National VET E-learning Strategy - Strategies for adopting e-learning

Strategies for adopting e-learning
With Janice Calcei, Western Australian E-learning Coordinator

There are an abundance of e-learning resources available to help you get started with e-learning. With so many options how do you find the right resources for your needs? Here’s the advice I give to my clients who are looking to implement e-learning in their training.

Plan, plan, plan!

If you want to transfer some or all of your training to an e-learning mode, make an organisational commitment and do it thoroughly. Put some time into analysing your learners, planning and implementing the change, then reviewing and evaluating as you would do with any good training program. Some excellent planning tools can be found at:

Designing e-learning (in particular the Getting Started Tour)
E-learning for industry
Innovate and Integrate – Embedding Innovative Practice (Change Management)
The impact of e-learning champions on embedding e-learning (Picking the right people).

Simple is best

Start simple with what you know well, then build your course as you gain confidence and experience in the e-learning environment. It can be tricky to focus on what really matters as there is so much information out there about e-learning. Contact your local E-learning Coordinator who can give you support and advice on what to do to get started.

Build in interactivity (when you are confident)

The Designing e-learning gallery of strategies provides 51 strategies and activities you can use in your e-learning course. Interactivity (eg online quizzes, games and simulations) can make learning more interesting and engages learners with your course.

Social e-learning

Remember that your learners are human beings. Who would probably like to get to know you and the rest of the class. Make some communication tools (chat, messaging) available or include some icebreaker activities in your course. Some case studies of successful social e-learning can be found in the Guide to Social E-learning.

Be a good teacher

A key element in successful training is the teacher. The same applies in e-learning. Be available (within limits) to your learners, and be encouraging and supportive.

Be patient!

Typically, it take 6-12 months to adopt e-learning. As Ellen Goodman (American journalist and author, (1941) says: “I have never been especially impressed by the heroics of people who are convinced they are about to change the world. I am more awed by those who struggle to make one small difference after another.”

There is a Framework E-learning Coordinator located in every state and territory who can provide you with free, localised support in using and implementing e-learning. Support can include information about the latest Framework products, resources and support networks and assistance in implementing strategies to embed e-learning in your training organisation, business or industry.

Janice Calcei
Western Australian E-learning Coordinator

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Published on 18/03/2010

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