Rapid e-learning

tools

Exploring the Definition

of „Rapid e-learning“

• These days, using a word like “rapid” to describe a

product, process, or service is guaranteed to attract

attention.

• Rapid e-learning simply means – we have limited

resources and time – how can we get this stuff done

faster?”

So what’s “rapid” in

rapid e-learning?

• A) fast and cheap, development of e-learning

applications,

• B) methods that increase the speed at which people learn,

• C) technologies that speed up the connection between

learning content and learners,

• D) services that enable organizations to add e-learning

offerings to their online curriculum quickly (pernament

improvements).

• Rapid learning (or Rapid e-learning Development) has

traditionally referred to a methodology to build e-learning

courses rapidly.

• Typically the author will create slides in PowerPoint, record

narration on top of the slides, and then use software to add

tests, or even collaboration activities between the slides.

• The whole package is then sent, most often as an Adobe Flash

file, to a learning management system or website.

• Several rapid learning software applications with varying

capabilities are on the market. Most of them are authoring tools

that include rapid learning as a feature. This includes

ActivePresenter, Adobe Captivate, Dokeos, Lectora, Udutu

and PresentationTube.

• Some of these tools treat each slide as a learning object and

allow to add tests and online activities between the slides.

Some of these software are online services, the others are

desktop applications to install on your computer.

• Web 2.0 tools and learning management systems allow to

blend content modules created through rapid learning tools with

rich interaction activities. The content modules make sense only if

completing an interaction scenario or appearing as the feedback of

tests and case studies

• One great advantage – involve the teachers in the

process – specially important in public schools and

vocational training – lot of subjects, need for

pernament improvement of materials

• Technology should not replace teacher, just help

him to be more effective in teaching

• A trend of the market is also to combine rapid learning

(conversion of PowerPoint presentations) with screencast

(filming your screen and your mouse movements) so as to

provide both a sequence of slides and applications demos.

• This combination is particularly powerful when authoring

courses on how to use a software.

• The success of rapid learning has also an economic reason.

- Many developers and organizations are able for the first time to build their online course without the help of an e-learning team (including instructional designers, art designers and other contributors).

- e-learning consists in an individual self-paced practice. (you do not need a lecturer most of time)

How rapid is rapid

learning?

• A traditional e-learning development project can take several

months. In contrast the aim of rapid e-learning is to build and

roll out content modules within weeks.

• For example, while one hour of standard e-learning can take

73 - to 220 hours to develop, a PowerPoint to e-learning

conversion can be estimated to take an average of 33 hours

to develop.

Criticism of rapid

learning

• Criticism - an interaction with students in the classroom

can not replaced in a PowerPoint presentation file.

Consequently, an online course is a mere passive

information presentation but not a training activity with

questions, workshops, problems.

• Rapid learning has been criticized for ignoring the axiom

that people "learn by doing". More globally, the critics of

rapid learning have followed the same track as the critics

on the use of PowerPoint in education.

Criticism of rapid

learning

• Students often complain that self-paced individual

learning can be unengaging and offers little chances of

interaction, correction and success.

• This can be overcome through scenarios where the

information is presented as rapid learning modules

encapsulated in Flash SCORM packages or distributed on

Learning Management Systems, and the learning

activities developed through other tools, such as blogs,

wikis, forums or videoconferences.

Best practices - How to reach the

optimal compromise between the

economic need for rapid learning and the

pedagogical objective of a good

instructional design

• proceed to needs analysis and instructional design before

building the online course so as to define the required learning

activities to integrate in the course

• needs analysis should decide whether the course is a blended

learning course or all online

• instructional design should decide which part of the course are

online, which parts are face-to-face

Multimedia books

- immediate answers

- immediate test results for classes

- for individual students homeworks

- learning foreign lanquages - advantage of

listening

• Paper books containing an electronic code, that via

wireless technology of reading pen can record and

reproduce the sound.

• Let’s see the video!!

Thank you for your

attention!!