Back to Basics

Photo by The New York Public Library on Unsplash

I went to Olympia London on Tuesday 4^th February for a wander and catchup at the World of Learning Summit Exhibition. A relaxed and enjoyable experience, in a familiar and inviting space, I visited some exhibitor stands, purposefully - and sometimes accidentally - met some of my professional pals and basically recharged my L&D batteries.

A recurring topic of conversation was that the AI in Learning hype seems to have quietened down, as the reality of the tools, it’s limitations and its benefits, have challenged the L&D profession to really question its efficacy and relevance. In my view this is a good thing.

I detected a more mature repositioning of L&D’s attitude to and use of Artificial Intelligence. It seems it has challenged us to look at ourselves and what we do, through the lens of a powerful tool that will only serve us if and when we get our own house in order.

Initially, AI will work best for us as a beast of burden, taking on our boring admin, content scraping and weeding, and freeing us up to be more creative and relevant in supporting our customers with better learning solutions.

And we can do that better by going back to basics.

We need to get to grips with proving impact – and for that, we need data. And data is the lifeblood of AI. The insights and evidence of our impact should then follow.

On Monday, Wesley Atkinson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/wesleyatkinson/) posted a short piece on LinkedIn which prompted me to think about how L&D could meet AI in that space.

“If you’re not organised and don’t track/plan ahead, proving the impact of an e-learning course is going to be hard.

To do this properly, you need:
- A business counterpart to collaborate with.
- At least two measurable data points to track.
- To figure out what to track BEFORE you launch the course.

Proving ROI on an e-learning course is about tracking the right numbers from the start.

Without a plan, it’s impossible to demonstrate business impact.”

Boom! (Thanks Wes.)

Three things for me here:

-        An engaged business stakeholder is essential to assist learning designers to ensure their solution is relevant to the organisation.

-        No data, no evidence of impact!

-        AI to evaluate evidence, assess the impact and suggest further refinements .

Is AI the kick in the pants that L&D needs to be better? Or am I oversimplifying here? I’d be interested to hear your thoughts on this take.

 

 

Treading Carefully

I went for my 'Covid' walk on Worthing promenade at 09:00 one day last week. It was a lot quieter than it is later in the day, when I normally head down to the seafront. Far fewer people about. 

I liked it.

Why did I like it? 

Because I could see the way ahead. I could anticipate who was going to be coming towards me, to my left or to my right, or, indeed ploughing straight ahead and assuming that I would get out of their way. I could adjust my trajectory accordingly. 

And I had space to look up, and out, to lift my eyes to the horizon and to the sky.

Similarly, I wasn't having to keep looking over my shoulder, to see who was coming up on my blind side. 

Lone runners announce themselves by the sound of their different gaits and running shoes. Walkers and talkers can be heard as they approach. Again, I find I can move to one side or the other to allow them clear passage (although I tend to 'step out', walk quickly, when I'm on my own, trying to press on and maintain some pace, so not many 'talkers' keep up with me). 

The only ones you have to be aware of and check behind you before you alter your direction quickly, are the silent cyclists, who sweep past you suddenly and unannounced - and rarely two metres distant.

In many respects, I think going for 'a walk on the prom' is both an artifact of how we're living and is analogous to how we're working in a Covid world. Trying to find and carve your own path, looking after your own and others best interests and health. Watching out for those who could get in your way, could - through their own ignorance or indifference - bring harm to you and your's, or prevent your plan coming to fruition. Being aware of the ambushes that could catch you unawares, knock you off track - or over! Delay or derail your plans and progress. 

Whilst all the time you're trying to keep a sense of perspective, an awareness of and behaviour that recognises and navigates productively through that landscape.

It's exhausting. 

I'm sure you can recognise and construct some deeper analogies to your own personal and professional lives here, so I'm not going to over-think and thereby over-egg that. 

It's important, however, to remember that these things are far more intertwined, far more interdependent now than they have ever been in the past.

So, if you can, get out. Look up. Don't hide. Ask for help if you need it. Try not to judge. Adjust your path, cross the road, as circumstances require. Aim to reach your intended destination,

And keep looking over your shoulder.

Be safe and be well.