Customer Reviews

Making Sense of Online Learning: A Guide for Beginners and the Truly Skeptical

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The book is an excellent introduction to both online learning and to the basics of solid instructional design. The old saying, "Garbage in, garbage out" is still relevant. If you don't do a good job of understanding the "who, what, and why," then understanding the "how" of online learning won't do you much good. Fortunately, Shank and Sitze demystify all of it.

Witty, comforting, and with lots of charts, diagrams, checklists, and examples, the book offers a wealth of information--but without overloading the reader.

As a long time trainer, instructional designer, and web course developer I still learned from this fabulous book. Patti has a real flair for making technical topics understandable and giving readers the confidence that they, too, can do it.

Now that prices for technical expertise and software have come down from the stratospheric altitudes of the late '90s dotcom craziness, developing online learning is more affordable than ever.

The book is a joy to read.

Patti and Amy have taken on a subject that is thought of as being complex and intimidating and have made it accessible. This book is a great start to build your confidence if you are interested in starting or have been assigned the task of developing e-Learning courses. Their expertise is apparent from the beginning as they gently guide you through this foreign world.
-The companion website is worth ten times the value of the book. There is so much reference info on that website that you could be reading for days. I will continue to use this as my primary starting point. Sorry Google!
-The "Bottomline" segments and chapter conclusions are a worthwhile synopsis that contain good hints.
-There is a good history of e-learning.
-The Terminology and Acronyms will quickly make you feel like an old pro.
-References to look at future and previous chapters are helpful.
-Great Q's for "Are we Ready..." Table 1.2
-Very Good Q's to ask LMS/LCMS providers.
-Good thought provoking evaluation Q's on p.128

Here are the areas that were slightly confusing for me;

-Some of the tables and figures especially, Table 2.5 and Fig 4.1, were a bit hard to comprehend. At times it seemed that tables/figures were added because that is how the academic world works or the editor wanted something more.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in Online Learning. This is your first easy step in a journey of 1000 miles.

The audience for this book is the person who wants to take their first step into traditional online learning. And by traditional, I mean self-contained courses and the management systems that support them (as opposed to deeper simulations or integration with knowledge management or ERP or CRM systems, etc., etc.,) For these people, the tone, the content, and the sympathy are dead on. Before going to a conference, or reading any deeper books, or subscribing to any of the current magazines, or meeting with your boss or advisor, this should be required reading.

Like many instructional design professionals, I struggle to stay abreast of the lighting-fast developments in online learning. Replacing the comfortable and relatively stable vocabularies and design considerations of yesteryear are rapidly evolving media, terms, technologies, and standards.

Both veterans and novices alike may now know a great deal about some things and very little about others. We need resources that can help us fill the gaps in our understanding and enable us to speak intelligently to our clients, colleagues, and employers. We also need simplified ways of explaining these topics to our audiences.

Patti and Amy have provided just such a resource. By peeling away the jargon and complexity in an even-handed and measured way, they have clarified many mind-numbing subjects. Along the way, they have taken care to point out universal considerations, such as the importance of designing for usability and building training around real-world challenges. They have also provided excellent checklists to use when considering the acquisition of expensive technologies, such as learning management and content management systems. These tools alone can help organizations avoid costly and frustrating blunders.

Patti and Amy have successfully blended sensible guidance; classic learning theories; online learning terms, definitions, and applications; and many excellent resources into a "must read" book and companion Web site. Readers will hardly realize the plane has left the ground by the time they touch down gently but firmly at the end of a smooth and delightful journey.

In 150 pages, the authors lay out the key information both HR/training practitioners and web-geeks need to work together successfully.

Written for the non-technical HR practitioner who needs to understand both the training concepts and the technology choices she will be faced with, this book also provides a technical reader (me) with the language and central concepts used by training professionals to develop their courses.

I could see this text being used as the starting point for an project team comprised of HR professionals, trainers, and web designers to build on -- each member of the team required to read it to establish a common framework and language. A few hours spent reading this up front would save countless hours of 'churn' later on in the project.

Very few of us have the time or the patience to read a non-fiction book front to back. We want current information, solutions to the problems we are experiencing today, and answers to questions we can not answer ourselves. We want to find these golden nuggets of information quickly and easily and, we do not want a lot of theoretical or academic fluff.

"Making Sense of Online Learning" meets those requirements. The Shank and Sitze book and companion website are perfect "just-in-time" resources for anyone involved in online learning. Whatever your level of experience and expertise with online learning, I am sure you will find lots of useful and insightful information in the book and the website. While I have designed, developed, and taught various online courses, I still found the book and the website valuable. I know it will help me, my clients, and my students. Thanks, Patti and Amy!

Jackie Dobrovolny, Ph.D.
Instructional technology consultant & IT faculty at University of Colorado at Denver.

I purchased this entertaining and well-written book a couple of years ago. It has served as a step-by-step guide as I have made the transition from the traditional classroom to online learning.

From basic learning principals and definitions to specific "how to" examples and checklists, this book has it all and delivers it with a sense of humor that will have you chuckling aloud and keep you engaged, interested, and wanting to learn more. I continue to use this book as a resource, returning to it again and again, whether in need of a reminder or looking for inspiration to help me move forward.

If you are considering making the journey to online learning, this book will provide the light to help you along your way.

This is the book that everyone told me I needed to write: a beginner's guide to online learning. It's specifically for educators, trainers, and business people who are confused and overwhelmed by the seemingly endless amount of information in this field. The book was written with my co-author Amy Sitze, former editor of Online Learning Magazine.

It answers questions such as:
- What skills do you and your team need in order to create online instructional materials?
- What design methods work well for learning via the Internet?
- What tools and technologies can help you build online instructional materials?
- What do terms like LMS, LCMS, JavaScript, and learning objects really mean - and how do they affect you and your organization?
- How can you determine the effectiveness of online learning?

Is it any good? Well of course I think so! But, here's what Bill Ellet, the Editor of Training Media Review had to say:

It is... one of the best-written books on online learning that you are going to run across. Books on the topic are generally painful to read, full of convoluted academic prose and often fragmented by numerous subheads, tables and charts, and other features that make reading a chore. Shank and Sitze believe in clear writing and language that helps you understand the subject.

Patti Shank