Kineo 50
Welcome to the Kineo 50. At Kineo we're all about sharing advice and insights for a fresh approach to e-learning. We're delighted to partner with the E-learning Centre to bring you some (well, 50) ideas to keep your e-learning sharp, whether you're designing, managing or buying it.
Tip 25: Top Ten Webinar Tips
We will be looking at webinars over the next few editions of our newsletter. We will also be running an online seminar on running webinars later this summer.
But to get the ball rolling, hereare our top ten tips for running successful webinars.
Read the rest of Tip 25: Top Ten Webinar Tips.
Tip 24:Yamming it up with Yammer
Previously we wrote about Twitter. Hard to miss Twitter these days, it's the talk of the town. As you, and probably your mother, knows, Twitter is a 140-character microblogging platform. It's different from an instant message system which lets you talk in real time with one person.
Read the rest of Tip 24:Yamming it up with Yammer.
Kineo insight 23: Twitter: The Karmic Learning Tool
When Oprah joined Twitter a few weeks ago, everyone started claiming that Twitter was all over. But those of us in the know, know that we're just getting started. Not tweeting yet? Kineo's new VP of learning design, Cammy Bean, tweetingly invites you aboard.
Read the rest of Kineo insight 23: Twitter: The Karmic Learning Tool.
Tip 21: Listen carefully
Audio. It's cheap to do and quick to make. But so is a pot noodle - and we all know, you shouldn't add those to your e-learning. So when does audio enhance, and when does it start to be more noise than content? Here are some tips for using it sensibly in e-learning:
Read the rest of Tip 21: Listen carefully.
Tip 20: Six steps for simple tutorials
If you're going to develop e-learning rapidly, you need to start with a
model in mind. A model will help you be consistent, develop to good
design principles, and create a consistent experience for your
learners. One tried and trusted model that should be in any designer's
toolkit is the Knowledge and Skills builder model.
Read the rest of Tip 20: Six steps for simple tutorials.
Number 19: Five steps to great podcast interviews
Last time we looked at getting yourself set up for success with
podcasting. This week we get down to the basics of making the podcast
interview itself sound like...well, like someone might actually want to
listen to it.
Read the rest of Number 19: Five steps to great podcast interviews.
Number 18: Five pointers for podcasts in e-learning
They're quick, easy to produce and can add great value to your
e-learning. Maybe podcasts are the quintessential rapid e-learning?
We'd encourage any designer to consider adding value to their
e-learning through podcasts. Here are a few pointers for making the
most of them.
Read the rest of Number 18: Five pointers for podcasts in e-learning.
Insight 17: Five questions to ask about authoring tools
One of the mantras of these crunching times is (or at least should be): if it's worth doing, you better have a look at doing it yourself, before you pay someone over the odds for it. Ok, so there's probably a snappier version of that statement. Let's just say 'You should look at rapid e-learning authoring tools'. You won't have to look too hard - the market's flooded to its banks with them. But what's right for you?
Read the rest of Insight 17: Five questions to ask about authoring tools.
Tip 16: Ten tips for online tutoring
As e-learning evolves, one welcome trend is the movement away from
large formal courses and towards more informal methods - providing
support to your learners by any means necessary. Open source tools like
moodle provide very cost effective ways of providing what one expert
has called 'surround sound' support to learners. One of the more cost
effective, and high-touch ways of supporting learners is through online
tutoring.
Read the rest of Tip 16: Ten tips for online tutoring.
Tip 15: Product knowledge e-learning, done rapidly
If you're in retail, you know that despite all the cuts you need to make, you can't cut back on supporting your front-line sales team. More than ever, they need to know how to connect with customers, recognise opportunities to sell, and have the product knowledge information at their fingertips. But you've got to do it faster and cheaper than ever. How can rapid e-learning help? Get the design right and you're on your way.
Here are six steps you can take to rapidly design effective product knowledge e-learning.
Read the rest of Tip 15: Product knowledge e-learning, done rapidly.
Tip 14: Love your SME
The Subject Matter Expert and the designer: This week we look at the need for a little love and understanding...
Five steps to a happier relationship...
We've worked with many SMEs down through the years. We've seen it go
very right and very wrong. Sometimes a little understanding is
required. Sometimes a little tough love. Sometimes a little more
explanation of where you see the relationship going.
Here are some steps that you can take to improve how you manage and collaborate with SMEs to achieve the desired result:
Read the rest of Tip 14: Love your SME.
Tip 13: Happy new cost-cutting
The only way to start 2009 is to show how you're going to do more for less. If your boss hasn't asked you how you're cutting costs in e-learning yet, it must be because your name is towards the end of the alphabet - because believe us, the conversation is coming. So, there are three quick tips from us for making your e-learning more cost effective in 2009.
Read the rest of Tip 13: Happy new cost-cutting.
Insight 12: Have I got your attention?
Ever been bored by e-learning? Ever seen an opening screen riddled with bullet after bullet of objectives, with a 'screen 1 of 98' counter in the bottom right, as if to say 'think you're bored now? Just you wait until screen 45...'.
We all feel your pain. First impressions in so many e-learning courses are so often dismal. Designers have a responsibility to make every moment engaging. What can you do in the first few seconds to hook and hold your learners?
Read the rest of Insight 12: Have I got your attention?.
Insight 11: Ok, here's the scenario...
A lot of effective e-learning relies on a goal-based scenario approach. What are they and how do they work? Let's not fret about definitions and instead look at what goes in an effective goal-based scenario.
Read the rest of Insight 11: Ok, here's the scenario....
Insight 10: The scope's the thing
Why do e-learning projects run into trouble? Many reasons, and we'll see how many we can cover in future insights, to help you avoid common mishaps.
One area where projects commonly get out of control is a lack of clarity around the scope of the project. It ends up too big to achieve with the budget or the timeline, or not achieving the aims that the stakeholders had in mind, or delivering the experience that learners need. So what can you do to ensure you're building on solid foundations? Follow these steps for a rapid approach to scoping e-learning.
Read the rest of Insight 10: The scope's the thing.
Insight 9: A little less conversation, a little more action
"If had more time, I would have written a shorter letter."
T.S. Eliot (probably)
In an earlier insight, we talked about the value of dialogue, and how it can give your e-learning pace and authenticity. A client recently talked to us at Kineo about how some of their in-house programmes were suffering from too much dialogue, with the result that the learning points were getting lost. So as a companion piece to an earlier insight, here are a few words of caution about dialogue in e-learning.
Read the rest of Insight 9: A little less conversation, a little more action.
Insight 8: E-learning: why it delivers better performance
Last week we looked at some of the arguments for e-learning from a cost
viewpoint. You may find your stakeholders saying "We get that it's
cheaper. But is it better?" Here are some of the reasons you can use to
explain why e-learning's better than classroom - most of the time.
Read the rest of Insight 8: E-learning: why it delivers better performance.
Insight 7: Making the business case for e-learning
The new economic realities mean that every manager up and down your
organisation is going to have to fight to spend money on anything. You
can expect e-learning to come under as much scrutiny as the next line
item. It pays to be prepared. If you're responsible for commissioning
e-learning or running an internal team, be ready to fight the good
fight. For this insight, let's concentrate on the cost savings from
e-learning, compared to instructor led alternatives. Here are a few
bullets to have ready when someone comes asking why we should spend on
e-learning:
Read the rest of Insight 7: Making the business case for e-learning.
Insight 6: Feedback to basics
We've looked in previous insights at mistakes and the key role they play in e-learning design. But a mistake's not worth making if you don?t learn from it. We've all been there: the e-learning leaves you hanging with the worst feedback you can get: 'wrong - try again'. It can sound enigmatic coming from Yoda, but it doesn't really cut it as feedback in e-learning.
To make sure your mistakes are coupled with support and feedback that will actually help learners, follow these tips.
Read the rest of Insight 6: Feedback to basics.
Insight 5: Working mistakes into your design
Last week we explored the value of mistake-driven e-learning. If you can hone in on the mistakes, misperceptions and performance gaps that's causing 80% of the issues for your target audience, you've got the fodder for creating e-learning that adds real value. E-learning can do this by creating safe environments in which your learners can make mistakes, and providing the coaching and support to reduce risk that they're repeated on the job.
How to work mistakes into your e-learning design?
Read the rest of Insight 5: Working mistakes into your design.
Insight 4: Make more mistakes
Samuel Beckett described his approach to life as 'Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better.' Too existential for you? Try American actress Tallulah Bankhead: "If I had to live my life again, I'd make the same mistakes, only sooner."
What's the point? Mistakes are good. They're our best teachers. So how to get mistakes into your e-learning?
Read the rest of Insight 4: Make more mistakes.
Insight 3: Narrative and e-learning
For the last few weeks we've talked about stories in e-learning and why
they're a great way to make your e-learning memorable, authentic and
engaging. What else can you do to bring a narrative into e-learning?
What are the practical points when it comes to writing dialogue?
The bookshelves heave with screenwriting manuals. Save yourself a few
quid and start with a few basic tips for good dialogue writing in
e-learning.
Read the rest of Insight 3: Narrative and e-learning.
Insight 2: Getting stories into e-learning
Last time we wrote about the benefits of stories in learning. They're easy to remember, they're compellting, they're great shorthand for real experience, and of course they're authentic, which is maybe the most compelling aspect of all.
So how can you bring stories into your e-learning? Here are some practical tips.
Read the rest of Insight 2: Getting stories into e-learning.
Insight 1: learning starts with a story
Someone once said all learning starts with a story. They probably went on to tell a story about how they realised that. Right idea. If you can hook and engage your audience your audience up front, all the more likely they'll stay the journey. Stories are one of the best ways of doing this.
So why are stories effective? What's in a good story for learning?
Read the rest of Insight 1: learning starts with a story.
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