Friday
Dec311999
150 - Learning Forecasts & e-Numb: Overdose of e-Advertising
December 31, 1999
1. Learning Forecasts: Early Predictions by Learners Shape Participation
and Engagement: In a series of interviews with learners, I have been
noticing a critical early stage we are dubbing the Learning Forecast. In
the first few minutes of participating in a technology delivered learning
program, learners seem to do a rapid analysis of the offering and build a
Learning Forecast - predicting their probable behavior:
- Grazing vs. Instructional Pathway: The learner decides if they are going
to follow the instructional pathway or are going to graze through the
modules. The learner looks at the sequence and makes a personal assessment
if they will benefit from and tolerate the step by step method suggested or
if they are going to graze around the modules, sampling and surfing the
material.
- Will I Play?: The learner decides if they are going to participate in the
learning activities, in addition to the information transfer sections of the
program. "Will I Play?" predicts if they will do the practice activities,
take the assessments or access the more collaborative and interactive
elements of the program.
- Yield Ratio: The learner does a quick assessment of the probable yield
from the program. How much benefit will I receive from this program, in
proportion to the time invested. This yield ratio determination may be
influenced by previous experiences with e-learning, with programs from same
supplier and from word on mouth in the organization.
- Time Investment: The above questions build to a time investment
prediction by the learner. How much time will I spend on this program.
Will I give it a few minutes or hours? Will I block time on my schedule or
try to fit it in when I have some "free time"?
These are just a few of the elements in the Learning Forecast that each
student builds in early stages of an e-learning program. The Learning
Forecast seems to be a powerful influencer and is not really addressed head
on by the majority of designers. Few e-learning experiences start with a
throat grabbing, high energy module. Most start with lower energy,
orientation focused elements. Few e-learning experiences recognize that the
learner is really "shopping" in the first few minutes and should be guided
to make a high investment Learning Forecast. Organizations can surely help
to calibrate learners' expectations in this arena. We have a hunch that
investment in activities that will shape the Learning Forecast will be
critical in e-learning efforts.
In coming months, The MASIE Center will be focusing on Learning Forecasts in
articles here in Trends and in our new Learning Decisions Interactive
Newsletter. Send us your thoughts on Learning Forecasts to:
forecast@masie.com
2. Learning Quotation:
"When I learn something new - and it happens every day - I feel a little
more at home in this universe, a little more comfortable in the nest."
- Bill Moyers
3. e-Numb: Overdose of e-Advertising: I have started to get e-Numb! About
15% of the advertising on television these days is for a Dot.Com business
and it is all starting to feel the same. It is even happening in the
Learning and Training field, which I love to follow with a passion. The
other day, I was looking at several ads for e-learning businesses and they
all started to run together. I literally had to stop reading and think
about something else for a few moments. My brain was getting e-Numb!
Why all this advertising now? Well, we all will agree that the Digital Age
is the hot point in business and where fortunes and revolutions will take
place. And, with an infusion of capital from IPO's, companies are spending
BIG BUCKS to grab the attention of the marketplace. The wisdom in the
venture capital community is to gain BRAINSHARE as rapidly as possible, so
let the ads roll.
The problem is that as a consumer, we are at risk of getting e-Numb. While
driving down the highway, I was a very cool billboard about a new "portal
for innovation resources". The problem was that five minutes later there
was a very similar billboard for a new .COM to assist small businesses.
Truthfully, I don't remember either of their URL's and I have not gone
searching. Advertisers beware....your messages may be numbing vs.
stimulating your customers.
Watch your own reaction to this upcoming deluge of e-Advertising? See if
you go to any of the sights. And, reflect on your own internal reaction to
the process. I fear that many of us, even the most excited, may start to
feel e-Numb.
4. e-learning Briefing To Focus on Organizational Decisions: There are only
65 spaces left in our new program, e-learning Briefing, to be held in
Seattle, Washington, on January 10 and 11, 2000. The focus of this two day
briefing, which I will teach, is on getting your arms wrapped around the key
decisions organizations must make as they add technology to the learning and
training process. I will provide a detailed view of the various components
of e-learning including:
On-Line Learning - Learning Technology - Digital Collaboration - Web-Based
Training - Virtual Classrooms - Learning Management Knowledge Management -
Skills for On-Line Training - Assessment - Learning Communities - Learning
Portal Strategies - Digital Futures - Authoring and Capturing Models - Key
Learning Decisions - Staffing for e-Learning
To register for this program go to http://www.masie.com/elearning/
and Engagement: In a series of interviews with learners, I have been
noticing a critical early stage we are dubbing the Learning Forecast. In
the first few minutes of participating in a technology delivered learning
program, learners seem to do a rapid analysis of the offering and build a
Learning Forecast - predicting their probable behavior:
- Grazing vs. Instructional Pathway: The learner decides if they are going
to follow the instructional pathway or are going to graze through the
modules. The learner looks at the sequence and makes a personal assessment
if they will benefit from and tolerate the step by step method suggested or
if they are going to graze around the modules, sampling and surfing the
material.
- Will I Play?: The learner decides if they are going to participate in the
learning activities, in addition to the information transfer sections of the
program. "Will I Play?" predicts if they will do the practice activities,
take the assessments or access the more collaborative and interactive
elements of the program.
- Yield Ratio: The learner does a quick assessment of the probable yield
from the program. How much benefit will I receive from this program, in
proportion to the time invested. This yield ratio determination may be
influenced by previous experiences with e-learning, with programs from same
supplier and from word on mouth in the organization.
- Time Investment: The above questions build to a time investment
prediction by the learner. How much time will I spend on this program.
Will I give it a few minutes or hours? Will I block time on my schedule or
try to fit it in when I have some "free time"?
These are just a few of the elements in the Learning Forecast that each
student builds in early stages of an e-learning program. The Learning
Forecast seems to be a powerful influencer and is not really addressed head
on by the majority of designers. Few e-learning experiences start with a
throat grabbing, high energy module. Most start with lower energy,
orientation focused elements. Few e-learning experiences recognize that the
learner is really "shopping" in the first few minutes and should be guided
to make a high investment Learning Forecast. Organizations can surely help
to calibrate learners' expectations in this arena. We have a hunch that
investment in activities that will shape the Learning Forecast will be
critical in e-learning efforts.
In coming months, The MASIE Center will be focusing on Learning Forecasts in
articles here in Trends and in our new Learning Decisions Interactive
Newsletter. Send us your thoughts on Learning Forecasts to:
forecast@masie.com
2. Learning Quotation:
"When I learn something new - and it happens every day - I feel a little
more at home in this universe, a little more comfortable in the nest."
- Bill Moyers
3. e-Numb: Overdose of e-Advertising: I have started to get e-Numb! About
15% of the advertising on television these days is for a Dot.Com business
and it is all starting to feel the same. It is even happening in the
Learning and Training field, which I love to follow with a passion. The
other day, I was looking at several ads for e-learning businesses and they
all started to run together. I literally had to stop reading and think
about something else for a few moments. My brain was getting e-Numb!
Why all this advertising now? Well, we all will agree that the Digital Age
is the hot point in business and where fortunes and revolutions will take
place. And, with an infusion of capital from IPO's, companies are spending
BIG BUCKS to grab the attention of the marketplace. The wisdom in the
venture capital community is to gain BRAINSHARE as rapidly as possible, so
let the ads roll.
The problem is that as a consumer, we are at risk of getting e-Numb. While
driving down the highway, I was a very cool billboard about a new "portal
for innovation resources". The problem was that five minutes later there
was a very similar billboard for a new .COM to assist small businesses.
Truthfully, I don't remember either of their URL's and I have not gone
searching. Advertisers beware....your messages may be numbing vs.
stimulating your customers.
Watch your own reaction to this upcoming deluge of e-Advertising? See if
you go to any of the sights. And, reflect on your own internal reaction to
the process. I fear that many of us, even the most excited, may start to
feel e-Numb.
4. e-learning Briefing To Focus on Organizational Decisions: There are only
65 spaces left in our new program, e-learning Briefing, to be held in
Seattle, Washington, on January 10 and 11, 2000. The focus of this two day
briefing, which I will teach, is on getting your arms wrapped around the key
decisions organizations must make as they add technology to the learning and
training process. I will provide a detailed view of the various components
of e-learning including:
On-Line Learning - Learning Technology - Digital Collaboration - Web-Based
Training - Virtual Classrooms - Learning Management Knowledge Management -
Skills for On-Line Training - Assessment - Learning Communities - Learning
Portal Strategies - Digital Futures - Authoring and Capturing Models - Key
Learning Decisions - Staffing for e-Learning
To register for this program go to http://www.masie.com/elearning/
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