What we can learn
about e-learning from a
Christmas dinner
If you're anything like me, the joys of presentopening and being with loved ones have
slipped into a distant second behind the true
meaning of Christmas: eating! The traditional
Christmas dinner is a treat I look forward to all
year, and as my mum and I were looking
through age-old recipe books a few days ago
I started thinking, might the traditional
Christmas dinner have anything to teach us
about e-learning? (Obviously, I did not think
this, but play with me for a bit. And apologies
in advance if this makes anyone hungry.)
One of the most frustrating things about
Christmas is that you will inevitably have a
fridge full of food throughout most of
December which you're not allowed to eat
because it's 'for Christmas'. This is because
Christmas dinner, like good e-learning,
requires a lot of preparation.
Whether it's analysing training needs, curating
and slimming down content, or prototyping
technical solutions, the preparation is the 'big
Christmas shop' you have to endure before
you can get creating.
When it comes to cooking the dinner, too
many cooks can very definitely spoil the
gravy. My mum and I spend at least as much
time chasing other people away from the
kitchen as we do actually cooking. This is true
of an e-learning project team too. You need
people who understand the content, the
requirement and the vision for the project, so
having a dedicated project team is of the
upmost importance.
One of the biggest similarities between
Christmas dinner and the creation of elearning is the importance of striking the right
balance. You need to include a good range of
components: activities, quizzes, reflection,
learning aids and resources, stuffing, potatoes
both roasted and mashed…sorry, where was
I? And don't just throw components in for the
sake of it.
Rosie Scott
Senior Learning Designer
Learning Pool
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