Perspectives  Dallas Chapter of ASTD Membership Newsletter  -  February 2007  << Table of Contents <<

Free is Good! Answers to Popular e-Learning Quandaries

by Bill Brandon

 

There are two topics that come up a lot during dinner before Chapter meetings. One of these topics is Learning Management Systems (and their cousins, Learning Content Management Systems). Those who have one are wondering how to use it, or they are looking for another one because they picked the wrong one to start with. Those who don’t have a Learning Management System wonder if they need one, want to know how to pick the right one, and what to do with it once they have it. Some people know that there are special reviews and reports that a couple of consulting organizations offer – for $400 each or more. At any conference where someone is giving a session on Learning Management Systems, it’s usually standing room only for that session. So net/net, there’s a lot of questions, not many answers, and plenty of frustration.

 

The other topic goes by many names: Webinars, the virtual classroom, live online courses, Web conferencing, and synchronous e-learning, to list a few of them. What is it? Learners log into a virtual conference room on the Web, where an instructor “meets” them and teaches a class. What ASTD members want to know about this topic is another long list. The essential things, though, have to do first with choosing the software to use  (no small task – I count at least 36 companies who offer products in this category, and the vendors seem to merge or change product names with depressing regularity). Next are questions about how to best use the “live and online” space, how to conduct the meeting, and how to be successful as an online instructor. There are even fewer published answers to these questions than there are for the LMS/LCMS conundrum.  

 

The e-Learning Guild has published five substantial e-books to deal with these topics, and all five are free to anyone who wants them. Three of the books deal with the LMS/LCMS questions, and two with successful online instruction. All are sponsored publications, but the content is vendor-neutral.  

 

How did these books come to be written? Four of them were developed from surveys of Guild members worldwide. Members were asked to provide their best tips for managing various aspects of our two topics. Hundreds of responses were sifted and compiled in order to publish these books.  

 

Book one

 

834 Tips for Successful Online Instruction originated in a survey conducted in 2005. Tips came from 336 professionals, and this book has been downloaded over 21,000 times since it was published in December 2005.  

 

Books two through four

 

382 Tips on the SELECTION of an LMS or LCMS began with a 2006 survey, to which 417 members provided usable replies. This survey provided all of the content for this book and the next two: 339 Tips on the IMPLEMENTATION of an LMS or LCMS, and 311 Tips on the MANAGEMENT of LMS or LCMS. These books provide best practices, practical advice, and ways to streamline your processes. They were downloaded almost 9000 times in the first two months after publication.  

 

Book five

The fifth e-book, The eLearning Guild’s Handbook on Synchronous e-Learning, is the product of the efforts of four authors, all of whom are experienced in online delivery. The eight chapters and three appendices cover everything from deciding on the software, to designing the instruction (there are some key differences from designing for classroom delivery), to planning the event, running it, and following up. The final chapter explains the key factors in promoting your in-house events for maximum success. The content includes a number of worksheets for presenters, screen shots to illustrate the tutorials, and user-written reviews of the four market-leading products.

    

All five e-books are available at http://www.elearningguild.com. Click on the e-books link in the navigation bar on the left side of the page. It is not necessary to join The eLearning Guild or provide any contact information in order to download the books.

About the Author:  Bill Brandon is the Publications Editor for The eLearning Guild, and a long-time member of the Dallas Chapter of ASTD. He also hosts the Learning Technology SIG for the Chapter.