Training Industry Quarterly - Fall 2013 - (Page 24)

GENERATIONAL LEARNER VS. EXPERIENCE Training professionals often group learners according to birth dates. The theory is that our environment and experiences have a driving influence on how we learn, and learners have been categorized as follows: • Matures (1900-46): “Greatest Generation” • Baby Boomers (1946-64): “Me Generation” • Generation X (1965-82): “Latchkey Generation” • Net Generation (1982-91): “Millennials” Discriminating aspects may be related more to experience than generation. Today’s workforce is more comfortable working in an electronic environment. And, unless there is a legal requirement for paper copies, most document libraries are on servers rather than in file cabinets. Restricted travel budgets and the move toward disbursed workforces initiated the use of online meeting software or telepresence equipment, thus replacing brick and mortar conference rooms. All of these factors lead to a more techsavvy workforce. TECHNOLOGY: TRANSFORMING THE WAY WE LEARN Today’s learners expect to access learning anytime, anywhere and anyway and are well aware that technology provides the vehicle to achieve this. While there may be varying degrees of technical acuity across generations, most learners today have lifestyles that revolve around digital connectivity. 24 They are tied to smartphones, laptops and tablets. They are barraged with instant messages and an assorted mix of weather, sports and news from customized home pages. They rely on pop-ups and reminders to help them maneuver throughout the day. most up-to-date document by accessing it on a mobile device. They are comfortable navigating the Internet and expect technology to be a part of their learning experience aside from a digital presentation. They prefer learning in smaller, purposedriven segments and often develop their own path through the content by exploration. FREE LEARNERS FROM THE LMS In most organizations, the learner must log in to the LMS to access and launch courseware. This practice potentially hinders the learner from utilizing the full capability of the courseware, and adds administrative burdens for the learner. They don’t want to “go to” the LMS. They want the content from the LMS pushed to them not only to where they are, but also to the device they are using. turn-off to today’s learners. This type of approach is inconsistent with how the organization’s learners are used to receiving information in other areas of their lives. Today, methods have been developed for users to retrieve content from the LMS when they want to use elements of a course as a job aid or reference tool. Learners can access these elements without compromising the organization’s desire to track learning activities for measurement and reporting. We refer to this technique as “disconnected content.” By using such technologies as Adobe Air, the courseware communicates with the LMS in the background without intervention from the learner. This method handles the tracking data and acts as the communication bridge that sits between the mobile device and LMS. The frequent traveler wants the flexibility to bookmark where they left off in the course from the office computer, and then pick it back up on their smartphone while waiting in line at the airport security checkpoint or ticket counter. Then when they get to the gate, they want to continue by opening up their laptop or tablet in the exact place they left off. ORGANIZATIONS ARE LEVERAGING THE CAPABILITIES OF NEW TECHNOLOGY TO PUSH ENHANCED LEARNING EXPERIENCES The sports mom and dad want the same thing. They want to be able to log off the course at the office to head out for a game, and then pick it up on one of their mobile devices while waiting for shoes to be tied and games to start. The technician wants access to the job aids used in the training lab at the learning center. These no longer have to be printed and carried around in the truck. The technician can access the The sales professional wants access to the product knowledge matrix used in the sales training course to prepare for the sales call this afternoon. DEVELOP ONCE, USE MANY Many organizations have invested in a Microsoft Windows infrastructure and have built large catalogs of existing courseware. Learning artifacts were built in Flash to be displayed on Microsoft system workstations. Windows and Android mobile devices are compatible with Flash development; however, to push this same content to an iPhone or iPad, organizations are recreating these learning assets so they can be viewed on Apple products. This duplication of effort is unnecessary and alternative methods have been developed for existing courseware to Training Industry Quarterly, Fall 2013 / A Training Industry, Inc. magazine / www.trainingindustry.com/TIQ http://www.trainingindustry.com/TIQ

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Training Industry Quarterly - Fall 2013

From Where I Sit: The Sustainability of MOOCs
Table of Contents
Ad Index
Guest Editor: Top Five Learning Technologies to Watch
We Need to Support Learning, Not Manage It
Supercharge Your Next Leadership Initiative
Boomers & the Technology Gap
Technologies to Manage Information Overload
It's Time to Invest in the 'Performance Zone'
Inroducing Simulation into Learning Technologies: Examining the Key Considerations
The Evolution of the LMS
Bringing Your Mojo to the Virtual Classroom
Merging Social Learning and Technology to Achieve Business Outcomes
Optimizing Workforce Learning and Performance
Badges: Bridging the Higher Education and Workforce Gap
Integrating Video into Training
Tools for Supporting Sales Coaching
Tweet Suite
Company News

Training Industry Quarterly - Fall 2013