E-Learner Competencies

By P. Daniel Birch

Training managers and online courseware designers agree that e-learning isn't
appropriate for every topic. But e-learning also may not be the right fit for all types of
learners. Here are some of the behaviors of a successful e-learner. Do you have them?

Much has been said about the impact e-learning has on content developers, trainers, and
training managers. When the conversation turns to learners, attention focuses on the
benefits of less travel and fewer hours spent away from jobs. However, those issues don't
create an entire picture of how e-learning affects participants.

The education needs to take a closer look at how learning behaviors might adapt in an
online environment. In other words, how do the skills that serve learners well in a
classroom or during on-the-job learning translate to self-paced and virtual collaboration
learning experiences? Do learners need new competencies? Will an organization find that
some of its employees have e-learning disabilities?

In general, three major factors influence an e-learner's success:

• management of the learning environment (self-directive competencies)

• interaction with the learning content (metacognitive competencies)
• interaction with virtual learning facilitators and classmates (collaboration
competencies).

Self-directive competencies

Self-advocacy. Managing the learning environment starts with self-advocacy, which

means that learners decide whether the information being conveyed is something that
they need to learn. Faced with a large catalog of training solutions, an e-learner must be
able to identify and prioritize his or her personal skill gaps. Honest self-reflection, as well
as the use of objective diagnostic assessments, can help identify basic or root training
needs. For example, a person who needs training on project management software may
need to start his or her development by learning basic project planning concepts.

In addition, scheduling and time management is a common problem for e-learners. Work
demands tend to take priority over learning. Successful e-learning initiatives motivate
participants by having a direct value to actual work. One of the best ways to focus and
motivate learners is to have a specific problem to solve or task to complete, that requires
one to learn new subject matter. Indeed, the learner needs to be able to imagine losing
more, such as a promotion, by not participating rather than contemplating the
consequences of lost time on the job, such as work overload.

Self-reliance. Essentially, e-learning asks participants to effectively manage their own

time and learning resources. The traditional lecture format has conditioned learners to be
passive--participants listen to and absorb information that they will apply in the future.
However, e-learning requires them to manage the learning experience, including setting
clear goals, establishing specific plans, and securing needed resources.

Likewise, the e-learning environment is rarely conducive to learning. Because e-learning

generally occurs at an individual's work station, such distractions as colleagues with
questions, telephone calls, and email are inevitable. Posting a sign on an office door or
cubicle may ward off some co-workers, but a successful e-learner will also close down
his or her email and other applications, forward their phone calls directly into voicemail,
and clear their workspace from distractions.

Metacognitive competencies

Awareness. Metacognition refers to high-order thinking that involves active control over
the cognitive processes engaged in learning. To that end, instructional designers go to
great lengths to engineer a learning experience that's based on accepted principles of
adult learning theory.

Although designers of online courseware strive to do the same, e-learners need to have a
basic understanding of adult learning theory, recognize their own individual learning
styles and preferences, and structure their learning experience by using strategies that will
be most effective for themselves. For example, taking notes is distracting to some
learners but critical for others because it enables them to focus, reinforces short-term
memory, and provides a quick reference for the future.

Assessment. A critical aspect of the self-managed learning process is honest and accurate
self-assessment. Some employees are unsure about evaluating their personal learning
experiences. The lack of external feedback can cause learners to question their goals and
achievements. This skill is distinguished from self-reliance, which monitors progress
against a plan, because the focus is on whether the participant is truly learning rather than
on completing tasks and passing quizzes. E-learners must actively identify ways to test
and apply learning on the job so they can objectively measure results and judge success--
and praise themselves for a job well done.

Collaboration competencies

Conveying ideas in a virtual classroom can be dramatically different than speaking in a

physical classroom where people use their bodies as well as their voices to communicate.

Paralinguistics--the use of voice inflection to express intentions and feelings--is a

valuable skill for instructors and learners because it can compensate for the absence of
visual cues. Active listening in virtual environments is complicated by the absence of
body language. E-learners must employ other techniques, such as anticipating a speaker's
next idea, asking clarifying questions, and restating or summarizing thoughts.

Writing in a chat room, threaded discussion, or email requires participants to use clear,
concise language that's free from factual and grammatical errors. All collaborators--
instructors and learners--will be judged by the quality of their writing. A valuable skill to
successful virtual collaboration is the ability to build relationships with peers and develop
a personality through writing, but participants should avoid reading too much into what
has been written. Effective online collaborators clarify points with others before jumping
to conclusions.
For these reasons, an advantage of an asynchronous environment is that users have time
to proofread their work and consider their words carefully before posting them. But
learners shouldn't take too long to send a response. In asynchronous settings, it's easy to
avoid confrontation by ignoring difficult participants and to withhold information in an
unhealthy spirit of competition. Being a good virtual learner--and an effective learning
experience--requires an open exchange of information, respect for other people's
opinions, and prompt responsiveness.

Finally, in traditional classroom courses, trainers may not offer formal feedback, but they
inevitably provide unspoken feedback to learners through their behavior. To receive
feedback in virtual courses, e-learners must learn how to solicit feedback in a timely and
consistent fashion. Likewise, some online activities don’t use instructors to manage the
process, so feedback from peers is required. To assess achievement of a specific goal, an
e-learner must understand the kind of feedback that he or she needs and how to retrieve
it. Successful e-learners seek out and offer feedback that focuses on skills and are able to
relate feedback to the goals and expectations of the training.

Bottom line

A company that assesses and builds the self-directive, metacognitive, and collaboration
competencies of its learners will reap the most returns from its e-learning investments,
both in terms of economic payback and in the competitive advantage gained by having
employees who are the best learners in the business.

Published: July 2002

http://www.learningcircuits.org/2002/jul2002/birch.html
How to Be an E-Learner
By Nuala Sweeney

Congratulations! You've been selected for e-learning. Here's how to excel.

If you take advantage of all its capabilities, e-learning can be a compelling way to extend
the reach and impact of your knowledge. But because much of e-learning is self-paced,
you'll need motivation and personal tenacity to succeed. Usually, you must organize your
own training schedule, choosing when and how you navigate through modules. Although
you may feel more in control of your learning, effective time-management is a must. It's
up to you to start, finish, and excel.

How can you be sure that you're getting the most you can out of the experience? Here are
some tips to help you take advantage of all e-learning has to offer.

Allocate quiet time. Those who have been successful with e-learning agree that it's
critical to commit to a training schedule. Decide on a consistent time of day, make an
appointment with yourself, and write it on your calendar just as you would any other
meeting. Because it's important to avoid telephone and email interruptions, try to make
your learning appointments for times that won't be full of people clamoring for your
attention. Be jealous of your time and attempt to keep it free from disruption.

Discuss your schedule with your manager and co-workers. Because you're not off site
in a classroom, people may be tempted to interrupt you while you're learning. It's vital to
discuss your training schedule in advance with those around you, so they'll understand
the times that you'll be unavailable and why it's important not to disturb you.

Be considerate of others. If your course uses audio, put on headphones to minimize the
sound. Just as you don't want your manager or co-workers to disturb you while you're e-
learning, they don't want to hear constant noise as they're trying to work. Be aware of co-
workers' needs for a quiet environment.

Set realistic learning goals. Take time to consider your goals, including specific work
issues that you think could be resolved with further training. Set learning objectives for
yourself that will challenge you but that you can realistically accomplish. Following the
training, track your results and match them to the previously established goals. If there's
an objective that hasn't been achieved, or that you feel could be improved, review the
relevant portion of the training.

Be an active participant. There's no question that the more you put into your e-learning
experience, the more you'll get out of it. Become an active "long-time learner,"
enthusiastically participating in all that e-learning has to offer--sometimes more than
once. For instance, you may return to the course regularly for reviews and refreshers,
particularly as new on-the-job challenges arise. E-learning is perfect for that because, as
long as you're at your computer, school is always in session.

Create a peer e-learning group. Peer-to-peer learning is one of the most powerful
training techniques. Many e-learning courses now include the opportunity for real-time
collaboration with a community. It's well worth your time to utilize this feature. For
instance, you can participate in chat sessions to share ideas and learn from the experience
of others. If your course doesn't provide a built-in community, try to determine who else
in your company is scheduled for the same training. You can arrange to meet in a chat
room or virtual classroom (or in person) to discuss and practice the concepts you've
learned. Participating in a community can maximize learning and increase your rate of
retention.

Accommodate yourself. In self-paced e-learning, there's no teacher setting the schedule.

If you study for a long period of time, be sure to take frequent breaks. In fact, most
effective learning takes place in 20- to 30-minute chunks. If you study for longer than
that, you won't be fresh enough to absorb and retain new knowledge.

Reflect on what you've learned. After breaks, and when you complete the course, try to
recall what you learned. Mentally apply new concepts to your work situation, actively
seeking specific, real-life situations that could benefit from your new knowledge. Test
how effective your newly won skills are and return to the courseware for additional tips if
necessary.

Use all available resources. E-learning is made even more relevant through the inclusion
of online resources. Many courses offer a variety of tools and job aids. Take advantage of
suggestions for additional reading or practice that will help you maintain your new skills.

Share what you've learned. To better retain your new knowledge and skills, share what
you've learned with your manager and co-workers. You can also participate in chat rooms
or discussion lists on the topics you studied and share your ideas with the community.
Sharing maximizes your learning experience and provides tangible benefits to those
around you.

Participating in training can improve your image with current employers and make you
more marketable to prospective ones. With the dawn of e-learning, training can now be
more flexible, personalized, and fun. To make e-learning effective, however, you must
see yourself as the person in charge of product development. The product, of course, is
yourself.
Published: May 2001

http://www.learningcircuits.org/2001/may2001/elearn.htm
A word from out partners at eLearners.com

Adults in the working world are faced with many challenges as they advance their
careers. Finding the right job, or more importantly, choosing the career path that suits
them best is probably the most challenging. As most graduates of traditional colleges and
universities find, the first several years immersed in the workforce after graduation are
the years in which they discover if the career the sought going into college, is really the
ideal career for the remainder of their working lives. Those who do find that they made
the best choice will ultimately come to a crossroads in their development. Do I take the
next step and pursue a graduate degree? Fortunately, the online education field is meeting
these striving adults at the moment they are making these important, life-changing
decisions. It is meeting them at their desks or in their living rooms and in the local coffee
house. A detailed and thorough investigation of online graduate programs is available at
their fingertips. The number of online colleges and online universities eagerly seeking out
these hungry learners is increasing daily.

The number of graduate programs and online degrees these institutions are offering is
growing at an equal, if not faster pace. And more and more, an online degree from an
accredited online college is gaining the respect it has always deserved. The dedication
required to complete an online degree is reflected back to these achievers in the respect
they gain from not only their coworkers and employers, but their families and friends as
well. Online masters degrees have been at the forefront of online education from its
inception, due in large part to the fact that a majority of online learners see the best fit for
online courses as a means to advance the degree they have already achieved. And their
working lives demand a different type of education experience. Earning a masters degree
online is every bit as demanding as a graduate degree earned in a traditional setting, with
the added benefit of convenience. For those working in fields with a high percentage of
relocation or travel such as the military or a demanding sales position, the “portable”
aspect of the online classroom is a big plus. Not only that, but many degree programs, if
needed can be suspended and restarted should an unforeseen interruption take place. And
getting back into the online “swing of things” is all the easier because most programs
have semester schedules that are geared to the working adult. They can either be more
frequent, or even in some cases longer, allowing a relaxed and steady pace to achieving
these online graduate degrees. Picture yourself earning an online masters in nursing, or
engineering, or tackling an online MBA and making a charge up the corporate ladder. It
all depends on your determination to take ownership of your future, recognizing your
talents and going for it.

http://www.hcareers.com/us/resourcecenter/tabid/306/articleid/341/default.aspx
A word from out partners at eLearners.com

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

With the birth of the world wide web in the early 90’s and the advancement of the search
engine-centric manner in which many of us go about our daily lives, it only makes sense
that education’s migration towards online education would follow suit. Years ago, the
idea that attending online classes would become a viable and respected option to people
seeking to earn college degrees would have been laughed at. But like many rapidly
advancing elements in our lives, the inherent value of this option, “convenience” has
been identified. The tech-savvy word has embraced the concept, fortified its
infrastructure and begun putting serious behind bringing real and valued education
online.

For the most part, on-line education centers on bachelors and master’s degree attainment.
A minor portion, but no less surprising, is doctoral programs. Yes, serious scholars are
achieving PhD. degrees online. In part or in whole. Today.

The overwhelming majority of these distance learners are working adults, many with
established families, who need to either finish a degree they started years prior, or start an
online graduate or masters program. The reasons behind this may be obvious to some …
financial security and career advancement. Both of which are proven harder to achieve
with minimum levels of post-secondary education.

However, earning an online degree also seeks to address an even larger issue. An issue
many outside observers may overlook as a determining force behind people going back-
to-school online: personal achievement.

We all want to succeed and “personal achievers” don’t necessarily put money, stature or
power at the top of the list of reasons to do so. These people may well be the best suited
to enter into an online education environment as personal development and
empowerment push them onward. Their drive is not a fleeting motivation. And it’s a
good thing, as these deep rooted principals will surely be tested … by their peers in the
virtual classroom and by their professors from their online university. It stands to reason,
that the majority of participants in online education; professors, assistants, students share
these common traits and because of their motivation seek the most of those around them
in the online classroom. Each in turn, pushing each other onward towards success.

The fact that such a culture of learning exists in such a new media is incredibly attractive
to those ready and hungry to enter the next phase of their personal achievement. And
more and more, they are investigating online colleges and enrolling.

http://www.hcareers.com/us/resourcecenter/tabid/306/articleid/343/default.aspx