domingo, 21 de março de 2010

point

1.1 Specifications that the e-Learning solution shall refer

Today “e-“learning” becomes one of the most up-to-date expressions. That is why it becomes very important to be aware of some didactical and technological aspects during the development process of any e-learning course. The strong expectations that high level technological tools will increase the quality of any e-learning course often follow to an underestimation of the educational objectives being set. The crucial dilemma is not about what technological tools are to be used during the development process of e-learning courses but how to design and plan an e-learning course that ensures the achievement of the educational objectives. All the e-learning related technologies advance very rapidly while the methodology on how to apply them drops behind. The didactical issues of e-learning can be split in two main directions: One considering the development of e-learning environments while the other attends to the development of learning content and implementation of e-learning courses. Nevertheless the European Committee underlines the necessity of pedagogically develop sound and practically useful standards and specifications. A modern e-learning environment not only has to offer the most recent technologies but it has to possess high level of usability also. In the didactical structure of more e-learning courses the educational objectives are described, but usually they are only described without a feed back with learning content and measurement of level of achievement of the set learning objectives. Technologies for education existed before the current ones. Most of the research on technology for education agrees on such findings as that the real potential of education cannot be found through a technological approach alone; the computer per se superimposed on traditional forms of teaching cannot improve the quality or productivity of teaching. The didactic advantages of the substrate offered by the media in contributing to and injecting enthusiasm into information, the simulation of micro-worlds, the transparency of the classroom walls allowing students to access information in any domain underline however, the lacunae in describing the pedagogic context in which the tools are to be used. The benefits for the use of technology should not be expected only inside the reduced cognitive sphere of knowledge. Despite the desired convergence between objectives, methods fostering learning and added-value use of ICT tools, one important element brought to light is the time and effort these in-depth reforms require. Experience shows that these changes from a traditional pedagogical mode to a new one, supported or not by technological tools, go through different phases: a phase of “assimilation” in which the new tools are used and a phase of “accommodation” in which the new tools find its particular domain. This movement between assimilation and accommodation demands time, effort, and a driving force. The availability of the tools and favourable circumstances such as the ones we have described here will not automatically lead to the reforms we have described. E-learning continues to grow at a tremendous and companies are springing up everywhere. The field is growing at an amazing rate and its standards have yet to be developed or even agreed upon. Training professionals who want to be seen as providing value to an organization must create programs that are tied to business problems and opportunities, and these links must be understood and supported by management. It is essential to link e-learning goals to business goals to ensure the ultimate success of the entire e-learning program. Without support from top management, an e-learning program will probably not survive. E-learning programs require significant resources for development and support and the cooperation of several departments within the organization. If the support from top management isn’t there, it needs to be developed. It is critical to include the IT department early in the development of an e-learning strategy. Often IT is not included until the actual implementation and this can lead to the failure of the e-learning program. The implementation of an e-learning program will require collaboration between the training department and the IT department. This collaboration will most likely be new to both departments, hence the need for establishing standards for working together considering that the standards should be established jointly, with both departments agreeing to expectations and roles. The courses to convert from traditional delivery methods to online delivery should be carefully chosen. The first courses must be successful to not endanger the entire program objectives and its further development and to achieve this one of the most important things is getting learners accustomed to technology if they are not already technically adept. One must start with a mall number of courses and create a plan for integrating e-learning into current training programs. The marketing on the other hand should include an introduction to the e-learning program, promoting it, and maintaining and increasing usage over time. Some ways to accomplish the marketing of e-learning program include the integration of e-learning programs into new employee orientation programs. Incorporating e-learning programs into employee development plans and performance improvement initiatives. Educating managers and supervisors about the program and how they can incorporate it in employee development and performance improvement. Using e-mail to promote e-learning and its benefits by promoting specific courses and providing information about the benefits of e-learning programs. Providing for recognition of employees who take e-learning courses. Evaluating e-learning programs in order to improve the areas that are weak.

Sem comentários:

Enviar um comentário