One day in class, I had a great question asked by an executive from a large organization. He happened to be attending one of my software classes but wanted to know more about online learning. His organization was thinking about implementing an online learning segment for some specialized training they were doing. He was trying to figure out if moving to online learning would be the best bet for his team.
My first response was to ask him a few questions. We ended up taking the discussion to lunch and talked for about 45 minutes. I asked him specifically if they were thinking about online learning purely because they believed it could be cost-cutting or best for the budget. If it were only being pursued because of that one aspect, then I said that they should stick with their regular classroom approach.
If they were pursuing online learning because of feedback from employees, then that would be different. When organization’s try something without researching to see what the true needs are, then the initiative often does not succeed. If potential training participants are asking for the online learning as an option or alternative to in-person classes, then there is a better chance that they will actually use the online training modules.
I also asked him if the skills being taught and the type of training would be conducive to teaching online without a face-to-face classroom instructor. If the concepts/topics/skills being taught could be simulated, taught, and practiced in an online learning environment, then I would definitely consider using it. If not, then people would not use the tools that had been developed. Also, if participants traveled for their job and were not available for face-to-face classes, then that would be another consideration.
Our discussion passed by so quickly during lunch for me. I loved being able to watch the wheels turn in the executive’s brain. He had done his homework and had surveyed potential training participants and had talked to many of them personally. I was really impressed with how thoughtful he was of the wanting to do the right thing and not just throw another item out there that everyone was forced to use but did not want to use.
If you are in the same boat as this executive, give me a call. We can help you figure out if you would be better to do face-to-face classes, online learning classes, or a hybrid of both. I would love to hear from you!
I have confessed before that I get much of my reading on technology and business literature done while waiting. Waiting on people to get to a meeting on time, waiting in line, waiting in a doctor’s office, etc. I have a little folder of materials that I collect. One of these days I will make a decision and buy a tablet. I just want to get some more feedback from people to figure out which one I think would work best for me. 
From time to time, I like to include a post with some of my favorite features or fixes from different applications. This time I want to include Word, Excel and PowerPoint 2010. I use these applications all the time! So anything that is a new feature that helps me every day is worth sharing, at least in my book. 
Versitas announced it has provided customized software training services to Adobe Systems at their global headquarters in San Jose, CA. 
I had a conversation the other day with a fellow trainer. We had talked about what it was like when we did training, just five years ago (when we met). Even over that short a time period, technology has changed and adjusted so much. The speed of major changes is what I cannot seem to get used to, which may be a sign of getting older.
