193 - William Bennett with Milken Investment Founds On-Line K-12 School

1. William Bennett with Milken Investment Founds On-Line K-12 School: Former
Education Secretary William Bennett is founding an online private K-12
school that will offer the kind of traditional schooling long espoused by
Bennett, including phonics, back-to-basics math and civics lessons. The
for-profit venture, dubbed K12, is backed by a $10-million investment from
Knowledge Universe Learning Group, a subsidiary of Knowledge Universe, which
was founded in 1996 by Michael Milken. The school, which hopes to attract
100,000 students by 2005, expects to tap into the estimated 1.5-million
home-schooler market for its initial enrollment. Web site and press release at
http://www.k12.com

2. A New Year Greeting from The MASIE Center: We would like to thank each
and every one of the almost 40,000 registered readers of TechLearn TRENDS
for your support and community over the past year. The year 2000 will go
down in history as an interesting one for the fields of learning, training
and technology. We have appreciated the constant flow of news and insights
that have flowed from our readers in over 104 countries around the world.
We have been proud to produce a free service that has stayed vendor neutral
and hype sensitive. And, I have had the wonderful experience of meeting
people at airports, at restaurants and at meetings that are regular readers
of TechLearn TRENDS and have come up to say Hi and appreciate the personal
spirit of this project.

Year 2000 has included these events and trends:

- The phrase e-Learning has caught on and is in use around the globe.
- There is still a gap between the promise of highly engaging e-Learning and
what many people are experiencing.
- Standards took a great move forward as we approach global and neutral
technology and learning standards agreements.
- The DOT.COM frenzy hit highs and lows and is being overshadowed by the
application of e-Commerce to real companies with real processes.
- CEO's and senior executives are joining the call for the application of
technology and learning to solve BUSINESS problems.
- Public policy groups and commissions are asking for more research on the
effectiveness of e-Learning.
- The MASIE Center hosted over 3,200 colleagues at TechLearn 2000, featuring
the World e-Learning CONGRESS
- Organizations moved from asking IF we should do e-Learning to asking HOW
to scale e-Learning on an enterprise level.
- More than 680 organizations now are supplying services or products in the e-Learning space.
- We have key questions that need to be answered by probing for best practices and inventing
new models of integrating learning into the lives of workers.

May you and your family and colleagues have a Happy and Healthy New Year.
And, may e-Learning develop sanely and with quality as our common shared goal!

3. Space Available at e-Learning Briefing in January in Seattle: Join me
for a 2 day intensive seminar on the in's and out's of e-Learning that I will be teaching in Seattle, Washington on January 22 and 23, 2001.

Details and on-line registration is available at http://www.masie.com

192 - Army Launches e-Learning Portal with Contract to PricewaterhouseCoopers; Book Publishers Profits Soar in 2000 - Print Is Good in e-World

1. Army Launches e-Learning Portal with Contract to PricewaterhouseCoopers:
Secretary of the Army Louis Caldera announced today the Army has awarded a
453 million contract to PricewaterhouseCoopers to provide distance
education for an estimated 80,000 soldiers over the next five years,
equipping them as students with the latest technologies and quality online-learning
experiences.

Sen. Bob Kerrey of Nebraska, the chairman of the congressional Web-based
Education Commission, James J. Schiro, the chief executive officer of
PricewaterhouseCoopers, and Vice Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. John
M.Keane joined Secretary Caldera for the announcement of this historic
online web portal, scheduled to open in mid-January 2001 at three Army
posts in Georgia, Kentucky and Texas. The contract unites a group of more than a
dozen technology providers and an initial set of 29 accredited higher
education partners to create a customized, complete online university:
Army University Access Online.

Details are located at:
http://www.dtic.mil/armylink/news/Dec2000/a20001214earmyu1200.html

2. Book Publishers Profits Soar in 2000 - Print Is Good in e-World: MSNBC
Reports This Trend - "For all the talk about e-publishing this year, the
real story is in print: two of the biggest publishers in the United States,
HarperCollins and St. Martin's Press, had their best run in years. Revenues
were up, operating costs were down and each saw a growing number of titles
hit the bestseller lists.


After tough times that resulted in the massive firings and book
cancellations of 1996, HarperCollins, the No. 3 publisher in the U.S., has
been in an upswing for the past couple of years. Jane Friedman, president
and chief executive officer of HarperCollins, calling in from a sales
conference in Florida, was hard-pressed to attribute the success to just
one factor . "We've had a very solid year across the board," she said. For
the fiscal year ending June 30, 2000, the publisher showed an 85 percent
increase in operating income, to $89 million, on revenues of just over $1 billion.

St. Martin's Press, a unit of privately held Holtzbrinck, won't release the
details of its financial performance, but Sally Richardson, the house's
president and publisher, would say that revenues at the publisher were up
70 percent from four years ago. At the same time, it is St. Martin's
reputation that has experienced the greatest improvement in that period."

3. e-Voting Quote from October 30th: Just for the record, here is the
section of TechLearn TRENDS that we published on October 30, 2000 about
e-voting. Hmmm!

Last year, I got into trouble with this suggestion, when I urged a movement
towards on-line voting. However, I will push the point again. As the U.S. readers
of TRENDS approach the upcoming elections, it would be a very powerful shift to
allow well secured and verified on-line voting option for citizens. I believe that we would
increase the size of the voting population and would start to see more
content made available for voters

4. e-Learning Briefing for Seattle: We are proud to offer our 2 day
in-depth seminar, taught by Elliott Masie, the e-Learning Briefing, in
Seattle, Washington on January 22 and 23, 2001. Limited space available!
On-line registration and information at www.masie.com

Other MASIE Center Services:
Learning Decisions Interactive Newsletter: Monthly Research on e-Learning
- 11 Issues for $195 www.learningdecisions.com

191 - e-Learning Standards Take HUGE Step Forward - Metadata Agreements; More Deals and Funding

1. A Child Finally Understands A Parent's e-Learning Job: After TechLearn,
I received this wonderful note from Adam Girad from Deutsche Bank:
"I was sitting at my in-laws this Thanksgiving weekend when my 9 year old
niece wanted to go on-line. I sat down with her at the computer and she went
directly to a eLearning site for Elementary school students. After watching
her learn about bar charts for a few minutes I said, "Did you know this is
what I do at work, except for people in my company?" Her response,
"Really..oh cool!" For once in my life someone finally understood what I do
for a living!"

2. MASIE Center Announces e-Learning Briefing in Seattle: Elliott Masie
will be teaching a 2 day intensive e-Learning Briefing (with on-line
follow-up sessions) in Seattle, Washington on January 22 and 23, 2001.
Complete information and on-line registration at www.masie.com/elearning

3. e-Learning Standards Take HUGE Step Forward - Metadata Agreements: If we
build large collections of e-Learning content, the world needs to have a way
of indexing and "coding" information, to be able to search and deploy
knowledge dynamically. The world of standards groups took a huge step
forward this week, with an international agreement on cooperation. Wayne
Hodgins reports from Europe:

We know two things for sure about learning standards and metadata; we have
to have them if we are going to see e-Learning take off, and they are VERY
confusing to most people initially. So it was a particularly noteworthy
Press Release this week when the Learning Technology Standards Committee
Learning Objects Metadata (LTSC-LOM) Working Group of the IEEE (Institute of
Electrical and Electronics Engineers) and the Dublin Core Metadata
Initiative (DCMI) today announced their joint commitment to develop
interoperable metadata for learning, education and training. The joint
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is signed by officers representing the LOM
Working Group and DCMI. The document is co-signed by representatives of
concurring projects: ARIADNE (Alliance of Remote Instructional Authoring and
Distribution Networks for Europe), EdNA (Education Network Australia), GEM
(Gateway to Educational Materials), and the IMS Global Learning Consortium.

The MOU signifies that a core set of specifications and accredited standards
is emerging to support an interoperable infrastructure for worldwide
e-learning. Metadata describes characteristics about content objects used
for learning. It facilitates searching, management and linking granules of
content. Metadata enables learners, authors and others to search, retrieve
and assemble reusable learning objects. Developers of Web-enabled learning
technology products increasingly note ready access to comprehensive
repositories of metadata as a critical factor in the next generation of
learning and knowledge creation. However, to be useful metadata must be
highly interoperable and reusable worldwide. Which is what makes this
agreement between all these groups so important.

As we can all appreciate, it was no small task to have such a diverse and
international set of organizations, consortiums and standards bodies to
develop such a common understanding and strong commitment to this shared
vision of interoperability. This bodes particularly well for the future of
e-Learning and is yet another indication that these specifications and
standards, as well as our industry, are maturing and reaching critical mass.

For more information about this joint commitment please visit: http://purl.org/dc/

4. More Deals and Funding: Every day we receive at least 10 press
announcements about deals, partnerships and funding from companies in the
e-Learning market. Here are two of note that hit my screen recently:

- Kaplan, Inc. announced today that it has acquired Speer Software Training,
Inc. which it intends to combine with its Perfect Access division. Perfect
Access is a provider of software training and consulting for law firms,
financial institutions and Fortune 500 corporations. Speer is another major
player in Perfect Access' market. Bonnie Speer McGrath, the founder of
Speer, will serve as President of the combined entity. http://www.speer.com/

- Knowledge Planet, a Web-based corporate training applications provider,
said it has raised $47 million in its second round of financing. GE Equity and DHM
Arcadia Partners co-led the round. Backers included First Union Capital Partners and
AIG Horizon Partners . Previous investors HarbourVest Partners and Knowledge Universe
also participated in the round. The company said it will use the funds to increase sales and
marketing and for international expansion. http://www.knowledgeplanet.com

MASIE Events and Services:
- Learning Decisions Interactive Newsletter - Monthly Research Reports only
$198 per year. www.learningdecisions.com
- Elliott Masie's e-Learning Briefing - January 22 and 23, 2001 Seattle, WA
www.masie.com/elearning

2 Minute Survey on e-Learning Percentages

Please take 2 minutes to complete our latest TechLearn Trends Survey:
"What Percentage of Training is (and will be) via e-Learning?"

Go to http://www.masie.com/survey/

and fill out our 2 minute survey. Results will be posted in TRENDS in several weeks.

Note: Check out my upcoming e-Learning Briefing in Seattle, WA in
January at www.masie.com

Hello from Orlando - TechLearn 2000 Preparation

We are now in Orlando, just a few days away from the start of TechLearn (and
operating on very little sleep after watching the U.S. election drama last
night). Here are some of the things that are happening as we ramp towards
the opening session on Sunday Night (November 12th):

- 3,200 pieces of luggage are being filled with e-Learning resources from
our 140 Sponsors. Each person will receive this roll-on bag at
registration. It is a take-home library of e-Learning literature. Also has
a lot of cool "thingies" that you get at shows, like t-shirts, high tech
toys and loads of digital content.

- Orientation Survivor Set: We are building a fun room for TechLearn
Orientation, that will take on the theme of "Surviving TechLearn ---
Surviving e-Learning" Beth Thomas has constructed a great one hour session
that be repeated throughout the day.

- 36,000 Buttons: We have printed up 36,000 buttons with phrases like:
Seeking LMS; Building Communities; Just Starting; Manager; Got a Solution!
You can wear one or all to help connect with other attendees with similar interests.

- 220 PC's in our e-Lab: The staff is building a 220 e-LAB, with a wide
range of e-Learning sessions you can take on your own and access to hundreds
of resource pages. Also, lots of surveys and dialogues.

- TechLearn On-Line Forums Open: Folks are starting to post notes on our
Forums, located at www.techlearn.com/forum

- 301 Sessions Ready to Roll: Complete agenda and a spreadsheet with daily
schedule at www.techlearn.com/agenda

- Simulations: You will see some very cool simulations in the lobby,
courtesy of the ADL Project of the Department of Defense.

- We are ready for you! If you want to make a last minute decision to come
to TechLearn on Sunday, space and hotel rooms are available. Just go
on-line for information and registration at http://www.techlearn.com

Warm regards,

Elliott Masie and Team TechLearn

The TechLearn 2000 Trip e-Report

The TechLearn 2000 Trip e-Report is now available online at:

http://www.masie.com/tripreport

This is a brief summary of the issues and content from TechLearn 2000, just
completed a few days ago, as compiled by our friends at the Department of
Defense's Advanced Distributed Learning Project.

We will have more complete content from TechLearn in a few days.

Taking a few days breather...

Elliott Masie

190 - Intellinex (E&Y Spin-off) Expands By Buying teach.com; One More Appeal for e-Voting

1. Intellinex (E&Y Spin-off) Expands By Buying teach.com: For the past few
years, I have been predicting that the "Big 5" of international accounting
and consulting companies would enter the e-Learning space as significant
players. Earlier this fall, Intellinex, the spin-off of Ernst & Young was
announced. Now, they are starting an expansion process by announcing their
first acquisition. Today, they announced they purchased e-Learning content
company in the IT arena, teach.com Watch this company, led by Mike Powers,
as it aggressively moves into this arena.

2. TechLearn Guide and Sessions On-Line & Downloadable - 303 Sessions
Detailed: We are pleased to announce that we have the complete Session
Guide for TechLearn 2000 + The World e-Learning CONGRESS is now on-line as a
searchable and PDF file. There are 303 sessions slotted for this deeply
interactive conference, attended by over 3,000 learning professionals.

Access at: http://www.techlearn.com/agenda

If you would like to register, there is still space and hotel rooms on our
bus route (November 12 to 15, Orlando, FL) at http://www.techlearn.com

3. Ways to Involve Teleworkers - A Practical Brainstorm: We would like to
open a brainstorm amongst TRENDS readers about how to involve teleworkers in
learning and training activities. What are effective ideas for adding
remote workers to the formal and informal learning process and culture?
This is a pragmatic question for The MASIE Center, as we adding our first
teleworker, Craig Bond, our new manager of the e-Learning CONSORTIUM and
Benchmarking. Can you send us some ideas for engagement of teleworkers in
the learning culture to telework@masie.com We will post a summary in a
future TRENDS.

4. One More Appeal for e-Voting: Last year, I got into trouble with this
suggestion, when I urged a movement towards on-line voting. However, I will
push the point again. As the U.S. readers of TRENDS approach the upcoming
elections, it would be a very powerful shift to allow well secured and
verified on-line voting option for citizens. I believe that we would
increase the size of the voting population and would start to see more
content made available for voters.

189 - What We Call Learning & Technology; Communities On-Line Case Study; e-Scents?

1. Instant RESULTS: What We Call Learning & Technology: More than 2,227
TRENDS readers responded to our instant poll on Monday regarding what to
call Learning and Technology. Is it e-Learning, Web Based Training,
Distance Learning or other. Here are the instant results):

Which Phrase do Organizations Use:
e-Learning (36%)
Web Based Training (11%)
On-Line Learning (10%)
Computer Based Training (9%)
Distance Learning (8%)

Which Phrase do Learners Use:
Computer Based Training (21%)
On-Line Learning (18%)
Web Based Training (16%)
e-Learning (13%)

Note the difference between in e-Learning's role in the profession and
marketplace vs. the language of learners. Come to think of it, when I order
a book on line, I don't say that I am doing e-commerce!

2. Communities On-Line Case Study: The role of intentional, on-line
communities will increase in the coming months and years. We are very
excited to announce a case study at TechLearn featuring senior executives of
two companies that have created and are running communities. Doug Volz,
Sara Lee Corporation and Laurie David, Transora, both senior HR executives,
will detail their experience in launching Communities this year and how they
play a key strategic role in how their employees work and learn. This is a
breaking news phenomena and this case study will be an under-the-hood look
at what "community" means within an organization. (Registration for
TechLearn - Nov 12 to 15th in Orlando - is online at http://www.techlearn.com)

3. Innovations Needed: Start the CONGRESS Dialogue Here
One of the themes that we will looking at during TechLearn's CONGRESS sessions is
INNOVATIONS NEEDED!
I wanted to open that dialogue to all TRENDS readers. Send me a message with a short
comment on the following question:

"What innovations, in technology and methodology, does the e-Learning field
REQUIRE in the next year or two, to move the industry forward?"
This can include any technologies that are not ripe yet, approaches to design or
development or other areas"

Send a note to innovations@masie.com and we will include this in our
TechLearn dialogue and a future issue of TRENDS.

4. A Collaboration Tool from a Technology Veteran: Check out a new digital
collaboration tool called Groove. It has been developed by Ray Ozzie, who
is best known for creating Lotus Notes. He has been working for the past 3
years to develop a peer-to-peer product for business collaboration that is
now called Groove. Check it out at www.groove.net

5. e-Scents? It had to happen. Got a press release from France about the
concept of network delivered scents. France Telecom and its partners,
Munich-based internet equipment maker Ruetz Technologies and Isipca - an
institute which trains specialists in perfume, cosmetics and food aromatics
- are looking at two operational prototypes.

The first is a computer bolt-on - a series of impregnated solid polymer
discs with a fan to propel up to a dozen fragrances into the atmosphere.
The second is a much smaller device designed to be worn round the neck of
the user, which can handle about 30 fragrances and is used in conjunction
with interactive television. France Telecom hopes that it will be able to
develop a second generation capable of generating up to 200 fragrances from
a device the size of a mobile phone. Special command software would trigger
the aromas.

One technical challenge is the length of time the smell will linger. Text
and images can change instantaneously and the aromas would have to match
their pace. Though the devices are only at the prototype stage, France
Telecom hopes to have a number of versions on the market next year which
are expected to retail for about 100 euros.

2 Minute Survey

Please take 2 minutes to complete our latest TechLearn Trends Survey:

Names, Names, Names: What Do We Call "Learning with Technology"

Just go to http://www.masie.com/survey/ and fill out our 2 minute survey.

Results will be posted in TRENDS in several weeks.

Elliott

188 - Special Report on e-Learning Breakthrough: Cardiac Procedures Live, Moderated and Interactive

4 Weeks to TechLearn 2000 - http://www.techlearn.com

Special Report on e-Learning Breakthrough: Cardiac Procedures Live,
Moderated and Interactive

(Washington, DC) Several hours ago, I was part of one of the most unique
e-Learning experiences of my life. Imagine a conference hall with 7,000
cardiologists taking part in a live by satellite interactive, group voting
enhanced, high intensity discussion process centered around heart surgery
taking place in 3 countries around the world.

I had the privilege of being an observer at the Transcatheter Cardiovascular
Therapeutics 2000 event, as a guest of John Abele, the Chairman of Boston
Scientific. John thought that I should see "a truly breakthrough example
of e-Learning" that he felt would get me thinking. So, this morning at 8
am, here is what I saw:

* Six patients prepared for cutting edge heart procedures in operating rooms
in Israel, Italy and New York City.

* Each operating room had 3 to 8 TV cameras and scanning equipment to show
these operations live and give internal imaging views.

* The cardiologists in each operating room were pushing the edge of current
practice, doing very complicated procedures that were far in front of
standard approaches. And, the several of the patients were quite
complicated and serious in condition.

* There was a live satellite feed and connection to the various doctors, so
that we could communicate live and interact with the doctors during the
process as well as see the various read-outs on instruments.

* There was a "reaction panel" comprised of top cardiologists that had some
quite different views and opinions about the procedures underway.

* The doctors in the audience had response keypads to vote in real time on
what procedure they would do or whether they would continue or stop an action.

* There were four screens filled with real time data and context studies to
help the group place what was happening into context.

* The patients had full awareness of the process, had signed consent
agreements and in fact were awake and responding during much of the
procedure.

It was a deeply powerful learning experience! Here are a few impressions
that stick in my mind several hours later:

* The process maps to a very rapid dissemination of medical
information/knowledge, quite faster than the normal medical publishing
process. It allows approved trials to be witnessed in real time and for
fast dissemination.

* The group process fostered an incredible level of dialogue and conflict
that brought forth a level of intellectual dialogue on best practices that I
have rarely seen in other professions.

* The group voting process seemed scary to me at first, but actually gave
some feedback to the doctors in the operating rooms and placed the learner's
risk taking process in perspective.

* The intensity of side dialogues were amazing, as we watched and reacted in
small peer conversations alongside the real time group interaction.

* The international perspective gave a global element to the entire learning
experience and we were able to see very different attitudes towards similar
innovations in diverse cultures.

* The process started with a full disclosure by every doctor of any
financial interests they had in any products .. and the focus was not on
which medical product they used but rather on the impact of a technique.

* The use of research to frame the discussion was powerful, as we were
seeing a multi-dimensional view of the points of conflict.

Even though it was at a convention center, it was an e-Learning experience.
Using technology to extend dramatically the process. I can also imagine how
it might migrate, in part, to an on-line experience that would be viewable
from doctor's office rather.

I was also jealous. I wondered when the learning and training profession
would have this level of an open and intense discussion about what actually
works and does not work in each e-Learning genre as they come to the field.
Watch for a mini-version of that at TechLearn 2000.

Did the patients mind? Actually, the outcomes and survival rates for this
process are higher than normal procedures... quite the level of expertise
applied to a procedure. Was the live element necessary? I think it added
greater levels of learner attention and made the experience quite real
versus simulated. Do all doctors approve of this model of medical
knowledge transfer? No, there are some that are quite opposed.

Hats off to the folks at TCT2000 for increasing my view of what e-Learning could be all about.

187 - Wearable Feedback Device - e-Learning for Wellness?; Feedback in General - Key Element of Self-Directed Learning; Intellectual Property Issues

1. Wearable Feedback Device - e-Learning for Wellness? Elliott and Cathy
Masie are wearing small feedback devices on their belts these days. Well,
we are testing a new product that is aimed at providing a unique form of
wellness feedback by integrating information, biometrics and the web in a
hybrid learning/performance model.

The devices are small, oval digital data collection devices that measure
steps that we have taken and store them with the time and intensity of each
movement throughout the day. Each evening, we place these devices in a
cradle and the information is uploaded to a website, instantly providing us
with the number of steps we have taken that day, a graph if activity/inactivity,
as well as progress towards our goal and references to similar people in our
age range.

After five days, I will tell you that it has made this fairly sedentary
person a lot more active. It helps that I am "competing" with my wife's
progress and also aiming to earn a free baseball cap from the host site.
The most interesting element is the way in which this service is combining
data gathered from the body and integrating it into instant feedback in a
learning context. One can imagine other devices coming that will measure
our food intake, our compliance with a medical procedure or even exposure of
certain toxins.

Check it out and think about the future: http://www.sportbrain.com

2. Feedback in General - Key Element of Self-Directed Learning: While on
the topic of feedback, this is an area that we must develop dramatically as
e-Learning evolves. When one moves the forward progress in learning
directly to the shoulders of the learner, it is critical that we provide
continuous, rich and varied forms of feedback. The learner wants to know
how they are doing, what kinds of mistakes they are making, how their skills
are evolving .... yet does not want to be in a continuous testing
environment. We will see increased use of simulation, community based
feedback, self-testing and coaching embedded into future e-Learning formats.
In fact, the "price value" of feedback models may be worth as much or more
than pure content as pricing evolves in our field.

3. TechLearn e-Lab: Time to Walk in the Shoes of e-Learners! In just four
weeks, there will a 220 PC e-Lab set up at TechLearn to provide attendees
with the chance to take an hour or more to quietly be "learners" for a
variety of learning courses and programs. Often, buyers, designers and
developers of e-Learning are so busy that they rarely have time to take
other people's classes and to walk in the shoes of learners. In addition to
providing access to these courses, we will ask the TechLearn participants to
take an interactive survey on the key functions and features of e-Learning
programs that help or hinder their learning efforts. (Reminder: TechLearn
2000 to be held in Orlando, Florida on November 12 to 15th Full details
and on-line registration at http://www.techlearn.com

4. Intellectual Property Issues: Keeping Up? Over this past weekend, I
had the chance to address a group of 200 Intellectual Property lawyers at a
Bar Association Conference. They are struggling with the rapidly changing
definitions of intellectual property and how the law will apply to these
areas. I added to their struggle when I asked them to consider how the law
will relate to these new issues of intellectual property ownership:

* Who owns the content of a "community", where content is created dynamically by the members

* When content is separated from logic, what are the rights to re-sequence.
For example, when a course is purchased with content in a database and logic
in a separate file, does the buyer have the right to re-sequence?

* As Instant Messenger increases in use, what are organization's obligations
to capture a log of IM messages?

* What agreements should an employer ask an employee to sign that will give
them the right to use their intellectual property or even their image (in a
training video tape) after the employee moves to a new company?

* What will "fair usage" become as digital content is vulnerable to "Napsterization"?

We are adding a special section at TechLearn 2000 that will dialogue these
issues. If you have other items to add, please send me an email at
emasie@masie.com

5. Additional Case Studies Added to TechLearn 2000: Here are even more
case studies that we have added for TechLearn 2000 + The World e-Learning
CONGRESS (Details at and register online at http://www.techlearn.com)

Building an e-Learning Infrastructure
Lori Bober, Experian

Implementing a Learning Management System in a Large Enterprise
Cheryl Puterbaugh, Proctor & Gamble

Choosing a Synchronous Online Learning Tool
Harrison Withers, Domino's Pizza

Developing Coaching Skills Online & Off
Beverly Ward, Tad Wicker, PricewaterhouseCoopers

e-Learning and HR: Partnering for Success
Judy Albers, Bank One

Implementing a Virtual University
Rebecca Hacker, Pershing

Leaders Pave the Way For a New Way to Learn
Jay Morris, Norma Resneder, Tenet HealthSystem

Distance Learning - As You've Always Imagined It!
Susan Olenick, Chubb Computer Services

Reusing Learning Objects
Ernie Ong, University of Singapore

Vision to Action: Bringing the Possibility of a LMS to Life at PNC Bank
Paul Dickerson, Lee McCaffrey, PNC Bank

e-Learning at Shell
Regy Loknes, Shell Exploration & Production B.V.

Regulatory-based e-Learning in the Workplace
David Pasternak, Beverly Larson, PG&E National Energy Group

186 - The Next Wave is CONTENT; The Role of Storytelling

1. The Next Wave is CONTENT! The conversation is about to evolve in the
e-Learning field. A recent set of interviews with corporate buyers
indicated that 2001 will bring about a strong demand for CONTENT, CONTENT,
CONTENT. During this year, organizations started to dive into the
e-Learning world and focused on the technology and infrastructure necessary
to deliver training to the desktops of the workforce. This process will
continue in 2001, as organizations adopt virtual classrooms and learning
management systems.

However, there is a growing perception of an e-Learning Content Deficit.
Many of the managers of large organizations reported some frustration at the
scarcity of content choices in core topical areas. "I can buy dozens of
systems to deliver content, but I only can find three collections of content
on manufacturing techniques... and these are little more than electronic
page turners!" This was the complaint of a VP for Manufacturing at a
Fortune 500 company, where the CEO has announced that e-Learning is core to
their business strategy. He is desperately looking for a diversity of
content choices from both a topical and methodology perspective."
Watch for newer players entering the e-Learning field, dedicated to CONTENT.

2. Kevin Kelly and Elliott Masie Interviews: Kevin Kelly and myself are
featured in a free video from The MASIE Center that is now available via
streaming. Kelly focuses on the key issues of content in the Digital Age.
I give an update on the e-Learning field. You can access these interviews
(in segments or single stream) from the front page of
http://www.techlearn.com (Kevin Kelly is the closing speaker at TechLearn 2000)

3. The Role of Storytelling: This weekend I took a fascinating e-Learning
segment that was developed as an internal training program for a large
telecommunications company. It was a 20 minute, interactive storytelling
based lesson on the mechanics of their network. It was incredibly
effective, containing these storytelling elements:

* A compelling storyline
* Multiple voices: representing concepts, procedures and implications in different voices
* There was no video, but great graphics with a bit of animation
* You felt that you wanted to stick around to get to the end of the story

Let's honor the human tradition of storytelling as we develop the e-Learning
field. Remember the excitement of hearing a story from your parents or a
good friend. Harness that in e-Learning and you watch learner attention SOAR!

4. Research Sessions at TechLearn 2000: There will be several key sessions
at TechLearn 2000 that will focus on Research:

* An update of the ASTD/MASIE Center Study: "If we Build It, Will They Come?"
* A Brainstorming Session on Research Needs: What Are The Key Research
Questions for the Next Stage of e-Learning?

Complete on-line information and registration for TechLearn 2000 + The World
e-Learning CONGRESS (November 12 to 15th in Orlando, Florida) can be found
at http://www.techlearn.com

185 - Three e-Learning Positioning Mistakes; A Virtual Day at a Trade Show; e-Learning and e-Collaboration in Olympics

1. Three e-Learning Positioning Mistakes: There are several key mistakes
that organizations are making in "positioning" or articulating their
e-Learning activities:

* Disconnection from Current Training Activities: Way too many e-Learning
plans seem to ignore the great work that trainers and training organizations
have done in the last several. To listen to some of the e-Learning
statements, our organizations have never really done a great job of building
worker skills and have ignored the bulk of the workforce. Do not step on
the accomplishments of current training activities.... position e-Learning
as a major new initiative that EXTENDS the impact of learning and training
activities.

* Over promising: e-Learning expectations need to be calibrated. Do not
over promise. Don't predict that 1/2 of all training will be done at the
desktop in 2 years.. you will probably never get there. Instead, shape
expectations so that you can exceed and impress.

* Cheaper: While there will be some changes in the cost structure for
e-Learning, so not start with a promise of a major reduction in training
expenditures. There are significant ramp up costs and you may want to shift
expenses...from travel to development.

2. A Virtual Day at a Trade Show: Today, as I write this edition of TRENDS,
I am experimenting with a new activity: working a Trade Show Booth by Video.
For the entire day, I will be in the MASIE Center booth at the Lakewood OLLO
event in Denver. My staff are on-site but I am in my office, connected by
video-conference to do "booth duty". Folks that I know from the industry
are stopping by, asking questions and I am in the office, relaxing and
sleeping in my own bed tonight. Cool!

3. e-Learning and e-Collaboration in Olympics: We have received five press
releases from companies that are using e-Learning activities in conjunction
with their work at the current Olympics. Employee training is being
conducted for groups like Carlson Marketing, via e-Learning formats.
One area that has really sprung into digital life this Olympics is the use
of the Digital Collaboration tools. The Olympic Village has several
Internet Cafes where the athletes can build their own web pages, conduct
internet video calls and keep in touch with family and friends form afar. A
colleague at the State Department reported that the Cuban Delegation has
been one of the most active users of the Net facilities, exploring a world
that has not been open to them in their home countries.

4. Allison Rossett Featured at TechLearn 2000: We are proud to announce an
addition to our TechLearn 2000 faculty. Allison Rossett, one of the leading
thinkers on learning and instructional design will be at TechLearn (Nov 12
to 15, 2000 in Orlando, Florida) representing ISPI (one of our co-hosts) and
presenting a "mega-session" described below:

An Irreverent Tour of Web Training Wonders and Worries by Allison Rossett.

There are many promises associated with new media and learning. Works
better. Costs less. Pleases more. Teaches more. Assures consistency. And no
travel costs to boot. What training professional wouldn't be intrigued? What
executive wouldn't be ecstatic? While there are some very good reasons to be
joyful about web training and information support, there are also occasions
to pause and ponder. In this session we'll make a case in both directions,
examining examples that illustrate both the wonders and worries associated
with web learning and performance support. The point is to temper enthusiasm
with reason in order to establish programs that boost the hope and not the
hype associated with web learning.

To register for TechLearn 2000, go to http://www.techlearn.com

e-Learning Strategy Plans? Take Our 3 Minute Survey!

Please take 3 minutes to complete our latest TechLearn Trends Survey:

e-Learning Strategy Plans?

Are organizations developing comprehensive e-Learning Strategies? Are these
enterprise wide? Do they include the role of classroom training in the e-Learning era?

This survey addresses how organizations are planning for the future of e-Learning!

Just go to http://www.masie.com/survey/ and fill out our 3 minute survey.

Executive summary of results will be posted in TechLearn TRENDS in a few weeks.

Yours in learning,

Elliott Masie

184 - Synchronous - Asynchronous Lessons from Olympics Viewing; Customer Learning Blends with Employee Learning; Congressional Hearings on Web Based Learning Completed

1. Synchronous - Asynchronous Lessons from Olympics Viewing: Watching the
Olympics the other night caused a conversation in the living room about the
"feel" of asynchronous viewing experiences. NBC is carrying the entire
Olympics on a time delay, in order to allow sane viewing hours and a larger
audience. Makes sense. Yet, as we watched a few events, we noticed a
difference in the "voice" of several events. The announcer covering one of
the events was narrating after the fact and knew what was going to happen.
As a result, it felt more like we were watching a synopsis of the race, even
though he didn't tell the result. Yet, his tone and knowledge made longer
duration viewing seem less interesting (even though they showed 15 minutes
of the race). However, while watching one of the gymnastic meets, the
emotion of the narrator, who was narrating as the event was happening, gave
a strong sense of suspense and engagement, even though we had already seen
the results while on the web.

A similar issue faces us with the blending of asynchronous and synchronous
events in e-Learning. How do we make it easy for someone to feel as though
they are involved and engaged while viewing an event on the web, for
instance a streamed version of a meeting or seminar? An advantage of
e-Learning is that they can cut to the meat and click to the end result.
Yet, part of the experience of a meeting is that it is a shared experience
between members of the working group. We need to develop some models for
creating the right "voice" for non-live events, which yield high results and
engagement. I would love to hear some thoughts on this topic and will
summarize in a future TRENDS...just send to emasie@masie.com

2. Fast Company Features e-Learning: TechLearn Presenters Spotlighted: This
month's Fast Company put the spotlight on several of our TechLearn speakers.
The business magazine did a feature on 16 influencers in the world of
Learning and included myself, Marc Rosenberg and Allison Rossett. My quote
about higher ed brought quite a few emails:

"Higher education is the only business that has a ceremony for firing its
customers." -- Elliot Masie, The Masie Center

You can read the story at http://www.fastcompany.com/fast.take/online/39/one.html

In addition, Tom Kelly, VP of CISCO was featured in a major article on how
they are approaching e-Learning. It is a great read! That story is online
at: http://www.fastcompany.com/online/39/quickstudy.html
Allison, Marc and Tom are all presenting major sessions at TechLearn 2000
(http://www.techlearn.com)

3. Customer Learning Blends with Employee Learning: Over the past few
months, we have seen more and more companies adding customer education to
their e-Learning strategy. While employee training and development is a
natural subject for the growth of e-Learning, there is often a LARGER
opportunity and need in the education and learning requirements of
customers. This includes pre-sale and post-sale support and knowledge
transfer. A number of our contacts in large organizations have reported
that they are now being given the added responsibility of developing an
e-Learning strategy for customer education. They are investigating several
options for blending customer and employee training efforts:

* Leveraging learning development and delivery systems to include customer
education. This would stretch the normal use of a learning management
system to now possibly including customers or even prospects.

* Leveraging content to be reusable for diverse audiences. The same content
can often be used for product education, with different formats or
intensity, for both employee and customer education.

* The development of an e-Learning Strategy that includes customer education.

* The stretching of the traditional training structure to include or partner with customer
education.

Watch for an incredible rate of growth in this area!

4. Congressional Hearings on Web Based Learning Completed: On Friday, I had
the honor of testifying before Web Based Education Commission of the U.S.
Congress. The Commission was established by Congress to develop specific
policy recommendations geared toward maximizing the educational promise of
the Internet for pre-K, elementary, middle, secondary, and postsecondary
education learners. The Chair of the Commission is Sen. Bob Kerrey of
Nebraska. The Vice Chair is Rep. Johnny Isakson of Georgia. Quite a wide
variety of witnesses presented testimony before the Commission, talking
about both education at the K-12 and Higher Education space as well as
corporate training opportunities. It was fascinating to hear the intensity
of the dialogue about the role of e-Learning in the school systems and to
compare and contrast with the efforts being made at the corporate level.
They have a comprehensive website at http://www.webcommission.org

5. Case Studies on Learning Implementations: Here are just a few of the
over 60 case studies that will be presented by Training Directors and
Managers at TechLearn 2000, to be held on November 12 to 15, 2000 in
Orlando. On-line registration and information is available at
http://www.techlearn.com

Training in a Highly Regulated Environment
Patty McKay, Guidant Corporation

Guidant Corporation provides innovative products and services for the
treatment of cardiovascular diseases. Like all medical device manufacturers,
government institutions regulate Guidant's training content and
administration. Non-compliance is not an option. Over the past few years,
Guidant has focused on combining technology and training to increase
organizational effectiveness. Learn more about the on-line programs, the
Learning Management System and the Performance Management System that
Guidant uses to track all its training activities.

Blending e-Learning with Classroom training
Jackie Dorman, American Century

American Century Investments was presented with the challenge of training
1,500 people on a new operating platform in 4 months. Based on workflow, it
was impossible to train 1,500 people in a classroom environment in a 4-month
time period. Another key factor in the decision to train in a different
manner was that American Century is the 40th best company in the US to work
for, according to Fortune magazine. One key factor in earning this
recognition was our focus on training. Therefore, we realized that we needed
to really shift the way we train in order to keep this elite position. In
this case study you will learn about the alternatives that American Century
developed, what they did in the implementation process and the results they
achieved.

Simulations in Training
Paula Young, PricewaterhouseCoopers

This session showcases the award winning In$ider program that was created by
PricewaterhouseCoopers to train 40,000 people in 180 countries on
derivatives. The powerful games-based approach made the difficult, dry and
demanding subject area more fun for the learner and pulled them into the
learning experience. In this session you will hear the reasons
PricewaterhouseCoopers used this simulations approach to training and the
challenged they faced in the process.

Building an e-Learning Infrastructure
Lori Bober, Experian

Experian has implemented an internal infrastructure to deploy e-Learning
opportunities to all North American employees. They have gained valuable
knowledge during this process that they would like to share with other
organizations attempting a similar project. In this session, you will be
able to learn from their experiences and discuss the importance of:

Accurately estimating the amount of work that is involved;
Establish collaborative relationships with both internal and external resources;
Conduct pilot deployments;
Marketing the launch of the e-Learning opportunities

Strategy into Action: From Workshops to Technology Infused Learning Processes
Ron Edwards, Unilever

In this session you will learn how Unilever took an important five day
customized workshop and converted it to a two day workshop by shifting much
of the lecture to technology. Techniques used to ensure learners utilized
the prerequisite self directed technology components and how action learning
was integrated into the process to ensure skills and knowledge are applied
to produce significant results will be discuses. This initial effort led to
identifying $20 million in additional sales and was used as a building block
to more relevant and applicable learning to more people in less time with
greater results.

Are Virtual Learning Conferences a Reality?
Steve Morgan, Xerox Corporation

A case study that describes how Xerox conducted a virtual learning
conference for nearly 2000 Xerox sales reps using a combination of web-based
tools, e.g. online registration, conferencing, chat, discussion boards,
testing, evaluation, and tracking. The conference included 430 sessions and
provided about 30,000 learner contact hours over a period of nearly three
weeks. It was hailed as a success by the participants, as well as, the
presenters and sponsors. All of this was accomplished without the costs
associated with travel. Moreover, the sales reps remained in the field and
could schedule conference participation around important customer meetings.

Make Training Efficient and Motivating by Presenting the Task before the Lesson
William Heinz, Kelly Services
Dr. Linda Johnson, Western Kentucky University

Kelly Services tests and trains thousands of temporary employees each year.
Our CBT optimizes training efficiency and enjoyment by presenting the task
before giving the lesson. Putting the task first sets context and motivation
which increases attention. If the student knows how to do the task the
lesson can be skipped. Experience and data from Kelly Services and Western
Kentucky University support this innovative approach which mimics informal learning.

Learning Communities
Karen Cowan, Daimler Chrysler

Daimler Chrysler has been using Learning Communities in 35 zone offices
throughout the US and Canada. Essentially, all of the zones have the same
job functions and duties, so communication among zones is important. In the
past "official" communication among people was done through pact semi-annual
or annual meetings. Over the last year virtual communities were created to
allow people to communicate with each other using monthly online meetings, a
Q&A database, and a virtual chatroom. In this session, learn what it took to
change the corporate culture to make this happen.

Implementing a Virtual University
Rebecca Hacker, Pershing

This presentation will discuss various decision points and phases Pershing
went through as they launched a successful implementation of a virtual
corporate university. You will learn how Pershing addresses issues like: The
Corporation's Education Vision; When, how, and what to consider about the
technology infrastructure; Portals can they expand your capabilities or
limit you? Courseware Decisions - Intranet, Internet, CD-ROM, Blended? Are
we making a difference? Are you ready for an internal Distributed Learning
Management System?

Using Technology to Build Learning Communities at Boeing
David Noll, The Boeing Company

How do you merge "soft" people development skills with "hard" technology to
create learning communities? The change in emphasis from functional
organizations to product-aligned teams has created the need to develop
cultural and technical environments where employees stay connected to and
learn from one another. We will look at how we used technology and
organization development principles to create a successful learning
community at The Boeing Company. The case study will focus on the growth
and development of Boeing's Knowledge Management Community with examples of
what we did and learned on our journey. We will end with practical advice
from our experiences and look at how we are using what we learned to develop
additional learning communities.

Go to http://www.techlearn.com for information and on-line registration.
Over 1,700 of your colleagues already registered!