Training Industry Quarterly - Spring 2008 - (Page 22)

WHILE BOTH LCMS MODELS OFFER ENHANCED PRODUCTIVITY FOR DEVELOPERS AND EFFECTIVE LEARNING, EACH IS OPTIMIZED TO MEET DIFFERENT BUSINESS DRIVERS. it for all their different purposes. Using this approach, they are able to develop learning 50% faster, and achieve a 75% higher learner satisfaction rate. While both LCMS models offer enhanced productivity for developers and effective learning, each is optimized to meet different business drivers. The rest of this article will discuss these business drivers and how the page- and asset-based models address each. Enabling Subject Matter Experts to Contribute Content Oftentimes, subject matter experts, (SMEs) are tasked with providing the base information from which subsequent learning materials are built. In most cases, it does not make sense to train SMEs on how to use an LCMS authoring tools to capture the information they can provide. Instead, organizations rely on the software such as Microsoft Word and PowerPoint that most SMEs are familiar with. To accommodate this approach, a LCMS will provide the ability to ingest these common file types and convert them into a format native to the LCMS. This ability to ingest and manage this document-based content is a key capability used to convert legacy content such as documentation and instructor-led materials into the content foundation used to create other delivery modes such as e-learning courseware. Page-based systems generally do a good job of importing PowerPoint type content because it has already been optimized for on-screen delivery and shares the same basic page-based framework for structuring, presenting and positioning content. Support of document-based content, such as Word documents, however, may be a bit more troublesome and may require instructional designers to perform manual work before importing the content. Asset-based systems also support PowerPoint-type content, and because of the asset-based system’s separation of the delivery format from the content, document-based content, such as Word documents, is more easily handled. In summary, if SMEs will be primarily using a PowerPoint approach to author content, then either LCMS approach is fine. For Word or other document contribution, an asset-based approach may be more appropriate. 22 Managing and Publishing Standards-Based Content E-Learning content standards, including AICC and SCORM, are designed to enable content to be interoperable across any compliant system. The ability to publish e-learning content from the development environment to these standards should be a core capability for any LCMS. Additionally, the ability to import, manage and deliver content developed outside of the LCMS is often another important consideration. Both page-based and asset-based systems provide the ability to publish e-learning content as standards-compliant courses. Other legacy content such as existing HTML courses, CBT courses or other third-party developed courseware, may be imported and managed by both systems. However, an asset-based system provides stronger abilities to import, manage and deliver content that was not developed using the LCMS’s built-in authoring tools. For organizations required only to deliver standards-based content created by the organization, a page-based system will fill the need. When an organization needs to manage and deliver standard-based content created by vendors or use off-the-shelf content within a course, an asset-based LCMS should be considered. Facilitating Content Reuse Both page-based and asset-based systems support the ability to assemble and reuse content. However, the approaches to content reusability and assembly differ drastically. With page-based systems, each page and the content embedded in it is stored as a unique object in an LCMS, presenting the option of re-using the page in other courses or the same content in other pages. However, because the look and feel is embedded into the page and content objects, reuse is often limited to courses sharing the exact same look and feel as the original course. Since content is structured around the page-based framework, reuse most frequently happens at the page level. Authors search for and find pages that contain the desired content and link it into the new course structure as is. If a different look and feel is desired, those content objects must be copied and modified. This has long-term implications in terms of content maintenance. Training Industry Quarterly, Spring 2008 / A Training Industry, Inc. ezine / www.trainingindustry.com/TIQ http://www.trainingindustry.com/TIQ

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Training Industry Quarterly - Spring 2008

Training Industry Quarterly - Spring 2008 At the Editor’s Desk Contents Winning Organizations Through People Before You Buy… Learning Technologies Take Your ROI to Level 6 LCMS: A Critical Link to Learning Success Establishing Best Practices for Learning Governance Training’s Role in Continuous Improvement Meet Jim Mitnick Meet Karen Kocher Meet Christina Cernuch The Personal Side of Personnel Training Closing Arguments

Training Industry Quarterly - Spring 2008

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.