Elearning - Winter 2005 - (Page 31)

be applied within the context of an individual’s personal career experience. THE SEARCH FOR THE SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT A perfect subject matter expert match for your audience, topic and timeline can make all the difference in the effectiveness of your collaboration. Here are a series of questions to consider as you navigate the path to expert selection: What have they published? When an expert has already published content in a more action-oriented, packaged form, it can speed the process, while more abstract concepts will take longer to translate into a powerful e-learning component. If you find a source who has published material with a clear framework, and the content is a match with your audience, then your search is over – you’ve found your expert. For Leadership Training, we collaborated with Michael Watkins, the author of leading management books including The First 90 Days, and a subject matter expert who instinctively knows how to present his concepts in a practical way that resonates with business audiences. “As we examined what Michael had published, in particular a workbook that put the concepts from his book Right from the Start into a practice-based format, we realized that he had great synergies with what we envisioned for a product we were developing – not just with the content, but also in the way he thought to package it,” adds Sara Cummins. “Michael continues to be one of our top experts.” Are they interested in new teaching methods? Professors who are already embracing online education, multimedia and related methods will have had some exposure to building content suited to e-learning programs, as well as an interest in experimenting with new technologies. How busy is their schedule? The best experts are typically time constrained, so scheduling is typically the hardest part of this process. Confirm up front that the expert has the time to give to a project of this nature. A busy lecture, research or book promotion schedule might preclude your first-choice expert from committing time to advise you on a program. If scheduling becomes a Top 5 Secrets to Success 1 2 3 4 5 Build a realistic timeline – including buffers for the unexpected Find an expert who has already published action-oriented, practical content Book into your expert’s schedule early and for multiple sessions Set clear expectations up front Work to build long-term partnerships with your experts What to Look for in an E-learning Subject Matter Expert. The ideal expert is: 1Interested in e-learning and other new teaching methods 2Willing to make time in their busy schedules for a project 3Highly recommended by other e-learning program creators 4Frequently publishing content in a format that easily translates to e-learning 5Focused on an area that is a direct match with your target topic and audience Elearning! Winter 2005 31

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Elearning - Winter 2005

Elearning - Winter 2005 Contents Editor’s Note News & Analysis Witness Buys Blue Pumpkin Deals in the Making People on the Move Trendline Executives Rate Importance of Training Requirements for Support Put Pressure on Tech Companies Hiring Trends: Small Companies, Big Plans Measuring the Return on Your E-earning Investments Building Interactivity into E-learning Partnering with Colleges and Universities for E-learning Content Strategy VoIP Voice Over IP Case Study: LMS Content Development & Collaboration Tools Case Study: ePerformance Last Word

Elearning - Winter 2005

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