Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Practical guide to e-learning for industry

The Australian Flexible Learning Framework (AFLF) website offers a wealth of knowledge & information relating to e-learning or online learning on their Home page dedicated to e-learning in Industry.
One particular resource that stands out on this site is the 157 page 'Practical guide to e-learning for Industry'. This document provides details for consideration when understanding, planning, requesting funding, designing, producing, testing & delivering e-learning. The document is themed in a similar format to the London tube guide & is easy to read with general information targetted at various audiences who may be involved in e-learning; designers, stakeholders, subject matter experts - in fact anyone who wants to understand how e-learning modules are created & used.
This document was produced as a result of the Industry engagement project of the AFLF in 2007, the producers are Dr Neville Higgins & Dr David Keightley. Whilst this resource is now 2 years old the information is generic & as a result is not out of date.
A more up to date document that complements this guide is 'Guidelines for supporting e-learners', produced in Feb 2009 by Clint Smith (Learnworks PL as a result of Industry Integrations of e-learning business activity. this doc offers statistical results from research about uses of e-learning in workplaces. It is about looking at e-learning uses & as the title suggests "suporting" e-learning in the workplace by suggesting strategies for increasing such support.

Monday, February 16, 2009

Big Dog and Little Dog productions

Whilst googling I have come across a comprehensive site that inlcudes all things 'Training Theory', from learning styles to MBTI, with a dash of coaching to boot. This site is a rabbit warren of information & the author/producer, Don Clark maintains the site with updated articles every few months.
Clark is a prolific "referencer" who talks about what others have talked about. As a result each topic offers many further references, therefore a very valuable resource for research or further reading purposes.
At every opportunity Clark includes a 'concept map' to guide you through the rabbit warren of topics. These colourful guides take you on a roundabout journey of acquiring information rather than a linear start to finish approach. It can be frustrating as you question whether you have reviewed each of the topics on offer, but you need to resist temptation to click on the array of further references & navigate back to your original concept map which will highlight the topics you have covered. They take a bit of getting used to but he also offers a Content page which offers a more linear approach to the topics covered in the site.
Clark's 'About me' page provides insight into the man behind the thinking & theories. He is, obviously, a dog lover with a US army history who now works as a consultant (in learning & performance) & designer (of e-learning & training platforms).