A friend recently lamented to me that she hadn’t had an
opportunity yet to take the latest online course offered by
her organization. As she put it, “They say it is being
‘offered’, but that doesn’t mean there is any choice-we
have to take it. The problem is, when?”
In this age of electronic everything, this problem is
becoming more and more prevalent. Online learning is often
recommended because the courses are available to employees
at their desks, working alone and at their own pace,
whenever they decide to do so. My friend stated the
following drawbacks:
“Difficulty finding time. Like most people, I am very busy
in my job. However, if I know, for example, that a
traditional classroom seminar or workshop is to take place
next Wednesday from 1 – 4 p.m., I book the time and I go.
Fitting it into my work schedule at my “convenience” is
more of a challenge. Let’s face it-it’s never convenient.
“Difficulty focusing. When I am at my desk, it feels
foreign to be working on an online course instead of my
work. Also, when I am at my desk, other people naturally
assume I am doing my job, and they interrupt me with
questions and impromptu meetings as usual.
“Lack of human interaction. The dynamic in a classroom
situation is very different from sitting alone at a
computer. The opportunity to ask questions of the
instructor and to exchange questions and thoughts with
other participants is an important part of a seminar.”
Although all three points are legitimate, as a
communication specialist I am particularly concerned with
the third. It seems to me to crystalize an insidious change
in society at large, and in business life in particular:
loss of inter-personal communication.
I am mesmerized when I watch children and young adults work
their way through complex computer programs and surf the
Net as though it were the most natural thing in the
world-of course for them, it is. They are acquiring
naturally a set of technical skills that their elders had
to learn with much more difficulty, and this is the
benefit. However, in all that time spent interacting solely
with a computer, what is sacrificed is the development of
the social skills that are so critical in the working world.
Great emphasis is placed today on teamwork, yet much of the
training we expect people to carry out is solitary. Could
the training methodology actually be working against other
teambuilding efforts?
Obviously, e-learning is here to stay, and far be it from
me to speak against progress. I do, however, believe the
need for human interaction is built into our very being,
and we ignore it at our peril.
The challenge lies in taking advantage of e-learning, while
at the same time making up for the social element it takes
away. Here are three steps to consider.
1. Have a team meeting before the course begins, including
an introduction to the features of the course and
discussion of how it will benefit the team. The team sets a
specific time for all members to work on the course at
once, even if lessons are restricted to an hour or two at a
time. A brief discussion could be held by telephone
conference after each lesson, offering an opportunity for
airing of any problems or misunderstandings, and the type
of group input that often occurs naturally in a classroom
setting.
2. Where practical, people should use computers away from
their own desks. Training room facilities are the best, but
if these are not available, why not have people swap
computer stations while they work on the course? This
reduces interruptions, and also takes learners away from
the setting where they are normally focused on their
day-to-day work. Both of these factors are conducive to
learning.
3. On completion of a particular course, team or
departmental meetings can be held to discuss how the new
learning can be put into action. When courses are
mandatory, people too often feel they are simply working
towards a certificate, and they need to have an opportunity
to see the practical benefits of what they learn.
My own workshops often elicit such comments as “It was
fun!” That is the result of the classroom dynamic and my
own strong belief that adults learn most effectively when
they are enjoying the process. Yes, I work to make my
workshops fun, because that means they will be more
effective. Designers of e-learning programs could increase
the value of their products by remembering that learners
are not e-beings, but human beings.
—————————————————-
Helen Wilkie is a professional keynote speaker, workshop
leader and coach specializing in communication and
management. Visit http://www.mhwcom.com to download her
white paper, “Changing the way you train your new managers:
what’s in it for you?”
Comments on this entry are closed.