In another article I discuss some of the Many Challenges of Online Learning. As I believe in the dictum, "Let he who has the heart to criticise have the heart to help", this time I thought I'd unfold what I believe are the components of an Internet/intranet Online Learning System (OLS). (I've produced a model OLS as a cross-functional flow chart too large to include here, but if you'd like a copy, please email me). Methods of online learning (OLL) have been used for at least 20 years. However, OLL delivered via Internet is relatively new, thinly researched (because it's so new), and flagged as the way of the future. It certainly has heaps of potential among the pitfalls. Two of which are: - It isn't as easy as it sounds
- It requires considerable resources
It is possible for firms to adopt a minimalist approach and simply hire someone else to handle the whole process from start to finish. This is the cheapest approach and makes sense, but means that they lack total control. Nevertheless, it's a good place to start and there is an increasing number of application service providers (ASPs) willing to contract OLL services. Those firms that are well resourced, or for whom confidentiality is an issue, may take a whole system, in-house approach. It is this approach on which I focus. My model identifies five distinct phases that are: preparation -enrolment - delivery - assessment/reporting - evaluation. These are linear and similar to the traditional training model. Stakeholders in this model are clients who become participants, administrators including IT, accounting, and general administration staff, and training staff. The first phase requires development of curricula, marketing, instructional, and other materials, and system design and development. Central to the stage are mechanisms for clients to enquire about courses being offered. This necessitates multiple methods of responding eg, email autoresponder, fax-on-demand, static HTML files on the Internet, post, or telephone enquiry handling. Whichever ways you choose to inform your prospective clients, the material needs to be faultless, comprehensive and delivered quickly. People expect instant information and will go elsewhere if they can't get what they want. Phase two occurs when prospective clients, having read what you have to offer, decide to purchase your program (or perhaps enroll if in an industry training environment). This needs to be quick, painless, and efficient also. Aside: How many times have you completed an online registration form, clicked the submit button and waited, and waited, only to receive a message telling you that the username you provided already exists? So you try again ... and again ... and again ... and eventually move on. Frustrating isn't it? There are numerous software packages, third-party Merchants and others who provide an online purchasing and payment system for you. Clickbank, whom I use charges a flat percentage per transaction and $1 and absolutely no other fees. You can set your site up to accept credit cards within 30 minutes, perhaps less. Once the credit card transaction is authorized, an email message is sent to your client advising of password and access details to the program purchased. Make sure instant access is available or your clients will begin emailing you. The most critical phase, phase three is next. Having read the course information advising them how wonderful your programs are, paying the bill, and getting ready to start work, your clients - now participants - need to access their course notes, email, discussion groups and whatever without having to stretch their technical ability, patience or budget any further. Having recently experienced online learning with a university said to be one of the leaders in the field, my view is that participant activities need to be managed. By this I mean, don't show them where to find their course notes and forget about them. Be proactive. Unless your program is completely automatic eg, learning how to use a computer program, make sure a real live human being keeps in contact with your participants and makes things happen. As some wise person said, "Some people make things happen, some watch what happens, and others say 'what happened?'" There will be a lot of the latter if someone doesn't take control of the learning agendum. Monitor progress, program discussion groups and feedback, but first of all, contact each participant and find out that everything is working fine. Yes, they can use the email system, they have found the discussion group, the course notes are downloading, and they don't have any techno-problems. Your OLS will probably have some type of assessment system, or be geared to provide certificates of completion. In the last phase, results are received either automatically from online assessment programs, or from instructional staffs. They are entered into a database from which certificates are issued. The same process can be designed to maintain skills audit, payroll, accreditation, and other databases automatically. Evaluation, or quality control mechanisms in my model are implemented at every stage of design and delivery. It's no use getting to the end of a process before you find out it doesn't work. If each component of the system is tried and tested and functioning properly, there's a much greater chance that when the components are brought together, a synergy will exist to provide the top rate system we all wish for. Evaluation in the educational sense may be carried out. Good practice suggests it should be done at least on the first occasion each set of instructional media is used. As you will appreciate from the rather brief treatment above, there is much to do to implement online learning. However, there are quite a few options that should be considered when completing your feasibility study and cost-benefit analysis. And whatever you do, there are some standards you need to know about. Look for my article "Online Learning and the Australian Railway Blunder" covering some of the most relevant standards. Copyright Robin Henry 2005. |
