One of the most frequent questions we're asked at Cherryleaf is if we can deliver our advanced technical writing techniques course as a distance learning class. We only offer it as a classroom course, which effectively limits us to teaching students who are based in the United Kingdom, Ireland, or mainland Europe. Being able to offer a training course worldwide is tempting, but is it really possible to deliver distance learning when you want to get people to question and rethink the way they do things today?
How do others deliver distance learning?
The Open University
Some of the first distance learning courses were developed by the UK's Open University. When the Open University was established in the 1960s, “distance learning” was still a new concept. Its lectures used to be transmitted on the BBC in the early hours of the morning. Students studied at home, but they had to attend a one or two week residential summer school in order to get their degree. It was a much loved, and parodied, part of 1970s British TV life (see below).
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2un9rO2ZF4g&hl=en_US&version=3]
The Open University does not have a course in technical communication, but its teaching strategy and approach should work in for technical communication training.
Today, the Open University offers “supported open learning.” This means students have support from:
- a tutor or online forum to help with module material, activities and assignments;
- student advisers and study facilities in their own region; and
- contact with other students at tutorials, day schools or through online conferencing, online social networks, informal study groups, and events.
The residential school is still a compulsory component of some of its degrees, but it now also offers an “alternative learning experience” for students who are completely unable to attend.
See The Open University's learning and teaching strategy 2012
STC's online certificate courses
The STC offers online certificate courses in technical communication that are typically split into 90-minute sessions and presented live online over several weeks. According to STC's website:
Students have the opportunity to learn directly from an instructor and to also exchange ideas and tools virtually with the other participants.
I understand these sessions are essentially webinars, with the students completing assignments in their own time, between each session. I'd be interested to know what people think of the STC's courses; does the format work for you?
Training from the Help authoring tool vendors
Some of the Help authoring tool vendors also offer distance learning. MadCap, for example, offers its three day Flare classroom course as a four day web-based training course. The trainer delivers a webinar in the morning, with delegates expected to complete the assignments in the afternoon. This must be quite tiring for the trainer, I should imagine.
New approaches for delivering distance learning
I think we're likely to see Google+ Hangouts as a popular way for delivering live distance learning. Google+ Hangouts is a free service that allows up to ten individuals to communicate online using voice, video and text chat online.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZW1eW92QoME&version=3&hl=en_US]
Seeing someone's face can make a great difference—you can retain some of the face-to-face connection you get between a trainer and a student when you're in a classroom. With desktop sharing, the trainer can see the student's exercise work during the lesson—they don't need to leave assignments for once the webinar has ended.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmWV6s2Qcik&version=3&hl=en_US]
What do you think?
What do you think about distance learning? Are we at a point where we can do distance learning well? Is the technology there yet for us to provide active (as against passive) learning?
Please share your ideas, thoughts and suggestions in the comment box below.
Ellis Pratt is sales and marketing director at Cherryleaf. Ranked the most the influential blogger on technical communication in Europe, Ellis is a specialist in the field of creating clear and simple information users will love.