In a conversation the other day, I was asked about what’s needed, and what’s missing, in making the L&D revolution come to life.  I’ve previously opined about the changes I think are necessary, but I realized that for folks making the change, there are hurdles. It occurred to me that there are some points of inflection that could make a difference.

As I had previously suggested, it’s idiosyncratic. I haven’t seen a systematic move towards a more enlightened L&D. You see one inspired individual either hired in, or promoted to have the opportunity. And it can be in any industry, anywhere. It’s one person who gets it. Sadly; as I fervently believe that we should be moving beyond ‘the course’ with some alacrity.

And, I do still believe that there are two necessary and linked steps. The first is for the L&D unit to practice what it preaches. It has to be optimal in operation and continually innovating. And evidence suggests that it’s not doing the former nor the latter. The other is to start measuring impact, not efficiency. Measurement should make clear that the approach isn’t effective, and drive the move.

But it occurs to me that the inspiration isn’t enough. For that inspired individual to succeed, they need support. That, of course, was what the book was about, but that’s not enough. Why? Because it’s complex, and it’s a lot to process and manage. Back to my old mantra: “the human brain is arguably the most complex thing in the known universe”!  If that’s the case, thinking that simplistic steps will yield sustained change are potentially naive.

There are several points of inflection. Getting started with a strategic plan is one (how to move from here to there). Another is getting the buy-in of your team (“You want us to do what?”). Working successfully with your first biz partner. Getting buy-in (or forgiveness) from above.

When I look at learning design, innovation facilitation, and culture change I see a complex picture. And, I think it changes for each organization depending on their context in so many factors. So I’m inclined to worry that balancing all that and sequencing the right next steps while managing ‘up’ about the intent and process, while also transitioning to working out loud…you get the picture. Aligning with how we think, work, and learn is a process with many factors.

That’s why, I admit, I had hoped that folks who bought into the book’s story would also buy into getting some support. I’ve done some, but not as much as I expected. Idiosyncratically. Ok, so I didn’t set up some big think tank with high-powered marketing and a big sales pitch. That’s not my style (I undersell myself; it’s how I was raised ;). And, I do of course note that the rallying cry may still be ahead of its time.

Look, the revolution is still needed, and don’t assume it’s simple. If you’ve bought in, get help, wherever/however. I did point to some resources for moving to remote working, I reckon they’re also helpful here. And, of course, I’m still available to help as I’ve worked with others, whether providing workshops to help your team get on board, coaching you individually, or helping to do an environmental scan and strategic planning. But I hope you are moving in this direction regardless, and just be mindful of the points of inflection.

We live in interesting times. And, of course, that means many things have changed. Some for the worse, some for the better. I thought I’d just overview some of ways I’m adapting to change, so you can keep track and take advantage.

I was scheduled to do a number of things. One that wasn’t on the list was a trip to Brazil in May, also to give a talk (at least). And, of course, Boston, Brazil, and Belgium have all been postponed. Understandably. And, sadly, my Quinnsights column had to cease. That might seem, then, to take away all opportunities for me to educate, but in the meantime, in addition to my ongoing Litmos blog (at least for now!), other things have surfaced.

For one, I’ll be doing a course for the Allen Academy.  I’ll be talking about mobile learning, a topic I’ve had some experience with ;). It starts soon, 6 May. I’ll be clear: it’s about ‘thinking’ mobile, which means getting your mind around much much more than ‘courses on a phone’. And it’s about design and strategy, not development. No bit spinning. After all, I’ve quipped about the importance of getting the design right.

Another is the upcoming L&D conference. I’ll be talking “Learning Science 101”, which I think is much needed and also doable. This is a new online event conjured up by some colleagues to meet a need. And, I’m happy to say, there’s a lot to like: thinking really hard about how to take advantage of online for conference-style learning, a great lineup of speakers. This starts June 22, and last 6 weeks, so already you can see it’s different.

Two other non-event things to note. My first two books, Engaging Learning and Designing mLearning, were out of print. Fortunately, when that happens, publishing contracts say the rights can revert to the author if they request it. And…they did!  I’ve taken them with minimal modification (had to remove one case study from the latter; some minor tweaks), and made them available through Kindle. At a greatly reduced price!

And, of course, I’m still working in a variety of ways. Including being available to help you with moving courses or working online. And scheming up more things. I’m tentatively scheduled for another tome, and one was already underway. Somewhat under wraps still, but…

So those are the things I’m doing adapting to change. Not to worry, there’ll be more, in this volatile age. I’m trying to practice what I preach about experimentation, so there’ll likely be other new things percolating. Stay tuned!

So, I’ve written before about ‘learning engineering’. And, separately, it’s become an issue just what the term means. It appears there are two ‘learning engineerings’, and the issue is how to resolve them. So, let’s look at the contenders.

First, there’s the notion of engineering as applied science. We refer to chemical engineering as applied chemistry, electrical engineering as applied physics, etc. There’s not a one-to-one correspondence between label and theoretical field, but there is a relationship of theory and application.

Thus, learning engineering could be the application of learning science to the design of instruction. Which is ‘instructional design’. And, to be clear, there’s a contingent that suggests this is what learning engineering could and should be. I, for one, think we should be looking to a focus on applied learning science instead of thinking of designing instruction, simply because the entrenched practices have devolved to content and a quiz. Which isn’t true ID, but…

On the other hand, there’s another perspective. Here, we’re recognizing that new technologies, particularly when we get to content systems, require a considerable amount of engineering to put them together. It’s applying computer systems to meet learning needs. Here, this is a complement to instructional design, where we’re looking at the engineering to support learning. And this is a valid recognition. Increasingly, we separate out design from development, and the development to make a full learning experience. It just could be the developer using an authoring tool, but when we’re talking AR/VR, or adaptive systems, and blended learning experiences and a Total Learning Architecture, it’s more.

As I see it, there’re two potential outcomes. We leave ID as the ‘applied learning science’, and let learning engineering mean the bit-twiddling (informed by learning science). Or, we reenergize ID by relabeling it, and come up with a new term for the complex system creation.

I guess I’m kind of inclined to the former, except, we relabel ID as LXD. So we have LXD and LXE (because you can’t call it LXDesign and LXDevelopment because then you have acronym confusion :).  That’s my take, what’s yours?

So, I work from home. A lot. And lots of folks are providing advice for those who have to make the shift in these interesting times. Rather than talk about what you should do, however, I thought I’d share what I do. So this is how I work.

This is my workspace. That’s a convertible desk, so I can be standing or sitting. That varies depending on what I’m working on, how I feel, etc. I’ve an ergonomic chair for sitting, and a foam pad I slide out when I’m standing. Behind me is my shelf of books, specifically L&D relevant ones, topped with awards & mementos, and a copy of each of my writings on the bottom shelf. Water bottle’s to the side, for regular access to stay hydrated. There’s a chair nearby for our little old dog who gets lonely when no one else is around.

On the other side is my laptop, which I plug into the large monitor and a hub. When I travel, it often goes with me (particularly if it’s more than a day or two). There’s a laser printer, scanner, CD/DVD drive, micro-usb cable, and a backup drive all plugged in, plus my iDevices.

I tend to get up, read the news and eat brekkie, before descending to my lair (it’s the lowest room in the house, which means it can get cold in the winter). I hang a vest with fingerless gloves on the inside of the door to use when it’s cold. There’s a robe too, if I happen to come down at night. I’m too twitchy to typically be able to sit or stand and work for hours, so I regularly am up and about just to move. Snack breaks, or to take out the dog. For health reasons I try to get a walk in, and, ideally, some exercise. There is a torture device exercise machine in my office.

I’m doing this pretty much seven days a week, though I do try to leave time free for m’lady when it’s her weekend (which isn’t the same as everyone else). When there are times I need to crack down, I do so. I like to meet my commitments.

I do have a habit of working in fits and spurts. And the evidence suggests I’m very productive this way, letting things percolate and then there’s a burst of output. I also spend a fair bit of time consuming input to prepare for the percolation. I can’t just sit and crank on things too long; reckon I’ve a bit of ADD! So I break it up, and knock off a chunk before doing something else for a bit. Giving myself deliverables and deadlines helps, too.

I’ve experimented with various ways to project manage my time. I’ve several different projects in Pagico that I put tasks in. Also, it helps to just block out time on my calendar for tasks I need to get to. I definitely err on the side of apps that I can use regardless of what device I’m on.  When inspiration strikes, you need to be able to capture it.

Occasionally I’ll go out and meet a colleague or attend an event somewhere in the area. But otherwise, I’m a homebody except when I’m on the road, which happens semi-regularly. So I’m very used to hanging out alone. I’m not one of those who has to get fancy dressed every morning, so I just change from sleep clothes into sweats and a t-shirt. I do shave before I’m on screen (or before I go out). If I’ve a call, I can put on a collared shirt, and of course if I go out I do get properly dressed.

How do I do it? With Slack, Zoom, LinkedIn, Facebook, and email. Slack is a working setup, mostly with my IBSTPI colleagues, but there’s a social group I’m part of on there as well. I los I Zoom for meetings regularly, and the chat is how I stay in touch with the rest of the ITA. I have a LinkedIn group for the L&D Revolution, and track several others. Facebook is reserved for interpersonal communications with friends, but it helps keep me sane. I do use email to communicate, and am on a couple of mailing list communities that also occasionally do events.

With IBSTPI and others, Google Docs are a frequent way to develop and share documents. I find the Drive to be well-nigh impenetrable, but I mostly can find stuff. There really is an opportunity for better collaborative working arrangements! And of course I create my own documents, diagrams, etc, which I share.

This is how I work, most of the time when I’m remote. What did I forget to mention? And how does this compare to your approach?