Rumors that the training course is dead have been circulating for the past few months. Bloggers everywhere speculate that the cause of death was high cost combined with poor results.

Jay Cross says:
“Upon close inspection, you find that courses themselves are not that effective. Only 10 percent to 15 percent of what is taught in a course transfers to the job. Courses have a miserable track record when it comes to changing behavior. The most common way of learning one’s job comes not from taking a course but from asking someone.”

But is there a possibility that these rumors about the death of the course have been greatly exaggerated?

I still see the course everywhere. Many of my clients still invest in classroom based learning solutions (courses, presentations, conferences etc.), and there is still a strong belief that much can be accomplished when you bring a group of people together in a room with a skilled facilitator.

Formal learning events seem especially appropriate to foundational learning (beginner’s courses, 101’s etc.), when learners are at the same starting point with the material (they know nothing or little).

Formal learning events also work well for executive leadership development initiatives. A formal course format forces busy executives to take some time away from work, and gives them a chance to network, brainstorm and form communities.

But the role of the course is changing. Most of my clients are moving away from isolated learning events (courses, conferences etc.) and moving towards an integrated blended learning program. The time spent in the classroom is being greatly reduced, while self service learning options are being added. There is also a strong trend towards providing opportunities to collaborate with and learn from colleagues both formally and informally. Learning is becoming more closely connected with work, and learning programs are becoming more personalized.

Both formal and informal. Perhaps the most effective learning programs are a combination of formal and informal learning. We can use formal learning to build the foundation; and use informal learning to contextualize and extend the foundational learning experience.

What do you think?
This question goes out to learning designers and consultants everywhere. In this era of Learning 2.0 (highly contextualized, personalized, just-in-time, workflow, on demand, self service, informal, community), what role does the training course play in an organizations training and development initiatives? Is the structured course still relevant or is it an endangered species?

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A recent membership survey from the Canadian Society for Training and Development listed the following as the top priority for workplace learning and performance practitioners:

Leadership and Development 70.7%

This is consistent with research findings from Bersin & Associates. A recent Bersin report listed leadership development as one of the top trends for 2007. From the report:

“Leadership development takes center stage - Research in 2006 showed leadership development and management training to be the highest area of program spending. Spending will likely be higher in 2007 as companies scramble to fill the leadership pipeline.”

For my clients, leadership development is now front and centre. The stakes are high, and results are demanded. The question now becomes: What will work in corporate leadership development?

Those of you that have been following my learning experiment with ChinesePod have seen that I have made some observations about what works for me as an adult learner. I think we can apply some of these principles to corporate leadership development programs:

1. Tailored program: I see a shift away from the one size fits all business school style courses towards more customized, personalized and contextualized learning.
Leadership development programs will increasingly blend best practices in instructor led training with leading edge action learning, e-learning, and virtual collaboration techniques. Leaders are looking for “Just What I Want” learning.

2. Learning at my own pace: Leaders need to be in control of when and how they learn. The design of a good leadership development program should provide flexibility for learners to determine their own pace.

3. Self Service: Leaders should be provided with a menu of learning options that they can access on a self service basis. This menu could include courseware, learning activities, job aids, archived audio and video presentations, manuals, PDF articles, self assessment tools and more.

4. One to one coaching and mentoring: I often hear from leaders I work with that they feel isolated. They find it difficult to discuss personal development issues with colleagues and co-workers. Working with a coach or a mentor will accelerate the leadership development process by providing access to positive and constructive dialogue about workplace leadership issues.

5. Community: A community of practice (CoP) refers to the process of social learning that occurs when people who have a common interest in some subject or problem collaborate over an extended period to share ideas, find solutions, and build innovations. An innovative leadership development program will finds ways to promote social networking amongst a cohort of leaders, and implement strategies that promote community building and collaboration.

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I am a few weeks into my study of Mandarin with ChinesePod. I feel like I am making progress, and am quite motivated to carry on. Here is what is working for me:

1. Tailored program: With the help of my ChinesePod counselor, Aggie, I have developed a personalized program of study. This is very important to me as I am not a newbie. I have studied Mandarin before so I am at an elementary level. There are hundreds of lessons to choose from at both the newbie and elementary levels, so I have put together a program that combines lessons from both levels.

2. Learning at my own pace: I work full time (more than full time!) and I am also a full time husband and father of 2 boys. I need to squeeze my study of Mandarin into the little spaces I find during the day. So I squeeze in my daily podcast when I am on the subway, having my lunch or cooking dinner. I have made a point to do it each day, and I am finding the time.

3. Self Service: The ChinesePod site has a number of features (dialogues, expansion activities, vocabulary builders etc) that I can access whenever I have the time. I can spend time doing the things that help me learn.

4. Telepractice: I receive a daily 10 minute phone call from Aggie, my ChinesePod counselor. I get the call at 10:00 pm Toronto time. Knowing that I will be talking to Aggie each evening is a real incentive to listen to the daily podcast and to prepare myself for the lesson. The one-to-one practice and feedback is becoming essential to the development of my oral skills.

5. Community: I am just beginning to explore the ChinesePod community. It is a real motivator to be connected to so many people with similar learning goals. Community members share experiences, tips, stories, and best practices.

So far so good. I will continue to update everyone as I move forward.

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Many of my clients are interested in moving away from isolated learning events (classroom training, conferences etc.) and moving towards an integrated blended learning program. When strategizing about a workable solution, the question often arises as to what constitutes a good “blend”.

There is no simple answer to this question. Each organization is unique, and what works in one organization will not necessarily work in another. To begin developing a customized blended learning program, I ask clients to work with the following “Blended Learning Recipe”

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Blended Learning Recipe

Step 1: Examine each of the menu items below.

Menu #1 Live In-Person
Instructor Led Classroom; Coaching and Mentoring; Conference; Presentation; Workshop; Lunch and Learn

Menu #2 Live Virtual
Instructor Led Classroom Web; Webcast; Conference Call; Skype Session; Video Conference; Web Chat

Menu #3 Virtual Collaboration
Web Discussion Forum; E-mail; Blogs; Wiki

Menu #4 Self-Paced
Courseware; Podcasts; Self Assessment Tools; Archived Webcasts; Job Aids; Referenceware; Books; Articles

Step 2: Select one learning activity from each of the 4 menus. Choose learning activities that work best with your people.

Step 3: Sequence the 4 learning activities in a way that makes good learning sense.

When the activity is completed you will have a customized blended learning program for your organization!

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Now, of course, it is not as simple as this. A lot of time and effort has to be out into linking learning activities to performace competencies, and to aligning learning goals with business objectives.

I use the “blended learning recipe” as a starting point towards developing a customized blended learning program for clients. It provokes a lot of discussion, and it helps to establish a framework for some of the decisions we will make.

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