Clark Quinn makes some points about the role of rapid elearning and social learning tools. Similar to yesterday's post about "half designed" courses, he brings up the concept of "least assistance". What is the least assistance we can provide that will still help learners meet their goals?
Part of the key to both the "least assistance" principle and the "imperfect" design ideas of yesterday's post is that the system must support the learner's goals... not the training department's goals.
"we shouldn’t give people what they don’t need, instead we need to focus on what the ‘least assistance’ we can give them is.
In many cases, the least assistance we can give is self-help, which is why I believe social learning tools are one of the best investments that can be made. The answer may well be ‘out there’, and rather than for learning designers to try to track it down and capture it, the learner can send out the need and there’s a good chance an answer will come back!"
Over-designed, heavy courses may meet the desires and goals of the training department, but they may not always meet the true needs of the learners or the organization as a whole.
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