---

All e-learning content has three dimensions:

• subject matter—the content of content
• focus—an indicator of the breadth of the learner base
• intention—how the learning is intended to affect learners

Subject matter

At first, e-learning subject matter was dominated by technology. In 2000, according to IDC (International Data Corporation), IT subject matter accounted for 72% of content demand worldwide. That shouldn’t come as a surprise. First, there is harmony between form and content—you’re using technology to learn technology. Secondly, you can assume that learners who need to learn about technology will know how to use it well enough to take advantage of e-learning. Thirdly, it’s easier to develop learning content about hard skills than soft—and technology learning is based on hard skills. The dominance of technology-based subject matter won’t last; enterprises have too many other important learning needs. The amount of technology learning will grow but its proportion of all e-learning will fall. IDC predicts that by 2004 non-IT content will account for over 54% of worldwide revenues.
Typical non-IT e-learning subject matter includes:

• business skills
• communication and interpersonal skills
• customer service
• executive development
• financial skills
• management skills
• sales and marketing skills
• team work

There is a bias against using e-learning for soft skills, based on the perceived difficulty of handling soft content and influencing learners’ behaviours. It is more difficult to handle soft content than hard content but providing you can bring creativity, humanity and technological innovation to the design process, it is very possible. As the technology becomes more powerful and interfaces richer, I believe that we will see increasingly more soft skills content in e-learning, for example, in the form of simulations.

Focus

The focus of e-learning content extends from low to high. The lower the focus, the larger the potential learner base; the higher the focus, the smaller the learner bases. Focus can be expressed under four content headings:

• generic—low focus
• sector-specific—medium focus
• legislation-specific—medium focus
• business-specific—high focus

There is a hierarchy of content sources that reflects both the cost of acquisition and the value to an enterprise in terms of performance improvement. The most valuable content is business-specific; next comes industry- or sector-specific content, and then generic content.

Intention

The intention of e-learning content should be determined by an up-front performance gap analysis designed to answer the question, why aren’t employees performing at required levels? The answer will point to one or more intentions.

Information: If the performance gap is the result of a lack of information, the intention is to tell learners what they don’t know. That might be details of a new business strategy emanating from the board room, the features and prices of a new product range, or updates about how a newly acquired business will be integrated with the parent company. Learning information uses the learner’s cognitive skills.

Process: Process builds on information by turning it into action. The reason employees aren’t performing the way they’re expected to is because they don’t know how to do something. It could be something as simple as raising a purchase order, or something as complex as managing a global project. Some processes are strictly cognitive—filling in an expenses claim; others have a psychomotor aspect—giving a patient an injection. E-learning excels at delivering and assessing the cognitive aspect of a process—understanding the correct sequence of events, the functions of different controls, the settings to use under different circumstances, but most people assume that it has little to offer for psychomotor aspects. That’s not true—providing designers are prepared to move beyond the keyboard and mouse as input devices. One of the most interesting applications of technology-based learning I have ever seen was developed in the 1980s for the College of Aeronautics at La Guardia Airport.
As part of its aircraft maintenance courses, the college taught oxyacetylene welding. It’s a complex, hard to master skill; it’s also dangerous and dirty. Traditional training proved expensive and took too long. The solution, developed by David Hon’s Ixion Inc, was based on synthetic reality and tactile interfaces. Briefly, a touch-screen PC monitor was set facing up—the screen acting like the top of a work bench. Two photo-realistic metal plates were displayed on the monitor screen; the learner’s task was to weld them together. The learner worked with a real welding rod and an authentic mechanically-simulated torch. The skills and knowledge of experienced welders were built into the system’s responses, so the appearance and quality of the weld developing on the screen accurately reflected the skill with which the learner manipulated the torch. Because a typical learner was unlikely to be either computer- or text-literate, no computing or reading skills were required to use the system.
The approach also had the advantage of integrating feedback and evaluation with content; you don’t need a text or spoken message to tell you that you’ve moved the torch too slowly, you can see a puddle form on the screen. Video was used to display the weld; today we might use real-time graphics. The point is, it is possible to realize this type of psychomotor simulation using e-learning technology. All it takes is imagination and inventive implementation.

Behavioural/Attitudinal: Here employees are performing below requirements, not because they don’t know something or how to do something but because they are not behaving the way they should. This situation often arises during periods of change. A new process or tool has been introduced; employees have learned how to use it but choose not to. It can arise with corporate culture; employees know from their induction learning that they should back up their data regularly yet they choose not to. In other cases, employees in a call centre might not know the best behaviours to use with customers who complain, or the best behaviours for maximizing cross-selling. Used creatively, e-learning has the power to persuade; it can change behaviours. It can also provide learners with a safe area where they can try out new behaviours.

Related Articles on E-learning

1. E-Learning Introduction
   
2. What you need to know
   
3. Elements of E-Learning
   
4. Building e-learning around learners
   
5. Cathay school offers one-on-one CISCO CCIE SP Boot Camp Training
   
6. Accredited Online Degrees Give Students More Flexibility
   
7. Book Secrets to help you pass your Naplex Exams!
   
8. MCTS .NET Certification Station
   
9. MCITP SQL Server: Business Intelligence
   
10. ASP.NET INTRODUCTION
    
11. MCDST upgrade offer code
    
12. Trend Is Moving On…
    
13. Microsoft’s 2008 Certification Shuffle
    
14. With Windows 2008 Come New MCP Benefits
    
15. CCNA ICND2 Practice Tests
    
16. Comptia A+ Certification Exam Review
    
17. Comptia A+ Certification Defined
    
18. CCIE Lab Preparation My personal path and Recommendations
    
19. My CCIE Lab Rack Overview
    
20. What to chose Windows Server 2003 MCSA MCSE or Windows Server 2008 MCTS
    

Latest Articles on E-learning

1. Ielts Online Training | Ielts Practice Material | English Test
   IELTS4U is an IELTS online training center with a vision of developing far reaching techniques that facilitate the test taker. We are proud to say that we are the only online company that provides video classes online. Besides, we arrange for online interaction between the students and our faculty, which helps the students clear their doubts....
2. Credit Your Prior Experience With Online Life Experience Degrees…
   In the world today, online learning offers the flexibility and convenience many students need to obtain a college education. Unfortunately, many college transcripts fail to show a student’s real-life experience, even if the student has a lot of knowledge in one particular field but no diploma to show for it....
3. Arts And Crafts To Improve Your Childs Learning
   Making a craft of any particular form is the way an individual can show creativity in what they are doing. Often you will find that when crafts are made there is a specific purpose in mind, perhaps Christmas or Birthday presents, or just a simple thank you to a friend or relative....
4. Russian language online - make the right choice today
   Almost all people all over the world aspire to learn different foreign languages. Language - is the main key to the successful communication. The knowledge of foreign languages - gives a possibility to the people to communicate easily with each other not depending on which native language they speak....
5. The Most Common Stories of Ebooks Not Selling!
   Have you written an ebook recently? Do you want to make more money with it? The best way to make more money with your ebook is by selling more copies of your ebook! If your ebook is not selling as well as you would like (or if it is not selling at all), you are not alone. Every week solo primers contact me to ask for help with marketing their ebooks. Here are two of the most common stories of ...
6. Online Degree Programs: A Way To Start An Education
   Online Degree Programs is a way to start an education through online. They are easy to complete and provide options. Research about these programs will show that they offer many different programs on many different disciplines. Schools that offer online degrees are increasingly common. Therefore, attaining a degree online is simple. ...
7. Where do I start?
   This article is about provide information for MCITP upgrade/code and its commands. The second to last posting in the Microsoft Certifications: Where do I Start Series. It's taken me a little while to get them all put up, mostly due to other posts, plans not complete and ready to discuss, or just plain laziness. Of course all the above were contributing factors...
8. What to chose Windows Server 2003 MCSA MCSE or Windows Server 2008 MCTS
   This article is about complete information of top certifications available now-days. Firstly there will be no MCSA (Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator) or MCSE Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer) on Windows Server 2008, these qualifications are currently only available with Windows Server 2003 and will be replaced by the new qualifications...
9. My CCIE Lab Rack Overview
   This article is about provide information how I did to prepare for the lab. I have been studying for the CCIE exam for almost 3 years now. I am proud and ecstatic to announce that I finally passed today out at RTP in North Carolina. I just got back into Chicago and found out about an hour ago. So I am wired to say the least....
10. CCIE Lab Preparation My personal path and Recommendations
    This article is about provide information in two parts. The smaller first part will detail what I did to prepare for the lab. And the in second part, I will detail what I think is the best way of preparing for the lab, based on personal experience and problems I had along the way. In short, if I had to prepare for the lab all over again, the path I’d take will be in the recommendations...

Related topics in Education & Reference

Submit Articles © 2009 KeepArticles.com, All Rights Reserved.