The focus of most curation methods when applied to learning is in organizing, filtering, distilling, adding value, etc. to content. This is like serving food (content) in an improved way. There may be a risk in this trend. As trainers, designers and learning specialists, we continue to look at our role in curation as content servers, not learning facilitators. I propose, we focus on content co-creation as a process. I am not giving up on compliance courses. From what I know of compliance courses, the intent is to protect peoples' lives, reduce costs, avoid fraudulence, keep our environments safe and many others. Without good compliance courses, we are all at risk.Simple Experiment In the illustrations below, the first (Illustration 1) is a content from a webinar speaker and the second one (Illustration 2) shows added insights from participants. We asked participants to add their insights to the presentation. I ran a survey  with twenty participants and asked them to review both sides and gauge their reactions. Please review the illustrations below. Presentation - Illustration 1Adding Insights - Illustration 2 Respondent's ResponsesThese are samplings of responses.On the Presentation:  "Ideas provoked in me a thought.""But I was passive to it.""It was well organized and clearly stated, however, I wondered how this mattered to me.""The presentation at times was a hit and miss - relevant and irrelevant." On the Insights:"The insights made me smile about how others responded to the presentation.""I saw how others interpreted the content and prompted me to respond to one of the ideas.""I was inclined to respond and comment on the insights because it was personl.""Adding insights allowed me to create my own content, my own understanding of the presentation. "  Adding Insights is Co-Creating ContentAlthough it seemed obvious that adding one's insight is a better learning process since it is recursive where learners interpret the presentation, adding their own meaning - it occurred to me that it is far more important that learners or our audiences add insights as a way to create their own content. Such content  embodies their own understanding of the presentation. It bridges the presentation with that which is relevant to them. Therefore, this increases the value and contribution of the presentation in the real life of the learner. I discovered that a simple insight - small, tiny, spur of the moment - is content from learners which becomes an even more important part of the presentation. Practical Implications - Focus Our Eyes on Learners' Co-Created ContentAgain, this seems commonsensical, but I missed it and now realize that this is the essence of curation - to  draw out the small insights from the learners; not to serve better content. In our rush to learn and implement curation methods in our learning environments, we overlook that our efforts ought to focus in as many ways as is possible, on getting the learners to co-create the content. This does not mean long, tedious demands for writing blogs or articles or journals. It simply means that every chance we have, we try to get learners to add an insight and allow others the facility to add more insights. Related LinksCreative MusingInsight Sharing - How They "Meet and Mate"Reflections Impact PerformanceRay Jimenez, PhDVignettes Learning"Helping Learners Learn Their Way"Ray Jimenez, PhD Vignettes Learning Learn more about story and experience-based eLearning

 We can learn from politicians. When they say "my comment was taken out of context", what they mean is that the press reporter used their statements giving it a different meaning, which is not the original intent of the politician. How does an idea, statement or content be taken out of context or stays in context? Context Changes Actually, in the learning world, context changes depend on the situation or condition. But where, how and why it changes is interesting since it shows us how to use and add context effectively. Context is about meaning and application of ideas and things. Meaning comes from an inherent objective information (object) about a thing and/or an idea. It may also come from the interpretation of a person or a learner, or both. As an example, a content says "1 + 1 = 2," this is an object. A learner may say, "One apple put together with another apple are two apples," this shows a context.Another way of understanding context is about the movement of an idea (object) towards its application in real-life.  Another way of understanding context is about the movement of an idea (object) towards its application in real-life.  The content is the object while the context is the enabler. Ideas are not useful unless context is added to it.  The challenge is not context per se, but the difficulty in adding context and catching the shifting meaning depending on the conditions. The needs of the learners and workers varies and changes. Please refer to other definitions of context.  To aid in our discussion, I developed below The Motion of Content and Context.Click to view enlarged image. Motion of Content and Context - the ChallengeIn the following explanation, I will refer to the row numbers and columns shown in the chart.Many writers, designers and subject matter experts (SMEs) tend to look at content as a static idea. They focus on the object. They teach learners about the object of the content and fail to relate to a context. However, an even greater disservice to learners is not to move context depending on the different conditions (1). Learners easily sense this problem because the lesson is meaningless or irrelevant to them. This problem has its symptoms of over-reliance on teaching facts and testing and memorization. The approach of the lesson is rigid and inflexible (5). The proper solutions are not applied. The Changes in Drivers are Powerful Context EnablersThe drivers of context (2)  have the greatest influence on the high value that context brings to the content. In elearning and classroom or similar settings where learners are being taught, the context is often dictated by the trainer, designer or SME. The opposite spectrum is when learners are self-driven. The learners have specific goals, usually a combination of personal and professional, that drive the context of the content. Understanding that the Source of Context Helps Improve DesignA clear understanding of the source of the context (3) aids in adding the proper context to the learning content. In dealing with the challenges and use of solutions (5), the designers should emphasize different methods to help the motion of context. See Tip on Story-Based Questions.If it is in a classroom or elearning setting where instruction is the main approach, asking learners thought-provoking questions to draw their own interpretation and experience adds meaning and context to their work situation. A simple question like "what is your experience and how would you approach this problem?" would move the context of the content and make the content relevant to the learner. In Situated conditions where the learner must perform something on the job, the learning aid must be organized in such a way that the immediacy of solutions are effectively applied or used. For example, when workers need a process check to help them solve a problem, don't just provide the process in the learning aids. Provide simple rules that aid the learners to focus on what is critical in the process and what to test first, or what important points to pay attention to in the process. This approach assists the workers to help them think through the solution/s.In conditions where Life Goals drive the learners towards self-development and discovery of solutions and aspirations by following their life goals - goals that combine personal and professional results - the learners should have clarity of their goals and the skill in critical thinking to help them find the context from the abundance of digital content they discover.  Unless they have the skills, they will be overloaded with content and unable to meet their goals.Thinking Skills NeededMany designers, facilitators and curators focus on the technology and speed.  However, they forget that in this mode of learning, not only is digital skills management required but also thinking process skills. Thinking skills may include: "What is my goal?", "What do I know about this content?", "What else do I need to discover?", "How do I go about it?", "How do others think and feel about this?", and "Am I meeting my goals?." This is the iterative thinking process. The thinking process aids the learner to move the context of the content into useful and meaningful value to his/ her life goals.Conclusion Content and context work hand in hand. Content is the object while context is the enabler to add value, usefulness and relevance. The challenge is that most content are presented without the context. And an even bigger problem is not realizing that context changes have taken place depending on the learning conditions. We need to be aware that different methods and skills are required if learners are to find context - meaning and relevance - of the content. In the world of massive content and rapid learning, context setting has to be "in-context" and not out-of-context." Ray Jimenez, PhDVignettes Learning"Helping Learners Learn Their Way"Ray Jimenez, PhD Vignettes Learning Learn more about story and experience-based eLearning

Have you ever wondered what a young learner’s first impressions are of the learning industry? Joining me this week is guest blogger and Vignettes Learning research associate Francesca Jimenez, discussing her first-time experiences and insights that connect to her experience as a young learner. I hope we all learn something from what she shares below.As a new learner of elearning and a neophyte in the training industry, I have noticed a few salient points that connect to other broader, relatable experiences.Know Your AudienceIn a scene from the sitcom "How I Met Your Mother," the main character, Ted, enters a large university lecture hall full of students. It is his first day as an architecture professor. He begins timidly but exuberantly warms up throughout the lecture. The camera cuts to confused faces in the audience and then to another figure walking down the lecture hall stairs chiming, "Sorry, I am late class. This is Economics 101."Like any lecturer or speaker, trainers and webinar moderators must know their audience. Poor Ted’s knowledge ultimately left himself lost and the students disinterested, not because the content wasn’t valuable but because it simply wasn’t presented to the correct audience. Although elearning and training webinars attract certain specialists, the industries and positions represented in one session can vary greatly. Determine Between Must-Know Knowledge and Critical IncidentsThe driver's education does not highlight what to do immediately after an accident or how to file an insurance claim. Until recently, I had never gotten into a motor accident. There were no irreversible damages, but what if there had been?Within company training materials, must-know knowledge involving critical incidents should be presented first because they have the most immediate consequences, positive or negative. It seems common sense to first teach daily procedures. However these everyday skills and knowledge can be learned experientially and through routine. Training courses are meant to provide the right skills to effectively solve problems and prevent damaging consequences to individuals or the company as a whole.InsightsThe traditional education system stifles creativity through rigidity and an expectation to only memorize and recall. This expectation begins at a young age. As illustrated by Lennon’s anecdote, the teacher’s role has become an enforcer of the expectation instead of a cultivator of alternative ones. The creativity that was stifled throughout the education system is the same one that is called upon in job descriptions like "critical thinking and problem solving." But memorization and a cultivation of specific skills do not have to be mutually exclusive from personal insights and creativity. The value of individuals' insights in learning environments is as important as their differences in learning styles. Insights are more than fact and opinion; they synthesize both content and narrative. Francesca Jimenez is a recent college graduate who specialized in psychology and music. Her research interests include the application of behavioral sciences within industrial operations such as training, learning, and technology. Related linksEmploying Story Structure and Dynamics to Engage Different LearnersStop That Dump Truck! Ask Questions to Know What is Important for LearnersRemove the Sting of Compliance Courses: Make Them Short, Succinct, Easy to LearnRay Jimenez, PhDVignettes Learning"Helping Learners Learn Their Way"Ray Jimenez, PhD Vignettes Learning Learn more about story and experience-based eLearning

Click. Click. Click. Zzz. Let’s face it. Having learners go through numerous slides or pages to learn important work-related information - in fact, any new information - is definitely one surefire way to bore your learners to death. When learners are bored, they learn little or nothing at all from the training. Boring e-learning de-motivates learners, making learning difficult. Motivation and curiosity are major factors that drive learners to continue, push through, or finish a course or program. Without any motivation, they drift off and refocus on something more interesting.Cultivating learners’ curiosity when it comes to learning is very important. A study by Gruber et al. published in the journal Neuron found that people learn better when they are curious about what they’re learning.Why You Have Bored LearnersData does not come from thin air. It does not come from computers churning them out into great infographics. I once saw this placard from a science lab:To understand why we have bored learners, it’s important to know what being "bored" means. According to psychological scientist John Eastwood and colleagues, boredom is "an aversive state of wanting, but being unable, to engage in satisfying activity." Eastwood et al. describes a bored person as someone who has difficulty paying attention to internal information (e.g., thoughts or feelings) or external stimuli (e.i, the learning environment). They’re also aware of the fact that they have this difficulty and believe it’s the environment’s fault. In short, this means learners want to be engaged but for one thing reason or another,  just can’t. As trainers and designers, it’s our job to make sure we’re able to stimulate learners’ interest enough to keep their attention on the course or lesson. Sustaining learners’ interest is important. because It’s a major factor on how much they persist in learning tasks and ultimately their success. This also means boring content is therefore a loss-loss situation for everyone involved. It wastes resources (time, money, effort) of the learners, the designers, and the company or organization. and It provides no benefit to learners as well (minimal to no learning equals minimal to no application).How Hyper Stories Engage LearnersThe ultimate goal when we’re designing or conducting trainings, workshops, or seminars is to have learners do a desired behavior, for instance to be able to appropriately handle an unlabeled drum. To achieve this result, we must keep our learners focused, engaged, and motivated throughout the training. The last thing we want are disengaged and zoned-out learners. To help learners go from minimum knowledge to having enough functional know-how about a certain topic in a short period of time means learners should have a way to quickly learn new information. This is possible with instant learning. It is the concept of teaching one idea to learners that results in one action or behavior they can apply right away. Instant learning works because it helps learners focus and keeps them motivated. One method that facilitates instant learning is the use of hyper stories.Hyper stories are very short but very actual day-to-day events that allow learners to quickly connect the lesson to its application in real life. Hyper stories compress the typical story arch and take learners from Crisis to Resolution very quickly.The shortest distance between Crisis and ResolutionBy using hyper stories, trainers are providing learners with content that is evocative, provocative, and engaging. The use of a story that could potentially happen in real life breathes meaning to the information presented in the training. It helps learners clearly see when and how they can apply the lessons.ConclusionHyper stories create a win-win situation for both trainers and learners. Trainers use hyper stories to keep learners engaged, motivated and focused. In the end, your learners walk away from the training with new learning they can immediately apply in their work. The distinct advantage of the approach is that learners stay glued, involved, totally focused and enjoyed the learning exchanges.ReferencesElaine Biech. "ASTD Handbook for Workplace Learning Professionals." American Society for Training and Development, 2008Matthias J. Gruber et al. "States of Curiosity Modulate Hippocampus-Dependent Learning via the Dopaminergic Circuit." Neuron, published online October 02, 2014; doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2014.08.060Association for Psychological Science. "I’m Bored! - Research on Attention Sheds Light on the Unengaged Mind". September 26, 2012Kyong-Jee Kim. "Adult Learners’ Motivation in Self-Directed E-Learning". August 2005Ray Jimenez, PhDVignettes Learning"Helping Learners Learn Their Way"Ray Jimenez, PhD Vignettes Learning Learn more about story and experience-based eLearning

You’ve probably experienced this situation, most of us have. You attend a great instructor-led workshop. You learn loads of useful new stuff. You meet some great people and come away inspired and fired up, full of ideas for what you’ll put into practice when you get back to work. Then you sit down at your desk and reality rushes in. You’ve got 150 emails waiting for you, a report to write, and that b*£$!y presentation your boss needs from you ASAP. The workshop folder goes up on the shelf……..and remains there, gathering dust. You occasionally feel a pang of guilt when you glance at it. Even with your best intentions and efforts you implement little, if anything, from the workshop. Sound familiar? I believe that what happens after a learning intervention (be it workshop, webinar, elearning course or whatever) is even more important than what happens during the intervention. We are all busy people with 1001 things on our to-do lists. We need help in putting new skills into practice. So how might you achieve this when designing your workshop / webinar / elearning course? Firstly accept that people won’t need to implement everything you teach them. Some things will appeal more to some than others, so give them a way to help them prioritise. Next be explicit about what the things are that they might put into practice - give them a menu to choose from. Finally, give them support in putting new skills into practice. This could be implementation guides, follow-up webinars, telephone coaching, peer-to-peer support or a collaborative wiki. This implementation support can be as lo or hi-tech as your budget and tastes allow. However you do it, I would argue it’s an essential part of any blend.

You can never be sure of how effective you’ve been in creating a learning intervention unless you measure its impact. This is something that few organisations do. It is often considered enough for something to look ‘cool’ and for people to like it, to brand it a ‘success’. Also, evaluating the success (or failure) of something can be a substantial piece of work - and what if this creation of yours hasn’t made a difference?! I would argue that unless you know what you’re doing right (and wrong) then you stand little chance of achieving greatness in any endeavour. You are probably aware of the Kirkpatrick Evaluation Model and I won’t go through it again here. Instead I’ll offer some practical advice based on my experience: Make use of your LMS statistics - if you have a learning management system make use of the data that it gathers. This will give you information on for example; numbers of users, completion of material, scores in assessments and more. Be wary though - just because some has opened a piece of content it doesn’t mean they’ve been through it, just because they’ve completed something doesn’t mean they’ve paid any attention, and just because they’ve scored 80% or above in the assessment doesn’t mean they’ll remember any of it in a month’s time, or be able to apply it. Nevertheless, LMS statistics do form an important part of the data you need to gather. Have a clear target - at the start of the project identify what you are trying to affect within the organisation. Set an amount by which you want to change it and timescale within which to see the change. This might be an increase in sales, reduction in errors, fewer complaints, a faster response or fewer accidents. Find the metrics that are already used to measure this within your organisation and make use of them. See whether there is any existing trend, pattern or variation. Having launched your training intervention look for trends, for example, if you see a reduction in errors in using a system for a group who you’ve given system training to, it’s not unreasonable to suggest there might be a connection between the training and the outcome. Ask your users - survey them before and a few weeks after going through your training. See if they have perceived an improvement in their performance. Talk to them and gather their comments. Talk to, or survey their line managers to see if they’ve noticed an improvement. You don’t need to talk to all your users, a representative cross section will do. If you can gather data from these three sources then you stand a good chance of seeing what went well and what you could improve upon. Think about how you will measure success right at the start of your project and put a plan in place for doing so. It will focus you on improving peoples’ performance and make it much more likely that you will succeed.

There seems more interest than ever in elearning, but I worry that people will charge headlong for an author tool thinking it’s the answer to their prayers. The trouble is there’s more to creating good elearning than just using the author tool. Whatever we build it must be effective. We all know that, but what does ‘effective’ mean? For a piece of learning to be effective it must be: Relevant - it must align to what I, the learner, want to achieve. You might create the most engaging learning experience ever, but if it is irrelevant to your audience they won’t spend their valuable time on it. Get to know your audience and identify what their skills gaps are. Find the person who excels at what you’re trying to teach and model what they do. Engaging - it needs to entice the learner, make them sit up and take notice. This can be achieved through treating your learners like adults and giving them increasingly challenging tasks to complete where they apply their knowledge. Memorable - if they don’t retain anything from the learning then they can’t apply it. Getting things to stick in peoples’ memory is notoriously difficult, however there are techniques that are beneficial - engaging with their emotions, using repetition and spacing the learning out over a period of time all help. Actionable - they must be able to put their learning into practice. If they can’t, you’ve wasted your time and theirs. This can be as simple as instructions for applying the learning, an implementation system or some kind of implementation plan, ideally agreed with their Line manager. Efficient - it needs to have been an efficient way for them to reach the level of performance or achieve the outcome they needed to - efficient in the time and cost of producing the materials but, more importantly, their time in going through it. Focus on the material that will help people to change their behaviour and improve their skills. Ditch the rest or put in links to it instead. It’s not easy, but ensuring that whatever you produce satisfies all five of these requirements will allow you to create a truly effective learning experience.

goalgetter is an innovative ‘goal-based learning system’ designed to help people put their learning into practice, improving their performance by completing goals. It can be accessed from computer, tablet or smartphone and allows users to connect socially to other people attempting the same goal. It includes a mini 360-degree training needs analysis tool so users can identify their areas for development and track their progress, a library of resources which are user rated, real-world activities for people to complete, and supporting material delivered as text, images and video. It can be used as a standalone system, as part of a blend with instructor-led workshops, or to support a library of material on a learning management system. We’re looking for a select number of ‘trailblazers’ - people who will be early adopters, to help us refine the goalgetter system. Essentially over the coming weeks we’ll implement new functionality, gather your feedback, make changes and continually improve the system. What we want from you Your honest feedback on what you like and don’t like about the system Your response to one short questionnaire per week Your patience as we try out new functionality and hear what you think of it What we’ll give you in return Six months free use of the system A discount on using it after that The chance to contribute to something that we think could be revolutionary Who should apply? We think goalgetter will be particularly useful for: Organisations looking to improve their peoples’ performance and measure the impact Training providers looking for an innovative, effective way to deliver their material online If you would like to be a trailblazer please complete this online form and we’ll get back to you.

As humans we understand that we learn skills best by doing, by thinking about what went well and how we could improve, and by trying again, and again, and again. We can take short-cuts to improving our performance by learning what we can before attempting the task. We might read an article, watch some YouTube videos, ask someone’s advice or attend a course online or in person. We can be coached as we undertake the task and talk to someone afterwards who can help us to reflect. Sports men and women are particularly good at this. They appreciate that there is only so much that can be learnt from the theory alone, the important part is putting it into practice. When it comes to workplace learning however that all goes out of the window. Instead, we are sheep-dipped through a lot of theory, typically with no opportunity to practice and no help in implementing what we learn. We need to break down the barriers between learning and doing or at least blur the boundaries. So how could you do this? Where you do need to provide knowledge and information make it concise and bite-sized. Allow people to access the material easily when they are working and when they are mobile, if that would be beneficial. Design real-world activities where they put their learning into practice. Encourage them to think about how it went and how they might improve the next time. Suggest they buddy-up with someone more experienced than them, who can act as a coach.