Designing Organic Learning

I have always had a problem with the 'learning system'. Our learning theories talk about an individual learning style, while our learning solutions try to address learning groups - we simply apply the precepts of one to the whole. In essence when we sell eLearning solutions as custom learning solutions - we are merely customizing it for the group, and not for the system. I have a problem with that now.
Why are we not building (or even designing) learning experiences for the individual? We seem perfectly capable of doing it in other fields... Dining or fashion for example...
I think it is time to accelerate our paradigms of learning systems... We need to go beyond what we have... We even need to go beyond offering customizable options...
I believe it is now the time to think about organic learning systems.. Allow me to explain...

The Organic Learning System
An organic learning system should be able to tune a learning experience for the learner allowing to learn at their pace, style and liking. It should allow a list of configurable items that will help the learner learn - not just in terms of content... But learning experiences.
So what does this mean?
• The system should allow for multiple modes of delivery. This is the first level of customization - web, mobile, touch-based, system independent learning. Identify multiple means of delivery, the learner should be able to access content truly on demand... From within an ERP system at work... At home just before bed... Traveling to work as a Podcast talking about the nuances... Via Audio, video or text...
• The learner should be able to choose content based on requirement. Place content into discrete chunks - allocate what is required to a learner... But allow them to grow beyond 'allocation'. Allow them to decide how and when they want to learn... Enforce a curriculum not by means of testing, but by creating a pull towards curriculum completion.
• Dont 'freeze' the curriculum (or the design). Develop a phase wise implementation - develop a good chunk of content up beginning but be prepared to grow the curriculum. The learner should see the 'newness' of the learning space - much like new movies every Friday.
• The learner should be able to feedback into the system, generate new content, discuss older content, make notes, place bookmarks, extract bits of content, manipulate it... Interact with the learning system.
• Though there should be a centralized source of content, develop avenues of alternate content coming into place.
• Test not at the end of courses but at the exit of the learning system or the entrance of the performance system. This ensures that irrespective of the learning method, everyone has a benchmark of assessment/ performance... These assessments should be based on objectives stated at the entrance to the learning system (not the course). This places the onus on the learner to learn... Not the course...
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I have always had a problem with the 'learning system'. Our learning theories talk about an individual learning style, while our learning solutions try to address learning groups - we simply apply the precepts of one to the whole. In essence when we sell eLearning solutions as custom learning solutions - we are merely customizing it for the group, and not for the system. I have a problem with that now.
Why are we not building (or even designing) learning experiences for the individual? We seem perfectly capable of doing it in other fields... Dining or fashion for example...

I believe it is now the time to think about organic learning systems.. Allow me to explain...

The Organic Learning System
An organic learning system should be able to tune a learning experience for the learner allowing to learn at their pace, style and liking. It should allow a list of configurable items that will help the learner learn.
So what does this mean?
• The system should allow for multiple modes of delivery. This is the first level of customization - web, mobile, touch-based, system independent learning. Identify multiple means of delivery, the learner should be able to access content truly on demand... From within an ERP system at work... At home just before bed... Traveling to work as a Podcast talking about the nuances... Via Audio, video or text...
• The learner should be able to choose content based on requirement. Place content into discrete chunks - allocate what is required to a learner... But allow them to grow beyond 'allocation'. Allow them to decide how and when they want to learn... Enforce a curriculum not by means of testing, but by creating a pull towards curriculum completion.
• Dont 'freeze' the curriculum (or the design). Develop a phase wise implementation - we've borrowed a lot from the software development process
I have always had a problem with the 'learning system'. Our learning theories talk about an individual learning style, while our learning solutions try to address learning groups - we simply apply the precepts of one to the whole. In essence when we sell eLearning solutions as custom learning solutions - we are merely customizing it for the group, and not for the system. I have a problem with that now.
Why are we not building (or even designing) learning experiences for the individual? We seem perfectly capable of doing it in other fields... Dining or fashion for example...

I believe it is now the time to think about organic learning systems.. Allow me to explain...

The Organic Learning System
An organic learning system should be able to tune a learning experience for the learner allowing to learn at their pace, style and liking. It should allow a list of configurable items that will help the learner learn.
So what does this mean?
• The system should allow for multiple modes of delivery. This is the first level of customization - web, mobile, touch-based, system independent learning. Identify multiple means of delivery, the learner should be able to access content truly on demand... From within an ERP system at work... At home just before bed... Traveling to work as a Podcast talking about the nuances... Via Audio, video or text...
• The learner should be able to choose content based on requirement. Place content into discrete chunks - allocate what is required to a learner... But allow them to grow beyond 'allocation'. Allow them to decide how and when they want to learn... Enforce a curriculum not by means of testing, but by creating a pull towards curriculum completion.
• Dont 'freeze' the curriculum (or the design). Develop a phase wise implementation - we've borrowed a lot from the software development process

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