Big issues, grand visions, occasional complaints.

As a contributor to one of the books in this section writes, it takes some work not to reduce e-learning to the technology that facilitates it. Technology vendors spend a lot of money to create buzz around their products with a parade of announcements of new products, new versions of existing products, enhancements, add-ons, and so on. They have every right to market as they chose, but customers need to remember that their need isn't another piece of software. Software and hardware are just means to an end.

Fortunately, there are thoughtful individuals who help learning professionals stay focused on the "learning" in "e-learning." Elliot Masie and Roger Schank belong in this group. Their concerns vary considerably, but they also overlap; they don't agree on everything, but they do form a consensus on some important issues.

Clark Aldrich and his book Learning by Doing could easily be included with those by Masie and Schank. He thinks and writes expansively about learning, yet his primary concern, simulations, shares most in common with the books on virtual games reviewed in the last section of this report.

ELLIOT MASIE, RAVEMASTER

Elliott Masie has been on top of the corporate learning and technology game for years, He's strengthened his standing with this collection of training rants, raves, and reflections from other leaders in the field. It is a good read for anyone involved in guiding and promoting learning within an organization.

The 17 thought-provoking chapters appeal to a variety of interests. Masie's introductory chapter summarizes the key points of the book. They could easily be printed as a poster and marketed as a provocative office wall hanging. Some examples:

  * Stop using silly numbers. Measure what counts.
  * Evaluation: Get to Level Four! Now!
  * Forget about counting e-learning dropout rates. Unless there is a
    penalty for not finishing, learners will take what they want and put
    it to work.
  * Usability testing rocks! Educators could improve their product if
    they formalized and deployed user-testing programs, especially for
    distance learning courses.

A number of the contributors address the relevancy of the overall business to the mission of the learning organization. Lance Dublin's "Messing with the Primal Forces of Nature" calls corporate education the "Rodney Dangerfield profession" because executive management never seems to give it the respect it deserves. The reason it doesn't, he says, is that learning professionals don't know business concepts and don't talk to management on their terms. Beth Thomas' chapter, "Dining with the Executives," gives tactical advice on selling training's mission to executives. She suggests you stay away from using training jargon, focus on your company's pain points, and talk to business leaders in their language: adding profit and shareholder value.

Examples of a few more chapters will give you an idea of the diversity of the collection. Scott Sutker's piece on vendor-partner relations is an important contribution, especially the "Partnership Pledge." A reflective piece from Larry Israelite laments that most executives need reminding that hardware is no more than a delivery device: "They are just part of the set of tools the designer uses to construct an effective learning experience." Israelite makes a similar argument about the latest craze, using games for learning. He concludes, "The designer in me constantly reminds me that the audience, learning environment, instructional outcomes, and the content itself drive media choices."

RECOMMENDATION

In Learning Rants, Raves, and Reflections Elliot Masie has put together the right people on the right topics at the right time. If you want a glimpse of learning department initiatives in companies like McDonald's, are considering the next technological challenge like mobile learning, or simply want help reflecting on the past and future of learning technologies, purchase this book.

Learning Rants, Raves and Reflections star rating

CATEGORY

Holds reader interest  3
Instructional value    3.5
Self-study value       3.5
Value of content       4
Value for the money    3.5
Overall rating         3.5

ADVICE FROM ANOTHER BRAND NAME

Roger Schank is well known in a variety of overlapping worlds: business, corporate online learning, and the academic world. In Lessons in Learning, E-learning, and Training, he does a marvelous job of telling stories in order to make points and illustrate principles.

Among the prescriptions Schank brings forward through storytelling are these:

* Learning should be activity and performance based, not passive with multiple-choice tests.

* Training should simulate a learner's real job.

* It should allow for practice, practice, practice.

The book is chunked nicely. Sixteen chapters, each averaging18 pages, begin with a story and end with a job aid called "Jump Start Your Training." Take, for instance, Chapter 5, "Enron Fixes Their Communication Problems." The job aid is a checklist for "knowing the difference between things that can be taught and things that cannot," for example, wisdom (can't be) and decision making (can be).

The audience for Schank's book is "anyone who is ever called upon to design or deliver training." He assumes you know something about training theory, though. For instructional designers, Schank has great tips; for training managers debating classroom versus online instruction, he offers insight and advice. His take on corporate universities is entertaining, although he may not have intended for it to read that way. His mantra throughout the book is make training more fun as well as practical to the learner.

RECOMMENDATION

Lessons in Learning, E-learning, and Training is a good add to your library. You might also want to give a copy to your boss. You can't argue with experience, and Schank has plenty to draw on throughout his book.

Lessons in Learning, E-learning, and Training star rating

CATEGORY

Holds reader interest  4
Instructional value    4
Self-study value       4
Value of content       4
Value for the money    4
Overall rating         4