Transcript LAWNET, INC. The Training Evolution, Part I: eLearning

LAWNET, INC.
The Training Evolution, Part I:
eLearning
Elaine Pomfrey, eLearning Consultant, Littler Mendelson PC
Honora Wade, Technical Training Manager, Perkins Coie
November 21, 2002
E-Learning in the Legal
Environment
By: Honora M. Wade
Technical Training Manager, Perkins Coie LLP
First, Consider Personnel Issues
and Clarify Your Policies & Goals
• How will e-Learning impact the employment relationship and
expectations? It is vital to be clear prior to rollout.
– Will use of eLearning modules be required?
• Of staff only? Lawyers, too?
• How will you capture/record use and accomplishments? Will your eLearning software need to “speak” with your personnel software?
• Will it be a contributing factor to annual review? If so, will compensation
or bonus be enhanced or decreased accordingly?
– Will testing be an element? If so, how will it be perceived?
• As competency testing? Consider “fear factor” (especially in current
economic climate).
• As self-assessment? Is testing something the employee can do unrecorded
by management solely if they desire to gauge their own training needs?
Four Types of Web Based
Training*
 indicates an appropriate choice for legal environment
• Web/Computer Based Training: self-paced
programs that use multimedia (either single or multiunit learning modules) - for your standard
curriculum 
• Web/Electronic Performance Support: aka “justin-time” or help materials 
*Adapted from Web-Based Training: Creating e-Learning Experiences by Margaret Driscoll
continue…..
• Web Asynchronous Classroom: group learning Learners & instructors are not online together, but
participate in group learning activities such as
projects, brainstorming & case studies (best for
certification or college study).
• Web Synchronous Classroom: Online
collaborative learning in real-time environment
(such as this Webex presentation). Excellent for
rollouts, ongoing training to offices that lack fulltime trainer, etc. 
Where do we start?
Web Synchronous Classroom
• Quickest way for a law firm to
start. Can be as simple as users
seeing instructor’s computer via
web connection (similar to this
presentation).
• Almost no start-up investment
• Reduce training costs - Perkins
Coie provides semi-monthly
training sessions to Asia & other
offices. Also used regularly for
software rollout training to other
offices.
• Helps ease users into web-based
learning - still have comfort of
interaction with live instructor
Web-based Training (WBT) and
Performance Support Considerations
• Due to law firm software customization, out-of-the-box
may not be viable for technical training.
• Start small - look at the applications you currently possess.
– PowerPoint for “Brown Bags on the Web”
– Basic FrontPage can be used to create “how-to” pages.
– Snag-It, 20/20 (freeware) and PaintShopPro can support graphic needs
for either software.
• Full Training Modules or Performance
Support/Online Help - which comes first? With some
planning, you can accomplish both at once.
WBT and Performance Support:
Develop In-House or Contract Out?
• Depends on your resources, both people and budget.
– Do you have enough staff to dedicate to this? Can they
effectively balance the ongoing user Q&A needs with
development time?
– Do they have the web-design background to do so with
reasonable time and effort?
– Do you have the budget to look at outside vendor options?
– How frequently do your network applications undergo
change? Can you afford to pay vendor to upgrade modules?
WBT and Performance Support:
What frustrates users?*
• Error messages & other technical difficulties - Learning can be
stressful, especially in an unfamiliar environment like the web. This
issue compounds the frustration of tech errors and leads user to feel
they’re failing, even when it’s not their fault.
• Inadequate Feedback - When am I succeeding? What am I doing
wrong (responses such as “Please try again” do not provide enough
information to help me correct my error).
• Poor Navigation Design - confusing pop-ups, too many hyperlinks
required to fully access the curriculum content, etc. This can be
compounded by the user’s lack of nav skills.
• Ambiguous Instructions - the web amplifies the challenge of
providing clear instructions (especially when considering the
different types of learners)
*Adapted from Web-Based Training: Creating e-Learning Experiences by Margaret Driscoll
Different Types of Learners*
• Visual - Learn through Seeing
– Learns well from reading manual and handouts; Likes screenshots "thinks in pictures”; Often notetakers
• Auditory - Learn through Hearing
– Doesn't process written materials well; Understanding comes from
interpreting the underlying meanings of speech through tone, pitch,
speed and other nuances
• Kinesthetic - Learn through Doing, Moving and Touching
– Prefers hands-on approach; Doesn’t make sense until they “do it
myself”; Does not handle lectures well; May have difficulty sitting for
long periods
• Socratic - Q&A, Needs to Direct Their Learning (i.e., attorneys)
Each type of learner will respond to e-Learning differently
*Source: www.ldpride.net/learningstyles.MI.htm (with exception of final two points)
Four Phases of Instruction Teaching is Only Half of
Instructional Transaction*:
• Presenting the Information - no interactivity
(www.diynet.com)
• Guiding the Student - interactive with online guidance
(www.quia.com/mc/4.html)
• Practicing by the Student - interactive with little online
guidance (click on “The Learning Sandbox”; www.useractive.com)
• Assessing Student Learning - tests and assessments (click
on “Try It Out”; www.questionmark.com/)
• “Putting training on the web does not make training
instantly better, nor does it make learners enjoy
training more!”
*Source: Web-Based Training: Creating e-Learning Experiences by Margaret Driscoll
Blended Solutions
• By blending WBT with classroom instruction, one can ensure
all four phases of instruction take place.
• WBT can serve to quantify curriculum for classroom
instruction.
• Perkins does “brown bags on the web” as part of our monthly
classroom schedule
– By reviewing WBT first, classroom time can focus on
practice and Q&A
– Alternately, after classroom instruction, the user can
return to the WBT version to reinforce learning when
practicing
Assess e-Learning Design &
Examples: Before you shop, read:
• Don’t Make Me Think - A Common Sense Approach
To Web Usability by Steve Krug. While not focused on
e-Learning, per se, it is hands-down the most useful book
I’ve read on web design. It is required reading for
employees in my department.
• Web-Based Training: Creating e-Learning
Experiences by Margaret Driscoll. Comprehensive
but not overwhelming - good definitions of e-Learning
jargon - Provides a wealth of links so you can experience
the types of e-learning described.
Examples of WBT: Eloquent
• Video & streaming
interactive text (user can
click to leap to new point
in class); workspace for
hands-on in application.
• Consider bandwidth
impacts of streaming
technology.
©2002 Eloquent, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Examples of WBT: TutorPro
• Can purchase modules on
wide variety of
applications, then
customize for your firm’s
needs.
• Content can be served up
as web-based tutorial
and/or “just-in-time” help.
©Copyright 2000, TutorProTM Limited
So you want to create it yourself?
• Different applications serve different masters:
– Web Performance Support Systems (i.e., help files):
RoboHTML; CoachWare; Assistware; Vuepoint
Learning System (VLS)
– Authoring Applications for WBT:
Director/Authorware; iAuthor; ReadyGo.com;
ToolBookII
– Test and Assessment Applications: TestGenerator,
Utest; TestPilot; TestEngine
– Content Libraries (some will allow easy
customization): NETg, Learn2.com; ElementK,
TutorPro
When shopping or creating, a few
design elements to keep in mind*:
• A clear, visual hierarchy that accurately portrays the
relationships between the items on the page will help people
find their way around more easily.
• Conventions are your friends - well-applied conventions
make it easier for users to move within a new site without
expending effort on figuring out how the site works. For
example, there’s a reassuring sense of familiarity in seeing a
list of links to sections on colored background down the left
side of the page.
• Clickable items should be obvious.
• Keep it clean. Cluttered pages are like a noisy cocktail party
- it’s hard to hear with all the background noise.
*Adapted from: Don’t Make Me Think by Steve Krug
Learning Management System
• Many of the vendors and applications mentioned
can serve (in part or in whole) the broader concept
of LMS.
• “The term embraces just about any use of Web
technology to plan, organize, implement and
control aspects of the learning process.”*
• Two approaches: buy outright for deployment on
intranet or contract with vendor for hosted system
*Source: Web-Based Training: Creating e-Learning Experiences by Margaret Driscoll
Functions of a Learning
Management System*
• Developer can author courses/tests & assemble
courses into a curriculum.
• Learner can search & enroll in courses; review
their transcript; access a personalized training
plan; complete an evaluation/assessment; locate
additional resources, and more.
• Administrator can schedule classes; manage
curriculum; manage enrollment; generate reports;
connect to HR and other systems; and more.
*Source: Web-Based Training: Creating e-Learning Experiences by Margaret Driscoll
Usability Testing*
• Finally, whether choosing a vendor system or creating
your own modules in-house, test with a couple users!
• Most studies currently rely on classic and not completely
satisfactory ways of assessing user enjoyment, but it will
serve your purpose adequately*:
– A subjective satisfaction questionnaire administered at
the end of a study that provides a simple, overall system
assessment.
– Observations of the user's body language for indications
of satisfaction or displeasure (smiles or frowns), as well
as for laughs, grunts, or explicit statements such as
"cool" or "boring."
*Adapted from: User Empowerment and the Fun Factor by Jakob Nielson
http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20020707.html
More to come:
Setting Up a Firm University 12/12
• Ideas for elements beyond traditional eLearning modules
• True Web presentation vs. links to traditional
materials - examples of Perkins materials
• Successfully incorporating online learning into
the user’s daily workflow (carrot or stick
approach? Hmmm . . . )
Littler University goes Virtual
Elaine Pomfrey
eLearning Consultant
Littler Mendelson PC
Problem?
• 10% of computer’s potential
• 30 offices
• 3 trainers
Solution? eLearning
• Reach geographically
dispersed workforce
• Provide consistent
training and information
• Retain employees
Littler University Structure
• Focus groups determined proficiencies
• Proficiencies grouped into customized
Learning Profiles for each job type
»
»
»
»
»
»
Attorney
Secretary
Paralegal
Accounting
Administration
Staff
eLearning
Learning Management System
Content
Administration
Content
• MS Office - NetG
• Macromedia
Authorware & Flash
•Evaluate
–Educational Content
–Interactivity and Simulation
–Time
–Cost
Learning Management System
• Started with MindQ
• Home built LMS
•Evaluate
–Reporting Needs
–Personnel
–Integration with courses
Administration
•
•
•
•
•
Marketing
Support
Maintenance
Reports
Certification Program
Measuring the Impact
• Enrollment numbers
• $ saved from trainer’s time and travel
expenses
• Soft dollar savings – increased productivity,
job satisfaction, reduced stress
Evaluate
Total Responses
Strongly Agree
Agree
Neutral
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
Lessons Learned
•
•
•
•
Market, market, market!
Time crunch
eLearning hurdle
Offer a carrot or a stick
How to Market eLearning
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Research audience needs up
front.
Pay attention to culture.
Be specific in your marketing.
Find e-learning champions.
Get learners’ managers
involved.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Brand your program.
Don’t stop with the launch:
Keep communicating.
Tie e-learning to
consequences.
Give learners enough time
and space.
--Source: www.e-learningmag.com
For training to be effective, it has to maintain a
reliable consistent presence. Employees should
be able to count on something systematic, not a
rescue effort summoned to solve the problem of
the moment. In other words, training should be
a continuous process rather than a one-time
event.
-- Andrew S. Grove
CEO, Intel Corp
Resources
Web Sites
• Corporate Univ Xchange
www.corpu.com
• ASTD
www.learningcircuits.org
• Masie Center
www.masie.com
Magazines & e-newsletters
• e-learning
www.elearningmag.com
• Training (& Online Learning)
www.trainingmag.com
Littler University
[email protected]
913.649.0611
LAWNET, INC.
The Training Evolution, Part I:
eLearning
Elaine Pomfrey, eLearning Consultant, Littler Mendelson PC
Honora Wade, Technical Training Manager, Perkins Coie
QUESTIONS?