Socratic Arts' Newsletter

A Monthly Newsletter by Roger Schank

Splendid Learning

Every time I think that e-learning couldn't get any sillier, someone figures out how to take a really bad idea and promote it into an ideology. At first I didn't get what anyone could be talking about when they used the phrase "blended learning." But then as I looked closer I began to see people had moved on from filming plays. I have always used the analogy of the history of the film industry to make fun of e-learning. In the 1920's early film makers filmed plays to make the first movies. It was a pretty bad idea -- you can hardly look at those movies today -- eventually movies became a medium in their own right, quite different from theatre. In e-learning we have had the same phenomenon. Those awful programmed learning workbook training manuals that everyone hated? Put them on line with some cute graphics and presto: e-learning. Yippee!!

Now I see that the e-learning industry has moved on from filming plays to suggesting that they only film part of the play (the dullest part presumably) and then alternate that with the actual theatre production itself! Talk about moving backwards. To put this another way: since e-learning is dull and we already have all those classrooms and all those trainers who would be mad if we eliminated their jobs - let's keep it all and call it blended learning and everybody wins.

Oh. Except the student. But then, years of experience in universities has taught us that students don't matter much. And they don't get to vote anyhow.

You know I am right about this. Still you have practical issues. You can't, or don't want to, put everything on line. Still you know that blended learning is a meaningless concept. What to do?

Splendid learning.

(I had to call it something.)

To understand splendid learning, I need to tell you about some work Socratic Arts did for a Fortune 100 Company.

Each year, approximately 120 new hires join the company from Business School and other firms as new Consultants. Socratic Arts partnered with the company to design and develop a simulation for these new employees. This training simulation, based on an actual client at the company, requires participants to use the company's methodologies and tools, asks them to approach a client problem in a way that is aligned with corporate market strategy, and creates an environment that allows them to experience work on project teams. New hires learn the processes and standards in the consulting field, while also engaged in team-building and project management. They are also introduced to the company's culture and values, with particular emphasis on the on-the-job apprenticeship model of learning encouraged at the firm.

Using the Story-Centered Curriculum approach, Socratic Arts developed a simulated scenario where participants are teamed up in groups of four to six to develop a set of recommendations for a client's problem, which are then delivered as a formal presentation to a superior.

The simulation consists of a sequence of tasks that highlight key phases in a project lifecycle. Teams begin by exploring the industry background and spec-ing out their final presentation. As with any consulting project, teams wrestle with ambiguous requests, indeterminate data, and conflicting interests. As a result, the simulation truly reflects the reality of the field the new hires will be entering.

The company's folks, students, coaches, and partners love what we built. They feel they have learned a lot and keep asking us to build more courses like that one.

Of course, I left something important out of this story. I forgot to mention whether what we built was delivered on line or in a classroom. Can't tell can you? Want to know why? Because it doesn't make a bit of difference. Splendid learning means that whatever you deliver is the same on line or off line. The medium is irrelevant. Of course, one could say the same thing for classroom lectures delivered on line. The difference here is that we are not filming plays. We are designing authentic learn by doing experiences that are mentored apprenticeships with coaches, deliverables, and as much realism as we can muster.

So, you really want to know if this was delivered on line or in a classroom don't you? Either way there was a giant web site with assignments, needed documents, coaching tips, tutorials, step by step guides, and so on.

And the answer is: YES