“Is Age a Problem?” A Provocative Vignette About Age Discrimination

The Vignettes series shows you a brief, concise, yet provocative and reflective learning approach. Your learners are taken through the “relate-interpret-apply process” within real-life scenarios to fire up reflection and interaction that generates deeper learning through experience sharing.

This week, we take a look at the case of a company production manager tasked with investigating a supervisor who may or may not be guilty of age discrimination. It poses the question of when a remark or question can be equated with discrimination. For new and inexperienced managers – even for existing ones who have biases – it can be tricky when facing decision-making tasks especially when it comes to selecting the right person for a job.

Where do we draw the line between the ability of someone to perform a job requirement and age? Can certain assumptions about job requirements possibly ignore basic employee rights? Click here to view "Is Age a Problem?"

How to Use the Vignette

While the situation presented is specific, this vignette covers a wide range of topics to include conflict-resolution, work ethics and other management-related issues. Use this vignette to spark learner interest in your training session, show it as part of your lessons or utilize it as post-training test. Face-to-face, eLearning or webinar, this vignette is intended to push your learners to the EDGE.

Vignettes are stirring and powerful stimuli for classroom training, eLearning activities as well as social learning communities.Click here to preview “Is Age a Problem?”

Next week’s featured vignette, “If There is Booze”, shows the situation of Bill, a manager who is faced with two opposing beliefs regarding after-office gatherings. Mahad, one of his team members, can not drink or even sit at a table where alcoholic drinks are served. Carlo, another team member, on the other hand, insists that he has a right to have his booze even if it could mean that Mahad will not be able to join the celebration. How should Bill handle this situation? How should he promote respect for both team members’ beliefs and rights? When does a belief become a right? Is there a compromise in sight?

Join us and let us know how you like the vignettes. We sincerely appreciate your thoughts. If you have any suggestions, improvements or topics of interest to you, please let us know.



Ray Jimenez, PhDVignettes Learning"Helping Learners Learn Their Way"

eLearning Design for Short Attention Span and Overloaded Learners

Synthesis:
With the barrage of distractions thrown at these already-overloaded learners, we are faced with the challenge to help them focus on what is necessary, must-learn, what is of immediate relevance and content that is rapidly applicable to their jobs and tasks at hand. My goal here is to provide helpful tips to engage our learners’ attention and achieve our learning objectives.
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Design for Short Attention Span Learners
Word Play Exercise (Fill in the Blanks)

(Click here to play the exercise)

Do learners have short attention span or are our learning programs too long that we lose our learners in the process?

At the eLearning Guild Learning Solutions Conference, March 23-25, 2011, I facilitated a breakfast session on “Design for Short Attention Span Learners.” It was refreshing to hear so many good ideas on how to help learners assimilate knowledge in spite of the distractions, mobility and rapid demand for learning.

These are the common themes.

1. Useful content immediately
Programs should be focused on must-learn and immediately-useful content. The ultimate goal of total content mastery can be learned while on the job.

2. Valuable content
Work with the SMEs to enlighten them that not all content is important. The designer should take on the challenge of highlighting what the SMEs consider as valuable aspects of the learning when presenting the program design.

3. Quick Search
Enable the program to provide a quick search, to allow learners to dive into the details of the lessons. This helps learners to study quick references and materials while on the job.

4. Small releases
Release small sections of the program progressively instead of attempting a big launch period after several months of work. Learners will definitely benefit from small lessons spread over several determined intervals instead of taking them through a huge chunk of learning data at one singular time.

5. Easy navigation
The navigation design should assist learners to access all available types of content at one glance or in a single site. For example, they can click on videos, audio, references, lessons, reviews, programs, lessons, modules, tests, etc. rather than keeping them hidden.

6. Indexing content
Prepare a good index list of topics that are linked to specific pages in the lessons or programs to facilitate rapid access for the learners.

7. Multi-format
Design programs so that some of the content are in simple formats like PDF, Word, PowerPoint and HTML with a good mix of the more complex formats (audio, video, image or Flash) resulting in an engaging, definitely interactive yet comprehensive, compact and not overly produced learning model.

8. SMS and Mobile
For new updates on the programs, use SMS, text messaging and mobile devices with links to the specific pages.

9. Synthesis
Always provide a short synthesis to inform learners about the gist of the content.

10. Bookmark and sharing
Learners can bookmark and share relevant pages to help other learners. Certain programs cannot be shared by just focusing on specific single pages. Learners have to read the whole lesson or module before they unearth useful content.

11. Unbundle authoring content
Consider authoring lessons and modules as separate or stand-alone units of programs rather than creating traditional closed and encapsulated courses developed by simply following the structures of authoring tools. They become a flexible and easily transferrable set of learning objects. Learners can then scan, view and select quickly from small lessons rather than large programs.

12. Simple time savers
Simple time savers are: 1) video and audio files that show how long they are; 2) a short introduction or synopsis before asking learners to read a long document.

13. Working competency versus full competency
Help SMEs and internal clients understand the difference between programs that help learners acquire vital and critical skills and knowledge immediately needed on the job (working competency) and those that they can master later (full competency). Sometimes, programs become excessively long and very boring because they force the learner to develop full competency even at the onset of the learning process.

14. Instant conversations
In many instances, learners simply need a person to call, chat or exchange emails with, to inquire, validate, or acquire more understanding. We often forget that the ability to have instant, quick and short talks makes a huge difference.


Related blogs

How to instantly grab e-learners attention!

FREE: Millionaire Game - How to create the iPhone touch, look and feel in your e-Learning? Use e-Learning Reusables

DIYEL #13 How to avoid impersonal programs and encourage conversations




Ray Jimenez, PhD
Vignettes Learning
"Helping Learners Learn Their Way"

Are you an Agnostic or Principled Learning Professional?

Synthesis:
As learning professionals, have we analyzed how our approaches affect our learners and their specific learning and performance environments? Why does one choose to adhere to his/her present method? Are you an AGNOSTIC or PRINCIPLED Learning Professional? A deeper understanding of these professionals may hopefully lead you to an enlightened decision. Perhaps, the Agnostic is the unbounded innovator in us and the Principled is the traditionalist in us.
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As learning professionals, have we analyzed how our approaches affect our learners and their specific learning and performance environments? Why does one choose to adhere to his/her present method? Are you an AGNOSTIC or PRINCIPLED Learning Professional? A deeper understanding of these professionals may hopefully lead you to an enlightened decision. Perhaps, the Agnostic is the unbounded innovator in us and the Principled is the traditionalist in us.


Image provided by eLearning Arts.

An executive I work with complained to me:

“This vendor is telling me to spend 200 hours in task analysis. Don’t they know that we pretty much know the tasks?”

“We have so many learning rituals that are irrelevant.” he continued.

“We should rid ourselves (trainers and learning professionals) of practices that appear to be based on sound principles but are actually impractical and apparently outdated thinking.”

As I attend conferences and meet clients and friends, I also keep my ears to the ground and listen to how learning professionals evolve or drastically change their approaches. I look for patterns that help deliver results, improve learning, drastically cut costs and increase speed of delivery. Moreover, I specifically look for something out of the ordinary that I can also learn from. In fact, I’d like to share some interesting differences between the Agnostic and Principled Learning professionals.

Before I share my observations, allow me to define some terms. An Agnostic is a learning professional that is passionate about immediate results. This practitioner uses learning principles and practices only if they serve the end results. The Principled learning professional is also results-focused, but strictly adheres to practices that have been proven and tested in the past. The differences basically lie in the mind set and outlook of these two specialists. These determine their inclinations towards being Agnostic or Principled.

Here are a few of my observations. For easier understanding, we shall refer to these learning professionals as either AGNOSTIC or PRINCIPLED from hereon.

ROI in training and learning

The Principled believes in exact, long-drawn and often, stringent systems of measurements and time-tested scientific methods. As a result, the ROI reports tend to be historical, like a financial accounting process. They tend to be less adventurous and adaptable in their approaches.

The Agnostic uses anecdotal data to gauge learning impacts. This allows for quick information gathering. Jeff Beck of Knowledge Advisors says that anecdotal data are valuable ROI measurements. They are faster to collect. They attribute a deep value to the link between rapid and applicable learnings to job performance. See my related blog - Proof of Direct Link between Learning and Performance.

Don’t bother tracking learning completion

I am familiar with a division within CISCO that does not bother to track learning or training completion. This is the work of an Agnostic. The Principled will insist on tracking completion because it is part of the delivery process.

In the case of CISCO, the change and demand for new content is rapid. Systems engineers need the knowledge in a matter of minutes. For example, there are hundreds of anti-virus and malware patches released each day that it does not make sense to track if the learner has completed the lesson. The ultimate test is how well they apply the ideas on the spot.

Train learners on the essentials and let them learn how to find solutions

One large online retailer I worked with, reduced their two weeks on-boarding training to two days. Initially, the Principled insisted that the 10-day on-boarding program should persist. However with 100,000 products, the Agnostic realized it was impossible to train or even begin to orient workers on all these, during on-boarding classes. As a result, workers’ orientation centered on the basic policies of the company and trained them on the usage of the Wiki Product and Customer Management System to find answers to questions and provide solutions.

Twitter that impacts immediate performance

Mark Oehlert, in one of his presentations on Social Media mentioned about how a company applied a Twitter-like application to help engineers deal with electrical transmission line emergency responses. Engineers found it faster to send a tweet to alert other engineers of problems in their area that would impact other aspects of the electrical grid. The Agnostic found a practical way to use Twitter. The Principled would have been stuck with the question-how do I apply Twitter to learning and training instead of asking “where can this tool impact the performance of people?”

Just-in-case and just-in-need training and learning – very costly impact

The Agnostic uses eLearning beyond its traditional definition - from just-in-case-knowledge to a just-in-need learning. Knowledge and skill requirements are changing so fast that the Agnostic focuses on immediate “working knowledge” rather than “full competency” training for ongoing learning on the job. The Principled continues to focus on compacting all knowledge in one training because of the fear that learners may miss the knowledge. Unfortunately, most learners can only retain so much in one sitting. Consequently, investments in long and elaborate courses are wasted. See related blog on How Much Training is Enough Training?

“They don’t know what they don’t know”

This is my favorite because it continues to be a training professional meme. It is so well-accepted that many use the statement without much thought.

I often hear “the Principled” say …

“If we don’t train learners on the content, they will be unable to do the job” or “learners cannot be trusted since they don’t know what they don’t know.”

Many of the “Principleds” adhere to the notion that people lack inherent wisdom to perform their jobs. The truth is, it’s pretty much the opposite.

Reversely, the Agnostics believe that the learners have a certain amount of experience, regardless of quantity and quality. Their approach aims to help the learners build on these experiences and connect them to the learning environment. This understanding of the learner’s wisdom is the foundation of social and informal learning. People can learn and contribute while they share with others. The job of this learning professional is to multiply this capacity. Please see Jay Cross on information learning.

Conclusion

Whether one is Agnostic or Principled is often a reflection of our growth process as learning professionals. We tend to be Principled when we stick to rituals from principles and practices we are accustomed to. In the process, we have ceased to question them or assess its efficiency especially in performance applications. The Agnostic is that part within ourselves that awakens to the realization that learning environments and its learners are evolving, sometimes faster than we can change our mind sets and outlook with a willingness to adapt better performance results.

Perhaps, the Agnostic is the unbounded innovator in us and the Principled is the traditionalist in us.


Related blog

Proof of Direct Link between Learning and Performance

How Much Training is Enough Training?
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Ray Jimenez, PhD
Vignettes Learning
"Helping Learners Learn Their Way"

Is it spoon-feeding or discovery scenario learning?

Synthesis:
Scenario- based learning should take learners through a journey of discovery ; involving them in the events that take place at various points in your scenarios. It propels learners to think about the choices presented and not merely determining the right or wrong answers. Join me on a train ride to gain a better understanding of how to create a more engaging scenario for your next SBL challenge.
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I conducted an informal survey of 20 workshop participants asking them this question:
How do you know if your scenario-based elearning program works? The responses were:
•Learners pick the right answer or options.
•Learners do trial and error until they find the right answers.
•Learners reflect on the choices provided.
•Learners were engaged.

It was intriguing to me that no one mentioned about learners discovering the learning points from scenarios.

On the surface, the responses seemed descriptive of a scenario- based eLearning program. However, on further scrutiny, they were symptomatic of a surface- level or shallow understanding of how scenario-based eLearning works.

The Heart of Scenarios

Although the answers described some characteristics of scenarios, they did not mention the core idea of why scenario-based eLearning works, which is:
It is about recognizing patterns from a series of choices leading to the discovery of the ideas.

The emphasis is on PATTERNS and DISCOVERY.
•Identify the end idea to be discovered.
•Set up different choices leading to the discovery of ideas at the ending.

Signs of Spoon Feeding

After more prodding, I confirmed my suspicion. Oftentimes, scenarios are unknowingly used as extensions of instructivist (telling) methods, rather than the implementation of the constructivist (discovery) methods.

It is spoon feeding when “scenarios” pose multiple choice-like questions.
•When it is a memory recall question.
•When choices lead to a right or wrong answer.
•When feedback is like a lecture ...this is right or this is wrong.

This situation stems from a lack of clarity that scenario-based eLearning is a constuctivist(discovering ) method and not an instuctivist (telling ) method. Due to strong previous backgrounds, many developers or instructional designers write scenarios as if they are writing instructional lessons rather than presenting a series of choices for learners to discover ideas.

Hollywood Vs. Training

In the moviemaking industry, script writers are into discovery writing to allow its audience to experience the unveiling of events and revealing more of the story as the film progresses. They cannot simply shift to just “spilling the beans” and telling everything outright about each scene. That would certainly bore the moviegoers.

In the elearning industry, trainers and instructional designers who have gotten used to the traditional instructional styles would find it particularly difficult to shift from simply instructing or using the telling method to integrating scenarios that will allow the learners to pinpoint patterns and discover ideas, thereby, creating materials that engage their learners. However, in this case, the shift is totally beneficial for a more positive learning experience.

Seeds of Discovery are Like Train Travel

Scenarios are like train tracks. They have metal rails, wooden ties and the ballast.

e-Learning,

The ballast is the content which is the foundation of the scenario. The metal rails and the wooden ties represent the story which helps roll the train coaches. The train stops are the events of the story while the final destination is the outcome. The learners are the passengers.

Content is not to be apparent or immediately divulged . Rather, it should assume a story form that draws in the learners.

The story should glide, lubricate and move the train. It ought to allow the participants to get involved in the unfolding of events and solicit insights instead of just telling them to listen in a communication scenario. Use characters to represent the content and let learners discover the idea/s through the actions and behaviors of the characters. This initiates discovery.

We shall look into the story about a character named John, a sales person rejected by prospects. He appears not to be able to understand what the customer wants.

But to illustrate my point just a bit further, do you notice that when traveling a certain distance by train, we begin to enjoy the trip when conversations revolve around the people, the places and highlights of these places along our journey? These conversations are the train stops. Each stop triggers certain questions in our minds. What is this place? What landmarks can be found? The questions vary depending on how the ride goes. Nonetheless, train stops arouse curiosity and interest. In scenarios, the train stops are the events.

The train stops - as events- are natural places to pose questions to the learner. This is where learners choose options. The choices are presented in story form and must be continuous. Using John as our primary character, the events might play out like this...
- Event 1- he sent a proposal to the client
- Event 2- client rejected the proposal
- Event 3- John has to review and redo the proposal
- Event 4- John meets with his manager. He gets warned that he needs to get this sale..
So on and so forth....
Each event asks questions of the learner to help them discover what John should do.
This becomes an opportunity for deeper learning.

Opportunity to link event discoveries and develop into a pattern

Scenarios are not one-time discoveries of answers. That would be too boring. The gradual discovery of John’s actions and attitudes ,triggers something within us. It sort of acclimatizes us to get more involved in the story and the various situations of its character/s.

Arriving at the destination is a sure thing. But you gradually build a conclusion based on your travel.

Scenario-based eLearnings are like travels

Let’s say we travel from an urban setting to the rural area. We begin to notice new patterns at every stop. The sky gets bluer, more trees dot the landscape, people appear to live in a different way and buildings are less imposing. We now begin to grasp clues of certain patterns. Ultimately we gain better perspectives.

Conclusion...

One way you can test how SBLs work is to imagine yourself in this scenario.

Let’s say you and other learners are hauled in enclosed carts ...no stops...no windows...destined for somewhere ... seemingly regarded like cows for delivery. No alternative options.

Sounds stifling , right? No chance to discover ideas along the way. I’m not sure what experience that is but I don’t think I would like to take that route or even attempt to go there.

Click to play these example that may help inspire you in your scenario building efforts:



Related Blogs

How to add the human touch in your eLearning design

Inspire others - be a Master Storyteller -Study the Profile and Survey

How to Embed Learning Goals in Stories
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Workshops
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Ray Jimenez, PhD
Vignettes Learning
"Helping Learners Learn Their Way"

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seek out the few.

Ray Jimenez, PhD
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"Helping Learners Learn Their Way"