The truth is, it is almost impossible to find comparable apples to compare, because most projects are somewhat unique: it’s never just “apples”… there is always some other fruit, or even some vegetables in the mix… 😉
The notion of elearning levels have been around for many, many years. Their purpose is grand: use a common language to define expectations, and give budget ballparks, right?
But each discussion about elearning levels starts with a clarification of what those levels mean, by discussing it thoroughly with your client. Eventually it requires some examples of what you’ve done to support the budgets you’re asking for… which in the end, you propose a “produce” basket that will be different from the other bidders’.
So it’s like you’re bidding to become this client’s personal chef. You’ll need to understand his likes and dislikes, his preferred dishes and the ones he’s willing to eat in a bind, and of course, how long he’s willing to wait for it, and how much he’s willing to pay.
But come to think of it, talking ingredients may not be the right approach…
Should we talk “cooking”? Ingredients are just ingredients… even the best ones can not be fully appreciated if they weren’t prepared properly, or prepared to there full potential.
Should we talk “Restaurant”? The food itself can be great, but if the plating, service or dining room aren’t right, the expectations are in jeopardy.
Isn’t it about the overall experience? In our case, the learning experience?
Of course elearning levels are part of the overall experience. But they do not address all of it.
The learning experience is created by the successful combination of several things:
- Learning strategies (tell-show-try-me, activities, storytelling, concept-based, scenario-based, serious gaming, etc.)
- Engagement strategies (look & feel, concept-based, storytelling, gamification, etc.)
- Delivery strategies (synchronous-in person-virtual, asynchronous-self-pace, coaching, mentoring, technology-based, etc.)
- Learning materials (writing, media producing, assembling-integrating, authoring-programming, etc.)
- Overall quality (look & feel, writing style-grammar-typos, clarity, consistency, precision, bugginess, etc.)
In terms of elearning levels, the one thing I find is not addressed properly, if at all, is the engagement part. You might say that it’s part of the learning strategy… to which I’d respond it’s time to looked at it separately. Don’t you think?
Now another question come to mind… should we consider learning experience levels? 🙂
Benoit David's Blog 