I attended the Learning Technologies exhibition this year and from reading the conference programme and all the promotional materials the buzzwords seemed to be "informal learning", "performance improvement" and "performance support".
There was also quite a lot of reference to the 80-20 rule - you know the one that says that 80% of learning in the organisation is informal , whilst the other 20% is formal (ie courses). So although I wasn't really expecting to see 80% of the vendors at the Exhibition talking about informal learning and performance support, I was quite disappointed to see that many of them were still selling tools to create formal, instructional courses (albeit more rapidly and easily than before) as well as Learning Management Systems to manage these courses as well as their users.
Where was all the informal learning? I would really like to have seen some creative examples of how vendors could effectively and practically support performance improvement and informal learning within organisations. Ah well, maybe next year!
Having said that, one thing that does worry me is that as a response to organisations' need for help with informal learning, what we might see is the "formalisation" of informal learning - that is the "packaging up" of informal learning in order to sell "Informal Learning in a Box". I hope not!
I have to say I think it is probably going to be down to consultants, like WHLA, to help organisations understand what informal learning means for them and how to foster and encourage it. I'll say more about this in my next posting.
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4 comments:
I see the same picture you've drawn in this exhibition, both here in Israel and in the States.
The buzz on informal learning is very strong: people are really identifying themselves very much with it, but at this point all we see are lectures/talks and a lot of goodwill - no models, tools, processes, etc.
It doesn't surprise me - this is a possible way for the market to advance.
After being a CLO of a very big bank, a CEO of 2 eLearning companies, I'm totally convinced that informal learning is the right mode of learning for today's organizations and so, I'm starting my Ph.D. in it...
As the American like to say "Put your wallet where your mouth is..."
BR,
Meir
Thanks Meir for your comments. It is interesting that you are seeing the same in Israel and the States.
I very much agree that there is a lot of talk and buzz around informal learning, but the problem is, I believe, that most organisations really don't know how to encourage and foster it.
Here at WHLA we are certainly going to try and do something about that.
Jane
One reason you don't see vendors taking much action is that you don't need their products to do great informal learning. Rather than the formalization that Vaughn fears, what I'm seeing is vendors desperately trying to informalize their stodgy old offerings. And I can't fully agree with my friend Meir that there are no models. The few models we have are generally more effective than the obsolete ISD/ADDIE approach.
Thanks Jay
These were exactly my points!
(a) that I am worried that vendors will try to get onto the informal learning bandwagon and try to "formalise informal learning" by simply "informalising" their existing products ((as you put it so neatly) – and thereby offering “informal learning in a box”; and
(b) like you I believe that you can easily crate great informal learning without such products – as my next posting on Monday will show.
Jane.
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