eLearning Leadership Blog

Dr. Michael Allen - September 2019

Simply put, it’s instruction delivered or augmented electronically. Learners use their computers, tablets, or phones to access the instruction wherever they are, whenever they have time.

e-Learning comes in many forms, appearing in such variations as to look entirely different from other applications. It will often use integrated media, such as video, animation, photos and narratives. Because of the computer capabilities at hand, e-learning can be interactive, providing game-like learning experiences, simulations, and the advantages of a personal mentor.

By Michael Allen, Chairman & CEO, Allen Interactions 

Everyone wants a learning game, but few stand ready with a big budget and game creation wizards. We all want fun, engaging, skill-building games, and there are many types of game frameworks to employ, yet not all are appropriate to every type of content. This webinar has two parts:

By Michael Allen, Chairman & CEO, Allen Interactions 

By Michael Allen, Chairman & CEO, Allen Interactions 

One might ask a broader question, just for perspective: Why is good training so rare? Indeed, all of us have been in programs where we wished the clock on the wall would tick faster. We’ve tried to stay focused. Tried to stay awake. But annoyance and thoughts of how great it will be when the class is over become all we can think about.

So, perhaps elearning doesn’t have a greater share of the boring training market than any other form of instruction. But I can’t take comfort in that.

By Michael Allen, Chairman & CEO, Allen Interactions 

Instructional design determines the effectiveness of training. In all of my presentations, demonstrations, books, and webinars, I contrast what can be achieved through great design with what is so often not achieved because basic design principles were not applied. 

By Michael Allen, Chairman & CEO, Allen Interactions 

Years seem so short as I’ve reached, um, maturity. And each year is shorter than the previous one. As the years fly by, I always wonder about the accomplishments of each previous year and how the coming year might contrast with it.

By Michael Allen, Chairman & CEO, Allen Interactions 

Jay Cross. A friend and thought leader we’ll all miss dearly. 

Jay Cross was one of those people who lifted your spirits the moment you saw him. Even before he said a word, you saw a welcoming expression on his face and you knew the next few moments would experience encouragement and challenge.

‘Crystal Balling with Learnnovators’ is a thought-provoking interview series that attempts to gaze into the future of e-learning. It comprises stimulating discussions with industry experts and product evangelists on emerging trends in the learning landscape.

Given decades of informative research on instructional paradigms, human learning, and performance measurement, it seems the burgeoning e-learning industry would have achieved enormous success in bringing each learner to a state of performance mastery economically and as quickly as possible.