Thursday, February 28, 2008


Course Maps: still a great tool for IDs and their clients. 

There has been discussion of ditching Course Maps for rapid e-learning projects. I can see why. It makes sense if it is an internal project, or derivative of previous work. 


However, I am still a fan. I am a big advocate of using them with 1) new clients, 2) complex learning paths, 3) branching interactions, or 4) when you simply need to get buy-in prior to committing time and energy to a new solution. 


In my mind, challenging yourself to tell the story (which I jokingly refer to as "the Hansel and Gretel") forces you to visualize your project completely from the learner's perspective. If you can't tell the story well, you probably have not designed a engaging course of learning. Producing and explaining course maps also helps your client form a mental and emotional image of the journey, prior to your completion of any storyboards or a prototype.

Tuesday, February 19, 2008















Creative versus Innovative versus Derivative

Lots of people talk about creating or providing "innovative" solutions. Few people create absolutely new ideas. Some actually innovate. Many more simply provide derivative products (copies of copies...).

We are living in an age when songs composed of samples from older songs are considered "new".  People craft movies from "borrowed" art and wholesale cut-and-paste images and text from other artists. It's a derivative environment, but not necessarily innovative or new.

On the surface, innovation may seem similar to derivation. After all, innovation means taking existing concepts and combining them in unique ways. There is a subtle, but meaningful difference. Here is one example of innovation at work.

I chose the ubiquitous iPhone as my example because it is one of many examples of how well-executed innovation quickly sets the standard. We know what innovation looks like, and how powerful the result can be, so the question is: why do we satisfy ourselves with derivative solutions, and not truly innovative ideas?

There are a three big reasons I can see. One, it's risky. Two, it takes time and effort, beyond the usual budget. Three, it's not just eye candy, but a working combination of many smaller, workable solutions. But still, the payoff is a solution that really charms and excites the user. 
I want to explore my own level of innovation (and derivation) in future posts. 

What do you see when you look at your work? 

Monday, February 11, 2008

Training 2008 - what a great conference this was!

Training 2008 is a nice-size combination of thought leaders, practical application, and strategic dialogue. Everything from HPI leaders like Judy Hale, researchers like Bryan Chapman, to corporate training presentations and vendor demonstrations.

One insight I had: the number of organizations and people who are new to (or just starting) e-learning. Learning new tools is a good thing, but a continued focus on the basics and practical experience is not a bad thing either...