E-Learning 1.0
Converting to Web-Based Training: Choices and Trade-Offs
By Christine Sevilla and Timothy Wells
Your organization is ready to move some of its instructor-led training to the Web, but you want to make sure all systems are go. Here are questions to help clarify some basic decisions you need to make.
Do I want to make this level of effort?If you embrace Web-based training fully as a means of student-centered exploration, rather than as a form of teaching media, you'll need to exert greater efforts. Plain and simple. Facilitating a distance course requires daily response to learner email, for example. It's a significant chunk of time. If your choice is to organize for teaching--with the instructor at the center and little continuous contribution from learners--why use the Web?
| Level of Effort |
Yes |
No |
| Are you willing to put more time into the course overall? |
Go ahead. |
Consider staying with a traditional model. |
| Can you respond to individual learners consistently throughout the course? |
Can I make the role shift from "sage on the stage" to "guide on the side"?Making this role change is key in distance learning. You're the one who makes the learning possible, facilitates discussion, provides resources, and sets expectations. If your lectures are vital to learning, convert those lecture notes to essays, case studies, examples, and demonstrations for part of the course material. But, don't make the mistake of transferring all of your lectures to video. It's easier for learners to refer to a written selection than to watch a talking head; videotape is linear and difficult to "bookmark" for future reference.
Video is valuable when demonstrating a concept, procedure, or operation that's best conveyed visually. To maintain learner interest, keep videos brief and targeted--whether presented on the Web or in class. Another reason to keep them short: Videoclips still require a chunk of bandwidth. Another misuse of the technology that we've seen too often is use of a live video feed in a classroom setting; this application takes little advantage of the benefits of distance delivery. Though you preserve the classroom "feel" that learners are accustomed to, video feed doesn't allow learning to take place "anytime, anywhere," as an asynchronous format would. Adding learners to the classroom also reduces the time individuals might have to ask questions or make comments, and that's compounded if one participant dominates with questions and comments. To achieve the "anytime, anywhere" goal, it's better to make video viewing (if it's used) a separate assignment followed by a Web discussion based on the video.
| Role Shift |
Yes |
No |
| Am I willing to give up the performance aspects of the classroom? |
Go ahead. |
Consider staying with a traditional model. |
| Am I willing to convert lectures to other formats to provide examples, demonstrations, and written essays? |
Is the learning environment appropriate for WBT?In the optimal situation, learning takes place in the context of the work, but we know this isn't always possible. Do participants have continuous access to the Web? Or is access sporadic--due to travel or the lack of a dedicated computer? Are learners interrupted frequently by phone calls, email, or in-person demands, and is quick response to such interruptions integral to their job performance? These issues require judgment calls. Many employers use a learning lab where staff can work without interruption. When a separate location isn't available, paying for overtime during quiet hours is another option. Certainly there are dedicated people willing to do assigned coursework on their own time, but that should never be a tacit expectation--and it could be a labor law issue. Your organization's message should be clear: Company training takes place on company time.
| Learning Environment |
Yes |
No |
| Is continuous Web and email access available? |
Go ahead. |
Assess the obstacles and find such alternatives as labs or extended workdays. |
| Can the learner control work activities that create frequent interruptions? If not, are reasonable options presented to learners? |
Can I help ensure participation?People leave Web courses before finishing them for a variety of reasons. For example, it might be legitimate for people to extract just what they need from a lengthy course and drop the less relevant portions. But if demonstrating an ability to perform each course objective is integral to job success, participation must be attractive, easy, expected, and reinforced. (There's an added issue with people who are uncomfortable with writing. A simple solution to gaining their participation is a buddy system; pair these people up with a writer.)
Most Web courses require significant participation. Do you have the means to require or reward participation? Such questions will become less relevant as use of such tools as the Web begins to allow a blurring of lines between performance support and training. We're not there yet.
| Ensuring Participation |
Yes |
No |
| Can regular and consistent feedback be provided to learners? |
Go ahead. |
Find dedicated facilitators who know the subject. |
| Is it easy to participate in the course (no obstacles to accessing the Website, no complications with site navigation)? |
Fix the technical and navigation issues. |
| Is there a plan for participants who don't feel comfortable or confident writing? |
Find ways to group people so that everyone can contribute. |
| Can participation be required or rewarded? |
Base course objectives on established performance requirements or business needs. Set up rewards. |
Is the content suited to Web delivery?Be aware that many lab classes in physical or biological sciences--as well as courses requiring significant human face-to-face interaction--will be difficult to convert to Web delivery.
| Content |
Yes |
No |
| Is assessment based on direct observation of a learner's behavior? |
WBT may not be effective. |
Continue with the conversion. |
| Do course activities require specialized equipment or settings? |
Will I be able to develop new techniques and different instruction methods?We're familiar with the structures, techniques, and methods of traditional instructor-led, classroom training. Full use of the Web demands a different set of structures, techniques, and methods, however. The Web isn't merely a delivery mechanism; it has the power to transform the learning experience. Envision an online continuum of discrete courses, group learning projects, repository building, simple job aids, and performance support and learning on-demand.
One of the simplest instructional methods is the asynchronous discussion. Areas for decisions and collaboration provide a powerful means of exploring a subject, sharing the learning, and creating social connections online. It's not surprising that current research shows that the discourse is far more valuable in asynchronous--rather than in-class--discussions. Learners have the opportunity to read, study, reflect, and edit what they write before submitting a contribution. We find that contributions are frequently of such value that, with student permission, they become incorporated into future iterations of the course. That way, you can build a valuable body of knowledge.
Live online chat should be distinguished from asynchronous discussion. People like it, and for that reason it has value. But as a learning technique, it has limited value.
| Technique |
Use to |
| Required contribution to discussion and to a body of knowledge |
provide direction and motivation to learner and build a knowledge repository. |
| Individual project |
encourage exploration and assess mastery. |
| Team project |
encourage interaction and active participation and to assess mastery. |
| Peer-to-peer learning |
encourage exploration and discovery and to reinforce social bonds. |
| Peer-to-peer review |
assess mastery and foster an explorative and positive environment in which critique is used for improvement. |
Am I prepared to separate instructional material from reference and performance-support materials?Performance-support materials are extensions of the learning material. Instructional material that's needed to teach concepts and basic knowledge should be organized as part of the Web-based curriculum. Instructional material that covers special cases, variations on a technique, seldom-used procedures, and infrequent error messages can be organized into reference guides (in any format, from electronic to paper) that are used on the job. Which items are included in the training material and which are placed in the reference guide is a decision based upon frequency, immediacy, and criticality.
| Instruction vs. Reference |
Instruction |
Reference |
| Examples and case studies |
 |
|
| Overviews and summaries |
|
|
| Lists of codes and definitions |
|
|
| Procedures and policies |
|
summarized |
| Standards and criteria |
summarized |
|
Can I define intended results of current evaluation tools, and are they appropriate for the Web?Standard tests are easy to deliver via the Web and can be graded automatically, but ask yourself why you need to use them. Do they provide a valuable insight into student learning or growth? The typical test format (multiple choice, short answer, and so forth) can provide a fine interactive environment for self-checks by the student and for relevant practice. When the learning is more complete, students should be asked to integrate concepts and skills in a more cohesive project, essay, or thesis. This takes more facilitator support during creation and more effort during assessment.
| Current Method |
Consider |
| Standardized test |
using it for self-check and relevant practice. |
| Individual project |
having learners post their projects in the discussion area. |
| Team project |
having teams develop projects online. Also, use the project to encourage peer-to-peer review. |
| Peer-to-peer review |
using reviews to assess mastery. The ability to comment constructively is a good indication of mastery. |
Am I prepared to provide continuous support after training?Web-based training is no different from other means of training when it comes to the need for continued feedback and guidance through environmental cues, job aids, performance support, mentors, and experts. But, Web-based training has the advantage in that it's easier to post a question to an expert on the Web and get an answer than to find an expert in person. Also, the learner is a valuable source of the information you need to refine and improve an educational environment. Questions and comments that come to the learner while on the job can be fed back into the instructional development process in a structured manner. This creates a loop that can fuel the continuous development and improvement process. Providing incentives isn't difficult. People who contribute chunks of information deemed valuable to peers will receive recognition doing so. Learners who take on a valued teaching role become more committed learners.
| Transferring Learning |
Yes |
No |
| Are your trainers and subject matter experts ready to monitor discussions to address on-the-job queries? |
Go ahead. |
Assign responsibility for ongoing support of learners. |
| Have you instructed the learner to continue to contribute to online discussions? Does the learner have an incentive to do so? |
Set up a means of recording learner input, and provide structure and incentives for that to occur. |
Published: May 2000
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