008

For example, blogs are really personal (or group) journals, and it’s easy to have a learning task to reflect a couple of times a week (for example) on what the current course means to you personally. Of course, reading other learner’s blog posts, and commenting, can extend the value of the individual post.

Social Networks 100

Social Networks Social Network Network Social 100

Clark Quinn

MARCH 15, 2009

When we did a course on speaking to the media (and without an LMS to handle the navigation, so no built-in ‘next button’), we had a scheme that both provided a good default, and allowed self-navigation. Or, rather, we shouldn’t see that without some other support.

Case Study 100

Case Study Alternatives Pedagogy Instructional Design 100