Take-It-With-You Training

By Donald F. Berbary and Alan A. Malinchak for The Public Manager

 Government employees can now skip class, or at least the classroom, and still learn. With technology, lessons may be as mobile as the jet-setting executive. Technology gives employees latitude in determining what, how, when and from whom they learn. Online and mobile learning programs allow users to increase their choices and degree of control over learning and professional development. The availability of online courses greatly expands the array of learning opportunities that any given employee may tap into. Online courses also expand the flexibility to study when it is most convenient.

Through chat rooms, message boards and other synchronous and asynchronous discussions, participants - including both learners and instructors - not only share knowledge but get to know one another. Everyone has the opportunity to hear from and respond to everyone else and learning-formal and informal-surges as a result. Online learning can also engage learners by taking a game-based approach.

The Department of Commerce's Chief Learning Officer Fred Lang was a member of the internal team that helped develop an e-course on why and how to safeguard personal identifying information. Lang influenced the decision to use vivid graphics, 3D technology, personal avatars and a points-accumulation scenario.

"Most of our executives had smart phones, netbooks, laptops, iPods and other mobile devices," Lang said. "Why not let our busy executives use the technologies they're already using? That way, they can take their education program with them as they commute, travel or have some downtime at home or at the office."

Read more in The Public Manager and join us at the ASTD/The Public Manager Government Workforce: Learning Innovations conference sessions on Learning Tools. Participants include:

* Don Burke, Intellipedia, Central Intelligence Agency
* Jeffrey Vargas, Chief Learning Officer, Commodity Futures Trading Commission
* Chris Dorobek, DorobekINSIDER
* Wyatt Kash, AOL Government

Learn more at www.governmentworkforce.org and www.thepublicmanager.org.

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