Contents of Elearning! Magazine - MAY-JUN 2012

Elearning! Magazine: Building Smarter Companies via Learning & Workplace Technologies.

Page 42 of 54

measuringlearning2.0
cent of learning is by default informal. Charles Jennings (2011), Managing
Director of Duntroon Associates, and a member of the Internet Time Alliance, indi- cates that cost and timeliness are driving organizations to adopt the 70:20:10 learning model. Not only are the costs of formal training high, but learning has to occur at the speed required by business. Knowledge must be delivered just in time for the learner to perform a task on the job. In 2009, KnowledgeAdvisors conducted
research on the types of informal learning that organizations pursue. Figure 1 shows the responses for four main categories of informal learning: mentoring and coach- ing, communities of practice, virtual knowledge sharing, and performance sup- port systems.
power of re-designing learning interventions and suggests that informal learning should no longer be serendipitous. Whether the learning is traditional or
informal, the link from learning to per- formance is key to assessing its benefits.
MEASURING THE BENEFITS OF LEARNING 2.0 Learning 2.0 organizations emerge when learners pull information from sources to solve problems rather than having infor- mation pushed to them. An organization benefits overall from the pull rather than push nature of Learning 2.0. Learning 2.0 development is:
>>relevant because it is self-guided; >>efficient because learners gather only what they need to do their jobs; and
Figure 1. Percentage of Respondents Whose Organizations Support Informal Learning 73%
56% 54% 46% 13%
Mentoring & Coaching
Communities of Practice
Source: KnowledgeAdvisors Jennings asserts that informal learning
cannot be managed. Each informal learner fundamentally self-manages. However, managers can encourage it by providing experiences and offering coaching to correct and encourage right performance. Informal learning is facilitated by context. If a manag- er provides training in the moment with support (e.g., job aids and coaching), learn- ing is more effective, faster and efficient. Alan Bellinger from the Learning and
Performance Institute in Coventry, England argues that "blended learning" should refer to a genuine blend of formal and informal learn- ing, and not merely to adding an e-learning element to a formal learning event. Having seen the 70:20:10 model applied across many organizations, Bellinger observes that the
40 May / June 2012 Elearning!
>>timely because the learners do not have to wait for the next available classroom course.
Virtual
Knowledge Sharing
Performance Support Systems
Other
complexity of Learning 2.0 content makes it difficult to measure its impact. In order to effectively measure the impact of Learning 2.0, L&D; practitioners need to
concentrate on three critical aspects: >>Defining the Scope of the Learning Components: Knowledge sources pro- liferate, from Google and SkillSoft's Books24x7 to just-in-time e-learning modules and communities of practice. Other informal learning elements con- sist of coaching and mentoring, social media, knowledge portals, electronic performance support systems, job aids, and on-the-job experience. In order to evaluate the impact of learning, it is essential to constrain, or a least define, the scope to a reasonable and measure- able set of content.
>>Measurement instruments: Measurement instruments vary sub- stantially including surveys, checklists, focus groups, key person interviews, and web analytics. What instruments are best for gathering information for each of the various components? It depends fully on the components of learning that are consumed.
>>Timing: Learning 2.0 doesn't occur on a schedule. Rather it happens at the point of need throughout the work week. Evaluators must determine when to intervene with measurement instru- ments. What is the best time in the learning cycle to reach out to the learn- er to gather insights? Should the learn- er who reads a book on Books24x7 receive a survey every time she reads a summary? When should a learner be surveyed for using a web portal or a community of practice?
Not only are the costs of formal
training high, but learning has to occur at the speed required by business.
An organization optimizes these benefits
by using the right technology tools (e.g., LMS, knowledge portal, elearning system, etc.) to make learning more efficient, prac- tical and repeatable. But the vastness and
When measuring the impact of Learning
2.0, the instruments must match the scope and timing of the learning that occurs. For example, if a knowledge portal is a key component of the learning, then web ana-