Bridging the e-learning skills gap

I recently presented on ‘the e-learning skills gap’ for a webinar run by the Learning and Skills Group (LSG). The LSG webinars are always well attended (this one attracted 120) and ably hosted by Don Taylor. A recording of the webinar will be available here in due course, although there’s also a SlideShare version if you just want to flip through the slides.

I was asked by Don at the end to identify three skills which all l&d professionals need to beef up on if they are to bridge the skills gap. I picked out three:

  1. Curriculum design: integrating learning technologies appropriately into the design for new interventions.
  2. Content creation: the ability to put together e-content that is good enough to meet routine needs (without the necessity to become a specialist).
  3. Facilitation: the skills needed to run successful live online learning events.

I asked the group what worked best for them in bridging their own e-learning skills gaps. Here’s what came back:

  • CIPD course!
  • Online resources
  • Networks and resources, blogs
  • Networking with others in my area of expertise
  • Networks – learning from others
  • Blogs
  • Self motivation, blogs, discussion forums
  • Screencasts
  • YouTube
  • Networks
  • Events
  • Short courses
  • Webinars
  • Webinars
  • Networking and self-learning
  • Feedback from learners
  • Mini videos
  • By encountering plenty of ‘how not to do it’
  • Blogs, tutorials
  • Amazon
  • Forums, engaging situations
  • Discussion forums, online courses, webinars
  • Listening to what learners like and dislike
  • Books- sorry to be old fashioned 🙂
  • Explored de facto resources and tools YouTube EDU, iTunes U, Facebook, Twitter, blogs
  • Open University
  • Use of elearnity brought us a long way
  • Challenges at work, formal learning, practice, reassessing and self-reflection

Which only goes to emphasise how formal and informal approaches can work for different people at different stages.

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