Whether understanding a body of knowledge or acquiring the ability to perform a specific skill, today’s biotechnology executives need and want e-learning that is relevant to their jobs. When e-learning is based on psychological and technological engagement factors, it becomes an engine that powers employee performance and business results. Today’s biotechnology executives need a continuum of training to stay abreast of the constantly changing clinical, compliance, and competitive landscape. Whether understanding a body of knowledge or acquiring the ability to perform a specific skill, adults want learning to be relevant to their jobs. This is because adults integrate new knowledge into their existing understanding of the world. In instructional design parlance this is a “constructivist” approach. Any learning that employees don’t perceive as being engaged with their jobs is likely to fall short of its goal. One of the most effective ways to engage adult learners is through e-based programs. Engagement has many meanings, including “connected to,” “involved with,” or “an agreement to perform.” And just as vehicles can only move forward when the gears are engaged, e-learning is effective only when it engages with: • Each learner’s needs as an adult employee; • The company’s goals and business processes; • The company’s information technology and communication infrastructure; and • The human mind — to spark the interest of each learner When e-learning is based on these psychological and technological engagement factors, it becomes an engine that powers employee performance and business results. Alignment with Company Goals and Processes Presumably, there is a close alignment between the learning employees find relevant and what companies believe their employees should learn to be top performers. If these are not in sync, or training is being done that isn’t driven by a common vision of where the company needs to go, e-learning will lose much of its power to drive business results. This misalignment can happen when training departments or product groups don’t take into account the bigger corporate picture. The solution is not only to make sure that e-learning applications support corporate strategy but to devise measurement techniques that look at the business effect of the training, not just whether learners can answer assessment questions correctly. This usually means setting up a protocol to interpret real-world results based on the clearly stated goals of the e-learning. One of e-learning’s great strengths is its ability to support job performance by functioning as a just-in-time resource. This alignment with business processes means that e-learning becomes part of the normal work flow. It doesn’t force employees to unduly separate e-learning from “doing the job.” Integration with the IT and Communications Infrastructure The instructional design — content flow, wording, length of copy, types of media, and level of interactivity — is all intimately connected with the company’s networking bandwidth and the speed of the computers. This used to mean scaling back the content graphically and staying away from audio and video elements. Today most biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies are using broadband network connections internally and for field workers and most computers are powerful enough to display rich media, and interactive applications, such as Flash. This means there is more “creative bandwidth” that can be employed, which makes it much easier to successfully engage the human mind. Engage the Human Mind Humans are stimulated by and have a positive intuitive response to artistic design, stories, pictures, and novelty. Charts that move, molecules that animate, patients and physicians that speak from the heart, and interactive simulations and exercises that have a ring of truth make learning much more effective. It’s the difference between learning from an average or a great teacher. The great teacher and the captivating e-learning program make learning enjoyable and help the content stick. Making sure that e-learning is fully engaged is the best recipe for powerful results. Learning/Training VIEW on Biotech April 2006 E-Learning: Powering the Employee Engine Bob Christensen Chief Development Officer NXLevel Inc., Hopewell, N.J., is a technology-based learning company founded and operated by experienced learning and media professionals who have been engaged with interactive media for more than 20 years. For more information, visit nxlevel.com.
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E-Learning: Powering the Employee Engine
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Biotech