What does it take to train 15,000 people, most of whom are on sea, sailing around the world? How would you make a learning management system work on a ship and link with the central system at headquarters? Christian Volkle should know. Chris is Manager - Fleet Training with Holland America Line (HAL) and was in India recently, visiting us at Tata Interactive Systems. Chris was a sailor for many many years before he moved on to his current managerial role. And surprisingly, for someone who has visited about 140 countries, this was his first visit to India. We caught up with Chris for a brief chat on the training challenges at HAL and their plans around eLearning on their ships. The entire chat is available as a podcast, ~10 minutes. Download the mp3 to listen to it in a player of your choice or simply use the player below. Here are some of the key points Chris made.  The training audience of HAL includes more than 15,000 employees from 68 nationalities, with educational levels ranging from 3rd grade to a PhD or even multiple PhDs. HAL is perhaps the first company in the world to link their Learning Management Systems in their ships to the main office through satellite communication systems. HAL took a strategic look at training and devised a training plan that focused on three long-term initiatives: o Move as much of their training as possible to eLearning. o Install and implement a Learning Management System. o Have a specially built wired and connected training room in each ship.  Mobile Learning is an area that Chris would look at closely in the future.  HAL has a Kid’s Club on their ships, which addresses the entertainment requirements of kids on cruises with their parents. HAL is looking at computer-based educational entertainment products for Kid’s Club. And here are some photographs, from (and one fantastic one of) the different ships that HAL operate. Please click on the thumbnails for an expanded view.

Here is November’s Big Question from Learning Circuits: Are our models (ISD, ADDIE, HPT, etc.) relevant in the future? The question does not stop there. The LC blog follows it up with "Are ISD/ADDIE/HPT relevant in a world of rapid elearning, faster time-to-performance, and informal learning?" Although Learning Circuits must have seen both these question together as defining one problem statement, I see two distinct questions here.  Let me respond to the "first question" first. The relevance of a model depends on how you use it rather than when you use it (past, present, and future). In this case, the question seems to imply that the models in question are traditional (ISD, ADDIE, HPT, etc.). However, the use of brackets, the addition of "etc." and the absence of the word "traditional" or "conventional" makes the question open to interpretation—which is not a bad thing.  "Our models" are somewhat like this question. A model by its very definition is generic; it acquires specificity only in local contexts. So, if one is to assume that ADDIE is top-down, behavioristic, and ID driven, then it will appear to be so. On the other hand, if a few learners decide to use the process elements of ADDIE to design learning for their own use in a Second Life kind of platform, the application of this model takes on a completely different perspective.  Therefore, the problem lies not with the models, but in how we approach them and what we take out of them. We should be able to appropriate models, not just apply them literally or reject them outright. By appropriating a model, we make it relevant to us and to our times.The second question, on the other hand, assumes that the future of learning lies in rapid e-learning and informal learning. And this "future" seems to be arguing for a shift in the ownership of content creation. Who is the best person to generate content? Is it the learner (Learning 2.0), the instructional designer (Learning 1.0), or the SME (LCMS)? Should content generation be top-down, self-directed, or collaborative? Such questions most often lead us toward tautologies and not toward answers. Moreover, no content is born out of nowhere; most types of content are extensions of or responses to already existing content. If we need answers, we might have to ask the following questions: What kind of learning experiences will help me sharpen my perspectives, take the right  decisions, and do the right things? Where and how can I find, create, and participate in these experiences? How should I organize these experiences so that I’m able to make meaningful associations?  I’m not arguing that these questions are unambiguous—"right decisions," "right things," and "meaningful associations" are all ambiguous words in the absence of a defined criteria. The point I’m trying to make is this: Learning is linked to memory, retention, application, critical thinking, and creativity. And if adapting certain processes or ways of organizing content can lead to a learning experience that aids long-term retention or provides deeper insights, then there is nothing wrong in using a model that suits the purpose. Give me the discursive content of a Google search and the conversations of a blog, but don’t deny me the effectiveness of a well-designed learning program. And models like ISD, if used creatively, can help produce highly effective learning programs. Let the future of learning be not defined by platforms (Web 2.0 or otherwise) but by the rigor of thought and the boldness of assumptions—supported by research, empirical evidence, and lived experiences. (Anil Mammen heads the content & instructional design specialist group at Tata Interactive.)

We recently celebrated the festival of lights and we would like to share some snapshots with you. Please click here to view the photo album.

At TATA Interactive Systems, we have taken up the issue of Learning Disabilities (LD) as part of our Corporate Social Responsibility. We chose this area because it is congruent to our skills and capabilities in learning design and development. The three areas of LD that we are focusing on are Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, and Dysgraphia. In this respect, we support the Learning Disability Clinic in Sion Hospital through financial grants, development of learning materials for both students and special needs educators, and administrative support. Moreover, we have also authored a book, Brain Teasers, comprising fun activities for children with LD. This book has been published by Tata McGraw-Hill.  The latest initiative that we have taken up is the TATA Interactive Learning Disability Forum (TLDF). The TLDF is an international symposium on LD. The event offers a platform for leading educators and LD experts from across the world to network and share innovations and ideas to help address critical LD issues.  This event is the first of its kind in India and one of our key objectives is to increase awareness and promote remedial activities, best practices, and knowledge sharing of LD in India —we believe this is a gap that needs filling. We plan to hold this event annually from now on. Please click here for detailed information about this event.

(John Gibbs, Instructional Design Consultant with TIS describes the proceedings at the annual TATA Interactive Learning Forum which was held at 2 locations this year) The TATA Interactive Learning Forum innovated this year by using a participative approach to engage the audiences, which totaled more than 100 for the two events, Sept. 28 and 29 at the UN Millennium Plaza in New York and Oct. 2 and 3 at the Allstate headquarters in Chicago. On the second day of each event, teams competed to achieve the highest stock price for a fictitious company using the "General Management II" TopSim module, manipulating pricing, hiring, advertising, and production variables. In New York, the education track featured speakers from Western Governors University, McGraw-Hill, Boston University, and Axia College. Corporate presenters represented Learning Tree, Telstra, and Staples.  Carol Silk of New York Presbyterian Hospital described an accelerated training roll-out to learners with limited English and computer skills using proctors to assist learners with computer basics. Gary Dickelman of EPSS Central gave the keynote presentation on "Performance Centered Design in the 21st Century, and Chris Proulx of eCornell adressed "Aligning Corporate Learning and Higher Education." The single track at the Chicago event included presentations by representatives of Allstate, Holland America, Northwest Airlines and Motorola. Dave Vance of Caterpillar University delivered the keynote on "Best Practices in Alignment and Measurement." Steve Smith and Lynn Misselt of Northwest Airlines described their approach to rapid task analysis. Joje DiDonato told how Countrywide accelerates time to proficiency in IT skills using a 20/30/50 model—20 percent classroom training, 30 percent through out-of-class technologies, and 50 percent via performance support systems. Chicago participants debated what constitutes "informal learning." Podcasts may be received by learners as informal media, yet considerable design and production expertise may go into creating them.

What’s a corporate blog for if we can’t talk about our own achievements once in a while? We are delighted that we have won the Performance Centered Design Award 2006 given by EPSScentral LLC. The award was presented at the Training Solutions Conference & Expo at Denver, Colorado. "These extraordinary PCD solutions and tools foster business improvement and human performance by immediately establishing goals, supporting users through best practices, facilitating the proper flow of work, minimizing translation and providing immediate access to supporting content at the time of need," said EPSScentral's CEO, Gary Dickelman, who is also teaches Performance Centered Design (PCD) at George Mason and Boise State Universities' Graduate School of Education and Engineering in the U.S. This award is particularly important for us, considering our focus on Electronic Performance Support Systems - it makes us believe that we are on the right track as far as the quality of our design is concerned. As Saurabh Mittal, who runs the operations of our EPSS Practice said, "TIS helps organizations improve their productivity, reduce turnaround times, and achieve consistent best practice performance from all employees. Our EPSS provides on the job, context relevant knowledge support and tools to improve performance execution. It is an integrated online support system, which guides employees at every step of complex operations, enabling them to take appropriate decisions. This ensures consistency in decision-making, improved productivity, and lower training costs." So if you are looking at improving the performance of your employees, you know which company to contact.

It’s nearly been a year of having our corporate blog up and I would like to pause momentarily and share some thoughts on this initiative with you.  When we started out we were pretty clear on what we wanted to achieve. We wanted to enable you to have a clearer and deeper insight into our world. We wanted you to see how we worked, celebrated, met challenges and innovated. And most of all we wanted you to talk to us, to engage us in dialogue, bringing forth newer insights and thoughts. How successful have we been? I think we have got off to a good start. As expected, members of our Instructional Design group were first off the mark in posting their thoughts and engaging others within the broader worldwide ID and eLearning community. We have also received some very positive feedback for our photo albums capturing life@TIS, from people considering TIS as a potential employer. I think this is because from the outside, an organization often appears impregnable and this is one of the boundaries that we have been successful in lowering. We are constantly working to involve more folks here at TIS and digging deeper into our various groups and departments to try and bring new perspectives, opinions and thoughts to the surface using the blog as a common platform. It’s fantastic to see people post and have responses come in from around the world and see a dialogue start to take shape. A big thank you to everybody who have sent in comments, emails and helpful tips from time to time. Stay plugged in! (Ankush Gupta manages our corporate blog and drives blogging efforts across TIS; he is a blog evangelist and is passionate about using technology to bring people together and facilitating meaningful dialogue)

Click here to view pictures from this event. It was unexpected for many reasons. Neither the speaker nor his topic was on the agenda. In a symposium dominated by speakers with striking backgrounds — neurologists, pediatricians, psychiatrists, principals of world renowned special needs schools, vice-presidents of international associations — to delay a planned session and invite an "unknown" to speak out of turn was something of an oddity. Ashok Kurien was introduced simply as India's Richard Branson. That did arouse a murmur of interest and even as everyone wondered what this white-haired individual had in common with the English entrepreneur, he began to speak. Ashok Kurien talked of his days as a child, how he had struggled in school, failing numerous exams. The school kept him merely because he was an excellent athlete. Inside the classroom he was the object of derision. He could hardly even spell correctly. His mother who headed a department at a university whipped him and called him slow. As did his teachers. When he went on to college more insults were heaped on him. He dropped out. His mother refused to talk to him and they didn't exchange words for over 45 years. Kurien took up a job in the villages of India, flying small planes to spray fields with insecticide. Five years later he headed back to the city and enrolled in a college again. This time, he persevered to finish his graduation and joined an ad agency. Though his colleagues ridiculed him, his clients loved him for his creative input. Seven years later, with less than Rs. 5,000 in his bank account, he started his own ad agency. Ambience was a big success and was eventually bought by the French agency Publicis, who retained Kurien as the managing director. He went on to become one of the founding directors of India's first independent media company, Zee. He also established India's first privately owned lottery, Playwin and started DishTV, India's first Direct-to-Home TV service. Today he is worth thousands of crores. Like Branson, Ashok Kurien achieved success despite his dyslexia. And he achieved it in a society that ill-treated him and refused to accept his problem. The over 250 strong gathering at the first TATA Interactive Learning Disability Forum (TLDF) applauded Ashok Kurien all the way back to his seat. His unplanned, simple and inspired speech was one of the many highlights of the TLDF, held in Mumbai on 30 November and 1 December 2006.In organizing the TLDF, Tata Interactive Systems (TIS) was aiming to increase awareness and promote remedial activities, best practices, and knowledge sharing of LD in India. TIS also hoped that the TLDF would encourage networking and sharing of ideas and innovations, eventually helping address critical LD issues. The invitees comprised a mix of people from various fields concerned with LD, from pediatricians to psychiatrists, to instructional designers and special needs educators, to parents of children with learning difficulties. Attendees were treated to a variety of interesting talks, covering several important areas of LD — biology, psychosocial and educational interventions, government policies — by experts from various fields. Dr. Gerald Erenberg, Child Neurologist, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, US, expounded on The Biological Basis of Learning Disabilities in his well-received keynote address. Dr. Erenberg traced how our understanding of the biological basis of LD has improved over the years and expressed hope that with new research and better scientific tools we would soon be able to understand and control the primary biological causes of LD. Dr. Erenberg also addressed the symposium on ADHD — Its Role in Leading to Learning Difficulties and Medication/Remedial in which he advocated the three-pronged approach of medication, education, and psychosocial intervention to help a person with ADHD successfully integrate with society. Dr. Madhuri Kulkarni, Professor and Head of Pediatrics, Sion Hospital, India, in her talk The Learning Disabilities Movement in India — Where We Are, brought the audience up-to-date on the history of the LD movement in India — from its beginnings to the landmark judgment of the Mumbai High Court in 2006 that made it easier for LD children to study in mainstream schools. She also outlined the challenges faced by the LD movement in India: little awareness of LD related issues, lack of remedial centers in all schools, and few standardized psychological and educational tests in Indian languages to identify children with LD. Lalitha Ramanujan, the Founder Director of Alpha to Omega Learning Center, India, took the audience through the different Types of LD — Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, Dysgraphia, and ADHD. In a talk peppered with anecdotes about her experience of bringing up a child with LD and her work with LD children at her learning center, Ramanujan stressed on how remedial action for LD children was the best way to help them work around their difficulties. Glenys Heap, Senior Training Principal with Dyslexia Action, UK, in her talk, Remedial Techniques an Overview, spoke of practical techniques like cursive handwriting and synthetic phonics, to help LD children. She made a strong case for structured multi-sensory learning that works best for LD children by reinforcing links between sound and symbols. Patricia Barthorpe, a Special Education Needs Consultant, UK, addressed the audience twice during the symposium. In Maths and Learning Problems in Maths, she outlined the use of innovative techniques like getting the LD students to tell a mathematical story and helping them discern patterns in numbers and figures to help them overcome Dyscalculia. Speaking on LD in Adolescent and Adult Life — Career Choices, she elucidated on how developing the interpersonal and intrapersonal skills of LD children helps them lead fruitful lives as adults. With the push for equal opportunities at work, people with LD are now able to find an occupation more in tune with today's networked economy instead of traditional unskilled jobs. Karen Dakin, Vice-President of the International Dyslexia Association, did a Review of Multi-tiered Instruction Model for Reading Disabilities, Assessments, and Intervention Techniques for the Classroom and described the three-tiered education approach followed in some classrooms in the U.S. Karen also addressed the audience on the Orton-Gillingham Therapy for Dyslexia explaining the basis of the therapy and how the therapy teaches phonological awareness, morphology, and semantics through a direct approach and diagnostic teaching. Dr. Sardesai, who works with the Government of India in Education and Child Health, while talking on How the Government Can Help, outlined how the Government is reaching out to students with LD through its Sarva Shikshan Abhiyaan using the guidelines provided by the High Court of Mumbai. She also pointed out that sensitizing the teachers and school principals, training subject teachers to recognize LD, and organizing remedial teaching were big challenges and that the government as yet had no effective ways of tackling them. Dr. Smita Desai, Special Educator and Psychiatrist, Drishti, India, tackled a problem peculiar to India, Vernacular Languages and LD. India's multi-lingual ethos require assessments and interventions to be administered in numerous languages and stressed the need to develop a standard indigenous assessment portfolio. In his talk on Social and Emotional Aspects in the Learning Disabled, Dr. Kersi Chavda noted that feelings of frustration, inadequacy, and loneliness result in higher than normal incidence of depression and suicide in kids with LD. There were also talks by Jean Salt who spoke on Inclusive Education — Every Teacher is a Teacher of an LD Student, highlighting the inclusive education policy followed in the U.K. Anita Guha described how IBM included people with special needs in its workforce while speaking on Career Opportunities for People with Disabilities. She pointed out that it is necessary to position diversity and inclusivity not only as something to "help" a special group but also as a policy that helps an organization deliver better value to its clients and the society. The symposium also featured a couple of short films on the issue of LD. Laura Cryer from SEN & Inclusion Publisher, Semerc, Granada Learning, UK, while talking on Supporting People with Learning Disabilities Using Information Technology demonstrated some e-learning products that helped LD students. A separate medical track featured talks by Dr. Nandini Mundkur from Bangalore Children's Hospital (Medical Aspects of LD), Dr. Madhuri Kulkarni (Procedures of Assessment), and Dr. Sunil Karande, Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Sion Hospital (Case Studies of LD). Two panel discussions, one each at the end of every day, analyzed some aspects of LD. Dr. Smita Desai chaired a discussion that had Kate Currawala (Maharastra Dyslexia Association), Laura Cryer, Manisha Mohan (from TIS), and Achama Matthew (CEO, Bombay Cambridge Schools), analyzing Technology and Teaching in LD. The discussion concluded that technology, especially computers, being non-judgmental and fast, could be a great tool for LD children to practice their lessons and by giving them the control, could also empower. The Way Forward was chaired by Kate Currawala. Dr. Madhuri Kulkarni felt increasing centers and people testing for LD were the areas to focus on. Rukhsana Kolhapurwalla, felt that a move away from rote learning to understanding, in India’s schools would benefit LD children. Mr. Sanjaya Sharma, CEO of TIS, pointed out that while experts could tell what needed to be done, TIS can make it happen by bringing its project management approach to the challenge. The TLDF ended on that practical note. Judging by the reactions of the audience and the speakers, the TLDF seemed to be quite a success. Glenys Heap felt that the TLDF was "A great experience, a wonderful opportunity to meet with other specialists from all over the world." Dr. Gerald Erenberg pointed out that the "well planned list of topics and top notch presenters" ensured that the TLDF was well received. Patricia Barthorpe pointed out that while it was a good first attempt, TIS needs to build on this each year. This is just the beginning and TIS intends to make the TLDF an annual feature. The TIS team that organized and attended the TLDF is already thinking of ways to realize Mr. Sharma’s vision. Going by the TIS' record of bettering performances each year and the promise shown by the first TLDF, the second symposium will definitely be worth the wait. And you never know, Richard Branson, might be the surprise speaker next year. (Mandar Talvekar is a Senior Instructional Designer at Tata Interactive)

"What? You go to Manhattan every day? Ayyayayay!" my New Jersey taxi driver shakes his head in total disbelief. "You sure you want to commute every day from New Jersey?" My Madison Avenue project manager asks with something bordering on pity. It’s not an emotional divide that one crosses so nonchalantly every day, you see. It takes a special kind of madness and loser-ishness to choose to go back to NJ after seeing the splendor of Upper East Side everyday. I do it because I like being part of the commuters’ sub-culture. It’s like a covenant, with arcane rituals, rigid rules, and unspoken demands for conformity. You pick up the rules by subconscious osmosis—within 24 hours, you know which part of the train you should get in to get down at the most convenient spot at the destination; you pick up that the correct etiquette of traveling in jam packed trains is not to make physical or eye-contact as much as possible; you understand that on the narrow escalator, the right lane is slow and left lane is fast; and you know how to pace yourself so that you don’t run over people or get run over by them. I also like the drama with which I get delivered into Manhattan. First, the train that has been chugging happily along the tired and slightly depressing suburbs of NJ suddenly gets into a long, dark, and mysterious tunnel. It is so long and deep that your ears pop due to the pressure difference. Then you are thrown into the utterly chaotic, bewildering, and labyrinthine maze of the NY Penn Station. There, you are borne by the jostling crowd, attacked by competing aromas from different eating joints, startled by the sporadic announcements interspersed with (for some really strange reason) classical instrumental music, and made to climb up/down at least 100 steps (I counted) before finding yourself on the street or on a subway platform. Then of course there is the quintessential NY experience of subway travel. Filled with the regulation junkies, musicians, sharply dressed professionals, individuals talking to themselves, school kids and tourists, it’s a melting point of everything that you have read and heard about New York. Finally, I just love the way Manhattan bursts on me as a revelation and a reward after almost 90 minutes of commute. As I walk past the decrepit panhandler, past the old newspaper vendor, past the hot dog cart, past the shop specializing in nylons, and on to Madison Avenue, I always feel like a million dollars. Because as my friend succinctly puts it, "It doesn’t get bigger than this, baby!" At least not in the Milky Way. (Priya Thiagarajan is Deputy Head - Instructional Design, Products & Skills Training Practice at TIS, and a recently besotted NY fan)

The Learning Circuits Blog’s question of the month for December 2006 was actually three questions (very soon they may well start sending questionnaires): What will you remember most about 2006? What are the biggest challenges for you/us as [we] head into 2007? What are your predictions for 2007? Some of us had expressed our individual views through our personal blogs, but we wanted to put up a TATA Interactive response. We decided to have a panel discussion to articulate our views. We approached the questions from various lenses - design and business, our company and the overall industry, e-learning organizations and client organizations. And here it is - a podcast of the panel discussion. Download the mp3 to listen to it in a player of your choice or simply use the player below. It’s a bit on the longer side (~32 minutes / 12.4 MB), but considering the informal nature of it, it has not been edited - so what you hear is everything that was said in the discussion. The panel comprised Albert Lewis, Head - Business Excellence & Technology Strategy; Geetha Krishnan, Corporate Mentor - Productization; Manisha Mohan, Head - Design & Innovation; Anand Subramanian, Head - Systems Design; and Anil Mammen, Head - Instructional Design. We would love to receive feedback from industry experts and client organizations on our perspectives and predictions.