At some point in your professional life you experience what we would call an "Eureka!!" moment. Such moments are rare in our lives and even rarer in our professional lives which too often follow predictable patterns. In reading forum postings in the LinkedIn network, I may have come to such a moment and it occurred to me as a question:" When it comes to E-Learning, are we missing the forest because of the trees?"Your first reaction to this question might be "what does that mean?" or simply "I don't get it!" Perhaps that is precisely the problem that "we don't get it!" We spend a great deal of time focused on technology, tools and apps without stopping and stepping back and taking a look to see if there is a greater picture we should be paying attention to. Many of us who work in different capacities in E-Learning, whether in the areas of higher education, government ministries, instructional design  or corporate training recognize and appreciate contributions made by professionals from many countries around the world in E-Learning. We are able to sample the opinions and expertise of these professionals through social media such as Twitter, Facebook and the LinkedIn forums in areas of E-Learning. However, there is a daunting question we need to ask which is:"Do we have a complete picture of the state of E-Learning in the various countries of the world or do we merely have a mosaic with pieces missing?Credit: E-Learning Industry In order for E-Learning to truly evolve to what it can be within a global context, we need a complete picture of the state of E-learning in the world of the 21st century.Why Is This Necessary?If one of our goals in educating and training learners is to empower them to be creators of new knowledge and skillsets, to be innovators for improving the quality of life of global citizens, we need to know the challenges that each of us face in education, technology and innovation.Learners are to become skilled problem solvers who will have to confront complex real world issues. Our focus in equipping them with the necessary skillsets is the realization that:"Many of the problems faced in the connected world of today are no longer just localized distant problems. With the advance of technology and instantaneous communication to the far reaches of the globe, the problems are more global in nature with the ability to impact everyone who shares the planet."A Proposal That Needs to Go Viral! In this blog (www.darkzoneeducation.blogspot.com) for the next few postings I would like to send out an appeal to different regions of the world for their input on the state of E-Learning in their area. The purpose of this appeal is to open conversations that will allow all of us to truly understand the "mosaic of global E-Learning". I would like to entertain these conversations in the professional forums on E-Learning in LinkedIn.com. The conversations should elaborate on three main questions:What is the state of E-Learning in the education sector of your country?What are a few successes you can highlight that you have experienced in E-Learning in your country?What are a few serious challenges that you see now and in the future for E-Learning in your country?Who Should We Hear From? Naturally, we would like to hear from all those who are involved in E-Learning in some way. Government officials, higher education, instructional designers, educators, corporate trainers and even students taking E-Learning. Framing Your ResponsesIn order that conversations not be cumbersome, I would suggest the following:Identify the country you are fromIdentify your professional roleA brief response to the questionsThe questions are conversation starters so that we can get a good understanding of the state of E-Learning in a particular region. Where Do We Start?  These posts will be shared to the LinkedIn forums on E-Learning and innovation, specifically E-Learning Industry and Learnnovators where I hope that we can stimulate some helpful conversations on the state of E-Learning in a global context. I will choose a different region of countries each week but that does not mean that previous conversations need to cease.  Credit: www.nkfu.com Credit: www.europeandestinations.comThis Week--- European countries and Russian Federation---You are up this week! Talk to us!!If you are reading this post, share it through social media so that we can get as many people involved in these conversations as possible. The mosaic is incomplete until you contribute and collaborate. 

I came across a tweet from Time.com that shows an interactive world map showing the presence of tweets that were posted in remembrance of Maya Angelou and thanking her for her literacy contributions and public speaking events when she passed away on Wednesday, May 28, 2014 at age 86. The graphic above shows some of […]

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  I hated Joe Thomas. He was the professor of Broadcast Engineering - a required course for my Broadcast Journalism degree. The man was maddening: He’d start talking about a highly-technical engineering topic (something like the differences between amplitude modulation and frequency modulation, how satellites transmit and receive signals or how signal switchers worked), introduce […]

   Shut up. Just shut up. You had me at hello. We all remember that famous line from the Jerry Maguire movie. In the midst of Jerry’s long-winded profession of love, Dorothy abruptly pointed out the obvious: Nothing beats the power of a concise, heartfelt "hello." Unfortunately, most eLearning programs lose their audience at that […] The post You Had Me at Hello: Four Tips to Write Powerful Course Titles appeared first on Digital Wits.

If you’ve watched the news this past week, then you know much media attention has focused on the software "glitch" of the Obamacare website.  (Although with potentially five million lines of code needing to be rewritten, I’m not sure "glitch" is the proper term, but I digress.) That got me thinking about some "glitches" in […] The post Is Your Corporate Software Training Really Needed? appeared first on Digital Wits.

  Like animated corpses raised by magical means, zombies are traversing the halls of corporate America this Halloween. The culprit? Misused animations in eLearning that researchers say detract from comprehension and overload our brains. As a well-intentioned instructional designer, you want to make your programs engaging and exciting.  You see tired old bullet points dragging […] The post Research Shows Animation Can Turn Your Learners into Zombies appeared first on Digital Wits.

Jan Carlzon is best known as the CEO who turned around troubled Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) and the author of Moments of Truth: New Strategies for Today’s Customer-Driven Economy, originally published in 1989.  Now, nearly a quarter century later, his book provides inspiration to help eLearning instructional designers create programs that will delight online audiences. In […] The post The "Moments of Truth" in eLearning Design appeared first on Digital Wits.

Last week, Roger Parker penned a fabulous article over at Content Marketing Institute that outlined seven reasons to hire a former teacher as a content marketing professional. (It’s a great read; I really suggest you check it out.) With a tip of the hat to Roger, I’d also like to honor another group that makes […] The post Top Ten Reasons Why Instructional Designers Make Great Content Marketers appeared first on Digital Wits.

Think that eLearning program is a bunch of bunk?  Think the boss’ presentation was stupid? It may all be in your butt. We’ve all heard the stories of how our office chairs may be killing us. But as it turns out, they can also turn us into either a hard-ass or a softie.  At least […] The post Seat Smarts: How Your Chair Can Drive Your Decision Making appeared first on Digital Wits.

Okay. So I’m posting this on Thursday evening for you folks who like to get an early start on Friday. "What is Free Friday?" you ask. It’s what I like to call "help out a fellow instructional designer day."  And this Friday, I am launching a new feature that will highlight free resources for cash-strapped […] The post It’s Free Friday! A Baker’s Dozen of Free Music and Sound Effects Sites appeared first on Digital Wits.

As the owner of an eLearning agency, I get a lot of eLearning instructional designers who contact me through my website asking if I have any openings. That’s not unusual, and I love connecting with these professionals; it’s such fun to chat and share experiences! E-Learning IDs rock! But over the past four months, I’ve […] The post Instructional Designers’ Survey: What We Think About our Industry, Jobs, and Future Goals. appeared first on Digital Wits.

Online learning is in the midst of massive growth. Inc. Magazine named online learning "One of the top eight most lucrative industries in which to start a business for 2013 and beyond," and Money Magazine listed "instructional designer" as the 38th (out of 100) best job in America for this year, citing a 28.3% job […] The post The eLearning Paradox: Unprecedented Industry Growth and a Plethora of Jobs, But Many Instructional Designers Feel Left Out. appeared first on Digital Wits.

How can you avoid the problem of learners not being interested in your course? Make it addictive using these four dopamine triggers in your content. The post How to Make Learners Crave Your eLearning Content appeared first on Digital Wits.

  "We’re looking to you and your company as our new rainmaker." I’d never really thought of an eLearning instructional designer like myself as a rainmaker for large companies before. But, as I sat at the 12-seat conference table and listened to the fourth Fortune 500 company executive in as many months excitedly explain his […] The post Cha-CHING! Corporations Find New Profit Center in Consumer eLearning. appeared first on Digital Wits.

What if you could give your elearners the superpower of learning faster?  Sound impossible? Not if you know the cognitive hacks to boost brain performance.  Your subconscious mind is smarter than you. It makes most of your decisions without you-and without the permission of your conscious mind. It’s the fastest-acting part of your brain. Yet […] The post Five Cognitive Hacks that Help Your eLearners Learn Faster appeared first on Digital Wits.

What does 2015 hold for eLearning and edtech? We uncovered some surprising trends for businesses. But what surprised us most was what we found in store for instructional designers. We here at DigitalWits spent the past four months talking with people in large companies, elearning agencies, corporate training departments, human resources, recruiting, edtech-focused venture capitalist […] The post The Top 8 E-Learning and EdTech Trends for 2015 appeared first on Digital Wits.

Instructional design is a growing field. But some sectors, topics and geographic areas are better than others for career growth. Here’s a peek into the markets, industries and topics expected to have the highest growth for instructional designers in 2015.     Your salary and job opportunities as an instructional designer in 2015 will depend […] The post The Best Markets and Industries for Instructional Designers in 2015 appeared first on Digital Wits.

There are hidden and untapped markets just waiting for eLearning instructional designers. Here’s where they are and how to tap into them. The post Three Hidden (and Profitable!) Markets for Instructional Designers appeared first on Digital Wits.

You may not have seen any help wanted ads with that headline. But companies are on the hunt for Instructional Designers (IDs) with an entrepreneurial bent and a creative flair. And who are willing to work for a salary in the $130,000+ range. Sound like a fantasy or a scam? It’s not. And not only […] The post WANTED: Instructional Designers to Work for Six Figure Salaries appeared first on Digital Wits.

Freelance IDs prefer the comforts of their home offices to corporate settings. Freelance instructional designers have shown just how much they value remote working conditions in a recent survey by DigitalWits: A whopping 73% of respondents said they would not take a full-time job that was office-based-even at a salary of $100,000 per year, which many companies are now […] The post Freelance Instructional Designers say, "No, Thank You" to $100,000 Office-Based Jobs. appeared first on Digital Wits.

The modern 21st century business has a crucial stake in the transformations that will take place with respect to the roles of the learner and educator because very similar role transformations need to happen with respect to the trainer, the employee and the instructional designer.Credit: www.iadb.orgBusiness needs future employees who have skill sets that are geared to bringing about change in the business culture with an eye to developing a systemic culture of innovation within the business. Sir Kenneth Robinson in a seminar given to Marketing Profs titled:" Leading a Culture of Innovation", states:"...Innovation has to become a habit... Innovation needs to be systematic, deliberate; it is what defines you as an organization."Business needs people who have skill sets that will allow them to help the business transform with as little disruption as possible. It is also important to keep in mind that the future clients will be those who have grown up in the digital age and now function using all the digital resources that are available to them. They will expect that the businesses they deal with will be 21st century businesses who will know what they are talking about when they express their needs. For businesses who are content not to institute transformations, they will relegate themselves to obsolescence.Credit: www.vivifychangecatalyst.wordpress.comSo, what transformations will be needed in designing effective learning experiences within the business culture? How should the roles of the trainer, instructional designer and employee be transformed?The following are suggested transformations that focus on a the roles of people within the organization with the mandate to develop a learning community within the business:Learning Principles Expert(LPE): A new individual needs to join the training team. This individual is important to help the training team provide engaging learning experiences for employees. As much as we accept that SME's have been an important element in training, we need to realize that if the business is to employ a blended learning approach we need someone who understands how people learn in an online environment. It needs to be someone with practical teaching experience in an online environment coupled with formal training in curriculum design. This person would also be responsible for networking with people leading new technologies that could be used by Instructional Designers in creating learning experiences that are irresistibly engaging and lead to sustained deeper learning.Instructional Designer:  The role of the ID would transform to include the following:create real world simulations in collaboration with the LPE that are irresistibly engaging to the learner in that the learner gains new skills sets and understandings through collaboration with other employees both within the company or through a matching up of employees from within the branches or divisions making up the company. So that means that during a simulation there may be a matchup between employees of the company in the Seattle, Washington branch with employees in the Toronto, Canada branch.lead a Council of Innovation and Learning within the company made up of Instructional Designers, Trainers and Learning Principles Experts. The council's mission would be to present a forum where employees who have developed new innovations, processes or ideas may come and present their ideas. The company executive officers should be part of this council as well.     3. Trainers/Mentors: Trainers would coordinate the learning events but would also have the    responsibility of developing learning profiles of employees based upon big data that is collected and act as mentors to employees in helping them nurture and develop their skill sets. They would also provide individual feedback to employees on an ongoing basis in regards to their development. During the learning events, trainers would have the opportunity and ability to introduce challenging variables into the simulation while it is running to measure responses from the participants to unexpected changes.If innovation is to become automatic, as suggested by Sir Kenneth Robinson, then effective collaboration can not be an afterthought but must be built into the learning experience on multiple levels across an organization.Next: An example of systemic innovation planning--The Case of Innovation Planning in the 3M Company

One of the key elements in developing E-Learning programs within a company is the level of engagement of employees at all levels. This engagement needs to move from the typical mandatory edicts that are passed down to the point where employees are engaged out of a desire to be part of a great mission and that they know and feel that what they bring to the table is valued by the decision makers. This needs to be shown in real and tangible ways. Innovation that is built throughout the company is part of a mindset that everyone shows daily by their actions and discussion. Companies that are resistant to granting such freedom to their workforce will find it difficult to hold on to employees as they will be recruited from under their noses or will become part of a rising group of digital entrepreneurs. Companies that see no need to innovate will fade into being niche organizations running to hold on to what share of the market that they already have.Credit: www.marketoonist.com-Tom FishburneThe obvious question that a company should ask is:"What benefits will the company see in adopting such an approach?"Some of the potential benefits are:This change would give employees across the board a solid sense of company unity and will nurture loyalty to the company brand.It will enable mentorship relationships to develop to benefit the company as a whole.It gives employees a desire based upon collaboration to improve on what they do and allows employees to see the challenges that each face across the company's various divisions. It allows for a concerted effort to work to find innovative and lasting solutions.Personal acknowledgement of innovative ideas in real and tangible ways by company leaders go along way to increasing desire on the part of the employees in making a personal commitment to the well being of the company. Developing a Systemic Innovation Pattern in Business: The Case of 3MCredit: www.delvawhile.wordpress.comI think that most people would agree that when it comes to innovation, Google and Apple lead the way. Perhaps one thing that people don't realize is that while Google and Apple were experiencing a meteoric rise to fame, a company called 3M was developing a systemic pattern for innovation which was ahead of its time.I have to give credit to Therese Berglund, a professional training and coaching consultant, for drawing my attention to the case of the 3M company in 2009. The pattern for pursuing innovation within the company is summarized below:Build Support Networks: Business is encouraged to build web-based social networks. The purpose is to create a resource that would enable employees who are confronted with a problem to find those who have an answer. With the case of 3M, they created a grass roots networking initiative called Tech Forum. However, it was more than just a database style resource. This employee run group also organized speaker events that would help to address areas where there was a pattern of recurrent questions. Open collaboration between employees and the speakers were encouraged.Build Collaboration Into Your Employee Evaluation System: 3M created a system that not only rewarded employees for developing an innovative technology, idea or process but also for spreading it. The rationale was that it doesn't advance collaboration which is in the company's best interests if managers or employees hoard or stockpile innovations only to reveal it at the next quarterly meeting.Encourage Curiosity: 3M allows employees to spend 15% of their time on projects of their own choosing, giving them permission to develop ideas or technologies that were outside their immediate work focus. This type of approach increases the odds of collaboration because employees will venture beyond their own professional knowledge base to seek the insights of others.Create Innovation Funds: One of the reasons that some innovations that create a lot of excitement in a general meeting end up gathering dust on a shelf has to do with protectionist attitudes when it comes to spending department money on something that is not core related. To overcome this barrier, 3M created what it called the Genesis Fund which was where employees could obtain grants to fund innovative products that didn't fit neatly into defined departments.Keep in mind that this was the pattern that 3M was following in 2009. There is much we can learn about transformations as they relate to innovation but there are also some warnings that need to be heeded. One value that a business should never surrender is prudence.Next...Some caveats that we can take away from the experience of 3M