E-Learning Authoring Tools Guide 2009 Released: Some Meditations on the Nature of Information

The number of tools and technologies for online training continues to grow. Despite economies being mired in a recession, literally hundreds of e-learning content authoring tools, learning management systems, and learning content management systems are being offered in the marketplace.

Brandon Hall Research, domain analysts for the e-learning industry and providers of information about tools, technologies, and best practices related to employee training and enterprise learning have just released a comprehensive new guide called Authoring Tool KnowledgeBase 2009: A Buyer's Guide to 120+ of the Best E-Learning Content Development Applications.

According to their press release, "the current edition of this online, database-driven KnowledgeBase contains 10-20 page profiles of 122 content development tools" including:

• 65 products to create online courses
• 26 products to create online tests and assessments
• 20 products to create software simulations
• 23 products to help you convert your legacy content to e-learning
• 9 products to create non-software simulations
• 8 products to create instructional games

They also include two online software applications:

• A selection tool that helps you narrow your product search by filtering out the tools that don't meet your needs
• A comparison tool to help you see how two similar products differ

I recently published an article called What's on your e-learning bookshelf? In it, I listed my shelf of “go to” e-learning texts. I've re-published the picture of my shelf below, so that you can see, right there in the middle, a text called E-learning Tools and Technologies by Horton and Horton.

In the early part of this decade learning and development professionals and educators found this text to be an invaluable reference resource. If you had a requirement to understand a new training modality or learning channel in a hurry (as many of us did in five or six years ago as we faster, better, and more integrated communications networks burgeoned) the Horton and Horton text was a good place to begin to find out about it. However, as we reach the end of the decade, the tools and some of the technologies in text (I have the first edition) is looking decidedly dated; Blogger.com was still owned by Pyra Labs; podcasting is not given a look-in in any shape or form. As far as I could discern through a brief search (on Amazon, Wiley Books Online, and Google Books), the 2003 edition is still in print.

The outcome of this is that while the text is still full of good advice, useful information, and valuable insight into topics associated with e-learning design, development and delivery, many of the products it highlights are deprecated (Authorware), redundant (GoLive), or changed beyond recognition (most products featured in the text). In my view this is where resources like the Brandon Hall KnowledgeBase come into their own. While, necessarily, the text and the information is not as rich as in the Horton and Horton book (see Figure 1 for a comparison between the layout of the two resources), it's competitive advantage is that is delivers bang up-to-date, regularly refreshed information, and a easy-to-use selection and comparison utility to choose and compare products.

Figure 1. Side-by-side of the texts: Horton (l), Brandon Hall (r)
[Click to enlarge]

In one sense, this is the threshold between the analog and digital forms of information delivery. Putting my cultural anthropology hat on for a moment, I would characterize this as a liminal state. Liminality has been described as "the place in between" (La Shure, 2009) infused with ambiguity, openness, and indeterminacy.

For example, as a university lecturer delivering a course on learning technology do I include E-Learning Tools and Technologies on the required reading list, or the more up-to-date Authoring Tool KnowledgeBase? How do I set a question on the information in the latter source as it is in one sense, just a list and description of products and their capabilities, with none of the context provided by the former text? Which is more "academic?" Does this reflect the text's accuracy? Is the cost ($795 annual subscription) of Brandon Hall membership justifiable for students, or people who just was occasional access to information, as opposed to about $40 for the out-of-date Horton and Horton text. How much is the information worth?

These are difficult questions to answer satisfactorily.

I have no doubt that over time, e-texts will become integrated into the mainstream of academic, professional, and consumer activity. Online libraries like MyAthens already provide access to a range of electronically-available materials for a nominal fee to the individual user as membership to institutions, universities, and libraries.

E-readers like the Kindle, and e-book software like Lexcycle Stanza (recently purchased by Amazon) are beginning to provide the facility to view electronic versions of printed texts.

Maybe this electronic means of access will become more generalized; I use Stanza on my iPhone and it’s changing my reading habits. Perhaps the current practice of hard- and e-texts being used in concert will become firmly embedded as the most effective method of using the old and the new. As usual, people will do what works for them, and the usual rules for adoption of innovations will apply.

Yet the question remains: How out-of-date is too out-of-date?

I think that my Horton printed text still has great value, especially in the context it provides for e-elearning-related technologies; yet I can't rely on it to provide current information about specific e-learning authoring applications. With over ten years experience in the learning and development industry, I feel competent to apply my well-developed critical faculties to find out what I need from the range of knowledge and information at my disposal. Could I make my tacit, hard-earned ability to analyze, synthesize, and evaluate information available to some-one else? Probably not.

How do you use the resources at your disposal? I’d love to hear your views and about your experiences - let me know.

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References:

Brandon Hall Research. (2009). Authoring Tool KnowledgeBase 2009: A Buyer's Guide to 120+ of the Best E-Learning Content Development Applications. [Internet] Available from: http://www.brandon-hall.com/publications/atkb/atkb.shtml Accessed 29 June 2009

Horton, W., & Horton, K. (2003). E-learning Tools and Technologies: A consumer’s guide for trainers, teachers, educators, and instructional designers. Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

La Shure, C. (2009). Liminality. [Internet] Available from: http://www.liminality.org/about/whatisliminality/ Accessed 29 June 2009

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Learning Evaluation and Strategy: Using an e-learning readiness survey

During this series of posts on evaluating non-formal learning programs, I have mentioned carrying out an e-learning readiness survey without characterizing or discussing how to implement such a research instrument.

This was deliberate; in my view e-learning readiness surveys represent an alpha and an omega of evaluation: on one level they are the starting point for any evaluation of an organization's learning initiative, on another level they define an organization's ability to implement an effective e-learning strategy. As such, they are a bridge between the theory and the practice of implementing a learning program.

Readiness surveys enable the learning practitioner to understand and measure both the effectiveness of organizational learning and to identify the critical factors for success when developing learning programs.

I have found Marc J. Rosenberg's E-Learning Readiness Survey to be a very effective instrument to evaluate both the effectiveness of an organization's learning strategy, and one of the foundations of any serious evaluation of the effectiveness of learning programs.

The questions are grouped into seven areas of understanding:

1. business readiness
2. the changing nature of learning and e-learning
3. value of instructional and information design
4. change management
5. reinventing the training organization
6. the e-learning industry
7. your personal commitment

The questions provided in this survey represent some of the most important strategic issues organizations face when transitioning to e learning. Certainly there are additional questions and issues that deserve attention; add your own, organization-specific items as required.

Downloads:

Marc J. Rosenberg's E-learning Readiness Survey

References:

Rosenberg, M. J. (2006) Beyond e-Learning. San Francisco, CA: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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Using quantitative data in learning assessments

To support the qualitative data captured using the retrospective pre-test method, I recommend that you gather significant amount of quantitative data associated with the learning initiative or program you're evaluating.


This can seem daunting and difficult to achieve, but there are a range of accessible sources of quantitative data that every learning professional can use.

Now read on...

Always collect Level 1 attendee feedback forms from classroom-based and synchronous online participants at the end of each individual event: over time you accumulate substantial amounts of valuable feedback about learners' reaction to the initiative. Use Web-hosted feedback forms to collect data from asynchronous participants (i.e. for online and DVD-ROM based content).

Other data can be collected automatically from systems including Web servers, learning management systems and learning content management systems; Horton (2006) describes these types of archive data as “meaningful statistics” (p.102): they record detailed information about what participants did while taking the learning event, particularly in the e-learning channels. You may extend this "meaningful statistics" category to include non-automated but standardised data recording processes such as recording learner attendance captured in the synchronous online and classroom-based context, and off-line learner activity such as DVD-ROM requests. By examining logs and reports from these systems and processes useful data can be collected on:

1. Frequency and pattern of accessing the course
2. Number of slides/pages or learning objects accessed
3. Duration of access to learning objects
4. Number of supporting collateral downloads
5. Feedback submitted
6. Participation in discussion and question & answer sessions
7. Rate if individual learner attendance or online access
8. Rate of attendance or online access by role (i.e. developer, support, business analyst etc)
9. Rate of group level (i.e. Sales & Marketing, Support, Manufacturing, Engineering etc) attendance or online access
10. Rate of attendance or online access by length of service in the organisation (i.e. new hire, with the company one year,1-2 years, 2-3 years, 3-5 years, +5 years etc)

More tomorrow.

References:

Horton, W. (2006) So how is elearning different? IN: Kirkpatrick, P. & Kirkpatrick, J. Evaluating Training Programs. 3rd ed. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.

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