White paper
Top 10 lists: Twenty Top 10s in
e-learning
Introduction
A journalist friend of mine (40 years in the business) once said,
“There’s only one thing in a newspaper or magazine that everybody
will read – a Top 10 list. It can be the Top 10 of anything, they’ll
read it.”
Indeed, we’ve often been asked to provide a list of the Top 10
LMSs or Top 10 books in e-learning. So we have decided to compile a
few lists. All lists are idiosyncratic and these have not been built
from surveys, although some, such as the Top 10 pieces of software,
have been based on market share. I’m sure you’ll disagree with many
of the entries so please email us if there are glaring omissions –
that’s the whole point of lists.
Top 10 Benefits of e-learning
1. Cost savings
2. Anytime
3. Anywhere
4.
Scalable
5. Tracks users
6. Self-paced
7.
Participative
8. Consistency
9. Multimedia delivery
10.
Self-assessment
The benefits to the organisation come first then learner
benefits.
See
Epic White Paper on Organisational benefits of e-learning
Top 10 Cost savings in e-learning
1. Trainer accommodation
2. Trainer travel
3. Trainer
subsistence
4. Learner accommodation
5. Learner travel &
subsistence
6. Classrooms
7. Equipment
8. Off-the-job
time
9. Print costs
10. All of the above repeat costs
Quite apart from productivity gains, these are normally
recognised as potential cost savings. The scalability and
sustainability of electronic delivery amplifies these costs every
time e-learning is used.
See
Epic White Paper on Return on investment in e-learning
Top 10 Conferences for e-learning
1. Techlearn (US)
2. OnlineLearning (US)
3. ASTD (US)
4.
Online Educa (Europe)
5. WOLCE (UK)
6. Learning Technologies
(UK)
7. HRD (UK)
8. BETT (UK)
9. ALT (UK)
10. ITEC
(UK)
After many years of speaking at, and attending, conferences,
these are my Top 10. Of course the order will vary depending on
interest. Some are general training conferences; ASTD (US) and HRD
(UK). Some are e-learning conferences with a focus on training;
Techlearn (US), OnlineLearning (US), WOLCE (UK) and Learning
Technologies (UK). Others have education as their focus; Online
Educa (Europe), BETT (UK) and ALT (UK). ITEC (UK) has a defence
focus. As we attend most of these conferences every year we provide
conference reports via our newsletter.
See Epic
Conference reviews
Top 10 US e-learning gurus
1. Roger Schank
2. Jay Cross
3. Mark Prensky
4. John
Seeley-Brown
5. Michael Allen
6. Clark Alrdridge
7. Elliot
Masie
8. Brandon-Hall
9. Marc Rosenberg
10. Curtis Bonk
These are the people I’ve enjoyed listening to at conferences.
Note that I haven’t put Masie or Brandon-Hall at the top, as they’re
not, in my opinion, really original thinkers, but synthesisers (in
itself a useful role).
Top 10 Interesting Laws for e-learning
1. Sarnoff’s Law
2. Metcalfe’s Law
3. Reed’s Law
4.
Moore’s Law
5. Gilder’s Law
6. Pareto’s Law
7. Zipf’s
Law
8. Law of diminishing returns
9. Law of increasing
returns
10. Murphy’s Law
Sarnoff saw that the value of a broadcast model is proportional
to the number of users. Metcalf saw that the value of a network
grows with the square of the number of nodes. Reed then saw that the
value of a network grows not to the square of the number of users,
but exponentially i.e. two to the power of the number of nodes.
Moore saw that processors would double in speed every 18 months.
Gilder stated that bandwidth grows at least three times faster than
computer power so that communications power doubles every six
months. Pareto showed that 80% of almost anything comes from 20% of
something. Simply put, a few account for most or the separation of
the vital few from the trivial many, more commonly, this law has
been called the 80/20 rule. Zipf says that the winner takes almost
all e.g. Microsoft, Google. Kevin Kelly saw the law of increasing
returns in the network’s ability to increase the advantage between
those things that speed ahead and those that are left behind. The
law of diminishing returns, first put forward by Malthus, states
that the more you put in the less you get in return. Murphy negates
all of the above laws by showing that if anything can go wrong it
will!
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Top 10 LMSs (Learning Management Systems)
1. Saba
2. TotalLMS
3. Meridian KSI
4. Pathlore
5.
Plateau
6. PeopleComeFirst
7. Oracle iLearning
8.
Peoplesoft
9. SAP
10. THINQ
11. KnowledgePlanet
Where do we start? These are the ones that appear to have market
share and a track record. If you want a really detailed analysis,
all are included in the 50 system Brandon-Hall LMS review. I warn
you now, it runs to 2000 pages! For a shorter analysis on LMSs and
how to approach the issue try our White paper.
See
Epic White Paper on Learning Management Systems
Top 10 LMS Purchasing Mistakes
1. Inadequate specification
2. Seeing the LMS as the sole
solution
3. Failure to consider non-LMS options
4. Buying too
much functionality
5. Over-complex for user
6. Not
customisable
7. Not interoperable
8. Limits on
scalability
9. Difficult to integrate
10. Failure to check
company credentials
Many have made one or more of these mistakes resulting in
ill-used or abandoned LMSs.
See
Epic White Paper on Learning Management Systems
Top 10 VLEs (Educational Virtual Learning
Environments)
1. Blackboard
2. WebCT
3. E-college
4. SunGard
5.
Sakai Project (free)
6. Desire2Learn
7. uPortal
8. Jenzabar
9. LearnWise (UK)
10. Virtual Campus (UK)
No doubt there’ll be those who want to point out the difference
between a VLE and MLE. With Blackboard’s successful IPO, they’re
definitely at the top of the list, but watch out for free software
from the well funded Sakai Project.
Top 10 Collaborative e-learning tools
1. Centra
2. Interwise
3. WebEx
4. PlaceWare
5.
HorizonLive
6. LearnLinc
7. Arel
8. Astound
9.
Raindance
10. NetMeeting
A difficult one this as there’s synchronous (realtime),
asynchronous (non realtime) and collaborative working tools. There’s
also collaborative learning functionality embedded with some LMSs.
I’ve gone for the synchronous virtual classrooms. NetMeeting’s in
there, not as a pure learning product, but because it is so commonly
used.
Top 10 Assessment tools
1. Testcraft assessment software
2. ForceTen
3. Eedo
Knowledgeware
4. The Examiner System
5. ExamBuilder
6.
Knowledge Presenter
7. Rapid Exam
8. Exam Engine
9.
Lumenix Handshaw
10. Automatic e-Learning
These were the shootout competitors at OnlineLearning in Los
Angeles, with the results in the right order.
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Top 10 Accessibility design rules for
e-learning
1. Images: Use alt text to describe all static elements, such as
graphics, icons, graphic text.
2. Multimedia: Provide captioning
and transcripts of audio, and descriptions of video.
3. Hypertext
links: Use text that makes sense out of context. For example, avoid
‘click here’.
4. Page organisation: Use headings, lists, and
consistent structure. Use CSS for layout and style.
5. Graphs
& charts: Summarise or use the longdesc attribute.
6. Frames:
Use the noframes element and meaningful titles.
7. Tables: Make
line-by-line reading sensible – summarise.
8. Questions: Avoid
‘difficult’ screen types, such as drag and drop.
9. Punctuation:
Meet requirements of screen readers, e.g. full stops at the end of
all bullet points.
10. Keyboard: Ensure clickable elements can be
controlled via keyboard, e.g. Tab cycles and Enter.
The trick is to get the designers to really understand the
problems they create when they don’t stick to these rules and to use
their common sense when designing accessible e-learning. The WAI
lists are useful as is quality control testing for accessibility. We
have a full accessibility test lab with trained testers and use
testers with the relevant impairments, when necessary.
See
Epic White Paper on Accessibility in e-learning
Top 10 Design errors in e-learning
1. Overlong compulsory linear sequences of anything
2.
Over-compulsory routing of learner
3. Overlong text
4. Text
placed on busy or patterned background
5. Graphics that look
clickable, but are not
6. Unnecessary animation
7. Multiple
choice questions with obviously stupid options
8. Multiple choice
questions with same the words at start of all options (words should
be in question)
9. Icons evenly spaced (should be
clustered)
10. Stupid audio effects or music on in background
These are the things I see all the time in e-learning. Too much
control over the learner, unreadable text, unnecessary clutter on
the screen, poorly written questions, unclear navigation and
annoying sound effects. There’s loads more, but even writing this
list brought back frightening memories.
See
Epic White Paper on Design in e-learning
Top 10 Groups to convince in e-learning
1. Senior management
2. Middle management and sponsors
3.
IT management
4. HR management
5. Internal trainers
6.
External trainers
7. Learners
8. Union
9. Suppliers
10.
Existing and other e-learning groups
It’s easy to forget how many people have to be convinced within
an organisation for
e-learning to fly. This is a useful
checklist of possible groups that have to be convinced when
implementing e-learning.
Top 10 Problems in implementation of
e-learning
1. Bandwidth
2. Cultural resistance
3. Lack of
interaction
4. Lack of engaging content
5. Integration
6.
Measuring ROI
7. Firewalls
8. No standards
9. Browser
problems
10. Accessibility
This list is taken from a survey in a US e-learning magazine. It
covers most of the problems one encounters on launching an
e-learning programme.
Top 10 Books on E-learning
1. The ASTD e-Learning Handbook, Allison Rossett
2.
e-Learning and the Science of Instruction, Clark & Mayer
3.
Michael Allen's Guide to E-Learning, Michael Allen
4. Designing
Web-Based Training, William Horton
5. The Media Equation, Nass
& Reeves
6. ASTD series in online learning
7. E-Learning,
Marc Rosenberg
8. Implementing e-learning, Cross &
Dublin
9. Web-Based Training, Margaret Driscoll
10. ASTD
series in online learning
Here’s some practical and well written texts on what it is what’s
good, what’s bad and how to do it. I’d recommend anything in the
ASTD series.
See
more Epic book reviews
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Top 10 Books on Education
1. Deschooling Society, Ivan Illich
2. Reclaiming Education,
James Tooley
3. The Learning Game, Michael Barber
4. Learning
Beyond the Classroom, Tom Bently
5. All Must Have Prizes, Melanie
Philips
6. Class War, Chris Woodhead
7. How Children Think and
Learn, David Wood
8. Lifelong Learning in the University, David
Watson
9. Universities in the Marketplace, Derek Bok
10.
Learning for Life, David hargreaves
Want to think out of the box in education? Try these. All of
these books present new and innovative ideas, some would say
extreme. I’ve been careful to include those with which I disagree,
such as All Must Have Prizes and Universities in the Marketplace, as
they have been very influential.
See
Epic White Paper on Higher education and e-learning
Top 10 Books on Collaborative e-learning
1. Learning Networks: A Field Guide to Teaching and Learning
On-Line, Linda Harasim
2. E-moderating, Gilly Salmon
3.
E-activities, Gilly Salmon
4. Building learning Communities,
Palloff & Pratt
5. The Virtual Student: A Profile and Guide
to Working with Online Learners, Palloff & Pratt
6.
Facilitating Online Learning, Collison, Elbaum, Haavind &
Tinker
7. Handbook of Distance Education, Moore &
Anderson
8. Discussion-Based Online Teaching to Enhance Student
Learning, Bender & Bender
9. Facilitating Online Learning:
Effective Strategies for Moderators, Collison et al
10. Teaching
Online: A Practical Guide, Ko & Rossen
Two authors have been included twice, and deservedly so. There’s
a real rush of books on this subject but many are vague and make too
many assumptions about the virtues of collaborative learning.
However, there are some excellent texts, old and new, going back to
Harasim.
See
Epic White Paper on Collaboration in
e-learning
Top 10 Books on History and Future
of technology
1. A Social History of the Media: From Gutenberg to the Internet,
Briggs & Burke
2. The Victorian Internet, Tom Standage
3.
A Brief History of the Future: From Radio Days to Internet Years in
a Lifetime, John Naughton
4. Accidental Empires, Robert X
Cringely
5. Weaving the Web, Tim Berners-Lee
6. New Rules for
the New Economy, Kevin Kelly
7. Emergence: Stephen Johnson
8.
Nexus: Small Worlds and the Groundbreaking Science of Networks, Mark
Buchanan
9. Six Degrees: The Science of a Connected Age, Duncan
Watts
10. Smart Mobs, Howard Rheingold
Five on the past, five on the future, none on the present.
There’s general stuff on the history of media (remember that writing
and books are forms of technology) as well as stirring stories of
specific periods such as the Victorian telegraph, the early days of
the PC and the explosion of the web. The there’s texts on principles
and effects such as emergence, networks and social networks that are
already shaping the future.
Top 10 Books on Games and Simulations
1. Homo Ludens: A Study of the Play Element in Culture, Johann
Huizinga
2. What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and
Literacy, James Paul Gee
3. Digital Game-Based Learning, Marc
Prensky
4. Trigger Happy: Videogames and the Entertainment
Revolution, Steven Poole
5. Joystick Nation, J C Herz
6.
Does Jane Compute?: Preserving Our Daughters' Place in the Cyber
Revolution, Roberta Furger
7. From Barbie to Mortal Kombat:
Gender and Computer Games, Justine Cassell
8. Net Generation, Don
Tapscott
9. Boomers, Xers, and Other Strangers, Hicks and Hicks
10. Millennials Rising: The Next Great Generation, Howe &
Strauss
If you want to know about games, play them! These
books, however, get beneath the skin of games and gaming. It starts
with the classic general text on the role of play and games across
time and cultures, has a couple of texts on the application of games
to learning then specific texts on computer gaming, its history and
the gender issues. Lastly there’s attempts to define the
generations. The new term is ‘Millenials’.
See
Epic White Paper on Games in e-learning
Top 10 Books on Knowledge management
1. The Knowledge-Creating Company, Nonaka and Takeuchi
2. The
Individualised Corporation, Sumatra Ghoshal
3. Intellectual
Capital, Leif Edvinsson
4. Corporate Longitude, Leif
Edvinsson
5. Harvard Business Review on Knowledge Management,
Drucker et al.
6. The Social Life of Information, Seeley and
Duguid
7. Working Knowledge, Davenport & Prusak
8.
Enabling Knowledge Creation, by Krogh et al
9. Cultivating
Communities of Practice, Wenger et al
10. Money for Nothing,
Roger Bootle
I tried to cover the classic texts that gave rise to the concept
of intellectual capital as well as work on the social aspect of
information and knowledge. There’s also practical work on how to get
the knowledge juices flowing.
See
Epic White Paper on Knowledge management and e-learning
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