Sometimes, my trial balloons are like the Hindenburg – they float, and then they crash and burn.  This time, the idea I’d like to float might be crazy enough to work.

I have a short paper due for my IPT 525 course this Sunday.  The topic is on Performance-Based E-Learning with RLO’s. It’s been quite a while since I had to write an academic paper – for a grade no less.  Blogging has been my thing in recent years, but it occurred to me, “Why can’t I blog my way to the completion of this paper?”  Blogging comes naturally to me and it allows me to freely express my thoughts and ideas.  If this theory holds true, I can have this paper hammered out in no time, plus I have additional content to contribute to my blog.

Here’s the strategy for this week – 4 blog posts on 4 key points in my paper by this Friday or Saturday.  I then write the introduction and summary, cite my sources and then I’m done!

The topics you can look forward to this week are:

• Why even bother with e-learning – let alone why make it performance-based?
• To maximize performance and efficiency of development in e-learning, make use of RLO’s – better yet, what are they?
• What are some RLO strategies in e-learning?  We know about Cisco, but who else has strategies and can they be easily explained?
• What are the pro’s and con’s of applying RLO’s for information design and instructional design to improve learning and performance?

I’ve often wondered if this would be the best use of a blog while I participated in formal classes.  Let the experiment begin!

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Knowledge, to me, is the 50,000 foot view of experience and understanding that is essentially the life blood of an organization.  It is information in its raw form, information artifacts, documents, reports, etc.  As the paper indicates, effective knowledge management (KM) is a combination of organizational, social and managerial initiatives pulled together by a deployed technology solution.

A deployed technology solution is not necessarily a cure-all for rounding up knowledge in an organization, but it doesn’t hurt.  The objective of a KM solution is to transform knowledge from being tacit to explicit.  The explicit knowledge is housed and distributed via the KM solution.  Tacit knowledge is basically information known by people in an organization – facts, history, experience, etc.  Explicit knowledge is more tangible in the form of documents, audio, video or perhaps learning modules.

When we speak of KM solutions we are referring to learning management systems (LMS) and content management systems (CMS) – just to name a few.  With these tools, instruction or information can be delivered.  Whether the intent is to train or to inform the end result is the same – learning occurs.  When a body of knowledge isn’t known by an end-user, the new knowledge acquired is learned once it is applied in a useful manner.

KM solutions can be a great benefit to most organizations, but only if a strategy is developed prior to implementation.  You have to know what your objectives are and how you will manage the knowledge so it will be useful to end-users.

I’ve had experience with many organizations over the years that have attempted and currently apply KM solutions.  In future posts I’m sure I’ll provide some anecdotes to illustrate the pros and cons / successes and failures of KM in the workplace.  Unfortunately, there are more failures than successes and it is largely due to lack of strategy.

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When I was a student of the IPT program pursuing my Master’s from 1998-2000, all of my classes were on campus with the exception of two that I took online.  For the uninitiated, the difference between in-class instruction and online instruction is like night and day.  The instruction one receives and how it is delivered are distinctly clear.

My past experience with online instruction had mixed results.  One class was a pleasurable experience while the other was a disappointment, mostly due to how the instruction was delivered.  I already anticipate that my upcoming class will be a positive experience, yet challenging.  There will be many discussions to keep up with and my classmates seem to have wide, diverse backgrounds from which to draw upon and use to contribute to the content we’re being instructed on.

From my perspective, here are the fundamental aspects of in-class instruction versus online instruction:

In-Class Instruction

• The classes and most discussions seem to have a definite beginning and end to them.  Classes are generally once or twice a week and discussions among the instructor and the students are usually contained within the classroom forum.
• Visual cues (body language) is much easier to read in-person. Tone and inflections in voice are also clear.

Online Instruction

• Classes online are not necessarily bound by scheduling.  The instruction, if set up in an asynchronous manner, can be delivered and then consumed by the student any time.
• Discussions can carry on throughout the course of the class.  What was discussed at the beginning of the semester can be debated by students on up until the end.

As I write this I guess it is up to you, the reader, to determine if one form of instruction has more or less advantages over the other.  What I did find from my own past experience with online instruction and careful consideration going into the WELPS program was see if this form of instruction was right for me.  Based on my learning style and preferences, I would say it is.  I enjoy the flexibility online classes and forums offer and it allows me to leverage my technical skills to illustrate my thoughts and frees me to leverage technology to gain new knowledge and learn new skills.

If you would like to share your thoughts or experiences regarding online versus in-class instruction, I would like to read about them.  I think we could have a lively conversation that will be informative for everyone who reads this post.  Hopefully, they too will contribute their thoughts.

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