Wednesday
Aug292001
214 - To Print or Not to Print: Survey Results; Using Circle in the Round in Synchronous Learning; HR Layoffs Referencing e-Learning Capabilities
August 29, 2001
1. MASIE Center/Advanstar Form Alliance for TechLearn: I am pleased to announce a significant business alliance that The MASIE Center has formed with Advanstar Communications (publishers of e-Learning Magazine). For the next four years, I will host and produce the content of the TechLearn Confererence and the International e-Learning Festival, as they grow and adapt to the changing business world. Advanstar will own and manage the conference, freeing us up to spend the entire year focused on content. In addition, I will work with Advanstar on extending the message about learning, technology and collaboration to new fields such as Customer
Relationship Management. This is a great vote of confidence in the
learning field and a sign of the maturation of our industry. Read the
press announcement at http://www.elearningmag.com/
TechLearn 2001 will be held in Orlando on Oct 28-31. Registration and information at: http://www.techlearn.com
2. To Print or Not to Print: Survey Results: This month's Learning
Decisions took a quick and light look at when people press (or don't
press) the PRINT button on their computers. 3,062 learning and training professionals that subscribe to The MASIE Center's publications provided benchmarking data during the week of July 27, 2001. Here are a couple highlights:
When you get an important email, how often do you print a copy?
- 20% Very often (almost every important message)
- 36% Sometimes
- 23% Not very often
- 21% Almost never
Which type of emails or documents are you most likely to print? (all that apply)
- 82% Ones that I need to reference away from my computer
- 39% Important ones
- 34% Long ones
- 18% Ones that I want to share with other people
- 10% Ones that disturb or distress me
- 14% Other (Popular write-ins were "ones that I will take notes on" or "ones that will be taken to meetings")
3. Using Circle in the Round in Synchronous Learning: One quick
technique that works well during live collaborative events, like a
telephone conference or web seminar is to ask for a set of 5 volunteers. These folks are then dropped into a sub-conference with the trainer, and engage in a small group discussion on a topic. While there may be a dozen or a thousand other learners on the line, this small group participates as intimate seminar and the instructor reaches out to them for comments and on-going chat. Then, you can fold other participants into the group with specific comments or questions. I recently used this technique during a call with 800 participants and it worked like a charm!
4. HR Layoffs Referencing e-Learning Capabilities: In two separate
business articles I read this week, there was mention of job cutbacks
impacting HR professionals. Both mentioned the role of e-Learning as an enabling factor in reducing the headcount of full time trainers and part time instructors in the HR headcount. There is a growing sense that HR staff will be reduced in ratio's of close of 1 cut for every 100 job cuts in the business. However, following a layoff, there is a huge amount of work to be done in the HR function related to outplacement and cross-training. But, watch for more linkages between e-Learning and layoffs.
5. TechLearn Benchmarking Study Announced: Each organization that will attending TechLearn this year can participate in an in-depth benchmarking activity. We will create an interactive database of each attending organization, containing questions about their current and planned activities in the learning, training, e-Learning and Performance Support arenas. Attendees will be able to compare and contrast their own practices with the broader population of the entire conference. In addition, they will be able to form small group discussions with organizations facing similar challenges. Registration for TechLearn 2001 (Oct 28 - 31) is available at www.techlearn.com
Relationship Management. This is a great vote of confidence in the
learning field and a sign of the maturation of our industry. Read the
press announcement at http://www.elearningmag.com/
TechLearn 2001 will be held in Orlando on Oct 28-31. Registration and information at: http://www.techlearn.com
2. To Print or Not to Print: Survey Results: This month's Learning
Decisions took a quick and light look at when people press (or don't
press) the PRINT button on their computers. 3,062 learning and training professionals that subscribe to The MASIE Center's publications provided benchmarking data during the week of July 27, 2001. Here are a couple highlights:
When you get an important email, how often do you print a copy?
- 20% Very often (almost every important message)
- 36% Sometimes
- 23% Not very often
- 21% Almost never
Which type of emails or documents are you most likely to print? (all that apply)
- 82% Ones that I need to reference away from my computer
- 39% Important ones
- 34% Long ones
- 18% Ones that I want to share with other people
- 10% Ones that disturb or distress me
- 14% Other (Popular write-ins were "ones that I will take notes on" or "ones that will be taken to meetings")
3. Using Circle in the Round in Synchronous Learning: One quick
technique that works well during live collaborative events, like a
telephone conference or web seminar is to ask for a set of 5 volunteers. These folks are then dropped into a sub-conference with the trainer, and engage in a small group discussion on a topic. While there may be a dozen or a thousand other learners on the line, this small group participates as intimate seminar and the instructor reaches out to them for comments and on-going chat. Then, you can fold other participants into the group with specific comments or questions. I recently used this technique during a call with 800 participants and it worked like a charm!
4. HR Layoffs Referencing e-Learning Capabilities: In two separate
business articles I read this week, there was mention of job cutbacks
impacting HR professionals. Both mentioned the role of e-Learning as an enabling factor in reducing the headcount of full time trainers and part time instructors in the HR headcount. There is a growing sense that HR staff will be reduced in ratio's of close of 1 cut for every 100 job cuts in the business. However, following a layoff, there is a huge amount of work to be done in the HR function related to outplacement and cross-training. But, watch for more linkages between e-Learning and layoffs.
5. TechLearn Benchmarking Study Announced: Each organization that will attending TechLearn this year can participate in an in-depth benchmarking activity. We will create an interactive database of each attending organization, containing questions about their current and planned activities in the learning, training, e-Learning and Performance Support arenas. Attendees will be able to compare and contrast their own practices with the broader population of the entire conference. In addition, they will be able to form small group discussions with organizations facing similar challenges. Registration for TechLearn 2001 (Oct 28 - 31) is available at www.techlearn.com