Elearning - Winter 2005 - (Page 33)

partneringwithcolleges time to brainstorm, get creative and hone the content; resulting in an even more powerful program. We maintain long-standing relationships with many of our subject matter experts. For example, our collaboration with Linda Hill goes back ten years to when she provided input for our very first e-learning products. Linda is currently reviewing several modules for a new program we’re developing for firsttime managers. We know that working with her will again be a great experience with a positive result. Remember the basics. Be consistently respectful of your expert’s time. Communicate in their preferred method, whether through email, an assistant or in person. If possible, have one person on your team be the point person to make it less confusing for the expert and allow for more continuity and relationship building. Streamlining communication can also minimize your margin for error. problem, consider that younger faculty members often have more flexibility. They may lack industry name recognition but have the research, content and time to be a very valuable resource. Do you know anyone who has worked with them? If you know that a professor you’re considering as your expert has worked on this sort of project before, a quick call to someone involved on the project can provide clues on what to expect of the experience. Doing some checking early in the process can keep you focused on the experts who are the best fit for your program. HELPFUL TIPS ON THE PROCESS Based on eleven years of successful collaborations, here are some ideas to help make the path along your e-learning content partnership as smooth as possible. Build a realistic timeline. Allow time for unexpected changes from your expert, as well as from your organization. It can be helpful to have an expert who understands the world of program/software development, where the development process can be unpredictable despite the best planning. Set clear expectations with your expert. Giving your expert a precise picture of what the end result will be helps set the tone for the conversations you have throughout the content development process. Giving your expert a precise picture of what the end result will be helps set the tone for the conversations you have throughout the content development process. Show them an existing e-learning program to help them envision what you are working toward. This will save time for everyone involved and minimize surprises down the road. Long-term relationships equal great results. Finding that first expert is often the most challenging. Once you’ve established a strong working relationship with an expert, the process gets simpler, as you can reference your past experience to the new experts you approach. Long-standing relationships allow you to short-cut to the content development as expectations are already understood. The result is more Finally, don’t forget to say thank you. Make the most of the affiliation. If the college you’re considering partnering with is known for a certain area of expertise or teaching style, be sure to showcase that within your program. HBSP’s Case in Point product came from customer demand as well as interest in applying aspects of Harvard Business School’s case-based method in a corporate training environment. Our close affiliation has helped us deliver compelling and unique elearning programs to our audiences. Maureen Betses is vice president, higher education and e-learning, at Harvard Business School Publishing, www.elearning.hbsp.org. Elearning! Winter 2005 33 http://www.elearning.hbsp.org

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

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.