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E-Trends&Analysis: Optimizing E-Learning Technologies
September 10, 2009
By Bryan Chapman
One constant in the lives of learning professionals is that online learning technologies abound and making wise choices about how and when to infuse new technologies into an organizational learning strategy can be chaotic without a proactive plan of action. The model below was created as a framework to assist in making choices that will introduce appropriate online learning technologies at the right place, at the right time, and for the right reasons.
One constant in the lives of learningThis framework is available under Creative Commons, meaning you are welcome to use it and adapt it for your own use and to freely share with others as long as you cite the source and don't make it part of a product or service offering that is sold. A PowerPoint version of the slide is available as source material at www.chapmanalliance.com/CLIC.
Most of us are familiar with the ADDIE model (Analyze, Design, Develop, Implement, and Evaluate). ADDIE works well for systematic design and development of individual courses and even entire curricula, but it isn't easily adapted for the purpose of creating and communicating a holistic learning strategy, especially for companies with decentralized training practices. The primary purpose of this framework is to help organizations:
1. Understand where they are in the cycle.
2. Make plans for next stages.
3. Build upon successes through continuous improvement.
How the Model Works
Initiate. While this stage is most often for organizations introducing learning technology for the first time, it also applies to major shifts in learning technology infrastructure, such as moving from a highly structured learning environment to more of an open-learning paradigm. The basic sub-steps include
• Designing a learning strategy in terms of people, processes, and technology.
• Selecting the right technology or technologies.
• Drafting an implementation plan.
The most important thing to remember during this stage is that learning strategy comes first, and technology comes second—not the other way around. Choosing a technology before mapping out your strategy is like designing courses after developing them when using ADDIE.
Implement. During this stage you follow your implementation plan and make slight tweaks and changes along the way. Here are some examples of the types of tasks you might encounter: installing and implementing a learning management system (LMS), rolling out a new methodology for rapid content development, creating courseware (enter ADDIE), launching a new competency/skill gap initiative, etc. This stage may seem rather routine. Compare it with the "develop" stage of ADDIE. If the design is good (learning strategy design) and you have a good storyboard (implementation plan), it really is all about execution.
Innovate. Why is this a separate stage from initiate and implement? Too often, learning strategies start to fall apart when innovation is thrown into the mix mid-implementation. For example, a company was in the early stages of implementing a learning management solution when someone on the team said, "Hey, I found out our new LMS can handle 'compensation management.' Our HR department wants to do that. Let's do it simultaneously." Needless to say, the implementation halted immediately, the company added nine months to its implementation timeline, and it almost scuttled the whole project.
However, innovation is important, and it has a prominent place in the framework. So when is the right time to consider innovation? Actually, it can be done at any time, but I recommend using a systematic process. Steps in this stage include exploring emerging technology, going to trade shows and learning everything you can, talking to others who already have added this type of innovation, and assessing the feasibility of how well this might work in your organization. Some examples of important innovations companies currently are exploring include:
• Rapid development techniques.
• Single-source, multi-mode delivery of learning content.
• Infusion of informal learning practices into structured learning programs.
• Adding more simulation and serious games.
• Linking HR and training practices through performance management.
Later in the framework is an opening for mapping innovation into your future strategy. That's why the model is called the "Continuous Learning Improvement Cycle."
Inventory. At least once a year, take a step back and assess how well your learning strategy is working. This can be done through formal evaluation techniques, such as Kirkpatrick's model of evaluation, or as simply as having a retreat with your learning team and listing what worked well and what didn't work so well. Introspection is the key to continuous learning improvement.
Improve. Set aside a specially designated time for the distinct purpose of improving your learning strategy. Bring together the results of your inventory and everything you've learned about innovation initiatives, and make critical decisions about what to take on next. You will discover you can't do it all at once for many reasons such as limited resources, limited budget, or even because adding too much too quickly may disrupt what already is working well. The purpose of this meeting (recommended at least annually) is to prioritize and set a scope for what you plan to do for the next one to two years given existing constraints, and, most importantly, to make sure you all are working from the same sheet of music (especially in organizations with decentralized learning practices).
Impress. This may sound like an unnecessary step, but be assured it may be the most important thing you do. Consider this: If a tree falls in the woods, does it make a sound? In other words, if you have a successful learning practice in place, does anyone notice? During the impress stage, make some noise about what you are doing, especially the things that work well. If nothing else, at least share best practices and lessons learned with others in your organization to help avoid redundancy and promote success. Submit the results of your learning program (collected during the inventory stage) to senior management whether they ask for it or not. Let them know about your plans for improving your learning program. Last, but not least, you can benefit the entire industry by sharing what you learned. Consider speaking about it at a conference or writing a white paper on the topic.
Wrap-Up and Challenge
Is the process done? No! This cycle repeats year after year, with improvement with each revolution. In many organizations (especially those with limited resources), this process is repeated annually with new initiatives, things to implement, continuous learning about new innovations, annual inventory, annual improvement summit, and meaningfully impressing those around us. In other organizations, the cycle may repeat itself several times in a single year.
You likely already are using many of these ideas intuitively. Use the framework to determine where you are in the cycle. I encourage you to be systematic in your planning and build upon previous successes to continually improve learning throughout your organization.
Bryan Chapman is chief learning strategist with the Chapman Alliance and has helped optimize learning strategies for such organizations as American Express, Shell, Kodak, Sprint, Honda, IBM, Microsoft, The U.S. State Department, and The Food and Drug Administration. He can be reached by e-mail at bryan@chapmanalliance.com. A source PowerPoint for the CLIC framework can be downloaded at www.chapmanalliance.com/clic.
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