Training Industry Quarterly - Fall 2008 - (Page 21) employee might need awareness proficiency through a podcast, and then six months later, emerging proficiency through an online course. This online approach allows the learner to “stay on the job,” gaining as much real-life experience as possible. As a learner progresses toward proficiency in his or her second year, an option would be an online team exercise where members meet to solve a challenge in a virtual classroom, with results monitored by a virtual professor. This solution allows for professional networking, without the costs associated with global travel. Three years into a career, this learner might then be asked to master the proficiency, with options for both monitoring and participating in online wikis or virtual mastery discussion groups. Use of whiteboards, VoIP, document sharing and chat features in these virtual sessions can support pre- or post-work for formal groups or a facilitated group project. One other 2.0 guideline would be to make sure your 2.0 solution is part of a systemic approach. Simply posting articles to a wiki does not make a learning experience; rather, it’s the related discussions and moderated enhancements to documents that net the rich value for learners. For example, at ACS we have designed and implemented an online community with rich content resources and divergent communication and delivery options to support a global Executive Education program. The eLearning Guild (http://www.elearningguild.com) offers classes on “advanced design techniques” geared specifically to adapting accepted instructional design models to collaborative and immersive learning environments. One example from the Guild program includes the design of “course road maps” that provide a strategic path or facilitated exploration for groups using 2.0 tools, allowing individualized learning, but with specific performance outcomes intended. We are working with one client to build a phased development program for college graduate new hires. Each phase focuses on developing a specific set of competencies (primarily technical, with some non-technical soft skills) through role assignments, offering an opportunity for on-the-job experiences, formal courseware (both classroom and Web-based), as well as coaching sessions. The goals are to increase the speed-to-proficiency of these new hires, en- hance their ability to take more challenging assignments earlier in their careers, and also improve retention of these desirable young professionals. This development program may be built in html with links to competency descriptions, potential role descriptions, a self-assessment log, course descriptions (with links to LMS to register), and coaching guidelines for key points in development, designed for both the coach and the person being coached. In our Web 1.0 world technology solutions have enabled learning to be created and delivered increasingly “better, faster and/or cheaper.” Overhead projectors have given way to electronic slide presentations, which are now often replaced with Flash executables. Telephone conference calls are enhanced through webcasting, which is sometimes replaced with video conferencing. We use this methodology, with application sharing to facilitate design sessions, sharing knowledge and ideas with 20 or more participants in eight locations, across five continents. Web 2.0 provides an even broader range of capabilities that provide options to make these virtual work sessions more productive and the contribution of your “crowds” more valuable. Companies that are able to network their people and ideas, and tap into resources at the extended ends of their enterprise will be better able to optimize learning, knowledge and growth. We believe that these options to leverage informal and formal exchanges provide unique opportunities to solve tough business problems and develop networks. Next time you are exploring options for reinforcement, consider using podcasting, wikis, and mobile technologies …jump in the world of Web 2.0. Lyn Maize is director of market analysis and innovation at ACS, where she oversees the company’s marketing programs and thought leadership initiatives in Learning Process Outsourcing. Caroline Avey is a senior learning strategist for ACS Learning Services, specializing in helping companies with transformational learning strategy. Phillip Antonelli is a senior instructional designer for ACS, where he has led efforts in building collaboration into formal programs and where he was instrumental in helping earn ACS a 2008 Brandon Hall Excellence in Learning Award. You can e-mail the authors at Lyn.Maize@acs-inc.com. Takeaways Think out of the box — Be open to new options for leveraging informal and formal learning or knowledge exchanges to solve tough business problems. Tap the wisdom of the learning professionals and knowledge workers across your organization for new ideas for engaging and reaching your learners. Test the tolerance of your corporate culture — Use the Cultural Readiness check list to determine if your organization is ready to relinquish control, or open itself up to new technologies or ways to share knowledge. Are your learners ready? Find a use case to help you establish credibility for those first few experiments with lots of support for early experimenters. Choose the right tools and modalities for your first few projects — You might consider a technology and user assessment to determine both what is feasibly (Blackberry server, issues with virtual worlds and firewalls as examples) and to determine what your target audience is willing to consume? Articulate the business purpose and desired outcome – It’s easy to get caught up with all the bells and whistles of these fun new tools and applications, but we can’t lose site that our learning resources must still align to a particular goal or performance outcome. Whether it’s change, retention or speed to proficiency be ready with a business case that establishes your credibility and validates the initiative. Be an evangelist – Launch your own social network or community of practice. Invite interested parties to share their personal experiences and ideas in an open form webcast. Hold a few meetings in Second Life. We found that tolerance moves virally to acceptance when you allow people to engage in their own time at their own pace. 21 Training Industry Quarterly, Fall 2008 / A Training Industry, Inc. ezine / www.trainingindustry.com/TIQ http://www.elearningguild.com http://www.trainingindustry.com/TIQ
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