Training Industry Quarterly - Fall 2009 - (Page 11)

LEARNING TECHNOLOGIES | RICK J. CROWLEY THE COMPLEXITY OF THE LEARNING FUNCTION HAS GROWN EXPONENTIALLY DEFINING THE LEARNING TECHNOLOGIST O ver the past 10 years, we’ve seen a new role emerge in workforce development. This evolution is creating a new opportunity to define a new type of learning leader. Now is the time to really embrace the value a learning technologist can bring to the learning function. Sitting either on the IT or the business side of the learning function, the learning technologist should be a master at overall learning requirements for a learning management system. But there are some additional, larger responsibilities a learning technologist can fulfill: Clearinghouse for Requirements The position can drive the consolidation, prioritization and necessity of all learning requirements, from the tools that support learning requests, needs analysis, content development and content management through distribution, consumption, assessments tracking/reporting and feedback. He or she should also be able to manage the requirements for data collection. Cross-Functional Requirements Champion By leveraging knowledge of requirements, the learning technologist should be able to centralize and or standardize vendor integration, single sign-on (entitlement), surveys, assessments and registration to optimize the service that IT is accountable to deliver. Business Process Expert The learning technologist should also look to consolidate requirements with other business functions. Driving alignment will coordinate the opportunity to centralize and standardize on services (making it easier to move to software-as-a-service solutions). Technology Expert The learning technologist understands technology decisions well enough to be able to quickly identify challenges and opportunities and drives alignment with stakeholders. This aspect becomes more important as the business continues to chase the next great shiny ball. Representative on the Learning Council Learning councils are becoming increasingly important as the total spend on learning grows and more stakeholders want to guarantee their success. Learning leaders should be able to depend on the learning technologist to represent the standard processes, technologies and requirements. The complexity of the learning function has grown exponentially, requiring the need for a learning technologist. He/she has to become an expert in many of the areas between IT and the stakeholders to rationalize, optimize and clearly represent the investment companies are making. Rick J. Crowley is an active consultant on learning technology and architecture. Prior to that Rick was senior director, learning systems, for NetApp University, a driving force behind Cisco’s e-learning adoption and implementation and held the position of director of technology training for Oracle. E-mail Rick at editor@trainingindustry.com. Training Industry Quarterly, Fall 2009 / A Training Industry, Inc. ezine / www.trainingindustry.com/TIQ http://www.trainingindustry.com/TIQ

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Training Industry Quarterly - Fall 2009

Training Industry Quarterly - Fall 2009
GeoLearning
From Where I Sit
Contents
Ad Index
Partnering for Performance Conference
At the Editor’s Desk
Raptivity
Winning Organizations Through People
The Training Associates
Learning Technologies
TrainingIndustry.com
Performance & Productivity
Adobe
The Power of User-Generated Learning Content
Training Industry Quarterly
Upside Learning
Designing Learning Games to Meet Business Goals
General Physics Corporation
Creating Effective Learning Measurement Dashboards
University Alliance
Managing Innovation in Corporate Training
Coldwell Banker: Managing Opportunity & Change
Organizational Enablers of Good Measurement
Closing Arguments
Learning Content Network

Training Industry Quarterly - Fall 2009