Jobs in Learning Measurement — Let’s Try Something

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Dear Readers,

Many of you are now following me and my social-media presence because you’re interested in LEARNING MEASUREMENT. Probably because of my recent book on Performance-Focused Smile Sheets (which you can learn about at the book’s website, SmileSheets.com).

More and more, I’m meeting people who have jobs that focus on learning measurement. For some, that’s their primary focus. For most, it’s just a part of their job.

Today, I got an email from a guy looking for a job in learning measurement and analytics. He’s a good guy, smart and passionate, and so he ought to be able to find a good job where he can really help. So here’s what I’m thinking. You, my readers are some of the best and brightest in the industry — you care about our work and you look to the scientific research as a source of guidance. You are also, many of you, enlightened employers, looking to recruit and hire the best and brightest. So it seems obvious that I should try to connect you…

So here’s what we’ll try. If you’ve got a job in learning measurement, let me know about it. I’ll post it here on my blog. This will be an experiment to see what happens. Maybe nothing… but it’s worth a try.

Now, I know many of you are also loyal readers because of things BESIDES learning measurement, for example, learning research briefs, research-based insights, elearning, subscription learning, learning audits, and great jokes… but let’s keep this experiment to LEARNING MEASUREMENT JOBS at first.

BOTTOM LINE: If you know of a learning-measurement job, let me know. Email me here…

What’s Wrong With This Picture?

I must be in a bad mood — or maybe I’ve been unlucky in clinking on links — but this graphic is horrifying. Indeed, it’s so obviously flawed that I’m not even going to point out it’s most glaring problem. You decide!

One more editorial comment before the big reveal:  Why, why, why is the gloriously noble and important field of learning besieged by such crap!!!!

 

 

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Why is the goal of a learning-focused game, “fun?”

Stop the Madness — Animated Screen Writing in eLearning

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Is anyone else getting completely annoyed watching someone’s hand draw and write on videos and elearning?

OMG! It’s beginning to drive me nuts! What the hell is wrong with us?

Here’s the thing. When this was new, it was engaging. Now it’s cliche! Now most people are habituated to it. What we’re doing now is taking one of our tools and completely overusing it.

Let’s be smarter.

Testing for Instructional Designers — A Common Mistake

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Somebody sent me a link to a YouTube video today — a video created to explain to laypeople what instructional design is. Most of it was reasonable, until it gave the following example, narrated as follows:

“… and testing is created to clear up confusion and make sure learners got it right.”


Something is obviously wrong here — something an instructional designer ought to know. What is it?

Scroll down for the answer…

Before you scroll down, come up with your own answer…

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Answer: 

The test question is devoid of real-world context. Instead of asking a text-based question, we could provide an image and ask them to point to the access panel.

Better yet, we could have them work on a simulated real-world task and follow steps that would enable them to complete the simulated task only if they used the access panel as part of their task completion.

Better yet, we could have them work on an actual real-world task… et cetera…

Better yet, we might first ask ourselves whether anybody really needs to “LEARN” where the access panel is — or would they just find it on their own without being trained or tested on it?

Better yet, we might first ask ourselves whether we really need a course in the first place. Maybe we’d be better off to create a performance-support tool that would take them through troubleshooting steps — with zero or very little training required.

Better yet, we might first ask ourselves whether we could design our equipment so that technicians don’t need training or performance support.

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Or we could ask ourselves existential questions about the meaning and potency of instructional design, about whether a career devoted to helping people learn work skills is worthy to be our life’s work…

Or we could just get back to work and crank out that test…

SMILE…