Reaching and Retaining the Eureka Moment
02/05/15 20:40
How do people learn? There are four main pathways to learning. These are visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and tactile. Characteristically, in the software education business we center in on the first three of these pathways with various degrees of weight. Research and Development within HP Software Education is focused on developing a system that unites each of the three learning pathways in an easy-to-use environment.
When I was a post-graduate researcher at the University of Leicester, I won prizes for presentations that aimed to detail and explain complicated subject matter to anyone, regardless of background or age. One such enjoyable presentation explained the Solar-Terrestrial magnetic field interaction to the Mayor of Leicester. During this presentation, and all subsequent presentations I have made, it is quite clear to me that there is a tell-tale point when the audience fully grasps what you intended to portray. I call this the light bulb- or mini-eureka moment, if you will. This moment is not solely beneficial to the audience, but beneficial to the presenter, or instructor, as well. This moment guides their flow and provides a positive feedback effect, enhancing both the delivery and learning process. What I'm trying to say is that there is a critical moment in any delivery when the audience reaches a rapport with the instructor. This is the moment, in my opinion, when the ability to learn dramatically increases. People sometimes say 'in the zone.' I would say 'multi-zone' in this case.
How do we achieve, or attain, this class 'feel-good' moment with eLearning, web-based training, and self-study? The answer is through the effective curriculum design of the materials built in-tandem with subject matter experts and experienced trainers. Remember that we have lost, in many cases, the instructor element within these three modalities. Self-study is the exception to this concept because an instructor is on hand to answer questions throughout the course.
However, critically, what do eLearning, web-based training and self-study have in common? They all prioritize the learner’s time and are thus, highly flexible. Comparing and contrasting these modalities, it is clear that eLearning and web-based training are tailored, interactive learning services, provide 24x7 access, and unite the first two learning pathways—visual and auditory. Self-study contrasts subtly with pure eLearning, since this modality allows participants to practice what they have learned by stepping through detailed hands-on exercises using a dedicated remote lab environment. Thus, opening up not only the first and second learning pathways, but kinesthetic too.
I’m presently focused on an endeavor within HP Software Education Research and Development to develop a system that unites each of the three learning pathways, the best features of each modality, and cloud. This new system seeks to preserve the desired and aforementioned eureka moment. Will you be at Discover, Las Vegas in June? I invite you to stop by the HP Software Education booth to preview this new system. I look forward to hearing your feedback. Also, for those attending Discover, don’t forget that you are eligible to attend one training class at no cost. A selection of classes from ALM, Security, ITOM, and Big Data are being offered. If you can’t make it to the event, please follow HP Software Education on Twitter for the latest news, event announcements and training updates.
You can register for HP Discover here and start building your plans to further your education.
