Clark Quinn on Engaging Learning - 1 views

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  #1 Kathy Schwarz on 05 Dec 11

   

  To start, my plea is for you to stop doing e-learning the old way. That is, rewriting PowerPoint files and PDFs into online text (whether "gussied up" with graphics, photos, videos, or not) and multiple-choice knowledge tests (whether jazzed up with drag-and-drop or not). Or putting narrated slide pre- sentations up on the Web. Yes, you can do that, and sometimes you have to (because of cost or time pressures). But stop first, and consider the alterna- tives. Understand that making things interesting can make them more effec- tive, if you know how (and can interfere with learning if you don't), and that there are low roads that give you a lot of benefit for low investment as well as the high road. Then you can make an informed choice.
  We are not, cannot be, about designing content. A fundamental perspec- tive I want you to take away is that we are designing experiences. If nothing else, start thinking not about creating content but about designing learner environments and architecting experiences. It has become clear to me that this is a fundamental point. You have to start thinking about putting the learners into a context where they have to make decisions, understand why those decisions are important, want to make those decisions, and know that there are consequences of those decisions.
  
  The first chapter of his new book can be found at http://www.engaginglearning.com/

   

  <div class="cArrow"> </div><div class="cContentInner">To start, my plea is for you to stop doing e-learning the old way. That is, rewriting PowerPoint files and PDFs into online text (whether "gussied up" with graphics, photos, videos, or not) and multiple-choice knowledge tests (whether jazzed up with drag-and-drop or not). Or putting narrated slide pre- sentations up on the Web. Yes, you can do that, and sometimes you have to (because of cost or time pressures). But stop first, and consider the alterna- tives. Understand that making things interesting can make them more effec- tive, if you know how (and can interfere with learning if you don't), and that there are low roads that give you a lot of benefit for low investment as well as the high road. Then you can make an informed choice. <br /> We are not, cannot be, about designing content. A fundamental perspec- tive I want you to take away is that we are designing experiences. If nothing else, start thinking not about creating content but about designing learner environments and architecting experiences. It has become clear to me that this is a fundamental point. You have to start thinking about putting the learners into a context where they have to make decisions, understand why those decisions are important, want to make those decisions, and know that there are consequences of those decisions. <br /> <br /> The first chapter of his new book can be found at <a href="http://www.engaginglearning.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.engaginglearning.com/</a></div>

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