I’ve just signed up to run my first ever masterclass. It’s on the subject of e-learning design and it’s on June 3rd in London. To be honest I have mixed feelings about the prospect. The learning strategy for a masterclass is typically simple exposition (lectures if you like), with some Q&A and perhaps a little discussion.
This is absolutely not what I’m used to doing and certainly not for a whole day, but strangely I feel quite attracted to the idea of delivering a lot of content in a condensed format. No instruction, no discovery, no exploration, just simple exposition.
However, for independent, experienced specialists this format can be entirely acceptable. Yes there’s still a danger of overload, but if they’re capable learners they’ll soft out what’s useful for them and take lots of notes.
True, this may well be better delivered online as webinars, perhaps even as podcasts or videos, but I suppose that for most participants a day out of the office is protected time and has the added advantage of providing plenty of networking opportunities.
I think I’ve sold it to myself. My conscience is now clear.
