September Meeting Recap

e-Learning: Lessons Learned from the Trenches-What Works, What Doesn’t and Why

On September 16, about a dozen SWO members spent 90 minutes in the e-learning trenches. It may be that there are no atheists in foxholes, but it is definitely true that there are no pure technologists in e-learning trenches. Practitioners hunker down in the trenches, blend technology with pedagogy and project management, and wrap the composite around cold hard reality. Then they tuck and cut and pin to fit.

Our speakers discussed three aspects of reality management in the trenches:

• Managing Clients – Chris Denman
  Effective client management–setting mutually agreed-upon expectations, establishing mutually respectful relationships, and producing mutually acceptable deliverables– is the sine qua non of an effective e-learning project; without it, you got nothing. For specifics, read Chris’ handout.
• Managing Workflow – Judy Harper
  Producing effective e-learning from a low-budget, high-speed development process is like producing good wine from grapes grown in the desert. It’s not easy and you don’t get Dom Perignon, but it can be done. Read Judy’s bad news/good news workflow scenarios for a more complete overview.
• Managing Communication – Sylvia Miller
  Comprehensive and open communication–among the project manager, the subject-matter experts, and the e-learning developers–saves time/money, minimizes stress, and produces better outcomes for learners. Read the rest of the story in the “hard-knocks” lessons that Sylvia generously shared with us.

As Thea promised in her meeting announcement, Sylvia, Chris, and Judy gave us the benefit of their experiences by sharing the stuff they know now that they wished they had know then.