I came across these three white papers for those in the training industry about online learning and training. I haven’t seen them since they are available only to those in the USA, so interested in comments about quality, accuracy, etc. I shrunk the links so they would work in email.
If you are at all involved in the delivery of training via the use of technologies, you have probably seen, heard, or used the terms e-learning or social learning*. They have become common currency in the discussion of training and learning undertaken in non face-to-face training and education contexts.
Unlike the term “distance learning” which is an older term with a very clear and precise definition, both the terms e-learning and social learning lack clarity of definition to the extent that many practitioners who use the words don’t have clear ideas about what they themselves mean; what is included and what the terms exclude. This is not an abstract issue of linguistics but a practical issue that has profound impact on both research and practice.
Over the last decade the word “engagement” has been re-packaged, resold an remarketed so that it’s become a buzzword linked with organizational success (we must have engaged employees), customer relationships and social networking (we must be engaged with the customers”, and even, perhaps more sadly, in education. I say sadly because the meaning is unclear, and it’s become the latest fad in many of these fields.
That doesn’t mean it has no value, however, even if it is oversold.
Knowledge Management in Instructional Design. ERIC Digest.
Instructional designers engage in activities related to the planning and implementation of instructional and performance support solutions. Available tools and technologies influence the way in which instructional designers accomplish their tasks. Knowledge management represents a technology that is changing how instructional design professionals work. This article will review what instructional designers do, describe knowledge management, and indicate how knowledge management is influencing instructional design.
Distance Education and Accreditation. ERIC Digest.
In 1997-1998, there were more than 1.3 million enrollments in college-level, credit-granting distance education courses – approximately double the almost 754,000 formal enrollments in 1994-1995 (Lewis, Snow, Farris, and Levin, 1999, p. 50). The number of courses offered also almost doubled, with the nearly 26,000 distance education courses offered by 2- and 4-year higher education institutions in 1994-1995 growing to more than 47,500 different college-level courses in 1997-1998 (Lewis, Snow, Farris, and Levin, 1999, p. 49).
This rapid growth in distance education has created the potential for fraud and abuse. With so many courses and programs offered by so many providers, how can students determine which courses and programs are worthwhile – and which ones are shams? This digest will, after reviewing some information on distance education, discuss accreditation, the traditional method of determining the quality of higher education offerings in the United States, and its application to distance education.
Short Description: Forward-thinking organizations are turning to enterprise learning in their quest to be better informed, better skilled, better supported at the point of need, and more competitive in their respective marketplaces.
Long Description: It is clear that as enterprise learning becomes a central part of strategic business alignment, the anytime, anywhere promises of eLearning are more likely to be met by extending the metaphor of the classroom and taking better advantage of today’s informal learning tools, resources, and techniques. Continue reading
Older Worker Training: An Overview. ERIC Digest No. 114.
A number of economic and demographic trends are focusing attention on older workers: individuals over age 55 will continue to constitute a larger proportion of the total population; people are living longer, healthier lives and many see full- or part-time employment as a means of remaining productive in their later years; increased longevity coupled with higher inflation have created economic pressures for older people, causing them to remain in the work force; and low birth rates during the past two decades have decreased the number of younger entrants into the labor market (Johnston and Packer 1987).
ERIC Identifier: ED470032
Publication Date: 2002-10-00
Author: Driscoll, Marcy P.
Source: ERIC Clearinghouse on Information and Technology Syracuse NY.
ERIC Identifier: ED481716
Publication Date: 2003
Author: Boston, Carol
Source: ERIC Clearinghouse on Assessment and Evaluation
Cognitive Science and Assessment. ERIC Digest.
I stumbled upon this accidentally. It’s an online course, with material also available in downloadable pdf format, covering the basics of the adult learning, androgogical model. I disagree with much contained in that approach, but there is still good material in it, and truth is that anyone dealing with adults in learning situations should at least be aware of the principles and terms, if only to be able to discuss them sensibly.
Adult Learning: From Theory to Practice is an online course intended for tutors in the Canadian adult literacy community. The course may be used by individuals in a stand alone, self-paced format, and/or by groups in various formats, both online and offline.