Brighton (UK), August 2007 - Rapid eLearning is well established as a powerful means of achieving learning and business goals. It's clearly different from -˜traditional eLearning'. Kineo, the rapid eLearning solutions provider, explained how clients can benefit from this difference at a recent conference in London organized by eLearning Age.
As a partner in Kineo, Mark Harrison has deep experience in bringing rapid eLearning into organisations. Working with Kineo clients including Google, BP, Virgin Media, and O2, Mark has defined rapid eLearning models and techniques to ensure these leading organisations are configured to get the most and the best this approach has to offer. To achieve this requires an understanding of how rapid eLearning is different - and how it isn't. The key differences and similarities are:
Speed and cost of decisions: "Rapid eLearning goes faster - you have to be smarter and see what elements of the traditional models of eLearning development can be surgically removed from what has become a very bloated and glacial (i.e. slow) method of responding to what are often urgent training needs. Kineo has developed a pared-down development process that allows us to move considerably faster in response to training needs at lower cost", Mark explained. As one of our clients put it, "Rapid eLearning means I can now say -˜yes' to urgent training needs that would have had to be a -˜no' in the past due to time and cost constraints."
Better tools: "One of the key differences lies in the tools and their ease of use, of course. These allow even relative IT novices to assemble perfectly usable pieces of interactive learning. This means it is no longer a game that only the experts can play."
What's not different? The fundamentals of engaging learning design, quality script, and effective media remain core to the development process. According to Mark, "This is where the real change lies, and the real challenge. It may be easy technically, but if your learning design is not effective, it won't be much more than a clever PowerPoint. Garbage in will always lead to garbage out."
Better templates help: "You can't compromise on the fundamentals, but you can develop templates and structures to build in great design from the start - that's what we've done for our clients, and it enables them to move significantly faster in development", Mark commented. As a client at Cable & Wireless put it, "With Kineo's approach, we've been able to respond quickly and efficiently to business and customer requirements. Rapid eLearning is not an excuse to compromise on learning design - and with this approach, we haven't."
