Is perfection possible?

So, the perfect use of yesterday's model. Today we moved on to the Goals model, where we attempted to apply goals, then actors who would achieve these goals, to yesterday's concept model. We are also using the concept of eBig3, an RTU concept that follows on from some work in Ambient Learning and has some similarities with Glamorgan University's Work-based Access to Learning through E-Services. We've covered two of the Big3 but still have the web-based component to look at. This is where most of the issues with the model lie. Web-based e-learning has promised the earth but in many cases has failed to really deliver a significant return on investment or expectation. It is all to often the Creepy Salesman from Dr Ebenezer, who tells you that "e-learning can transform the learning experience, save you so much time you can do twice as much research, improve you students grades and it will even improve your sex life." Also, as Atis has often quoted Peter Chatterton as saying, "all e-learning projects are successful - once!" How come they never seem to last?

How many presentations of wonderful e-learning projects have you been to and then never heard of again? How much money has been spent on shiny new toys and expensive software, all shown off with impressive presentations to nodding administrators? Even though some projects show some seemingly impressive outcomes, most don't even come near to giving a real return on the huge investment put in. There seems to be a real disconnect between what would really benefit learners and what actually gets developed. Part of it is down to greedy software companies pushing the latest product but I don't think that is the main issue. Often those that make the decisions about where the money is spent and on what it is spent on don't really understand the consequences of the decisions they are making. A bit like the hospital administrator who wants to see the machine that goes 'bing'. I think the video pretty much sums up most major e-learning projects, with the doctors as the learning technologists and the poor patient as the learner or maybe an academic, depending on your point of view.



So before looking at the goals and actors for the web-based component, in a change to my beloved Appreciative Inquiry approach (it's always good to have your own assumptions challenged - so I'm told), we looked at the barriers to sustainability in traditional e-Learning (or TEL if you are reading this in Wales).

Tomorrow we'll see if our model can address the barriers and stop wasting money on the machine that goes 'bing'.