As an experienced trainer, I have found the immense importance of reflection on my own learning and that of my learners. As I mentioned in the previous tip, reflection deepens one's own learning.  If you want to really learn something, you need to reflect on it. The reason behind this is that reflection helps drill information down and connects it to previous knowledge.However, the benefits of reflection don't stop there. A growing number of studies actually linked reflection to better performance. As a result, organizations are beginning to appreciate the advantages it offers. Google, for instance, is redefining the idea of the typical office setup to allow for better reflection by its workforce.In this tip, I will talk about the relationship between reflection and performance. The correlation between the two is real and the results are measurable.Measurable Effects of Reflection on PerformanceStudies consistently affirm the positive effects of reflection on organizational performance. According to Di Stefano and associates, "Results of mediation analyses further show that the improvement in performance observed when individuals are learning by thinking is explained by increased self-efficacy generated by reflection."  The authors conducted a field experiment in a BPO (business process outsourcing) company in India and they found out that "individuals perform significantly better on subsequent tasks when they think about what they learned from the task they completed." The lesson here is simple: learners are more productive when they are allowed to intentionally reflect on what they have learned from previous experience.In a different study conducted among midwifery students, Embo, et.al., found a "significant relationship between 'reflection ability' and 'clinical performance' scores in clinical practice" and suggested that, "(1) reflection ability is linked to clinical performance; (2) that written reflections are an important, but not the sole way to assess professional competence and that (3) reflection is a contributor to clinical performance improvement."They concluded that reflection is an important component in professional competence.Reflection as a Strategy to Improve Performance in an OrganizationIf reflection helps drill down knowledge and skills and plays a key role in improving performance, then organizations should embrace this as a strategy. Micro-ideas are easier to reflect upon due primarily to its small size. This makes it ideal in transferring skill and knowledge in the organization.For organizations, production is dependent on performance. Even with the advent of technology, much of production is still dependent on the performance of personnel and their understanding of the tools at their disposal. Tools and content are only as powerful as the workers' capacity to think through how to apply and leverage them. Case solving abilities or troubleshooting skills is better with workers who are given time to reflect on newly acquired skills.References Frederik Anseel, Filip Lievens, and Eveline Schollaert. Reflection as a Strategy to Enhance Task Performance after Feedback. Ghent University.http://users.ugent.be/~fanseel/reflection.pdf   Di Stefano, G., Gino, F., Pisano, G., & Staats, B. (2014). Learning by  Thinking: How Reflection Aids Performance. Harvard Business SchoolWorking Paper, 1-48. http://www.sc.edu/uscconnect/doc/Learning%20by%20Thinking,%20How%20Reflection%20Aids%20Performance.pdf     Maggie Coats: Reflection revisited: can it really enhance practice? Cambridge 20-23 September 2005: http://www.vhi.st-edmunds.cam.ac.uk/events/past-events/CDE-conference/CDE-Papers/2005-4-cde     Brook Sattler, PhD and Lauren Thomas, PhD: A REVIEW OF "LEARNING BY THINKING: HOW REFLECTION AIDS PERFORMANCE": JULY 13, 2015 CPREEUW:   http://cpree.uw.edu/a-review-of-learning-by-thinking-how-reflection-aids-performance   Embo M, Driessen E, Valcke M, van der Vleuten CP. Relationship between reflection ability and clinical performance: a cross-sectional and retrospective-longitudinal correlational cohort study in midwifery. PubMed. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25017173     Ray Jimenez, PhDVignettes Learning"Helping Learners Learn Their Way"Ray Jimenez, PhD Vignettes Learning Learn more about story and experience-based eLearning

What pushes the popularity of micro, small bites learning or learning by snippets and drips? There Is Strong Evidence of a Convergence of ForcesVelocity of business is rapid - Organizations need to train people quickly to push products, support customers, comply with laws and others. In the words of Dr. Minimol Anil Job and Dr. Habil Slade Ogalo in the article "Micro-Learning As Innovative Process of Knowledge Strategy," published in the International Journal of Scientific & Technology Research, "Current technological, economic and social changes trigger the need for new concepts and strategies to support lifelong learning. Education, including work-based learning, is in need of transformation, requiring renewal and  innovative ways of relating appropriately to the way we live, work and learn today." Knowledge needs to be created on the fly and skills relevant to the task need to be acquired.Away with data dump - Backlash from too much overload in the information type of training rather than quick application learning. In an article I wrote, I shared that big data, huge knowledge sources and voluminous information should not be forced upon the eLearners. Instead of pontificating on large data, eLearning methodology selects only a micro-lesson which can be plucked from the whole knowledge source. The result is that learners are only made to digest the meat of the whole knowledge source, dramatically reducing study time.Affordable tools - Employees, trainers and team members have grown accustomed to small, quick, enabling tools to improve productivity, for example Evernote, YouTube, DropBox, Basecamp, PDFs, Blogs, etc. - quick tools to enable open ended transfer of knowledge and assisting quick learning. "Technological innovation has made our  society  knowledge intensive, where successful performance of individuals or groups heavily relies on the acquisition and use of relevant information content and suitable means of communication to achieve task objectives," added Job and Ogalo.Liberated learners - Learners discover they can grab information quickly by using Google, acompany website or other sources. These tools change their behaviors or more appropriately, these tools  magnify what they could not see they have and do without them. In the words of Bryant Nielson, "Access to anywhere, anytime learning has liberated instructors and students from the four-hour seminar and the three-day workshop: they can now make the most of even five spare minutes, which has led to a new interest in micro-learning."The big elephants are trying to change - As a matter of fact, large organizations are closely following the growth and applications of xAPI - a tracking mechanism that encourages sharing and reporting small bites learning.  As a consequence, vendors for learning systems and authoring tools are singing a different tune - "now it is OK to use informal learning" as a long as we can track them through xAPI - this was unheard of 5 years ago.Does Content Production Equal Micro-Learning?However, the word "micro-learning" is bad news just like the phrase "rapid eLearning."Why?The ideas of most micro-learning today is stuck with just creating content, the same way rapid eLearning has been practiced. There is an emphasis in the PRODUCTION OF CONTENT - and NOT useful applications of content.Production-oriented micro-learning means we need to chop down content into smaller bits and so it can be consumed in fast and small chew. The problem is, this approach misses out on the point that propels the rising power and importance of micro-learning. Proximity to Work Versus Small ContentFocusing on the proximity of work reshapes the role of content. It means that it is the worker who decides what to use and when. Again, as Drs. Job and Ogalo would put it, "Micro-learning  is a pioneering research aimed at exploring new ways of responding to the growing need of lifelong learning or learning on demand of members of the society, such as knowledge workers." The learning context of the user or learner is taken into consideration when designing contents. This has a huge impact on the way we design, deliver and make content available to workers. This suggests that workers use the goals of the tasks and have the ability to find the micro-idea to help them do the work. Adding Depth to Micro-IdeasMy first proposal is to consider using micro-ideas rather than learning. Micro-ideas is less hypocritical since making the idea micro does not suggest learning. What we do have are micro-ideas.Consider these possible approaches:Question-driven micro-ideas - collect workers', users' and learners' questions. These are questions on the job where they are asked to define "what they want to do." This is a goal statement or outcome of a task. For example:• How do I turn the knob to avoid an explosion?• What happens if I raise the temperature?• What is low risk testing?These questions resonate with learners because they are life-application questions.Learners learn best and find the lessons more engaging when they are about real-life applications. We can then build real-life application exercises, not memorization tests.Solutions driven micro-ideas - questions driven micro-ideas necessitate that the worker looks for a solution, not just content. So content must be quick, instant solutions to issues on the job. Why is this important? Micro-ideas must present swift and timely solutions as priority, rather than theory or principles. If you only have a minute to read a solution since you are trying to get the job done, your instant need is how this can solve my problem and why it will work or not. If you want to know more, then you can study the theory or principles which may be presented in other content format. A useful micro-idea instantly matches to a task.Experience driven micro-ideas - Content that's useful for workers to get the job done, must present an experience, not just theory and principle. The more relevant the experience, the more useful the micro-idea. Instead of saying "This is the step that saves time", you may say "This tip saves 10 hours from turnaround time because it helps you skip the unnecessary step 3." Referring to the real-life value of a solution or workaround offers immediate reason for the value of the micro-idea. Build micro-application opportunities - When you look for opportunities to help workersapply ideas as needed on the job, you refocus your attention on useful micro-ideas, rather than re-purposing content to which we are emotionally committed. For example, designers would say, "let's develop micro-learning leadership listening skills," without asking how learners aregoing to benefit by actually applying the ideas to solve a problem. Maybe the need on the job is to ask, "what blocks my mind when Joe is presenting an idea?" The sentence suggests an application opportunity.ConclusionAdding depth to micro-ideas means stretching our minds beyond just creating content. Rather,it is delving and understanding the work situation of the learner. If we start with this framework, we will most likely come up with micro-ideas useful to the learner - not just another chopping and dicing of content.ReferencesGerhard Gassler, Theo Hug and Christian Glahn: "Integrated Micro Learning - An outline of the basic method and first results": http://www.ro.feri.uni-mb.si/razno/icl2004/pdf/gassler.pdf   Dr. Minimol Anil Job, Dr.Habil Slade Ogalo: Micro Learning As Innovative Process of Knowledge Strategy: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SCIENTIFIC & TECHNOLOGY VOL. 1, ISSUE 11, DECEMBER 2012: http://www.ijstr.org/final-print/dec2012/Micro-Learning-As-Innovative-Process-Of-Knowledge-Strategy.pdf     Ray Jimenez: Small Bites Learning - Fast, Cheap, Flexible and Learners Love Them!: http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs130/1011065179978/archive/1117040665611.html   Ray Jimenez, PhDVignettes Learning"Helping Learners Learn Their Way"Ray Jimenez, PhD Vignettes Learning Learn more about story and experience-based eLearning

Whether it is trying to fix the faucet or a broken heart, important decisions make or break significant relationships each day. Problem solving skills are therefore of paramount importance whether one is a handyman, a father, a CEO, or the President of the the United States.It is not any different for organizations experiencing problems. Personnel are required and expected to think on their toes and come up with solutions on the fly. Their troubleshooting mettle will be tested and imagination is stretched to its limits to come up with that ingenious idea to resolve the nagging problem currently experienced. The good news is, troubleshooting skills can be acquired and if you already have them, these can be improved.In this tip we will talk about troubleshooting and how important it is in the organizational setting.Diagnostics: Identifying the Problem Troubleshooting starts with diagnostics. Before a problem can be solved, it must first be identified. In the words of MIT professors Randall Davis and Walter Hamscher, "To determine why something has stopped working, it's useful to know how it was supposed to work in the first place." In the organizational setting, the question may be asked: is there a gap between current and desired performance? Identify your goals. What are the barriers towards accomplishing your goals?So what is a Diagnostic? According to Harrison Dia in his book Diagnosis: Approaches and Methods, "In organizational diagnosis, consultants, researchers, or managers use conceptual models and applied research methods to assess an organization's current state and discover ways to solve problems, meet challenges, or enhance performance... hence, diagnosis can contribute to managerial decision making, just as it can provide a solid foundation for recommendations by organizational and management consultants."One area of study is how well people estimate or predict between defined problems and anticipated solutions. This is affected by the accuracy of both the diagnosis of the problem and the solutions and the discrepancy between observations and predictions.Power of Observation and Predictions in LearningLearning has a lot to do with troubleshooting and problem solving. What drives this is the process of observation and predictions. According to  Davis and Hamscher, "Observation indicates what the device is actually doing, prediction what it's supposed to do. The interesting event is any difference between the two, a difference is termed a discrepancy."  When we see a problem we make observations on causes and related aspects of the problems; we also make predictions on how the problems can be fixed with some of our solutions. The discrepancy happens when our observations are far from our solutions.SLOW-MO Learning - How to Do Better than Just Trial and Error LearningOur daily lives and activities are made up of constant troubleshooting and problem solving. From tying our shoelaces to driving out of the garage door, there is a constant estimation process.Similarly at work, we encounter daily troubleshooting and problem solving, from simple tasks of fixing a mail-merge formula in MS Office to investigating why the scrap level is so high in a particular batch.What is interesting is that, to learn from this experience, it is worth understanding what I call the SLOW-MO Learning. To get things done, there is a cycle of problem - observation - prediction - discrepancy - back to the problem. The cycle continues until a solution is reached.Although this happens in milliseconds, slowing down the mental process to extend thinking time may achieve more fruitful results.This is what I would term as SLOW-MO (slow motion learning approach).In rapid motion, learners may overlook an effective diagnostic and troubleshooting process. There is no thinking through because workers merely follow the cause and effect method by trial and error. This often happens when we expect learners to memorize content rather than think and apply the content in real-life situations.To improve the results of trial and error, there is the "Model of Reasoning" and for conversation here -- it is the SLOW-MO Learning . This involves slowing down in our mind, the flow of diagnosis and problem solving so we can discover the "discrepancy between our observation and predictions."  As the process decelerates, we take the time to add " reasoning" to our thinking. By pausing to ruminate, we "think through"  using "reasoning models" like the following: • Fault models - set of things that can go wrong• Rule based - rules that guide how things work• Decision tree - scenarios or "What ifs"Applying the reasoning models to troubleshooting and problem solving increases the chances of a successful solution.This is an illustration for SLOW-MO Learning - you break down things so one clearly sees theflow. Then ask reasoning questions to better think through the troubleshooting situation.There are many other "reasoning models" that can be employed. What is crucial is the ability to train and encourage our learners to take a SLOW-MO learning approach.  Guide them to train their minds to think through a troubleshooting or problem-solving situation and apply some "reasoning" to arrive at better solutions.SLOW-MO Learning is the difference between trial and error and productive work.In many work situations, many of the workers may not have access to knowledge and experience, tools and immediate solutions. They increase their chances of success when they add "reasoning" to how they approach problems and reach solutions.References Exploring Artificial Intelligence: Survey Talks from the National Conferences on Artificial Intelligence. Edited by Howard E. Shrobe. Model Based Reasoning: Troubleshooting. Chapter 8. Randall Davis and Walter Hamscher, MIT: https://books.google.com.ph/books?   hl=en&lr=&id=JaCjBQAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA297&dq=t...   Cindy E. Hmelo-Silver. Problem-Based Learning: What and How Do Students Learn? Educational Psychology Review. Sept. 2004, Vol. 16, Issue 3, pp. 235-266.http://link.springer.com/article/10.1023/B:EDPR.0000034022.16470.f3#page-1   David Jonassen, Johannes Strobel and Chwee Beng Lee. Everyday Problem Solving in Engineering:Lessons for Engineering Educators http://hplengr.engr.wisc.edu/Problemsolving_Jonassen.pdf   Harrison Dia. Diagnosis: Approaches and Methods. https://us.sagepub.com/sites/default/files/upm-binaries/5049_Harrison_Chapter_1.pdfRay Jimenez, PhDVignettes Learning"Helping Learners Learn Their Way"Ray Jimenez, PhD Vignettes Learning Learn more about story and experience-based eLearning

Jocularity!!!!!     Here are the the eight emotional stages that I believe all teachers go through before hitting the "submit" button in the absence reporting system. Source: The Eight Stages of a Teacher’s Sick Day

Let me start with full disclosure: I am a big Tim Ferriss fan, and have been since The 4-Hour Workweek. As I see it, he is the ultimate learning and development professional. Every single podcast he releases is a 2+ hour soft skills learning experience. And his other show "The Tim Ferriss Experiment" will blow your mind. One recent podcast is an interview with Rainn Wilson, the actor who plays Dwight on the popular TV show The Office. And while all of the Tim Ferriss interviews are educational, this one hits a few topics that interest me currently. If you think podcasting is stupid, I will encourage you to start your podcast journey by subscribing to The Tim Ferriss Show. If you are adamant about not becoming a podcast listener then hit up this link and I'll point you to the segment times that I refer too. Learning and Teaching with Games and Play I often refer to A Theory of Fun when discussing play and learning, and will continue to do so. And so it's always fun to hear successful professionals discussing the positive effects of play. At 29mins Rainn discusses some acting exercises for non-actors. They discuss the idea of getting out of your own head and learning to not be so rigid in your thinking. The discussion moves into some fun exercises and improv games that can help. This left me thinking that more learning professionals need to get out of their own heads. There is such an overwhelming tendency for people in our industry to follow "rules" "templates" "formats" "methods" and "models". We should practice more play in our work and see what happens. I think it would help move our industry further forward than any new method, model, or theory, will ever be able to do. I love that he mentions how playing like a kid can be so freeing. And how play isn't always just random goofiness and "wheeeeeeee" all the time. And that sometimes kids play and they are serious, and sometimes they play and are competitive. A lot of this is also covered in A Theory of Fun. Founder of Soul Pancake My favorite Soul Pancake show is Kid President. And I had no idea Rainn Wilson was behind the Soul Pancake media business and Youtube channel. It's a great place to learn about video, and to find inspiration on storytelling, and video production methods for telling a good story. At one point in the conversation Rainn discusses some exercises that he runs with his staff at Soul Pancake. Listening to Rainn talk about the sexy nostril game reminded me a lot of watching my son learn comedy improv. I think more people should practice improv. In a way, there is a very strong connection between improvisational acting and training simulations. Think about that for a while. Virtues and Soft Skills Training Tim always asks his guests to name a book that they love to give as a gift. Rainn discusses The Family Virtues Guide by Linda Popov. Their discussion of teaching virtues to kids got me thinking about virtues in our industry. This is what we would call soft skills training. Our industry struggles with it in organizations. And so it's great to hear other professionals talking about how important character traits are, and how they can be trained with practical exercises. There is a lot in this podcast. And I would love to hear if you made some connections to your work. Listen to it twice and then let me know what you think @Litmos or in the comments below.   The post Rainn Wilson Talks Soft Skills Training And More With Tim Ferriss appeared first on Litmos.

We have a lot of terms in L&D: Training, eLearning, mLearning, Social Learning, Informal Learning, 70:20:10, Asynchronous, Synchronous, Instructor-led Training, Online Learning. And that's just a few of them. Most of our industry's legacy revolves around a model of training based on classrooms and courses. When you get right down to it, that's really all it's ever been about. At least until we entered the 21st century. The last 15 years have been an incredible leap forward because of internet technologies. There is nothing I see that is slowing the pace of that progress either. And as tech innovation continues to push forward the culture around what L&D does is slowly beginning to catch up. It's at this point in much of writing that I would talk about everything wrong with old instructional design, and why it's changing, and whatnot. But this time I'd like to try a different approach. For this post I sat back and did my best to clear my head of as much of my L&D past as possible. My goal was to look at L&D with fresh eyes. And this is what I came up with. When I consider the current state of technology, (most)businesses, and corporate cultures, I can reduce the best parts of what L&D has to offer into 3 categories: Content, Communication, and Simulation Practice. Not only do these 3 elements play a heavy role in training/learning and development, but other departments have a vested interest in them as well. And that's important for a lot of reasons that I hope will become obvious at some point. And within each of these 3 categories I see familiar elements reflecting L&D work and products from our legacy. Content Creation and Curation Instead of Courses Content will always be a major part of learning. And within corporations someone will need to be responsible for creating and curating content. But training content is not what it used to be. Content can be anything. And all content will be useful for learning. The mantra of "that's not training, that's just information" will become a cute way to reflect on our past. The simple act of working often involves the creation of content. It's either created as specification documentation, presentations, or other forms of communication. Even emails can be considered educational content. The trick is making all the content that is generated every day easily accessible to those who need it when they need it and in the format they need it in. And the wonderful tech community is taking care of that. The L&D community should not. As digital media creation becomes the norm, everyone will be creating content. Training departments may still need to create interactive exercises in some cases. But overall, the content creation process will start with everyone BUT the training department. Trainers will curate and enhance that content into what may or may not be called a course. Powerful Communication Tools Support Training I'm an advocate of people first, technology second. Any time you can get the person who needs the knowledge directly connected to the person who has the knowledge, it's a win-win. But that doesn't scale. And this is where technology helps. Effective communication is important to all businesses, and that means your IT department has already been tasked with acquiring tools/systems for improving corporate communication. These are the tools you will be using as well to connect those who know with those who need to know. As technology makes connecting and communicating globally easier and easier, the burden of courses as a means to communicate becomes secondary. Consider a system like Google Hangouts, or blab.im. Those group conversations can be recorded and archived for later viewing. So what used to called "watercooler conversations" now becomes content creation. This is the connection between communication and content. All communication becomes content. It can be consumed in its raw form the way it originated, or training departments can "mine" it for the most important nuggets to pulled out and put into other digital media formats Simulations for Practice will Replace Other Training Solutions One of the most effective and powerful learning solutions I ever created was an interactive 3D simulation for a semiconductor manufacturing and warehousing project. Next to actually doing the job, simulating the job is the best means of teaching and assessing any skill or behavior. The simulation is not only the assessment tool but the training tool as well. Simulations give leaners an environment within which they can safely fail. Simulations can include instruction or you not. It all depends on what your a trying to teach. Most games are learned by just clicking the start button to see what happens. There's no reason why training simulations can't take the same approach. The largest simulation event in the US was recently held in Florida, IITSEC. And from what I've heard it was as awesome as its ever been. Currently most training simulations for corporate training topics are still quite expensive. However, as traditional course creation begins to decline, there will be more training budget for simulations that actually are effective at deep learning. And at some point besides content, and communication, the only thing that will remain is the creation of training simulations. Content, Communication, and Simulation. Is there really a need for anything else? The only puzzle left to solve is curation, accessibility, tracking and scheduling. And this is where today's SaaS based LMS comes in. Learning management systems like Litmos are perfectly positioned to manage this reality. It's got everything covered from curation, device accessibility, tracking, and scheduling, and so much more. There is obviously much more too this big picture view of our industry today. I'd love to hear what you think. Did I miss something critical? Is content, communication, and simulation not enough? Let me know @litmos. The post The New Model for Learning and Development appeared first on Litmos.

When it works, voiceover is that smart friend you can always count on. When it doesn’t, it’s that guy sitting behind you in a movie, loudly explaining all the obvious parts to his date. The problem isn’t identifying bad voiceover (we all know it when we hear it), it’s understanding its function and being committed to getting it right. Trust Your Audience’s Ability to Understand For better and worse, we live in an accelerated world. While this development has many advantages and disadvantages, the reality is that modern audiences have developed a keen ability to process information much more quickly than in those of the past. Once upon a time, movies and television shows (even the great ones that we still love to watch over and over) were filled with long scenes where not a lot happens. Characters look for keys, walk out of the house to the car, get in, drive, arrive at the destination, turn off and exit the car, walk up the driveway and knock on the door, wait, entering when someone answers. You know where I’m going with this. Some forward-thinking (or bored) editor out there probably said, "An audience can fill in those logical details on their own; let’s get to a scene with more excitement or complexity." The same concept can be applied to your voiceover scripts. A deliberate sequencing of thoughtful points, each reduced to its essence, can yield effective messaging. This does not mean scripts should be simultaneously stripped bare and then clogged with content. But cutting unnecessary or clichéd phrases and getting to the heart of your point is a good start. Understand What Good Voiceover Can (and Can’t) Do Understanding the basics of script writing and production is good knowledge to have during discussions with a writer and production company. While it is true that an outsider does not know your business and customers like you do, the best ones have the skills to translate your need into a dynamic product. Here are some things to keep in mind: Writing for the ear is, generally speaking, less formal than writing for the eye. The tone should remain conversational and relatable. 100 words equals about one minute of screen time. Keep that benchmark in mind when estimating how much content you will need. Voiceover narration is a hybrid art form, incorporating both words and images. It works best when the strengths of both are used together in ways that enhance one another. In other words, don’t simply tell the audience what they’re seeing, use narration as a bridge between points or to enrich the content on the screen. Silence can be an effective tool to transition between ideas, signal the end of a section or let the audience absorb and reflect. Set Clear Objectives for Your Voiceover Project Nothing can slow down a process more (and unnecessarily eat away at a budget) than unclear goals. You should have a solid understanding of what you want to accomplish long before the engineer plugs in microphones. If you are unsure of where to start, there are plenty of resources out there (like this one) designed to guide you through the process, asking questions about your intent and helping make sense of the answers. Feeling like you are in control of your message and informed about the process will give you the confidence to be open to pleasant surprises that can deliver your message in ways you never expected. Care to share your best tips for killer voiceover scriptwriting? Leave us a comment below! photo credit: IMG_4590 via photopin (license)

How elearning games fit into workplace learning and how they can create greater learner engagement are among the topics explored at a webinar for L&D professionals this December.The online event is being hosted by The Learning and Skills Group (LSG) and presented by Louise Pasterfield, Managing Director of award-winning elearning provider, Sponge UK. People attending the webinar will learn about the range of different game styles, the techniques that can be used in elearning and some options to consider for the greatest impact.Pasterfield said: "As an industry, we seem to be fascinated by games. I think this is because as the sector is maturing, and Learning and Development professionals are looking for new ways to engage with learners and provide content that is challenging, surprising and enjoyable."But there are lots of question marks around when to use games and the best approach to take. I’m hoping this webinar will shed light on elearning games and provide some practical tips on how to introduce games to your learning offering."A recent study by independent research group Towards Maturity revealed that 31% of respondent organisations are currently using games and simulations with 12% experimenting and 53% hoping to use them in 2 years’ time.The free webinar is aimed at L&D professionals, instructional designers and elearning practitioners and will cover:How games can be effectiveWhen to consider gamesDifferent types of elearning gamesThinking like a game designerReal-life examples and demonstrations of gameWhen to use elearning games? Top tips for creating learner engagement takes place on Thursday, December 17 between 12-1pm (GMT).Registration for the webinar is available via the LSG website at http://bit.ly/lsggamesLast month, Sponge UK was named Outstanding Learning Organisation of the Year at the 2015 Elearning Awards.The post Styles of elearning games revealed at webinar appeared first on Sponge UK.

Clark Quinn has always been ahead of the crowd. He was talking and writing about mobile learning and serious games years before they reached the mainstream, and he continues to lead the debate on a range of crucial issues facing L&D.His background in brain science and understanding of learning design makes his influential blog, Learnlets, a must-read for anyone hoping to stay informed on industry trends. In this exclusive interview conducted at the recent OEB conference, Quinn shares his views on L&D. What’s your assessment of the state of L&D?When we look at the data on Learning and Development, what we find is that although people are beginning to be aware of the fact that they are really not on top of things, there’s not a lot of change happening. I have a fairly simple statement; L&D isn’t doing near what it could and should do, and what it is doing it’s doing badly - other than that it’s fine!We are seeing too much knowledge dump and information test as learning solutions. We’re abandoning performance support, mentoring, coaching and the rest of the 70:20:10 - that’s just unconscionable in this day and age. Most of L&D has been focused on optimal execution and courses, but we’re dealing with an incredible rate of change now. Continual innovation will be the only sustainable differentiator and that doesn’t come from courses. We need a revolution in Learning and Development."L&D isn’t doing near what it could and should do, and what it is doing it’s doing badly - other than that it’s fine!"You gave a talk at OEB on mlearning or mobile learning. What opportunities do you think this presents for workplace learning?There are a couple of things about mobile that are really interesting. First, the device is always with you (tablets maybe not so much) and people take their phones to parties, the store, even to the bathroom! So it’s giving us ubiquitous support. The other thing is that there are certain things our brains are really good at. We are pattern matchers and meaning makers, but we’re really bad at remembering rote and arbitrary information and doing complex calculations in our head. Mobile technology is the exact opposite, it’s really good at remembering rote information and it can do these complex calculations, but for pattern matching and meaning making it requires a huge amount of computation power. So if we augment ourselves with the things that we don’t do well we are far more formidable problem solvers which is why everyone’s carrying these devices.The really unique opportunity with mobile is around capturing our location and doing context sensitive support. It’s like the GPS in your car, it knows where you are, where you’re trying to go and helps you every step of the way. Imagine having that support for any task you are trying to accomplish no matter where you are. Mobile offers support in the moment to get it done, it doesn’t matter if you learn anything or not, but you’re more effective than if you didn’t have that support. Performance support is a better match to the things that we do with mobile - we pull it out really quickly, get some information and put it away. We can be doing this deliberately, assisting our people to be more effective where and whenever they are - that’s what mlearning gives us the opportunity to do. You’ve been talking about the potential of games in learning for years now. Do you think serious games are reaching their potential or falling short?We’re falling horribly short still. We are seeing increasing use of serious games and next to mentored live practice they are the most powerful learning experience we can have. The problem with mentored live practice is that is that if you screw up people die and it doesn’t scale well so the next best thing are games. They could be so much more a part of every form of learning yet we’re still seeing them reserved for high stakes places like medicine, aviation and transportation.Using serious games is not as complex as people think. We can do it but people don’t really understand them. People are still having trouble getting their minds around good learning and this has to do with the fact that the most complex thing that we really know in the universe is our brain, yet we treat learning design like kids with crayons. We’re not treating it with the respect and the diligence it deserves. When we do, and when we understand learning, we can start designing really serious learning experiences and that’s really what serious games are."The most complex thing that we really know in the universe is our brain, yet we treat learning design like kids with crayons."Until then, we’re still seeing people treating games as ‘let’s make it sound fun’ and not worrying about creating intrinsic motivation to drive you through those incredibly challenging decisions that you need to be able to make to do your job. When we get that match right then we’re really going to make that leap to where we could be using serious games as the powerful learning experiences they should be as part of our repertoire.What’s your best advice to an instructional designer just starting out? Don’t think it’s about instructional design. The first thing you really need to understand, and fairly deeply, is how our brains work, how we learn. It covers so much about what you’re going to end up doing, about how people learn alone and together, what are the critical elements that make it persist, about making meaningful practice, spacing out the learning - all these elements that we know work but have yet to filter down into most instructional design.And don’t think your first answer has to be a course. I argue that instructional designers need to become performance consultants; they need to find the root cause of the problem. Maybe it’s a knowledge problem, maybe it’s a motivation problem and a course isn’t going to solve that, you need to change the incentives. There are lots of ways in which people’s performance isn’t up to scratch that have nothing to do with the cognitive skills that they are able to perform. So don’t take an order for a course, find out what the real problem is, say what measure are we trying to impact and what’s going to do that. Use the best and full repertoire of solutions, not just a course as your only tool. Clark Quinn Ph.D. has written several books on learning design including Engaging Learning: Designing e-Learning Simulation Games, Designing mLearning: Tapping Into the Mobile Revolution for Organizational Performance, and Revolutionize Learning & Development: Performance and Innovation Strategy for the Information Age For more visit www.quinnovation.com Discuss a project Subscribe to our newsletter The post ‘We need a revolution’ - Clark Quinn on the state of L&D appeared first on Sponge UK.

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