Showing posts with label microlearning. Show all posts
Showing posts with label microlearning. Show all posts

Friday, August 28, 2020

TikTok As A Collaboration Tool? Why Not? - Workshop Tip #228

TikTok As A Collaboration Tool Why Not

Collaboration is a powerful concept that has long been present in different workplaces. Unfortunately, many experts and consultants in the L&D world only talk about it in theory. There have been too many discussions on how to open more collaboration at work, but implementation always falls short.

But I'd like to have a different take on this. As I see it happening today, collaboration now comes from a series of conversations and entails a continuous bouncing off of ideas. It is the fruition of hours of working together, establishing relationships, and building trust. For us humans, collaboration is not a foreign concept. We possess this as an innate behavior.

In the L&D space, we often fall into thinking that instilling a culture of collaboration can happen overnight. In a perfect world, maybe. However, in reality, it takes work and support from management down to the rank and file. Our job in learning and development is to kickstart the initiative. We need to have activities and solutions to promote it.

Just recently, I’ve come across a Josh Bersin article about TikTok. I find it thought-provoking how he suggested that this seemingly for-entertainment-only app can actually be used for collaborative learning. Here are my impressions and takeaways from understanding TikTok and learning.

1. Collaboration happens whenever it is practical for people to get results. Whether it is by sharing or uploading a video and people begin to relate to it and spark an exchange of comments or by rating someone else’s video, that's collaboration. It doesn’t need to have all the elements of collaboration. The important thing is that it serves the instant need to work with others to achieve a specific goal or result.

2. When technology is micro-sized, it becomes spontaneous. When technology enables multiplicity of tasks, and yet in a very simple form like in TikTok, we are more able to get the results quickly. It is mimicking or allowing us to behave in the way we wanted to in the real world. This is really how technology prevails upon us.

3. It is now shaping our relationships, language, communication, and thinking. I remember a book talking about which came first: is it our thoughts or language? Now it could be either or both. But in the case of TikTok,  what I see going on is that it’s reconstructing our language and it helps develop our thinking. Some people might disagree and find TikTok to be terrible, synaptic, and too cryptic for learning. However, the key point to emphasize here is that we're communicating, although in a very different form. This language  developed by TikTok is something that we need to consider in what we do in L&D.

4. Lastly, as L&D specialists, I think that we can benefit a lot by looking at this technology to see what kind of enhancement, endowment, and functionality we can encourage our learners and our workers to investigate and test.  Because only then will we see how this impacts the way they do work.

So, watch out for TikTok. It may just be in your learning before you know it.




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

Wednesday, May 20, 2020

Insight Is the Smallest Form of Microlearning- Workshop Tip #220

Insight Is the Smallest Form of Microlearning
Insight is the highest form of learning. It is the juxtaposition of knowledge and bringing in one’s personal experience with the said knowledge.

See this transition leading to insights.
Knowledge: “I need to listen carefully to customers to learn what they want.”
Experience: “But sometimes I find it overwhelming when customers have so many requests and they don’t follow my suggestions.”
Insight: “Listening intently and waiting for customers to finish talking before I offer suggestions to help me understand their needs better.”
Joseph A. Raelin, author of Work-based Learning says,

There are three levels of reflection.
First Order Learning 
Reflecting and questioning prior actions that prove reliable may influence the choice to try something different.
Second-Order Learning 
Learning about concepts is deepened by looking critically at our own responses and transferring that understanding into other contexts.
Third Order Learning 
Realizing that how we have previously perceived the world may have been based on biases and not necessarily the truth.
As learners and workers move in succession starting from “questioning prior actions” to “deepened learning by critically thinking our own responses” to “acceptance that our perceptions may have been biased”, they are developing insight. Insight is the point where learners and workers form the conscious decision to make the change - then learning occurs.
How Insight is Formed

Going through the three levels of reflection is a good method to incorporate when you develop microlearning. The process is very fast. The steps are clear. And the outcome of learning is more reliable.

I’ve said these repeatedly in my previous blogs, videos, and workshops. Microlearning isn’t just about reducing or re-sizing your content. It is an exercise in futility if we take away its usefulness in addressing the workers’ needs in the equation. We determine their needs based on their insight. This is critical in the effective design of Microlearning.



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

Thursday, December 19, 2019

Microlearning Tip: "Let Your Fingers Do the Talking" - Workshop Tip #216

Microlearning Tip Let Your Fingers Do the Talking

"The only thing that has remained constant is change." In a time where there seems to be no end to technological advances, surviving it means to adapt. So how can this be applied in microlearning?

Millenials or Gen Z may or may not know this, but there was actually a time when the phrase "let your fingers do the walking" was one of the most popular slogans. It even has an iconic logo for it! Yes, dear young people, it was for the Yellow Pages. Back then, a phone book or directory was just that, a compilation of numbers and phone owners. A big, fat reference for when you need to contact a plumber, salon, bank, and almost every service provider under the sun (with a landline number, of course).

Fast forward to today, every information you need is available at your fingertips, literally. Now, our fingers don't just merely walk, they talk!

The emergence of the Internet, smartphones, mobile devices, AI and all the revolutionary technological breakthroughs have definitely made life easier. People are able to communicate and connect with each other, faster. The convenience brought about by technology has also benefited the way we do our work and how we learn while at work.

The convenience brought about by microlearning

Meetings and training are no longer exclusive to boardrooms and classrooms. Answers and solutions to work issues and problems are just an SMS or a search bar away. So how do we make microlearning cope up with the times and stay relevant? How do we tweak our microlearning strategies and embed it into the workers’ and learners’ dynamic and mobile work lifestyles?

Realize that SMS or texting is such a powerful tool in doing work and learning. Work with your IT, and learning platform developers and administrators to find ways to add SMS as an add-on app or option in your microlearning lessons, exercises, and instructional design. You can also try to create microlearning answers and solutions in SMS format. This way, information becomes instantly shareable through text messaging.

Microlearning is not just about reducing content, answers, and solutions into bite-sized pieces and then feeding it to the learners.  More importantly, our job is to think of smart and strategic ways to integrate microlearning in the learners’ daily work life and how we can make their needed information easier to find, access, use, and share. The SMS option can definitely help achieve that.

References

Wednesday, May 8, 2019

5 Big Don’ts for Successful Webinar Presentations - Tip #211

successful webinar presentations

Over the years, I have done a lot of seminars, workshops, and talks - both virtually and in-person. The main challenge in virtual presentations is that your audience can’t see you and vice versa. It can be tricky to capture their attention or get them engaged by merely hearing your voice and seeing your slides. How do you turn your presentation into a provocative, engaging, and highly impactful virtual experience for your learners?

In my previous blogs, I’ve shared numerous dos when designing and delivering successful webinars. Now, I give you the big don’ts.

Don’t skip the prep

In any endeavor, be it mountain climbing, joining a triathlon, performing on stage, or doing a virtual presentation, preparation is the key to its success. It was Confucius who said, “Success depends upon previous preparation, and without such effort there is sure to be failure.” Test and prepare your resource materials. Conduct a technical dry-run of your tools in advance. Rehearse your presentation flow. Be prepared with back-up plans for any possible glitches. Have a checklist and follow it religiously. Trust me, your audience don’t need to see you to know if you’ve come unprepared. The instant they realize that, nothing you say would interest them anymore.

Don’t drag with facts

I have learned, from my experience in doing webinars, that you immediately lose your audience’s attention the moment you start your presentation with facts. Nothing is enticing nor motivating about going through a litany of learning objectives, or stating compliance policies, or showing a bunch of technical data. I find using real-life situations and weaving stories into content to be highly effective in engaging the participants.

successful webinar presentations
Don’t force engagement

Connection with your audience has to happen naturally and seamlessly. You can’t force it or overdo it, lest you come off as inauthentic or insincere. Share relatable stories that trigger conversations. Pitch thought-provoking and relevant questions then allow your audience to reflect and share their thoughts and experiences.

Don’t prolong

Information overload is the bane of any audience. Webinars, generally, run an hour. Make it count for your audience by cutting down ideas to the “bare essentials.”  Avoid dumping unnecessary data. Make a personal commitment to NOT lecture in webinars. Capture your audience’s attention by providing ideas that are timely, highly contextual and relevant. Focus on the crucial topic and take control of the flow.

Don’t forget your audience

One key essential to a successful presentation is high audience interaction. As I’ve mentioned earlier, not being able to see each other is a challenge in webinars. How do you ensure that while you’re presenting and showing them your slides, that they are not busy doing something else? Ask your audience reflection questions and throw in intriguing ideas. Encourage them to respond and share their insights to sustain engagement. Veer away from providing definitive answers that do nothing to stimulate their thinking and curiosity.
successful webinar presentations

Conclusion

To be successful at webinar presentations, it takes preparation, dedication, creativity, sincerity, and hard work. Not everyone is born with great presentation skills but it can definitely be learned. Study your topics, practice, and always involve your audience. Reflect on these thoughts. I’d love to hear what you think. Post your comments below.

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Thursday, May 2, 2019

7 Reasons Stories Work for the Modern Learner - Tip #210

story-based-main-image-tip-210

Storytelling has been a very effective learning tool since time immemorial. But even with the changing learning landscape, big shifts in work environments and tech disruption, why do stories in eLearning designs still work? Simple. Everybody is a sucker for a good story, in whatever shape, type or form. The beauty of stories transcends all types of learners. Yes, including the distracted, impatient, overwhelmed modern learners.
story-based-meet-the-modern-learner


Modern learners’ behavior, attitude and motivation towards learning have evolved over the years. The rigidness and linear approach of traditional training no longer appeals to them.


Here’s my take on why stories work for the modern learners.

1. Stories are highly contextual.

Today’s learners find more value in content that is relatable and personalized. Using highly contextual stories helps learners better understand how lessons can fit into their needs and be useful to them. Integrating stories in eLearning allows the learners to build their own understanding of the lesson, establish their analyses and come up with solutions to their problems.

2. Stories deliver content faster and easier.

In a typical work week, workers only spend less than 25 minutes on learning. They want fast access to answers and solutions whenever they need them. Instant learning through hyper-stories addresses that need.

3. Stories leave long-lasting impact

Modern learners are easily distracted and have shorter attention spans. Interactive stories aid in easier recall of lessons because it gets them to immerse themselves and share their experiences making learning a personalized, highly impactful experience.



4. Stories make complex ideas simple.

While facts, technical data, and policies are vital information to learners, they tend to ignore them unless there are some personal goals to be achieved. Stories in learning designs make complex ideas simple. It humanizes technical data and analytics and enables learners to fully and quickly grasp the learning points that can impact their performance.

5. Stories make learning meaningful.

Today’s learners may have a myriad of resources and information at their fingertips but they are focused on the ones that fit their purpose. Stories carry with them the real-life and emotional aspects of learning. It draws reactions, insights and reflections even after the story has ended.

6. Stories convert content into relevant ideas.

Millenials are self-reliant learners. They are the Google generation and adept at looking for answers by themselves. What engages them more is not just finding information per se but the relevance of the information to their jobs and their lives. Stories help learners realize the significance of lessons to them, thus, contribute to faster application to real work issues.

7.  Stories add to learners’ experience.

In Jane Hart’s annual survey, learners have shown more preference to learn while doing work and sharing their experiences with peers. Unlike traditional learning where there are only right or wrong answers, story-based eLearning probes deeper into the emotional and intellectual faculties of the learners. Learning becomes a collaborative experience because they get to interact and gain additional insights from others.

Conclusion

Engaging the modern learners is no mean feat. We have to always be on the lookout for newer innovative ways to catch their fleeting attention span. The oldest and one of the best tricks in the book is storytelling. Not your traditional long narratives but short, succinct, and interactive stories capture the learners’ attention and help them remember. Our brains are wired to respond to stories. Let’s use that to our advantage and design Story Lessons that appeal and cater to the changing needs of the modern learners.

References

Bersin by Deloitte. (2014). Meet the Modern Learner.




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

Wednesday, April 24, 2019

Step Up Your eLearning Game - Go for Hyper-Stories - Tip #209


Can you think of the most recent viral video or story you have seen and shared? What about it caught your attention? Let me guess. It probably made you laugh out loud, or tugged at your heartstrings, or got you so mad, or afraid even. But it surely moved your emotions enough to share it or extend the discussion among your friends. A study by Jan L. Plass et. al., among many others, have reported the significant influence of emotions on human cognitive processes, particularly learning, memory, and problem solving.

However, modern learners are impatient. According to an infographic from Bersin by Deloitte, online trainers now only have 5 to 10 seconds to grab the learners attention before clicking away. Thus, there is a constant need for learning strategies and approaches that facilitate instant learning. One effective method that we, as trainers, L&D designers, facilitators, SMEs can master is the art of using hyper-stories in our learning designs.

Hyper-Stories

Hyper-stories are the shortest and most emotional aspects of the story. By using hyper-stories, we are providing learners with content that is engaging, thought-provoking and purposeful.

4 Elements of an Effective Hyper-Story

Immediate meaning and context

According to Donald Hull’s definition of contextual learning, learning occurs only when learners connect information to their own frame of reference. The hyper-story is about making sure that the short video or idea brings out an experience from the learners. When they are able to understand the content based from their own interpretation, it is only then that lessons are relevant and useful to them.

Heighten involvement

A good hyper-story amplifies learner engagement. It ignites emotions and elicits learner response and reflection on the lesson you are trying to impart. A good tip when using a hyper-story, is to give the learners a good amount of time for reflection. Try the 10-90 rule (10% video or lesson, 90% reflection). Let it sink in. Allow them to internalize their own experiences in relation to the lesson ideas associated with it.

Faster application

Effective hyper-stories allow the learners to quickly connect the lesson to its application in real-life. When we design lessons for training, facilitate seminars or do workshops, always have a desired learning goal in mind - to build content that assists learners in their need for instant answers and solutions.

Instant recall

Hyper-stories in lessons help the learners be instantly reminded of their past experiences related to it. This accelerates the learning process. We all have a plethora of experiences and knowledge. Hyper-stories aid in tapping into this vast resource and reinforce what the learners already know.

Conclusion

The use of hyper-stories in lessons is an ingenious way to promote instant learning and to capture the emotions and attention of the modern learners. The connection between emotions and learning is undeniable. Learners learn faster by drawing from past experiences and reflection. Reflection deepens their own learning.

References

Tuesday, April 16, 2019

STOP, THINK, FOCUS: 4 Ways to Design Time-Saving Lessons - Tip #208


Who hasn’t been stuck in debilitating traffic or spent hours waiting in line? Have you ever taken a very long training course and wished you were someplace else? So much precious time wasted when you could’ve spent it doing other important activities. Everybody hates wasting time, especially the modern learners!



It was a couple of years ago when I was in Santa Monica when I learned of the BIRD scooters. I was so curious about how it worked and why it was such a hit. Well, for starters, it looked cool, fun, and convenient. One fascinating discovery though, was that you could also earn. You just went and picked up any BIRD scooter, recharged it, put it back from where you got it then you got paid through its app. Easy!

This illustration relates back to our training and learning industry. The challenge in creating courses sometimes is, we have a ton of ideas, data and content. We tend to include everything that we think is important. This results in a stretched out, bloated course. In the many years that I’ve worked with instructional designers, the “all content is important” mindset remains prevalent. How do we stop wasting our learner’s time and focus instead on what truly matters to them?

The Abstraction Process

The main concept of the abstraction process is prioritizing the essentials. From a large group of information or observation, try reducing it by finding some level of commonalities or patterns and then come up with a synthesis. We have a lot of these so-called mega time wasters in our training programs. In designing content, we need to make it simple, short, fast and immediately useful at work. We should focus on our learner’s needs and  information that can be helpful to doing their jobs faster and easier. How can you apply the abstraction process to remove time wasters in your training programs?


4 Ways to Design Time-Saving Lessons

1. Instant Needs

The most common challenges to training needs analysis are it’s too costly, takes months to finish, little opportunity to do, and it’s used sparingly, not all the time. It has all the potential to be a mega time waster. But what if we can do the abstraction process and simplify training needs analysis?  We get to have all the important answers we need and save a lot of time not just for the learners but the trainers as well.

Instant Needs Dynamic Assessment

Unlike training needs analysis, Instant Needs Dynamic Assessment has the following attributes:
  1. It is asked regularly or as often as needed.
  2. Only simple key questions are asked.
  3. It prioritizes the needs.
  4. It instantly provides suggestions and answers.


Click here for an enlarged view.

In the above examples, you are able to do the survey more regularly or as often as needed, by limiting the questions to three items. Whenever people answer the survey, the system provides a matching and relevant information. This way, learning is faster, more focused on their needs, personalized. In cases where there are no matching answers in the system, it will prioritize the answers according to levels of importance. This is how you determine which topics are helpful to them. Through their feedback you can refine your courses according to knowledge pertinent to the learners. Finally, the system will make suggestions and comments based on all the answers given. Imagine the amount of time saved by pinpointing the fundamentals. You are able to collapse a huge and problematic training needs analysis into something that is small, dynamic, and immediately useful to your learners.

2. Instant Answers

Why do we make learners go through an entire 3-hour course that can actually be done in 30 minutes? It doesn’t make any sense. We must do away with the “production” mindset and focus on the realities of the workers and learners - their need for easy, fast and useful solutions to actual work issues. Most of the time, simple and direct answers are all they need.

See the illustrations below.

How Do We Keep Hot Items On The Shelves? starts with a one-pager that is focused on 3 simple and very practical questions. If learners want to drill down and learn more, there is a Reference section that leads them to a more detailed lesson page.

Preview the example.
From this lesson page, they can again have access to more in-depth information to learn more. It could be a video, checklist, tip or a guide in the form of inventory reports or management systems. See example reference below.

Reporting Tool for Inventory Management Software - BarCloud
Click here for an enlarged view.

Notice how the lessons are layered and instant answers are drilled down. By designing your lessons this way, you are able to meet your learners’ needs for quick, easy to apply, and useful solutions and answers. Think of how much learners will appreciate that their time was not wasted on a long, boring course.

3. Instant Lessons

Which do you think is more likely to elicit a response from the learners: a long itemized list of do’s and don’ts of kitchen practices or a short lesson like the example below? Instant lessons work because learners can relate to the content very quickly. Cut to the chase. Use very relatable stories that not only allow learners to connect with and reflect on but would also suit your learning objectives. This way, they learn faster, no time wasted.

Preview an example below.

Kitchen Safety Practices
4. Instant Expertise

According to Harold Jarche, “Training as a knowledge delivery is dead.” With today’s ever-evolving work situations, training, in ways that we’ve done so in the past, won’t be as effective in dealing with the learners’ needs for instant solutions and faster decision-making. Today’s learners don’t just rely solely on SMEs anymore. Most of the time they find answers themselves or collaborate with peers simply because it saves a lot of time.
Click here for an enlarged view.

Conclusion

In today’s fast-paced world we live in, everybody has become used to what is fast, cost-saving, convenient, dynamic and can be used immediately. This also applies to the training industry. We have to do away with long, boring, costly, irrelevant courses that frustrates and wastes learner’s time. Try to rethink your learning strategies and be creative. Think out of the box. Wipe out unnecessary processes and aim for the shortest possible solutions. Abstraction process is one way. What other ways can you think of?  Share your thoughts with me.
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Friday, March 29, 2019

Story-Based Design Models That Bridge the Gap Between Learners and Content - Tip #207


In one of my previous blogs, I shared with you my insights on how technology has changed the way stories are told and how we can actually use it to create stories that will help learners learn better. Gone were the days when good stories needed to have a beginning, middle and end. We now see certain types that may lack parts of that structure, yet remain very engaging and impactful.

The Big Shift in Storytelling

The change in how we do stories, from simple storytelling to interactive stories, has made story-based elearning design more interesting. The main difference is seen in how it is done and delivered. Before, it took some kind of expertise to develop a good story, but now everyone can be an expert. Everyone has the ability to create and publish their own stories. Technology, of course, plays a very significant part. It became so much easier to produce visually appealing content. Stories have become shorter too. This certainly sits well with today’s learners’ shorter attention span. This means that our elearning designs need to adapt as well.

Context Matters

The most important thing to remember when creating story-lessons is this: what matters most are the people looking at it - the learners. They decide what the context should be. Lessons are not useful if our learners can’t relate to it. The challenge is how to create story-based elearning designs that bridge the gap between the content and what it actually means to the learners.
Advanced Story-Based eLearning Design Models

Model #1 Jolt Stories
This is one of the classic models that I’ve developed, where the story is presented in a very short but highly climactic manner. Jolt Stories are useful when you don’t want to go full-on storytelling but still want to capture your learner’s attention by making use of the most emotional part of the story. It drives the learners to get involved. That way, content becomes more meaningful and easily understood by the learners. See the example below.

The story is shorter yet, allows the learner better active involvement.


Model #2 Visualizing Stories
The problem when designing for technical or factual content is that there is so much data. As a result, we don’t seem to know how to organize them in way that is engaging and relevant to the learners. This model uses visually appealing graphics and a timeline flow to convert what seems to be “boring” technical data into an enjoyable story that draws the learners in. View example below.



Click here for the enlarged view.

Question: How does the timeline flow of the graphics allow the learners to quickly bring in their own context?

Model #3 Realistic Framing
It shows an optimal slide-framing between scenario and story-based design. This model is very useful as it gives learners a vivid picture of reality that they can easily connect to their own experiences. In Realistic Framing, we capture learners’ attention by giving real-life scenarios. Involve your learners by showing them the outcome of the choices they make. See the example below.



Question: How does the ability to closely visualize realistic experiences allow the learners to quickly bring in their own context?

Model #4 Mapping Experience
The concept of Mapping Experience is when we are able to replicate the flow of experiences that a particular person goes through during the process. It allows the learner to see the bigger picture and relate himself to the experiences of others. They relate, they empathize, they share their own experiences, they learn. Ponder on the example below.
Click here for the enlarged view.

Model #5 Technical Realism
What about technical content? Why is it very helpful for a learner to see a story even when content is technical in nature? Ever since I started working on story designs, I’ve been encouraging clients and companies to understand that unless we show data in a form of a story that a learner can easily relate to, the chances of lessons registering in the minds of the learners is really small. No matter how complex technical information is, it can still be delivered through stories. That is Technical Realism. An example is shown below.
Click here for the enlarged view.


Model #6 Situational Thinking
How does the Situational Thinking model allow learners to apply ideas and learn better? The whole idea of this model involves are putting learners into specific, real-life situations where they can think through the issues themselves. They can also brainstorm with peers. Learning is accelerated through experience sharing. A good example is a software platform that I’ve developed called Situation.Expert, where workers and team members fix, solve and improve work situations by sharing their personal experiences and expertises.


Model #7 Immersive Stories
Immersive Stories extend the ability of learners to relate to the lesson by stirring their emotions. They pull the learners into the story. Hence, learners actually feel like they are a part of it. When learners are so engrossed with a very emotional story, it moves them. It opens them up to a deeper understanding of the content. Provoke your learners’ emotions. Immerse them in the story. It will help them learn faster and better. Click the link to the video below.


Conclusion

While it’s true that technology has greatly influenced the story-based elearning design process, let’s not forget what truly matters - the learners. It is important that we are able to adapt and take advantage of all the technology available to us. However, recognize that no matter how cool or visually appealing your lessons are, the chances of it registering in the minds of the learners are minute without context. This is why story-based lessons are valuable. They transform content, even the most complex and technical ones, into something that learners can relate to. Story Lessons enable learners to bring in their own version of the story quickly. These allow them to learn and better apply the ideas they’ve learned. Reflect on these models. Which of these do you think you can immediately apply?

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