Continuous Learning Discovery

July 27, 2009

One of the most significant changes

in the last two decades has been the

transition from event-driven instruc-

tion to continuous learning. Unfor-

tunately, the design process has not

kept up. While the classic ADDIE still

describes what has to be done, it

requires refinement and iteration in

order to be effective, and the Discov-

ery phase (needs assessment and

analysis) is key to the change. Read

this week’s article for a guide to

ADDIE’s makeover!

The Continuous Learning Environment:Surviving Learning Solution DiscoveryBy Gary Wise

In my days as a learning strategy consultant, I always

began my discovery discussions with the question,

“Do you have a training strategy?” Rarely did I receive

a negative answer or a quizzical look; nor did I expect any.

So, why ask a question when you already know the an-

swer? Simple – it set up the next question that served as

the real stimulus for conversation and meaningful discovery. “Do you have a learning strategy?” Cue the quizzical looks of silent wonder-

ing if I had not just asked that question. Without waiting for an answer, I fol-lowed that question with an immediate third question.

“More importantly, do you have a continuous learning strategy?” At thispoint, I often saw the client’s eyes glaze over and a few even began to blowspit bubbles – a perfect response – and a perfect set-up to incite revolutionarythinking. Thinking had to be revolutionary to consider “continuous learning” as an acceptable shift worthy of breaking the traditional mindset of training.Training still plays a role, and always will, but as a subset of continuous learn-ing, where the focus is on something very different – creation of sustainedhuman capability.

Very often, my clients had a technology solution in mind and needed a con-sultant to validate their thinking … or worse … to have someone to blamewhen it failed to deliver the desired results. This phenomenon is similar to ourinternal clients who have a training solution in mind before they contact thetraining department to validate their requested solution. We have perpetuatedthat thinking by responding as training order-takers. The age-old hammer andnail thinking, where organizations throw training at every performance gap, is a

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2LEARNING SOLUTIONS | July 27, 2009

will begin to question their positioning as a ‘university,’and some enlightened Chief Learning Officers (CLOs)will reject the academic model and begin to repositionthemselves as performance support and change man-agement specialists.” The references to performancesupport and change management in the same sen-tence denote two major changes:

• equipping learners to learn within their workflow(performance support); and

• implementing holistic changes in learning method-ologies necessary to drive sustainable capability(change management).

The flow of work, and the relentless demand forproducing results, represents key drivers of the contin-uous learning environment. And, of course, most ofthe learning is occurring outside of the classroom.

My purpose in this article is to introduce the neces-sity of expanded discovery as essential to defining crit-ical, design-influencing attributes of a continuouslearning environment. Forget defining knowledge andskill requirements, at least for now. The starting point,and the primary focus of this expanded discovery, isthe environment where learners confront opportunitiesto learn. Learning opportunities span the whole spec-trum from premeditated moments (for example, newemployee orientation, or annual recertification training),to unplanned, unstructured, and uncontrolled moments,often manifested in the middle of a workflow.

Regardless of the end of the spectrum on which

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problem that we created – and it gets worse. If yourorganization has a learning management system (LMS),the bias affecting the ultimate solution may be evenmore locked-in than ever. The techno-zealots decree,“All training must reside on the LMS!” I think not, thoughI am a big fan of appropriately utilizing technology. Itmay sound like a contradiction for me to say this, buthere goes – “Step away from the technology!”

That may sound extreme, but learners increasinglyfind the need to learn in the same environment wherethey work – their work context. In fact, the bulk of ourlearning environment continues to shift away from theclassroom, away from formal training, and closer tothe actual work performed. In a 2004 interview, Jon-athon Levy, an e-Learning visionary, predicted: “Overthe next 12-18 months, the end game will finally beginto come into view as traditional learning structuresgive way to more powerful performance support inte-gration.” Integration into what? Into the work context!

Mr. Levy’s prediction implied we would not alwaysbe in the classroom when we learn. Instead, learningmoments will increasingly confront our learners withinworkflows and processes. The need to learn becomesimmediate, more urgent, and often encountered in alargely unstructured and uncontrolled context. This isa direct opposite to the stable realm of the formalclassroom.

Again, in 2007, Mr. Levy confirmed this trend in alarger scope when he said, “Corporate universities

Thinking had to berevolutionary to con-sider “continuouslearning” as an ac-ceptable shift worthyof breaking the tradi-tional mindset oftraining. Training stillplays a role, andalways will, but as asubset of continuouslearning, where thefocus is on somethingvery different – cre-ation of sustainedhuman capability.

ogy is getting a bad rap. Far from it! My team uses itdaily to design solutions to improve performance. Thedifference now is the starting point of our discoveryefforts:

• Identify the performance outcomes to be pro-duced, and

• The work context where the learner producesthem.

It is within the work context where the moments oflearning need take shape. Keep in mind, individualizedlearning moments reflect upon the level of knowledge,skill, and capability of the learner. Permit me to addsome contextual definition around some of the jargonI have thrown your way, and then we can dig into thediscovery components. Let us begin with the momentsof learning need.

The five moments of learning needLearning moments are those snippets in time where

capability and competency must simultaneously co-exist to produce sustainable outcomes. Unfortunately,my learning moments will be different from yours, aswill yours be different from the next learner’s moment.Safe to say then, these individualized learning momentsmake a one-size-fits-all learning solution impossible, ifnot obsolete. Not only are learning solutions impactedby the environment, they are impacted by the capabili-ty of the learner. The concept of individualized needsalone takes us well beyond the limits of traditional, lin-ear training design models.

they arise, there are environmental attributes that caninvalidate the best design efforts if not consideredearly in the design process. There are three cate-gories of attributes within the learning environment:

• Space – a blend of physical location, workflow,risk, and urgency

• Media – the most compelling mix of mode andvenue

• Systems – the most effective and efficient appli-cation of technology

All the attributes that fall under space, media, andsystems combine to drive or restrain design deci-sions. It is essential to define these attributes to en-sure the learning solution delivers on one global ob-jective, which is to enable a sustained capability.

Traditional design practices do not typically consid-er these elements during discovery (also known asthe training needs assessment). In many cases, theability to accomplish this degree of discovery repre-sents a competency gap within the training organiza-tion. Recall Jonathon Levy’s 2007 prediction that des-cribes the shift to performance support. That shift cen-ters around the learners in their work context, with thefocus zeroed in on sustainable performance and out-comes.

To produce an outcome, the learner must “do” some-thing, not just “know” something. Once more, we ex-ceed the tenets of knowledge and skills found at theroot of traditional training design. It may sound asthough Instructional Systems Design (ISD) methodol-


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All the attributes thatfall under space,media, and systemscombine to drive orrestrain design deci-sions. It is essential todefine these attributesto ensure the learningsolution delivers onone global objective,which is to enable asustained capability.

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Individualized learning moments are as continuousas the work performed. As such, we face a non-stan-dard set of variables that drive training design deci-sions. Where the learner stands on their path fromnovice to mastery-level competency influences the fre-quency and depth of learning support required to com-plete a task. Likewise, their degree of competencyaffects which learning moment will arise, and when.Conrad Gottfredson has identified five moments oflearning need:

1. Learning something new or for the first time2. Learning more of something3. Trying to remember something4. Adjusting performance/behavior because some-

thing has changed5. Figuring out what to do when something goes

wrong or failsAny learning solution we create must consider the

work environment within which the learners confronttheir moment(s) of learning need. Additionally, sincecontinuous learning is an on-going process, the learn-er could transition through several, if not all, of the fivemoments of need on their path to competency. Oddsare increasingly good that several of those momentsare going to occur in the middle of a workflow, not ina classroom.

Different learning solutions will likely be required tosatisfy the variability of learning moments. It followsthen that our design methodology must be holistic

enough to anticipate that variability. Based on whenand where learning moments arise, the mix of attrib-utes related to space, media, and systems may alsodiffer. This simple fact, that when and where matter,implies the existence of timelines. This makes sensewhen we join time to the learners’ path to competen-cy, that is, their learning continuum. Hence, accuratediscovery must include the space, media, and sys-tems attributes of a learning environment, as well asthe learner’s location along the learning continuum.

An iterative model for the learningcontinuum: PD&R

Learning moments are as unique as the learnerswho must overcome them as they progress along thelearning curve from novice to mastery levels of com-petency. Since work is continuous, why would learn-ing to perform that work not be continuous as well? Ina continuous learning environment, each learner willfollow an individualized learning continuum that over-laps with the actual work and tasks accomplished.This learning continuum is discrete for each individualuser, since no two learners take the same path at thesame pace to reach mastery. In fact, the learning patha learner follows – a path that spans both formallearning (training) and informal learning (job aids, col-laboration, coaching, and so on) must fit individualtiming and individual needs. That is a tall order for ourtraditional design models.

The concept of mediaaddresses format(modes and venues)that contributes to acompelling transfer ofcontent (information orknowledge). There aredependencies withinthe space attributes toconsider that can influ-ence the viability ofwhatever media op-tions represent theoptimal blend.


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Traditional designmethodologies do notconsider attributes ofa continuous learningenvironment, or theconcept of learnersconfronting learningmoments along acontinuum. As such,traditional methodolo-gy does not aggres-sively embrace re-usementality; hence “ob-jects” tend to be en-tire modules, and insome cases, entirecourses.

A key characteristic of a learning continuum is rein-forcing an important thread of continuity between thelearning methodology and the work and tasks per-formed. The learning continuum serves as a founda-tional design tenet that can be best described using athree-phase model – Prepare, Deploy, and Reinforce(PD&R).

• Preparation Phase – Establishes a state ofreadiness in learners prior to participation in for-mal learning interventions. Emphasis in the prepa-ration phase addresses, defines, and delivers the-ory to the learner for maximum impact in the nextphase in the learning continuum. Preparationcould be as minimal as sharing an agenda in ad-vance of the formal learning event, or more com-plex where completion of a related work activity or an online course are pre-requisites.

• Deployment Phase – Represents the applica-tion (delivery, or consumption) of the actual learn-ing intervention. The event could include a formallearning program that utilizes instructor-led class-room training, self-paced, online learning, live dis-tance (synchronous) learning, a Webinar to a re-mote audience, a collaborative event, or a blendof all of the above. Surprisingly, an effective pre-paration phase can dramatically enhance the de-ployment phase. Adequate preparation can re-duce formal training time. Handling the theory dur-ing preparation enables redeployment of time andactivity in classroom training events. The learnersspend more time on application where they en-gage in interactivity, collaboration exercises, role-plays, use of job aids in scenario-based simula-tions, etc. Emphasis shifts heavily toward demon-strating ability to “do” rather than validating theirability to “remember.”

• Reinforcement Phase – Represents the mostcritical of the three phases of the learning continu-um, and the most extended phase in terms oftime. Reinforcement promotes implementation.Reinforcement extends the knowledge retentionnecessary for effective execution that drives sus-tainability. The reinforcement phase often includesthe use of performer support (job aids, quick ref-erence materials, coaching guides, Help Desksupport tools, and the like) and other methods offollow-up. The reinforcement phase also serves asfertile ground for instructional designers to harvestfeedback that indicates the need for follow-upprograms or improved content/object design.

Attributes affecting design in a contin-uous learning environment

So far, we have added several new considerationsinto our discovery efforts that compound our chal-

lenges as authors of learning solutions:• The variability, and unpredictability, of the five

learning moments of need,• When and where those moments occur along

the learning continuum,• To whom they occur, and• The individual’s level of competency at the time.These variables complicate our ability to design ef-

fective, traditional training that can sustain capability.However, there is still more to consider.

With learning moments surfacing closer to, if notwithin, the context of our work, it is essential that wenow include the attributes of the learning environment(space, media, and systems) in our discovery efforts.Including these attributes defines a composite envi-ronment that encourages expanded design of a holis-tic learning solution. The attributes have degrees ofdependency: attributes of space impact media deci-sions, and the composite of space and media attrib-utes influence the mix of systems.

Where is the learner in the learning continuum?Could the activities for each of the three phases ofPD&R take place in different locations, using differentcontent, and delivered by different methods? Abso-lutely! Therefore, when we design holistic solutions,the different phases of PD&R require us to considerthe combined attributes of space, media, and systemiteratively. Permit me to put some definition aroundthese three attributes.

Attributes of space

The attributes of space are inclusive of physical,geographical, and operational aspects of the learner’senvironment. They are not limited only to the learner.When we consider space, we must include thosewho provide support along the continuum as well asthe individual learner. To that end, attributes of spaceand the variability of learning moment(s) should in-clude:

Learning stakeholders• Who are the stakeholders involved in satisfying

the learner’s moment of need in the phases of P,D and R? (That is, the learner, the trainer, themanager, the SME, and so on.)

• What are the job roles or performance require-ments of the learning stakeholders specific totheir work or learning context? (That is, the learn-er’s role or function in their workflow, the trainerfacilitating a virtual classroom session, the subjectmatter expert answering a question, the coursedesigner, the manager, the mentor, the Help Desk,and so on.)

Physical location• Where are the learning stakeholders physically

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located during the learner’s moment(s) of learningneed? (For example, at their desk, in a classroom,at home, mobile, at the bedside, in a hotel, at aconference, etc.)

Workflow• Where is the learner within the context of the

workflow or work process when confronted withthe moment(s) of need? (For example, using anonline system while providing care at bedside,seeking (re-)certification through an online trainingprogram, participating in a live classroom event,participating remotely in a Webinar or distancelearning venue, etc.)

Level of urgency and risk• What is the level of urgency associated with flaw-

less execution at the learning moment of need?(For example, planning a certification class event90 days in the future, or accessing a job-aid “just-in-time” for completing a critical workflow task.)

• What is the level of risk if performance is noteffective? (Such as death or injury of a patient,excessive material waste, loss of business conti-nuity, incurring unnecessary costs, and so forth.)

Attributes of media

The concept of media addresses format (modesand venues) that contributes to a compelling transferof content (information or knowledge). There are depen-dencies within the space attributes to consider thatcan influence the viability of whatever media optionsrepresent the optimal blend. Consider this commonexample:

• There is a high level of urgency to perform by thelearner, and

• The learner is untethered from the corporate net-work (in other words, using a smart phone).

The two attributes of space shown above precludeconsumption of learning designed for a classroomsetting. Therefore, urgency and mobility influence themedia blend to serve this learner’s moment. Do notforget – the blend may change – depending uponwhat stage of the learning continuum (P, D, or R) thelearner is in at the time. Sitting in a classroom versusstanding at the bedside illustrate two completely dif-ferent venues, and two completely different designconsiderations influenced solely by attributes of thelearner’s work environment.

The scenario above is a simple example of a learn-ing moment experienced in the context of actual work.Most often such moments would occur in the rein-forcement phase of the continuum. It is entirely possi-ble to emulate this work task in a classroom-basedsimulation, that is, in the deployment phase. In theclassroom environment, of course, there are absolute-

ly no real-world urgency or risk factors present. At thesame time, the classroom offers the learner full audioand visual support, instructors to facilitate the sce-nario face-to-face, and fully-wired access to the cor-porate network.

Can you see why integrating attributes of spaceand media into the design process is a meaningfulconsideration? Space attributes in the deploymentphase of the learning continuum were radically differ-ent from those in the reinforcement phase and thechoices for media varied as a result. Can you also seewhy the iterative nature of this approach matters?Without iteration, the media selection for the deploy-ment phase would not have supported the work con-text encountered in reinforcement phase of the learn-ing continuum.

Attributes of blended systems

Understanding the dependencies represented bythe media mix delivered within the context of thelearner’s work environment (space) gives us the influ-encers that drive the third set of attributes – the sys-tems technology. In reality, a different technology mixmay be required to accommodate each phase of thelearning continuum. The learner may physically be inthree different “spaces” and need to consume threedifferent “media” blends. Therefore, technology is nota one-size-fits-all proposition if the objective is effec-tive delivery of continuous learning into the hands ofthe learner.

LMS systems handle formal learning activities. Elec-tronic Performance Support Systems (EPSS) handleinformal “just-in-time” learning demands. LearningContent Management Systems (LCMS) do both, butnot well enough to serve either camp as a stand-alonesystem. Those three technologies are mainstream sys-tems, but my intent is not to drill down into the virtuesof any of them; rather, the concept of “systems” addres-sed here is broader than technology platforms. Build-ing a holistic learning technology solution requiresconsideration of additional peripheral systems criteria.Following are a few examples of peripheral systemsthat can influence design decisions:

End-user devices• What technology is in the hands of, or is accessi-

ble to, the learner when confronted with theirlearning moment(s) of need? (Such as individuallyassigned computer, shared workstation, DVDplayer, smart phone, etc.)

• What technology is available to the other learningstakeholders? (That is, to the trainer, the manager,the Help Desk, etc.)

• Is more than one device required at differentpoints on the PD&R continuum? (Such as a DVDplayer for preparing pre-work, a computer used to

“Create once – usemany times” becomesour goal, and for tworeasons: to minimizeredundant develop-ment efforts, and toembed a thread ofcontinuity into thelearning continuum.How many times havewe storyboarded our-selves into a coma,only to then turnaround and re-buildjob aids as a separateeffort? Following thetenets of PD&R, thejob aids have poten-tial to serve as objectsre-used throughoutthe entire continuum.


Design Strategies

The question youmust answer now issimply, “Is your train-ing department readyto support a continu-ous learning environ-ment, or are you at a state of readiness to support a continu-ous learning environ-ment?” The changemanagement plan youdevise to reach criti-cal mass and sustainyour own team’s capa-bility must build uponthe gaps betweenready and readiness.

deploy simulations in the classroom, or smartphone access to job-aid reinforcement back onthe unit.)

Internet access• Is access to the internet required to serve the

learning moment(s), and if so, what bandwidthrequirements must be available to accommodateanticipated content transfer rates? (Are all userson-Net, or are there non-employees participatingusing non-company computers; are there 10 par-ticipants or 200; did you say broadcast qualityvideo to all?)

• How do Internet access requirements differ ac-ross the phases of PD&R? (Such as on-Net wire-less used for preparing pre-work, Ethernet-con-nected computer used to deploy simulations inthe classroom, or off-Net Wi-Fi support re-quiredfor smart phone access to job-aid reinforcementback in the field.)

Collaboration/connectivity• Will the learning event take place on-Net, off-Net,

or will it be a blend? • Will there be a broadcast (one-to-many)? • Will there be a need for interactivity? (Such as

polling, Q&A, participant surveys, application shar-ing, interactive discussion, moderated chat, andso on.)

Access to content• Will the system “push” content to the learner, or

will the learner download or “pull” content on de-mand?

• Must the learner remain connected to the networkto use the learning asset?

• How will the learner retrieve the content? • Will the content be searchable? (If so, what are

the metadata requirements?)• Who among the learning stakeholders must have

access to the content? • Do access rights and restrictions vary across

roles with access to the content?

Content repositories• Are there re-use requirements that require record-

ing learning programs? • Where will you archive content? • Are there special content capabilities supported

by the repository? (Static content versusstreamed media.)

• Who is accountable for content management andcurrency?

• Do access permission levels vary across roleswith access to the content?

• Is version control important?

Tracking utilization and participation• Will consumption of the learning asset or partici-

pation in the event require a record of participa-tion and completion? If so, describe acceptablerecording format. (Training history in the LMS,printed certificate of completion, registration re-cord is sufficient, etc.)

• Will tracking utilization of informal content be re-quired? (How many times did a learner access aspecific job aid?)

Evaluation, Testing, and Feedback• Will consumption of a learning asset or participa-

tion in an event require evaluation or testing? Ifso, describe format. (Hard-copy instrument or on-line access.)

• How will you capture feedback on object usabilityand relevance? (Ranking scale embedded withinthe objects, embedded e-mail response link, andso on.)

Help/Escalation• How do learners access help? (Help Desk, con-

tent owner, subject matter expert, or other source.)

Iterative design processTraditional design methodologies do not consider

attributes of a continuous learning environment, or theconcept of learners confronting learning momentsalong a continuum. As such, traditional methodologydoes not aggressively embrace re-use mentality;hence “objects” tend to be entire modules, and insome cases, entire courses.

The P, D, and R phases of the learning continuumcreate excellent opportunities to design smaller“chunks,” increasing the potential for re-use. To ac-complish this “shrinkage,” the designers must lookacross the PD&R continuum at the implications ofhow the attributes of space and media differ in eachphase. In other words, design must adopt an iterativeapproach.

A learning continuum requires the use of blendedmedia modes and venues that serve different learningfunctions and have different renderings depending onthe P, D, and R phases where used. This variabilitycan influence the choice of authoring platform. Thefollowing example illustrates the variety of designoptions, and the need for an iterative approach:Preparation – On-Net wireless used for pre-work

completed by the learner from their laptop dockingstation. • Re-used legacy content authored in PowerPoint.

Deployment – Ethernet-connected computers usedto launch simulations in multiple regional officeclassrooms. Instructor located in room 929 of thePhiladelphia Marriott. Performer support objects

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The expansion of dis-covery and the itera-tive approach do nottranslate into sloggingthrough the entireADDIE model threetimes; however, it doesrequire considerationof the three stages ofthe continuum withinthe design phase.

(job aids) used to support online simulations. • Simulations authored in Captivate.• Virtual classroom technology used to support dis-

tance learning.• Performer support re-used Captivate screen shots

in hard-copy PDF format.Reinforcement – Off-Net wireless smart phone sup-

port used by learners to access job-aids on de-mand. Help Desk personnel access online knowl-edge base to push performer support to learner ondemand via e-mail or FAX.• Captivate objects re-purposed for smart-phone

delivery.• Hot-key access to Help Desk.• Performer support sent to learner by Help Desk

re-used same Captivate screen shots for e-mail“push,” or printed as hard-copy PDF format forFAX delivery.

As you can see in the example above, multiple auth-oring platforms played a role. The learner’s transitthrough the PD&R learning continuum engaged multi-ple learning stakeholders. Content objects were re-used, all or in part, and in some cases repurposed ina second authoring platform to fit a different deliveryvenue. The secret to effective re-use demands ad-vance knowledge of how small – how granular – thelearning objects must be. How can we acquire ad-vance knowledge without accomplishing discoverythat considers the iterative nature of learning designinherent across the PD&R learning continuum?

Developing stand-alone, linear training coursesoften follows a popular instructional design methodol-ogy known as ADDIE (Analyze, Design, Develop, Im-plement, and Evaluate). Because ADDIE has beenaround since the 1960s, some call it “old school” inits approach. Some are bold enough to say ADDIEhas out-lived its usefulness. I do not buy into that lineof thinking. ADDIE is not old school; however, ourapplication of the model can be limited by old-schoolthinking. ADDIE remains intact as a logical guidelinethat still works – if used iteratively.

Since we need to develop learning to align withmultiple phases of a continuum and with the attributesof the learner’s environments, we must adapt our ap-plication of ADDIE. This adaptation requires that weaddress the design criteria three times – prepare, de-ploy, and reinforce. As illustrated above, each continu-um phase may have a different blend of attributes ac-ross space, media, and systems. By ignoring the envi-ronmental implications that may be radically differentacross the continuum, our design, development, anddelivery decisions are rife with potential to generateredundant effort after deployment. That translates intoaddressing lingering performance gaps in the post-training world. Those results confirm that a one-size-

fits-all training solution will not render a sustainablecapability.

Holistic discovery is the key. Expanded discoveryprecedes application of the ADDIE model. (No, I didNOT just set up a new acronym called DADDIE, butyou have to admit the thought crossed your mind.)

The expansion of discovery and the iterative ap-proach do not translate into slogging through the en-tire ADDIE model three times; however, it does re-quire consideration of the three stages of the continu-um within the design phase. Ultimately, developmentrenders multiple objects, setting the stage for widerre-use of smaller objects.

“Create once – use many times” becomes our goal,and for two reasons: to minimize redundant develop-ment efforts, and to embed a thread of continuity intothe learning continuum. How many times have we storyboarded ourselves into a coma, only to then turnaround and re-build job aids as a separate effort?Following the tenets of PD&R, the job aids havepotential to serve as objects re-used throughout theentire continuum. Consider this re-use scenario:

Example of continuity through re-use:

• Insertion of a job aid (Performer Support Object –PSO) into the preparation phase e-Learningcourse. The intent is to introduce a reference toolfor use in future classroom simulations cominglater in the deployment phase.

• Scenario-based simulations during the classroomcomponent of the deployment phase re-use thesame job aid (PSO).

• Once again, we embed the same job aid (PSO)in the reinforce phase as just-in-time performersupport for a learner confronting a moment ofneed.

In this example, we introduce the learners to a tool(PSO), and they use the tool in a controlled environ-ment and validate proficiency in the presence of asubject matter expert. Then they utilize the same toolin the context of their jobs. While re-use reduced re-dundant effort, it also provided a thread of continuityto the learning experience.

Closing Remember Jonathon Levy’s predictions? Well, it is

2009, and we are right in the middle of what he pre-dicted. Learning opportunities are shrinking in sizeand going through a shift in venue to match up withour work context. More and more learning momentsare confronting our learners at the point of attack, out-side of the classroom. Our approach to training devel-opment is under pressure to shift learning assets tosupport learners under fire. The pressure we seecomes in the form of diminished training budgets,


Design Strategies

The question youmust answer now issimply, “Is your train-ing department readyto support a continu-ous learning environ-ment, or are you at astate of readiness tosupport a continuouslearning environment?”The change manage-ment plan you deviseto reach critical massand sustain your ownteam’s capabilitymust build upon thegaps between readyand readiness.

falling attendance in elective training classes, andhigh rates of e-Learning non-completion on the LMS.

The most damning evidence of change is the per-ceived ineffectiveness of training solutions on render-ing sustained human performance. Stellar Level Oneevaluation and learners exceeding Level Two thresh-olds do not serve as accurate predictors of perform-ance outside of the classroom. Should that matter?Definitely! Learners rarely fail in the safe environmentof the classroom, and even if they did, the organiza-tion faces minimal risk.

Sustainable performance occurs in a post-trainingenvironment, in the work context. If we fail the learnerhere, the stakes are higher, as are the costs to theorganization. The time is now for training organizationsto shift resources beyond the classroom and beyonde-Learning to the environment where the learner mustperform. This shift requires breaking some ingrainedparadigms regarding instructional design. I know I amwalking on hallowed ground when I say this, but if we,as training organizations, do not contribute to a sus-tained capability we deserve to lose every penny ofbudget that gets whacked.

Mr. Levy said something else that is critical. Hementioned a shift to performance support, also toimproved change management, both as specialists.Zeroing in on performance support as an authoredasset is not his intent. Performance support implieswe have accomplished discovery to identify where itis needed. It also implies we have accomplished dis-covery related to the work context where they con-sume the asset. This represents a significant shift inthinking – a significant change.

A continuous learning environment is a holisticblend of the formal learning (training) that we do sowell today, and a robust approach to informal learning(performer support, collaboration, knowledge bases,and the list goes on and on). Integrating this “continu-ous learning thinking” into the training department isnot easy, hence Mr. Levy’s change management pre-diction. It has been my experience that some instruc-tional designers feel threatened by these implications.I have had platform trainers show concern that theirjobs are at risk. Truly, if we cannot deliver sustainedcapability, more than the training department is at risk.These are not the economic times to have your corpo-rate contribution measured by the weight of your costcenter on the budget.

The question you must answer now is simply, “Isyour training department ready to support a continuouslearning environment, or are you at a state of readinessto support a continuous learning environment?” Thechange management plan you devise to reach criticalmass and sustain your own team’s capability must buildupon the gaps between ready and readiness.

ReferencesGottfredson, Conrad. (November 1, 2007) “A Begin-

ning Discussion: What is Performance Support?”PERFORMER Support: Learning @ the Momentof Need (Weblog). Accessed June 26, 2009 athttp://performancesupport.blogspot.com/2007/11/beginning-discussion.html

Levy, Jonathon. (February 6, 2004) In “Predictions for2004: E-learning Visionaries Look to the Future.”(Interviews by Lisa Neal) eLearn Magazine. Acces-sed June 29, 2009 at http://elearnmag.org/sub-page.cfm?section=opinion&article=39-1

Levy, Jonathon. (January 9, 2007) In “Predictions for2007” (Interviews by Lisa Neal) eLearn Magazine.Accessed June 29, 2009 at http://elearnmag.org/subpage.cfm?article=42-1&section=articles

Author ContactGary Wise is a learning and perform-ance improvement professional with arich background in learning strategydevelopment – integrator of holisticlearning design methodology – and aprudent yet passionate advocate in

application of learning technology. Formal backgroundin performance consulting drives emphasis on build-ing measurable, sustainable performance outcomesas primary deliverables of his learning solutions.

He survived several LMS and virtual classroom im-plementations as a consumer, victim of circumstance,and as a consultant. His current passion involves hotpursuit of a continuous learning environment at Cin-cinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center as SeniorDirector – Learning Architecture.

Gary served as learning strategy planner and tech-nology roadmap developer in past Director-level roles.He has developed a Learning Readiness Assessmentdesigned to identify “readiness gaps” that representobstacles that limit an organization’s ability to inte-grate and sustain a continuous learning environment.

Gary is a graduate of the Terry College of Business– University of Georgia.

Discuss these articles in the “Talk Back to the Authors”Forum of Community Connections (http: // www.elearning-guild. com/community_connections/forum/categories. cfm?catid= 17&entercat =y). You can address your comments tothe author(s) of each week’s article, or you can make a gen-eral comment to other readers.

Additional information on the topics covered in these arti-cles is also listed in the Guild Resource Directory.

LEARNING SOLUTIONS | July 27, 2009

My Dad was always proud of his ability to doarithmetic in his head. This is not a trait I

inherited. For a long time, I believed that I should dev-elop this skill, and I devoted a fair amount of energyto doing so. But, alas, it’s just not my gift. It’s frus-trating, because I’d like to be able to understand andcompute things, like how far I have to run to work offthis cookie, or the probability that I have a winningpoker hand.

Enter Wolfram|Alpha (www.wolframalpha.com).This newly released product is to computations whatGoogle is to information search. Indeed, the genius-es at Wolfram Research call it a computational know-ledge engine. Their goal, as stated on their Web site,is to “make it possible to compute whatever can becomputed about anything.” To be sure, they are along way from that goal, but they sure have achieveda lot so far.

For example, enter the word chartreuse. Wolfram|Alpha asks for clarification: color, or word? “Color”gives you sample swatches of chartreuse and relat-ed colors, along with many different written repre-sentations of the color, e.g., RGB, hexadecimal.“Word,” on the other hand, defines both the colorand the liqueur, gives date of first known usage, syn-onyms, and other interesting data.

Enter your birth date to learn how many days you’velived, what phase of the moon you were born under,and what holidays fall on that day around the world.Try weather [your birth date] [town you were bornin] to learn the average wind speed that day. Put inyour IP address, and you’ll be able to get a satellitemap of your location. These guys even compute themeaning of life!

Why is this relevant to e-Learning? First, Wolfram|Alpha shifts online search to online research. Nolonger is it a user’s job to search for all the data, andthen interpret the results. W|A does (much of) thisfor you, and does the necessary calculations to boot– in a fraction of a second.

Secondly, this browser-based tool is free, andavailable to all. If the datasets that your users orlearners need are available through the publicInternet (the database is already impressive, andthey expand it constantly), W|A can handle much

of the tedious research and calculation required. Isyour sales force having trouble with calculating theins and outs of factoring discount rates? Are yourestimators challenged by computing the propertiesof a stockpile? Do your marketing people know howto use statistical analyses of socioeconomic data todo market projections and strategic sales plans?With this powerful tool, you can focus your trainingon when and why to use these various calculations,rather than the mechanics of the calculations them-selves.

* * * * *If that doesn’t leave your head in the clouds, get

ready for cloud computing. In this case, “cloud”refers to the Internet; cloud computing refers to thedata storage and processing that happens outsideyour corporate firewall. Cloud computing is a veryhot topic for IT, so your company may even have acloud strategy in place, or have an initiative going tomake the move.

In the most comprehensive view of cloud comput-ing, a company stores its data offsite at a data ware-house. In addition to storage, security, and high-speedaccess, the data warehouse is provisioned with en-terprise applications that your company uses or sup-ports for your work. You and your colleagues accessthe applications and data you need through yourdesktop or laptop computer browsers. All new dataare added dynamically to the corporate databases-in-the-clouds, just as happens now.

One can quickly see the advantages to this ap-proach. The dramatic reduction in required hardwareand real estate is extremely attractive. The consolida-tion of many companies’ computing resources to asingle location can also have the effect of greatlyreducing energy consumption. Across the board,cloud computing seeks to provide a great leap for-ward in bringing the costs of enterprise computinginto a far more manageable realm.

From an e-Learning developer’s perspective, cloudcomputing should give rise to interesting discussions.If your company is moving in this direction, do yourIT people understand what the learning and develop-ment implications are for the employees? For thedevelopment and deployment of e-Learning pro-grams?

Dispatch from the Digital Frontlines:Shifting Gears with Wolfram Alpha and Cloud Computing

Changes to on-line services areoften of moreconcern to ITdepartments thanto e-Learningproducers. How-ever, it’s stillsmart to be alertto what is becom-ing available –these new devel-opments mayprovide capabili-ties that will be of direct benefitto learners.

10

Extra Insights: Anne Derryberry

See DERRYBERRY on page 12


Documenting course design and development pro-cesses with a wiki can alleviate a number of issuescommon to more static forms of documentation. Ourteam uses Wikispaces, an open source wiki with low-cost upgrades that give us privacy.

How do you use Wikispaces for process documen-tation? First, decide whether you will let your wikistructure grow organically or whether you will scaffoldit with a hierarchy. If you already have documentationin other formats, you likely already have some ideasabout organization. If you're starting from scratch ordeveloping new processes, it may be best to avoidrestricting the content organization too much, relyinginstead on tagging and links. Tagging pages lets youfind and group similar content regardless of theorganization or hierarchy.

Who's in charge?While traditional documentation methods may

require a single person to control the content, a wikidistributes responsibility among everyone in the team.Wikispaces gives you options for roles and permis-sions. Collaborative documentation works best ifeveryone has permission to edit so everyone sharesownership in the documentation. A wiki lowers thebarrier to adding what you know, so each person canshare even small tips and insights without having tojump through bureaucratic hurdles.

But what happens if someone makes a mistake inthe documentation? The good news is that now youcan identify the confusion or disagreement and dealwith it. Without the wiki, that confusion or disagree-ment would still be present, it would just be hidden.One way to handle errors is to use the discussion tabavailable on each page. The discussion tab gives youa space for conversations separated somewhat fromthe actual content. Automatic notifications of changesvia e-mail or RSS can let everyone know when up-dates are made and help you identify and correct mistakes quickly.

Using an Open Source Wiki for e-LearningDevelopment Process Documentation

Adapt for your situationWhen we started our wiki, we were a brand new

team with essentially no existing processes. What ifyou already have a significant amount of documenta-tion and established processes? With well-definedprocesses, two different approaches to using a wikiare possible. The first is to start small and just add onesegment of the documentation. This might be a goodchoice if you have a new process where the documen-tation will change often. For example, during a transi-tion to a new LMS, all documentation related to thenew system could be on the wiki, gradually phasingout your old documentation for the old system. Onedrawback of this approach is that it splits your informa-tion in multiple places, which may be confusing whenyou're searching for an answer.

Another approach is to transfer all your existing doc-umentation at once. This has the advantage of collect-ing everything in one place. If one of your current doc-umentation issues is finding content in multiple loca-tions, this can be a driver for using the wiki. One draw-back is that this can be a much larger project to imple-ment, requiring a more significant initial time commit-ment.

Our team is small, so it makes sense for everyone tohave full permissions and to contribute anywhere wecan help. If your team is larger, having everyone workon everything may not be the most effective approach.Although the free wikis don't offer this feature, Wiki-spaces offers several upgraded plans that allow cus-tom permissions for different roles. A Private Label wikiallows your organization to have unlimited subdomainswith separate permissions, so you could have a wikifor your managers or Flash developers separate fromthe space for your instructional designers. Even if youdon't lock it down with permissions, assigning differentpeople to maintain specific parts of the site can helpdivide the responsibility into more manageable amounts ofwork. Your Captivate guru can be in charge of applica-

How do you document e-Learning development processes in your or-

ganization? Does everyone have easy access to the most current

version of your documentation? How are people notified of updates?

What happens when the documentation has a mistake?

SHORT ARTICLE: Development Techniques

Wikis are an ideal

vehicle for collabora-

tive process docu-

mentation, but they

require forethought

and planning in

order to be success-

ful. This short article

gives you everything

you need to know to

get started!

By Christy Tucker

tion tips and tricks, while your editor maintains a writ-ing style guide.

Regardless of the size of your team, adding contentisn't the only way for people to contribute. Cleaning upformatting or typos is a valuable contribution, as is tag-ging or adding links to content to make it easier tofind.

ConclusionIf your current e-Learning process documentation is

challenging to use and update, consider using a wikitool like Wikispaces. A wiki can be a dynamic, collabo-rative space that provides the most current informationand lets everyone contribute.

Author ContactChristy Tucker is an instructionaldesigner with Performance LearningSystems where she develops onlinegraduate courses for practicing edu-cators. She has worked in onlinelearning for five years, and has prior

experience in both K-12 education and corporate soft-ware training. She started her first wiki for processdocumentation in 2006, and has used a number ofwikis for project management and collaborative courseactivities since then. She blogs about instructionaldesign and online learning at Experiencing E-Learning,http://christytucker.wordpress.com/. You can contactChristy by e-mail at [email protected].

Development Techniques


Documenting coursedesign and developmentprocesses with a wikican alleviate a numberof issues common tomore static forms ofdocumentation. Ourteam uses Wikispaces,an open source wiki withlow-cost upgrades thatgive us privacy.

Extra Insights: Anne Derryberry

A few important factors to consider: Some LMSvendors have begun the shift toward this new servicemodel – make sure yours is one of them. If it isn’t,what are their plans? Does your migration schedulematch with theirs? If not, what are your options? Is ittime to start shopping for a new provider?

Many of the tools e-Learning developers use aredesktop applications, although some are server-based.Further, as cloud computing advances, one of thehoped-for outcomes is that users’ machines will needless processing power and will, therefore, morph intosomething akin to the dumb terminals of yore but withreally great screen displays. As that shift occurs, whatwill your company’s policy be about storing and using

local applications versus cloud apps? How are yourtools developers planning to upgrade their productsto conform to your upcoming requirements?

While Wolfram|Alpha knows the meaning of life, itcan’t yet say how quickly shift happens. We all knowit does, though, so better start thinking about thesethings now. And when someone tells you your head isin the clouds, you’ll know what a forward-thinkingcompliment that is.

Author ContactAnne Derryberry is an analyst/journalist, learning

designer, and entrepreneur. Her blog is www.imseri-ous.net. She can be reached at [email protected].

[O]ne of the hoped-foroutcomes is that users’machines will need lessprocessing power andwill, therefore, morph intosomething akin to the dumbterminals of yore but withreally great screen dis-plays. As that shift occurs,what will your company’spolicy be about storingand using local applica-tions versus cloud apps?

DERRYBERRY continued from page 10

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