E-Learning Curve Blog

E-Learning Tools List – Top 10 for 2010

Every year the estimable Jane Hart (owner and proprietor of Centre for Learning & Performance Technologies) asks learning professionals to submit their Top 10 E-Learning Tools for the previous twelve months.

So without further ado, here is my Third Annual Top 10 E-Learning Tools.

My, how time flies.

In alphabetical order (because every one of them is a winner!):

Adobe Acrobat Connect Enterprise – I could have picked any from the range of Adobe Flash-based content development tools, but I chose this application because of its multi-functionality, and because it manifests what Flash, Presenter, Dreamweaver etc can do. Enables collaboration, content storage, management, distribution, and (a certain degree of) tracking. A powerful content delivery platform to enable learning professionals and organizations distribute informational and training content effectively.

Audacity – I recommend this open source tool to Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) who wish to create podcasts and/or software demos when using a Rapid E-Learning approach. It’s an easy-to-use non-destructive audio recording and editing tool, comes with a range of impressive plug-ins including Normalize and Noise Reduction (NR), as well as pretty good graphical equalizer (EQ). Audacity enables SMEs and training professionals create high quality audio quickly and efficiently.

Techsmith Camtasia- A SERIOUS rapid e-learning authoring tool for demonstrations, simulations, evaluation, and scenario-based learning. This application – which was recently upgraded to version 7 – is my “weapon of choice” for much of my e-learning content production work. It would probably be Number 1 Tool on this list if I went for a merit-based rather than alphabetical format.

Blogs – The platform doesn’t matter – I use WordPress – but the concept of providing a means to create, share, and deliver content is the basis for a new way of learning. My e-learning blog, the E-Learning Curve Blog (unashamed plug) provides commentary and news on the domain of professional learning and development.

But most importantly for me, it’s my handy personal knowledgebase.

Cloud-based apps - I’m primarily a Mac user, and I subscribe to Apple’s MobileMe service, because it enables me to sync and back up my e-mail, calendars, important documents and media across my iMac, iPhone, MacBook Pro, and my Dell Latitude laptop.

I find the facility to access my stuff, without investing in a personal network infrastructure invaluable. But the key thing here is the cloud extends e-learning’s capability, in ways unimagined even two years ago.

Apple iPhone – I don’t know what insight to offer about this device to say about this device that hasn’t already still been said.

For me, it’s not so much the device itself, but more the power of the apps it supports. Will the recently-released iPad be in this spot in 2011? Only time will tell, but I think that the larger tablet has great potential for educators as an e-learning delivery platform.

MindJet Mind Manager Pro – Mind-mapping – using diagrams used to represent words, ideas, tasks, and concepts linked to and arranged around a central topic (and used to generate, visualize, structure ideas), is central to the way I work, research, organize, solve problems, and make decisions. I built the framework for my MSc. in Education thesis in Mind Manager.

It is powerful intermediary in developing ideas, concepts, and course design.

Moodle – An institution in institutions! Martin Dougiamas’ erstwhile thesis project continues to meet the learning management requirements of any number and type of organization. Social Constructivist? Virtual Learning Environment? Easy-to-use? Great Platform.

Sony Vegas Video – Easier to use than Adobe Premiere, more powerful than MovieMaker; Vegas is my post-production tool for 90% of the video elements that appear in courseware developed for my customers and clients.

Whether you’re just “topping and tailing” a piece of video or creating the elements for a sophisticated soft skills course, Vegas is a must-have application, as far as I’m concerned (Windows-only, but works very well on a Mac via VM Fusion).

StatCounter – every learning professional knows that “if you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.” This mantra has an extra resonance in the online learning world. StatCounter is a Web and blog analysis tool that enables me to understand the requirements of learners who use my courseware, as well as how visitors interact with my blog.

TextEdit (MacOS) or TextPad (Windows) – These two programs are advanced text editors that enable users to create and edit text documents, XML, JavaScript and other interpreted content without the extraneous “bloat” of word-processing applications. I find it easier to create content in the stripped-down environment they support before transferring to Word, PowerPoint, or some other application for final enhancement and publishing (this list was created in TextEdit, for example).

What are your Top 10 E-Learning Tools?

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July 29 2010 | e-learning | 1 Comment »

Using readiness surveys when evaluating e-learning

During this series of posts about evaluating non-formal learning programs using qualitative methods, I have already mentioned carrying out an e-learning readiness survey; but I did not characterize or discuss how to implement such a research instrument.

This was deliberate. Now read on…

In my view, e-learning readiness surveys represent an ‘alpha and an omega’ of evaluation: on one level they are the starting point for any evaluation of an organization’s learning initiative, on another level they define an organization’s ability to implement an effective e-learning strategy.

As such, these surveys are a bridge between the theory and the practice of implementing a learning program. Readiness surveys enable the learning practitioner to understand and measure

1. the effectiveness of organizational learning and
2. to identify the critical factors for success when developing learning programs.

I have found Marc J. Rosenberg’s E-Learning Readiness Survey to be a very effective instrument to evaluate both the effectiveness of an organization’s learning strategy, and one of the foundations of any serious evaluation of the effectiveness of learning programs. According to Marc’s schema, the survey is distributed across seven areas of understanding:

1. Business readiness
2. The changing nature of learning and e-learning
3. Value of instructional and information design
4. Change management
5. Reinventing the training organization
6. The e-learning industry
7. Your personal commitment

The questions provided in this survey represent some of the most important strategic issues organizations face when transitioning to e-learning. Certainly there are additional questions and issues that deserve attention; I suggest you review the approach taken in the survey, then add your own, organization-specific items as required.

More next time…

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Downloads: Marc J. Rosenberg’s E-learning Readiness Survey

References: Rosenberg, M. J. (2006) Beyond e-Learning. San Francisco, CA: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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July 26 2010 | e-learning | 1 Comment »

Using Quantitative Data when Evaluating Non-Formal Learning

To support the qualitative data captured using the retrospective pre-test method, I strongly recommend that you gather as much related, quantitative data as you can.

Now read on…

Information associated with a learning initiative or program you’re evaluating can derive from a range of source, and I advise using as many as is practicable. Collecting quantitative data can seem daunting and difficult to achieve, but happily there are a range of accessible sources of quantitative data that every learning professional can use.

For example…

1. Always collect Kirkpatrick Level 1 attendee feedback forms from classroom-based and synchronous online participants at the end of each individual event: over time you accumulate substantial amounts of valuable feedback about learners’ reaction to the initiative.
2. Use Web-hosted feedback forms to collect data from asynchronous participants (i.e. for online and DVD-ROM based content).
3. Data can also be collected automatically from systems including Web servers, learning management systems and learning content management systems; Horton (2006) describes these types of archive data as “meaningful statistics” (p.102): they record detailed information about what participants did while taking the learning event, particularly in the e-learning channels.
4. Other “meaningful statistics” include non-automated but standardized data recording processes such as recording learner attendance captured in the synchronous online and classroom-based context, and off-line learner activity such as DVD-ROM requests.

By examining logs and reports from these systems and processes, useful data can be collected on:

• Frequency and pattern of course access
• Number of slides/pages or learning objects accessed
• Duration of access to learning objects
• Number of supporting collateral downloads
• Feedback submitted
• Participation in discussion and question & answer sessions
• Rate of individual learner attendance or online access
• Rate of attendance or online access by role (i.e. developer, support, business analyst etc)
• Rate of group level (i.e. Sales & Marketing, Support, Manufacturing, Engineering etc) attendance or online access
• Rate of attendance or online access by length of service in an organization (i.e. new hire, with a company 0-12 months, 1-2 years, 2-3 years, 3-5 years, +5 years etc)

More Next Time…

_________

References:

Horton, W. (2006) So how is elearning different? IN: Kirkpatrick, P. & Kirkpatrick, J. Evaluating Training Programs. 3rd ed. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.

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July 22 2010 | e-learning | 3 Comments »