Learning in a new Paradigm

Written by Dr. Paul Lambert, Learning and Design Manager

About eLearning

There’s a lot to like about eLearning – it’s accessible, trackable, consistent, uses rich media, and can be deployed with relative ease. But equally, there’s a lot not to like as well – it’s nearly always too long, too time consuming, and it’s not adaptable so learners end up learning what they already know. Because it covers ground that often doesn’t need to be covered it can cost organisations significant amounts in lost productivity and wages.

eLearning courses are usually just that – courses. Great big assemblages of content bundled together into an interface with navigation, help functions, resources and progress tracking (so you can see how much more you have to do). There’s nothing ‘new’ about the idea of a course. We use new media, high speed networks and all manner of cutting edge computer devices to deliver what is essentially a notion of learning as old as education itself. Is it time to take a different look and consider if there is a better way?

Let’s return to the notion of a course. A course is essentially an assemblage of content around a number of learning objectives. Anyone who has put a course together will know that there is no scientific precision involved in deciding what is in and what is out. Learning objectives get shuffled from course to course to satisfy course length requirements or personal agendas. It is not courses, but learning objectives that directly connect to required or desired behavioural change, that are the essential structures in formalised learning.

Despite this, our learning designs, and the learning systems we use to create, deliver and track learning are course-centric. Learning objectives are there, but they are not centre stage, they are merely components of the dominating structure – the course.

One of the things people dislike about eLearning (particularly those who have done a lot of it) is that it holds you in its grasp for an unreasonable length of time. Sure, courses do bookmark, so theoretically you can leave and come back, but the notion of a course is so dominating that most people put a slab of time aside and slog through so they’ve got it out of the way. Learning professionals in organisations have responded by shortening courses – stripping out the fluff and pairing them down to essentials. This is good, but it is trying to fit an outdated structure into a modern workplace.

Is there another way?

If you are intrigued by this possibility, please come to one of our seminars on “Learning in the new paradigm” or contact us for further information.

For more information, please contact:

Graham Whelan, Sales and Marketing Manager
Tel: +61 3 8631 3610
Email: g.whelan@olla.com.au