Yesterday – Old School

When I first got involved in corporate training in the mid-1980’s, content development was King.  Big binders were packed with tons of text on every page (often double-sided!) with very little white space.  Such binders were housed what I like to refer to as the “Black Page Principle” because there was so much ink on every page in the training manuals.  It seemed like many of these old school instructional designers were getting “paid by the pound” for training materials, not by usable content.  These binders were placed on office shelves, where they usually remained unopened.

Through the 1990’s I noticed a great deal of change in instructional design, with the advent of PowerPoint.  Corporate Trainers reveled in the world of Bullet Points and Clip Art… often at Nauseam!  Training manuals gave way to training slides and outline sheets, that varied from the extremists who used too much text and “cheesy” Clip Art, to the minimalists, who wrote everything in one=word Bullet Points that didn’t effectively convey the message.

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For those of you who have sat through many “Painful PowerPoint Presentations”, I think you will get a kick out of this short YouTube Video on “How NOT To Use PowerPoint” 

As we entered the new Millennium, with Y2K, and the growth Computer Based Training (CBT), the old school of instructional design seemed very one-dimensional and more like “CBR” (Computer Based Reading).  During this time Corporate Training Departments were growing in size (and budgets), and “mandatory” training became the norm for most organizations.

Today - New Rules

My, how things change…  Today, as budgets are stretched and time is at a premium, traditional training departments are becoming extinct.  Online learning is becoming very Interactive, filled with relevant content, in a rich multi-media environment.  Online Universities with Learning Management Systems (LMS) are replacing bloated training departments, reducing training and travel expenses, while increasing retention and results.

We look to tomorrow with excitement and envy as Corporate Learners will be able to access what we call “Knowledge Now” (What you need to know, when you need to know it).  Where learning becomes meaningful and FUN… or as we refer to as “Traintainment” (Entertaining Training).  This is where you can gain “Instant Expertise” (one touch answers), and utilize Interactive Simulations to “Fail Forward”, turning mistakes into mastery.

Tomorrow – Innovate or Evaporate!

Corporate Learning will NOT look the same in 3 years.  So, what are the Training Trends to watch for in the next few years?  Here are some highlights of what to expect.

 Training Command and Control becomes Community Learning.
 Next Generation “Fingertip Knowledge” in an e-Learning Evolution.
 Rapid content development with User Friendly Authoring Tools.
 Thin slices of e-content consumed in “Bite-Sized” chunks.
 Re-usable training content built within Content Management Framework.
 Content becomes “Community Created” through vast Social Networks.
 “Hands-On” Users become the new Subject Matter Experts.
 Reading based materials rapidly drops down, as interactive media moves up.
 Instant deployment to Handheld Devices in Rich Media Formats.
 Gaming / story scenarios and e-Simulations emerge as a very powerful momentum.
 Self-Service Learning becomes driven by individuals, accessible anywhere 24/7/365.

QUESTION:

What has been your experience with the changes in Corporate Training, and where do you see it heading in 3 to 5 years?

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