E-learning ain't what it used to be

The interactive self-study lesson that we commonly refer to as an e-learning module has a very long history, going back to the late 1970s and the very first micro-computers. For close to forty years we have witnessed little change in the way these modules are designed, developed and displayed, even though the delivery channel has shifted from floppy disk to videodisc, from CD-ROM to the web browser. That is until now.

Let�s just remind ourselves of the traditional approach. E-learning modules have typically been designed according to a slide-show metaphor, with a fixed size window displaying a succession of frames containing multimedia elements and interactions. The learner makes progress through these frames in simple sequence or as a result of conditional branching depending on their responses to questions. The modules are developed using an �authoring tool� that sits on the developer�s computer and then delivered in finished form from some portable medium, such as a disk, or from an online platform such as a learning management system.

So how did the slide show metaphor originate? I suppose for anyone working in learning media prior to computers, then fixed size windows were the norm, whether we were talking pages in a book, overhead and 35mm transparencies, or video frames. E-learning was simply more of the same, with the extra sparkle of interactivity to provide the potential for non-linear progress through the frames. Similarly, the use of desktop tools to develop e-learning would have been an extension of traditional practice as would the convention of delivering a finished product to an LMS. Business as usual.

Which sort of made sense before the World Wide Web. Web pages, as we all know, do not have fixed widths or heights. They are as wide as the user�s browser window (which typically depends on the device being used) and as long as is necessary � the user simply keeps scrolling down until the bottom of the page. This highly flexible approach has worked so brilliantly that now more than three billion people around the world navigate information in this way with ease. Finally, 25 years after Sir Tim Berners Lee launched the World Wide Web, the e-learning community has woken up to this reality. People want to access learning materials in the same flexible ways in which they access all other online information.

They would also like their learning materials to display a little intelligence, just like Amazon, Google, Facebook and all their other favourite sites � and by this they mean that they want to be recognised as an individual. Just about every page of every major web site is composed on the fly in response to user interaction, not prepared in advance in a one-size-fits-all fashion. That�s how you get recommendations, notifications, help and advice, gamification, discussions and all those other useful things. So why are e-learning modules zipped up into a package and uploaded to an LMS in the same way we might have sent a book off to be printed hundreds of years ago. All this makes no sense in an online world.

Which brings us to the way that the modules are created in the first place. No web site is developed offline using a desktop application any more. Yes, that�s right, none. And that�s because web sites need to be updated at a moment�s notice; they are also the work of teams of people who need to work together collaboratively from remote locations. You can only do that online. The e-learning world has to think similarly. Looking forward, the only sensible way to develop e-learning modules is online, not with desktop tools like Storyline, Captivate and Lectora but with new tools, some from the same vendors and some from unexpected new sources.

Yes, e-learning is finally catching up with the World Wide Web. The self-study materials of the future will be responsive to the capabilities of different devices, more often than not they will scroll rather than flip from frame to frame, they will be created online and delivered dynamically to ensure an individualised experience. All of this is already happening, of course, but 2018 might finally see us kiss goodbye to the slide-show metaphor once and for all.

Adding the human touch to digital learning content

Learning is a very human experience. To learn successfully, it requires us as human beings to exchange information, give and receive feedback, share perspectives, engage together in practical activities, support each other through the bad times and get together to celebrate our successes. People need people.

According to Dr John Medina, 'Our ability to learn has deep roots in relationships. Our learning performance may be deeply affected by the emotional environment in which the learning takes place.� The foundation for a good relationship is a teacher or trainer � or writer of learning content � who is credible with learners. This person needs to be friendly and show respect for learners while at the same time setting high standards and exhibiting confidence in the ability of learners to achieve great things. In short: 'Relationships matter when attempting to teach human beings.�

In an ideal world, we would probably provide personalised support for every learner, but this gets more and more unrealistic as online learning groups get larger. We need to find ways to retain that essential human quality to the learning experience even when we have a great many learners.

One way we can all do that is through the content that we provide to learners � the videos, the podcasts, the self-study materials and the job aids. It is easy to see these as impersonal �corporate� resources but they don�t have to be like that. Content is just another way of connecting �teachers� with �learners�.

The best content provides no barrier to this connection. Just like when you read a great book � you�re not interacting with paper, you�re participating in a storytelling experience. That�s why videos are so popular in online courses � they provide that all too important �teacher presence�. But interactive content and reference materials can achieve similar results.

Professor Richard Mayer�s 'personalisation principle� holds that you will achieve better results with multimedia learning content when you adopt a friendly, conversational tone, a phenomenon which he attributes to the fact that this more closely resembles a person-to-person interaction. Text that uses a formal, impersonal, third-person style tends to make the author seem invisible, whereas the use of first-person narrative makes each student feel as through the teacher is communicating directly with them.

Learning designer Cathy Moore has long railed against what she calls �corporate drone�, a formalised style used often in workplace learning materials, which comes over as impersonal, lacking in authenticity and un-engaging. Like Richard Mayer, she argues that when you write learning content in a conversational style, there is a greater chance that the learner will react to the content as they would to a real teacher; in effect, the teacher communicates to them personally through the medium of the computer, much as they would face-to-face or through the pages of a book.

Professors Clifford Nass and Byron Reeves argue that our interactions with computers are fundamentally social and natural, just like interactions in real life. We respond emotionally to the human characteristics exhibited by on-screen text and voiceover. Even though we know very well at an intellectual level that we are only interacting with software and not directly with a real person, emotionally it matters to us whether the software communicates with us in a polite and friendly manner. Similarly, Mayer found that people learn better from a human voiceover, rather than one synthesised by a computer, further emphasising our desire for a more human relationship with our virtual teacher.

With the increasing focus on artificial intelligence (AI), we might be led to believe that the human touch is becoming less of a necessity but the only difference with AI is that we don�t have as great a need for real, human teachers to give their time to individual students. The tone adopted by an AI environment still needs to be friendly and encouraging and, of course, every phrase employed by an AI interface has been input at some point by a real person. He or she would be well advised to remember that learners want to be treated with humanity.

The changing skill set of the learning professional

Skills define us. They are what make us useful and productive. They are the foundation of our achievements. On our death bed, it is our skills that we will reflect on with pride.

These could be physical skills � our ability to knit jumpers, drive vehicles, perform gymnastics, play the violin, cook tasty food, swim or make beautiful furniture. They could be social � our ability to make good conversation, present to an audience, flirt with the opposite sex, negotiate deals or handle customer complaints. Or they could be cognitive � our ability to write poetry, perform mental arithmetic, fix faulty equipment, solve crossword puzzles or program computers. Yes, skills are what make us what we are.

�What we are� is constantly changing as we continue to develop our existing skills and take on new challenges to respond to a changing world around us. Learning professionals are no different. Perhaps more than ever before, we need new skills to respond to the developing expectations of both employees and our key stakeholders, and to take advantage of the fantastic opportunities afforded by technology.

What's changing?

It comes as a surprise to no-one that learning professionals are operating in a very different world to those of a generation ago. I�d like to highlight four changes in particular that impact heavily on the skill set of the learning professional.

Change 1: From events to processes: It is, of course, still commonplace for learning solutions to be delivered in a single hit, whether in the classroom or as a piece of interactive content. However, there is a much greater realisation of the inadequacies of this approach, as new learning achieved in this form is rarely properly consolidated and is liable to rapid decline.

Blended solutions, with ingredients that are distributed over time and properly embedded in work performance, are much more likely to achieve success. Rather than delivering events, learning professionals will increasingly be establishing processes that blur the distinction between formal and informal learning.

Change 2: From face-to-face to remote: There is no doubt that a face-to-face learning experience has the potential to be more engaging and more memorable than something similar experienced online. Not convinced? Just think back to those big sporting, musical or theatrical events when you were they on the day � we bet they stick in the memory.

But on a day-to-day basis we don�t always have the luxury of being there in the flesh. Learning is an everyday experience that we can routinely participate in remotely, typically online and, more often than not, through mobile devices.

Digital learning, in all its forms, requires new skills of the learning professional. And let�s remember there can be no such thing as a technophobic professional, in any field you can imagine.

Change 3: From dependency to empowerment: Historically, learning professionals everywhere have wished for a time when learners could take a greater responsibility for their own development. Over the last few years, as people almost everywhere have gained near-instant, every day, any place access to mountains of information, they have got used to the idea that learning is something you just do as it pleases you, without reference to their employers or to �teachers�.

This is what we always wanted. Now it has happened we�re maybe not so sure how to cope with the change. Empowered learners enjoy being in control; they expect quick solutions to their problems; they don�t take any one person�s opinion as gospel; and they realise that everyone, including them, is now a teacher as well as a learner. The days of the �sage on the stage� seem numbered.

Change 4: From same time to own time: All through history, humans have been busily devising ever more ingenious ways to communicate both at the same time (face-to-face, on the telephone, through TV and radio, using Skype, web conferencing and so on) and in their own time (through drawings, signs, mail, print, tapes, discs, downloads, streaming, web sites and much more). Although education and training has employed both options, the overwhelming majority of learning experiences has been live, whether on the job or in a classroom.

Learning in real time has advantages: it is energising, immediate and social. It is also difficult to organise, inflexible and hard to scale. We have so many tools now to support learning in your own time, as and when it suits learners, that the balance has started to shift. The best blends will still include live experiences, face-to-face or online, but most of the time learners will be firmly in control of their schedule. And that changes things for us, as learning professionals, as much as it benefits learners.

Three essential skill areas

The changes I have described above influence the skill set of learning professionals in interesting ways. Some skills have and always will be important, some remain but are de-emphasised to some degree, others are very new.

The analysis that follows defines three skill areas, each encompassing four roles. This method of categorisation is not so important. What matters is the new picture it paints of the world of the learning professional. Note that I am not suggesting that everyone working in the profession needs all these skills � some will generalise while others specialise.

Interacting with stakeholders

Architect: The learning architect looks at the big picture, fashioning an environment for a given population in which learning can prosper in all its contexts � formal, non-formal, on-demand or experiential. The learning architect puts in place the policies, budgets, tools and technologies that enable learning from the top down and the bottom up.

Analyst: When the client calls asking for help, you might go into sales mode and sharpen your order-taking pencil, but sales is not your profession, remember? As a trusted consultant, you analyse the cause of any performance problems and come up with the solution that meets the client�s needs. Often that solution will not be the one the client had in mind when they put in the call.

Manager: Getting a solution to market requires a great deal of care and attention. The learning professional will frequently find themselves in the role of project manager, bringing together a wide range of specialists to design, develop and deliver a solution. And all too frequently they must function as change manager, dealing with concerns that stakeholders will inevitably have when your solutions look increasingly different from those you suggested in the past.

Evaluator: The consultant cannot hope to obtain long-term credibility if the only way they can validate their work is in terms of happy learners. We know we must do better at evaluation. If things are going to change, we have no choice but to develop our business skills.

Interacting with learners

Traditionally, this is an area of strength for the learning professional. But while our legacy skills remain important, there�s a definite shift from trainer-centred techniques to those that put the learner at the centre.

Expert: The idea of experts presenting what they know to novices still has a place but expect this process to be packaged up on videos and other media. Yes, you�ll be a great help in answering technical questions but don�t plan your career on the basis that you�ll be needed primarily as a lecturer.

Instructor: Instruction is definitely not going away, whether the goal is to impart essential knowledge or to help novices acquire critical skills. But much of this work will be taken over by interactive software, particularly as this becomes more intelligent and adaptive.

Facilitator: As you move from sage on the stage to guide on the side, your role in workshops and other group learning experiences becomes more facilitative. This role will already be familiar to those delivering soft skills, but for those who are more accustomed to answering questions than asking them this is a big step.

Coach: The important role of the coach is already widely recognised. The skills of the coach become even more vital as learners take more control of their destinies and learning journeys become longer and more embedded in the workplace.

Interacting with media

This is perhaps the area in which most learning professionals are least comfortable. True, some have always been at home developing slides and handouts, but that was before the YouTube era and the ubiquitous role that digital content plays in modern life.

Journalist: This one may surprise you and this skill may never become widespread but some learning professionals are thriving by taking on the role of journalists within their specialist fields. Perhaps they maintain a blog, interview experts for podcasts or put out video commentaries on hot topics. Whichever medium they choose, if they can communicate well they have the potential to provide a really valuable service.

Designer: Many people are already employed as specialist designers of learning content, whether for e-learning, video, games or a myriad of other media. But we are short of these people and will need many more to meet the demand, not just at the top, �Hollywood� level, but to design the �good enough� solutions that meet everyday needs rapidly.

Producer: You might think we�re entering the realm of the expert here, but not all graphic design, audio and video production, and e-learning development needs to be carried out by full-time specialists. Media production skills have always been useful nice-to-haves but they may just be becoming core competencies.

Curator: We end with another curious role for the learning professional. Just like the curator in a museum selects from thousands of artefacts to compose an exhibition designed to meet the needs of a specific audience, the content curator draws upon the wealth of information and people that could be valuable to their learners and suggests where they should start.

Skills are not everything

Of course, we cannot function to the best of our ability with skills alone. Our actions need to be based on solid research and an awareness of what is happening in the world around us. Yes, knowledge does have its place, at very least the knowledge of where to look or who to ask.

Evidence-based principles: We have done a terrible disservice to our teachers and trainers by introducing them to so much pseudoscientific nonsense masquerading as theory. The learning professional can only act skilfully if they are conversant with the hard evidence about teaching and learning.

The latest tools and technologies: There can be no such thing as a techno-phobic professional. While we should never be led by tools and technologies, we would be negligent if we were to remain ignorant of what�s possible.

Current best practice: The work of academics and other researchers can take us a long way, but so can a keen interest in the successes and failures of our fellow professionals. Looking beyond our own organisations to seek out best practice we can considerably shortcut our own journeys.

It's time to begin your skills journey

Imagine a new development programme designed from the ground up with one aim in mind. To provide you with the skills and the confidence you need to fulfil your potential as a modern learning professional; a programme that focuses entirely on what is relevant and practical but which is founded on the very latest research.

Imagine a programme that gave you the flexibility to learn just what you need, when and where you want. But which provides you with the support you need to take your skills to the next level.

Skills Journey is that programme. Designed to support the changing skill set of the learning professional; providing you with the confidence to interact professionally with key stakeholders, learners and new media.

Perhaps it�s time to begin your skills journey.

Why micro-learning works for me

Over the past twelve months, micro-learning has quietly worked itself into my daily routine. Absolutely every day (I�m on a 360-day streak), I practise my French using the Duolingo app. Not quite so often (because it takes a lot of concentration), but still regularly, I do brain training using Peak. And the latest addition is KnowFast, which sends me a daily learning video covering anything from history to science to cookery.

The sum total time commitment for these three apps is probably around 10 minutes a day, which is not inconsiderable but, because I can access them on mobile devices, means there is nearly always the opportunity. And if the task slips my memory, I get nagging notifications on my Apple Watch.
So yes, I�m sort of hooked. But what effect is micro-learning having in terms of longer-term learning? Well, Duolingo is definitely improving my French vocabulary and grammar, although I�m short on conversation practice � something I will be remedying with numerous trips to France for a current project. Peak may not be making me cleverer but is definitely improving my ability to do brain training exercises. KnowFast is entertaining and informative but, because none of the knowledge is rehearsed, almost all evaporates immediately.

What this modest amount of experience tells me is that micro-learning does not in itself guarantee effectiveness (which is true of just about all media). Success depends on how well you apply long-standing learning and teaching principles, and make sure that important knowledge and skills are reinforced on many occasions over a period of time.

What my experience is also showing me is the power of gamification and constant reminders. With Duolingo and Peak I�m looking to move up the levels and maintain my streaks. With KnowFast, I want to dismiss the reminders having obtained my daily fix.

There are many definitions of micro-learning but they all seem problematic to me, limiting the idea unnecessarily. For me, the essential point is that a micro-learning experience is short, whether or not it is regular and regardless of who is in control of what the learner learns and how.

Long before the micro-learning term was coined, the practice was widespread, almost ubiquitous. Who does not watch videos on YouTube to see a demonstration of how to do something or an explanation of how something works? Who does not read web articles, blogs, forum posts and wiki pages to obtain factual information? We have been sold on micro-learning for some time.

What we have now are more commercial micro-learning services, in many cases bundling up mini-lessons into short courses. For some time we have had the Khan Academy covering maths and Lynda.com providing tech skills. Now we have more general portals allowing teachers to connect with learners across all sorts of subjects. So there is curious.com, with 13,000 lessons from 1500 teachers; coursmos, with 50,000 videos organised into 11,000 courses; and Highbrow, which will email you 5-minute lessons displayed as text and graphics.

I don�t personally see micro-learning as evidence of shorter attention spans as is sometimes claimed. We have never liked being bombarded with lots of new information and for good reason � it doesn�t work, at least when you�re a novice. Small chunks of information, delivered as and when needed, are clearly more useful. But we are perfectly capable of concentrating for hours on end when faced with compelling stories and problem-solving challenges. Learning can be highly successful in chunks of hours and days, but not when it is an information dump.

So we know micro-learning is likely to be a popular personal choice outside work, but where does it fit in the workplace? Well, it is unlikely that, on its own, it is going to provide someone with the skills, insights and confidence needed to perform to a high level in their work. But it certainly can satisfy needs for additional personal development and fill in all the gaps left after basic training. It can also fit into blended solutions, either as preparation for practical application or as on-going follow-up.

What does micro-learning mean to the e-learning industry? It is certainly disruptive, because it obviously requires much tighter editing and really good writing. It is also heavily video focused, and video has not been the medium of choice for most e-learning designers. What�s more, it benefits from gamification and a degree of artificial intelligence, which places a strain on software engineering. But it is what learners want and it will make a valuable contribution to an organisation�s learning strategy, so ignore it at your peril.

Skills: The last frontier for digital learning

I�ll cut straight to the point. To most learners and most learning professionals, digital learning is a way to meet requirements for knowledge. Even in its most contemporary forms � responsive, massive, open, mobile, point-of-need, video-based and gamified � the priority is still knowledge, whether that is of facts, concepts, principles, processes, rules, procedures or spatial positioning.

There is nothing wrong with knowledge per se � we all need a certain amount of it just to get by as human beings. We particularly need it � however temporarily � to pass examinations and thereby gain entry into colleges and our first careers. Beyond that, knowledge is useful in that it provides us with perspectives on the modern world and helps us to understand how it all ticks.

But knowledge is less important than it once was. Beyond the basics � vocabulary, times tables and the like � the knowledge we really need is what helps us to make sensible use of information. And information is what just about everyone with access to technology now gets as and when they need it from computers, particularly those in their pockets.

Ignoring this reality, far too many of our formal courses � digital, face-to-face or blended � are still weighed down with knowledge objectives when most of these objectives would be better met with reference materials. Reducing the knowledge burden would allow us to concentrate on the real purpose of training in the workplace � developing skills.

Skills define us. They are what make us useful and productive. They are the foundation of our achievements. On our death bed, it is our skills that we will reflect on with pride. These could be psychomotor skills � our ability to knit jumpers, drive vehicles, perform gymnastics, play the violin, cook tasty food, swim or make beautiful furniture. They could be social � our ability to make good conversation, present to an audience, flirt with the opposite sex, negotiate deals or handle customer complaints. Or they could be cognitive � our ability to write poetry, perform mental arithmetic, fix faulty equipment, solve crossword puzzles or program computers. Yes, skills are what make us what we are.

As everyone knows, skills do not come easily. They do require some foundational knowledge, but most of all they depend on deliberate practice over a prolonged period, based on a clear idea of what good looks like and supported by regular, informed feedback. A good face-to-face course will provide many of these features but for nowhere near long enough for the skill to become embedded and for the learner to gain the confidence required to learn independently. With digital courses, we have the potential to prolong the experience, but more often than not we don�t even try.

There are notable exceptions: simulators allow for repetitive skills practice in highly specialised areas such as surgery or flying a plane; apps such as Duolingo allow for daily rehearsal of language skills; sites such as the Khan Academy allow you to practise maths; Code Academy does the same for programming. But these are sophisticated applications requiring a great deal of bespoke development. Perhaps because of this, most corporate digital learning does not even venture in this direction.
Yes, it would be nice to be able to invest millions on skills development software but for many of us that will be out of reach. But that should not put you off because there is so much you can do to support skills practice without the benefit of sophisticated simulators and artificial intelligence-driven coaches.

First off, increase the number of practice activities that you provide as part of your formal courses. Instead of one scenario, offer many, distributed over time and of increasing difficulty.

If you can, use your interactive software to provide helpful feedback to the learner which will enable them to do better next time. If that is not possible, because the skill cannot be practised on a computer or it is not possible for the computer to provide meaningful feedback, provide a means for learners to get feedback from a coach or from peers. This could happen face-to-face but online we can really open up the opportunities. How about live practice on Skype? Or have the learner video their skills practice and upload it for review.

One of the reason I�m so passionate about blends is because they allow us to support the learner along their entire skills journey, formally and informally, digitally and face-to-face. OK, so this is harder than putting together a stand-alone classroom or e-learning course but the results are worth it. What�s more important � a vain attempt at cramming knowledge, or a sustained programme of skills development resulting in a transformed human being? I know what I would go for.

The four responsibilities of the learning professional

I have been lucky in my job to spend time with many hundreds of learning and development practitioners over the past ten years or so, in all sectors of the economy and in all parts of the world.

Almost without exception I find them to be enthusiastic, friendly and determined to do the best possible job.

Just as consistently, it is apparent that they experience a major obstacle to achieving their goals and providing the best possible service to their organisations. In their interactions with key stakeholders they are not afforded the respect upon which their credibility as true professionals depends. They are simply not trusted as they should be to apply their technical expertise in solving problems that in practice are beyond the reach of the lay person.

Let�s take an example �

What would you do?

Your internal client, a long-serving, senior manager, calls you in for a meeting. He is looking for a training programme to ease the upcoming transition from Microsoft Office to Google Apps.

He suggests a suite of e-learning modules to cover each of the apps in the suite, along with an option of classroom training for those who still prefer this approach. He would like you to go off and work up a proposal with a budget and schedule.

This would not be your favoured strategy for addressing the situation. What would you do?

What it means to be a professional

To be a professional means a lot more than simply doing whatever the client wants. You wouldn't hire an interior designer only to inform them that you've already chosen all the colour schemes and furnishings; you wouldn't engage an accountant and then explain to them the way your figures should be processed (unless of course you worked at Enron); you wouldn't employ a fitness trainer and then tell them what to include in your workout; and you wouldn't buy a dog and then insist that you do all the barking.

So why, then, do we continue to encounter situations in which line managers tell the guys from L&D exactly what they want in terms of learning interventions, with the expectation that they'll simply take these instructions and run with them? You'd like a six-hour e-learning package to train customer service staff to sell over the telephone? A two-day workshop to teach every detail of a new company system to all employees, regardless of whether or not they will be using it? A one-hour podcast to teach manual handling skills? No problem. That's what we're here for, to meet your requirements.

Hang on a minute, you�re probably thinking. This isn't an encounter between a professional and a client, it's simply order taking.

When asked to jump, a professional does not ask 'how high?'. They say, 'Let's talk about this a little, because jumping may not be the best solution for you in this situation.' And if this tactic doesn't work and the professional is told in no uncertain terms that jumping is the only acceptable option, then he or she has two choices: either they resign and get another job where their role as a professional is properly valued; or they agree to go ahead, but only after having expressed quite clearly in writing that jumping is against their best advice.

Learning and development isn't common sense; it isn't intuitive. If it was then experts wouldn't lecture at novices for hours on end; they wouldn't insist on passing on everything they know, however irrelevant, however incomprehensible. That's why we have learning professionals, so they can explain, in terms that the lay person can clearly understand, how people acquire knowledge, develop skills and adapt to new ideas, and how best to support this process. If the customer doesn't hear this advice, they will assume that the people in L&D are just the builders, not the architects; and, if no-one seems to be offering their services as architect, they'll take on the task for themselves.

Doing no harm to learners

One of the key differences between professions and other forms of occupation is the fact that professionals are bound by ethical codes. If they contravene these codes they are liable to be disbarred from their profession. Doctors sign a Hippocratic oath which binds them to do no harm to their patients. Their patients� interests take priority over those of any body which employs them or their own opportunities to make financial gains. Now we all know that, in practice, some doctors, lawyers, bankers, accountants and other professionals do break this trust and put themselves first, but generally we are shocked when this happens and expect the transgression to be dealt with firmly.

As those responsible for managing the learning of adults in the workplace, we also like to be regarded as professionals. But you don�t become a professional just by calling yourself one. You have important responsibilities, not only to your clients but also to your learners. Doing no harm to your learners means that you don�t frazzle them with too much content, you don�t bore them, embarrass them or try to sell them quack remedies.

Your colleagues need you to

Every time you act as an order taker rather than a consultant, you are letting down the whole profession. Every time you develop or deliver content without question as to its efficacy you are doing the same. Every time you promote a now discredited theory, you are doing even more damage � you are not only risking the whole profession being seen as quacks and new age romantics, you may well be harming learners.

To put it bluntly, every time you behave unprofessionally, you reinforce undesirable stereotypes and make it much harder for your colleagues to fulfil their roles as professionals.

You are important too

Professional skills take time to master. To be cynical, you might say that if a doctor claimed they were ready to practice having just completed a five-day course you�d be horrified; if your electrician said they were happy to re-wire your house having attended a webinar you�d be equally astounded; but if your instructor said they were fully-equipped having attended a three-day train-the-trainer you wouldn�t be surprised at all.
Take the example of an architect. How could they function without keeping up-to-date with the latest building techniques, legislation, materials, and developments in electrics, plumbing and lighting? Imagine a dentist who wasn�t aware of the latest treatments and equipment? They would soon be unable to provide an adequate service and would rightly ushered out of the profession.
The idea of a technophobic architect or dentist seems ridiculous, and yet with learning professionals it is somehow the norm. And yet it takes as long to become an effective learning consultant, designer or facilitator as it does to become a skilled professional or craftsperson in other fields. Your success depends on a long apprenticeship and the most open of minds.

In summary: our four responsibilities

1

As a learning professional I have a responsibility to my client to help them to achieve their goals for employee performance. Doing the best for my client will often mean suggesting a solution other than the one requested. Sometimes it will mean recommending something other than a learning intervention.

2

As a learning professional I have a responsibility to the learners who participate in any learning intervention that I conceive or facilitate. I want these learners to be inspired and grow in confidence. I want to help them achieve their own goals for personal development. I want to do them no harm, by boring them, overwhelming them, embarrassing them or peddling them untested remedies.

3

As a learning professional I have a responsibility to my fellow professionals to uphold the ethics and standards of my profession, and to do nothing that would damage our collective credibility. In the work that I carry out, I want to enhance the reputation of learning professionals as trusted consultants and skilled practitioners; as people who can be relied on to put the interests of their clients and their learners first.

4

Finally, as a learning professional, I have a responsibility to myself to make sure I am fully up-to-date with current best practice and evidence-based learning theory, that I am constantly reflecting upon and looking to improve my skills, and that I am conversant with the latest technologies that could enhance learning in terms of its effectiveness or efficiency.

How you can help

If you agree with me about the importance of the four responsibilities, I encourage you to go to the four responsibilities website where you can indicate your support. Working together we can do something positive to lift the status of learning professionals around the world and, as a result, exert a much greater influence on the organisations that we represent.

http://four-responsibilities.org

Time for a clearout of urban myths

At the time of writing, I am on my to speak at the  eLearning Network�s annual conference in London. While I am looking forward to sharing my views on how learning and development professionals need to skill up to meet new challenges and to take advantage of new opportunities, I am enthusiastic to hear from the other keynote speaker, Pedro De Bruyckere, co-author, with Paul Kirschner and Casper Hulshof, of Urban Myths about Learning and Education.

The learning and development world seems to be inhabited by rationalists and romantics, with a distinct leaning towards the latter. I characterise them as typefaces. While the rationalists are analogous to Times New Roman, sensible but uninspiring, the romantics remind of Comic Sans, cuddly but daft as a brush. As a liberal sort of person, I should be really happy to see such diversity, but I�m really not sure that romanticism is such a good strategy to hold when you belong to a profession that people look to for advice and inspiration. After all, would you not be just a little un-nerved if your doctor prescribed you a herbal remedy, or taken aback to discover that an astronomer ordered his life around the predictions of astrology?

Of course I am exaggerating. Most learning and development people are sensible enough and want to do the best job possible, but their own teachers on train-the-trainer courses have provided them with totally inappropriate tools with which to understand the world of adult learning. Yes, I�m talking about learning styles, NLP, MBTI, 70-20-10, Dale�s Cone of Experience and much more. Now some of these have some groundings in genuine research and have simply been misinterpreted and miscommunicated over the years, some have been offered up as legitimate theories but been since been discredited, and some are just somebody�s opinion (which is not a problem unless you start to treat it as some sort of universal truth).

To discredit a widely-held and much-loved myth does not make you popular. It makes you a party pooper, like someone who pronounces themselves an atheist at a funeral, warns of a house price bubble or tells you that bacon is bad for you. And there are times when it is better to keep these views to yourself. However, working as a professional is not one of those times. A true professional is always looking for evidence that will better enable them to provide an effective service to their clients, even when that sometimes means giving up on an idea that you�ve taken to heart.

Suggested reading for myth busters and other rationalists:

Evidence-Based Training Methods, 2nd Edition by Ruth Clark (ATD Press, 2014)

Visible Learning and the Science of How We Learn by John Hattie and Gregory Yates (Routledge, 2003)

Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning by Peter Brown and Henry Roediger (Harvard University Press, 2014)

Urban Myths about Learning and Education by Pedro de Bruyckere, Paul Kirschner and Casper Hulshof (Academic Press, 2015)

Design for How People Learn by Julie Dirksen (New Riders, 2015)

The Debunker Club