Digital, online, e-learning, gamification, are just words indicating the involvement of technology in the delivery of learning. And the involvement of technology tends to be scary for many learning and development professionals who don’t always feel comfortable with all things ‘techie’. IT Departments and Learning and Development Departments don’t tend to speak the same language and this can lead to distrust on both sides.
Focusing on learning objectives and outcomes, rather than the delivery mechanism, is what’s important. Making the technology work for you rather than being a slave to a mysterious and powerful ‘master’, means understanding what’s possible and finding ways to make things happen using the technology available to you. And that means working collaboratively and having a shared goal.
How often we come across organisations that can’t move forward with their plans because of a ‘problem’ with their Learning Management System! How frequently does the technology seem to block rather than enhance learning progress! It shouldn’t be like that – and it doesn’t need to be like that.
When we developed the WATCH & GO® video learning services and our StreamLearning™ delivery platform we set out to make it simple to use. The technology we use is clever and expert IT skills have been deployed in building and maintaining our services. But the technology doesn’t get in the way of what we want to deliver – simple, easy access to video streaming, with tracking and reporting facilities. So, when it comes to your online system, be very clear about what you want it to achieve and communicate that unambiguously to your IT experts. You both need to work towards that shared goal.