I recently had the opportunity to attend the ASTD’s E-Learning certificate course. While some of the information was useful, I found much of the course to be a repeat of Michael Allen’s presentation at the conference in June. Seriously, $1000 to find out e-learning should be engaging and learner-centered? I am a little insulted.
Returning back to my job I discovered a WBT project was in the works and I have had the opportunity to see first-hand how a WBT goes from the written word into an exciting online piece of educational material. One of the things I’ve noticed during this process is the importance of creating activities that help the learner to engage and explore information. One item in the course I was looking at lacked any real connection to the information at hand, and I couldn’t for the life of me figure out what the objective of the activity was. Turns out that with some small amount of finesse the activity was altered just enough to make the objective something that could be met, and increase the interactivity for the learner. A win-win for all.
It does go to show, however, that adding in activities to a WBT (or an in-class course for that matter) just because they are pretty, or fun, does not add to the learner’s experience. It’s also a phenomenal way to burn through your budget without producing any change in the learner, whether intellectual or behavioral. I don’t understand why companies insist on creating WBT courses where they either send their employees through the equivalent of a powerpoint slide deck, or overwhelm them with “fun” but teach them nothing.
When creating learning, be thinking about what this course would feel like to you if you were forced to take it. I have had the experience of teaching dry, boring topics to people, and at the end of the course if someone wants to tell you that they would have rather boiled themselves in hot oil or received a lobotomy then you’re clearly doing it wrong. I learned a lot from the first time I had to teach something boring and apologized for it in advance. The answer is not to apologize for giving people boring course topics and information, but instead to seek out ways to make it useful, relevant, and engaging. Maybe that accounting class you’re having to create isn’t full of dancing elves and fun jeopardy games, but you can get people in doing hands-on activities alone and with their peers. You can show them how this will be relevant to their job. No one likes a boring class, not even the instructor giving it.
So if you’re someone who designs and builds WBT, please help yourself and your learners out by making the information, however dry or fun, useful and engaging. If I wanted to read a powerpoint slide deck, I’d request that, so if it’s a WBT take full advantage of all the options you have at your fingertips.
