3 – Minute eLearning
I have read and re-read 3 – Minute eLearning by Ray Jimenez several times and have to say I think Ray has the right idea. Rapid development of eLearning content may not be a new idea but it is certainly not an idea that has been widely accepted. At its core is a basic application of common sense rules where the instructor and designer work together to identify the “must learns” in the course content and then develop materials around these core objectives.
Some would say that this is not a new idea, just the same old objective based learning that we have been doing for years. Ray puts a new spin on this by pointing out that learning has application points. Put simply there is a point in the content where the learner “gets” it and this application point may be different for every student. Since the online learner has a much higher level of control than the student in the face-to-face class, they can choose how and where they will enter and leave the learning. The point here is that in the online environment, when the student gets it they tend to move on to the next application point; in the classroom the instructor has a higher level of control over the learning sequences.
Where the classroom model looks very linear–sort of like a steady stream of learning–the online learning model has a more non-linear look to it. In the classroom, for example, you could not ask the professor to start from the end of his lecture and work forward but it may be possible for the online learner to do just that. The online learner has the ability to approach the content in more non-linear ways; this may allow them to reach the application points more easily. My thinking here is not a non-linear teaching model but one that looks sort of like a cone.
The “must learns” come first and then the content broadens with depth and detail as the student works deeper into the learning module. This broadening could include a wide range of learning content that would take the learner further into the details of the “must learns.” At some point the student will reach the application point for this learning module–the moment when they “get” it.
For many of the faculty I work with, the use of “must learns” and application points is a foreign concept for them. Even faculty who write clear and concise learning objectives for their learning modules tend to teach the content in big indigestible slugs of linear teaching. The students become inundated and overwhelmed with too much extraneous learning. When I ask faculty if we can pare down the content or at least structure and sequence the learning to allow the students to better digest the sheer volume of learning, they will counter with, “It’s all important and all of it must be covered with the same intensity”.
3 – Minute eLearning is really about how to structure eLearning by taking into account how people learn online. Ray has added several activities and worksheets in his book that help facilitate this process. This common sense approach to online course development resonates with me. I have been watching students work their way through online course content for ten years now and believe that Ray is correct that learners apply online content in a way that best fits their own learning. It would make sense to design courses that would allow for this. I have synthesized some of the ideas from Ray’s book into my basic course design work flow. In later blog postings I will go into more detail on how to apply this rapid eLearning process.
There is also a Rapid eLearning Blog if you would like to learn more.
