Michael Allen's Guide to E-Learning: Building Interactive, Fun, and Effective Learning Programs for Any Company [Paperback]

Michael W. Allen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2, 2003 | ISBN-10: 0471203025 | ISBN-13: 978-0471203025 | Edition: 1

An industry leader speaks out against boring, ineffective, costly e-learning and provides practical guidelines for creation of powerful, e-learning-based performance solutions.
e-Learning is emerging rapidly in schools, businesses, and at home. Millions are being invested in this new, widely available technology purported as the solution to learning challenges. Dr. Michael Allen, commonly considered the father of modern interactive learning, raises concerns about misuses of the technology, missed opportunities, and money wasted on boring, ineffective e-learning. The book offers specific, pragmatic, common-sense approaches to guide the development of successful technology-assisted learning. A free CD-ROM is packed with sample applications. Michael Allen's Guide to e-Learning enables business executives to become discerning e-learning investors and instructional designers to create meaningful performance solutions.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

As an international speaker and consultant to virtually every business sector over his more than thirty-five years of research and development in technology-based instruction, Michael Allen now speaks out about his frustrations with e-learning and brings fundamental issues to light. He shares specific, commonsense guidelines that reliably produce effective and practical learning solutions. From his pioneering work on learning management systems, to authoring systems, and now on instructional design, experts and buyers alike follow his leadership and respect his opinion:

"Every subject area has its bible. This is it for e-learning. This is the how-to book for both instructional designers and executives responsible for corporate e-learning programs. Especially well done and unique to this book are the chapters on learner motivation and how effective instructional interactivities are created. The bottom line, from our experience working with Michael Allen and his team, is the methods and principles defined in this book work–and work well."
–Mike Groszko, Manager, DaimlerChrysler Quality Institute

"Michael Allen has done it all. He has designed and developed huge amounts of effective e-learning. He has built several very successful businesses providing programs to sophisticated clients. He has managed development. He personally led the creation of Authorware, the benchmark authoring system used throughout the world. He has lectured. He has written. He has taught. His opinions and perspective are sought by many. But mostly, he thinks. And the results of that thinking are to the benefit of us all. I am glad he wrote down what he thinks."
– Gloria Gery, Gery Associates

About the Author

MICHAEL W. ALLEN is a recognized pioneer and leader in the design of interactive multimedia learning tools and applications. He is the founder and former chairman of Authorware, Inc. (now Macromedia, Inc.). He is currently Chairman and CEO of Allen Interactions Inc., which builds interactive learning systems, develops custom courseware, and provides multimedia consulting and training.

Product Details

• Paperback: 360 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (January 2, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471203025
• ISBN-13: 978-0471203025
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 0.7 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #312,131 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Michael Allen is a recognized leader in the architecture and design of interactive multimedia learning systems and strategies. He is the chairman and CEO of Allen Interactions, which builds custom interactive learning solutions and provides consulting and training for interactive multimedia professionals. Allen Interactions will launch a revolutionary authoring system, ZebraZapps, in 2011, allowing developers and non-programmers to create rich interactive media applications easily and quickly, as well as share, publish, and sell their inventions. Technology designed and built by Michael Allen led to the formation of Macromedia and revolutionized multimedia software development. With ZebraZapps, Allen is set to disrupt the industry once again.

Allen holds a PhD in educational psychology from The Ohio State University and is an adjunct associate professor at the University of Minnesota Medical School. He has written nine books including the best-seller, Michael Allen's Guide to e-Learning and his e-Learning Library Series - the third volume of this series, Learner Interface Design releases July, 2011. Additionally, he is editor of Michael Allen's e-Learning Annuals. Michael received ASTD's Distinguished Contribution to Workplace Learning and Performance Award in May 2011.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

51 of 51 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars It's about time we had this book! January 10, 2003

By "ggery"

Format:Paperback

I have been involved in what is now called eLearning since 1976. I wrote Making CBT Happen in 1987 to help implement eLearning... so I am familiar with this field. Michael Allen has provided us with what we need to design and develop powerful and effective and engaging eLearning. Finally... a solid, experience-based book is available to us all. I read the book and loved the specific guidance on when to do what. Michael moves beyond the technology to its use. Specific design strategies are revealed... and "virtual" templates are provided. So many designers are just given authoring tools and goals... but no direction, creative support or stimulus for ideas. This book fills that void.

This will surely be the baseline resource for eLearning Design for at least the next five years! Thank you, Michael Allen! We needed this.

45 of 46 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Guidance from the Master January 27, 2003

By Jennifer Zapp

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book is subtitled, "Building Interactive, Fun and Effective Learning Programs for Any Company" and I think that says it all. I've spoken on the topic of where's the fun in eLearning and know that most of what I've seen is "deadly boring."

I have known Mike Allen since I worked for Authorware in the 1980's. One of the things I always regretted was not working in the MN office, as he, along with the rest of the Authorware team, conducted critiques of the work in progress being developed for customers. The few I did attend were always insightful and thought provoking. Along with being pretty scary if your work was on the agenda, because you might have to listen to bad along with good feedback. Mike Allen is a kind person, but not one to mince words when it comes to what makes up good and bad eLearning. I've also had the opportunity to attend several lectures by Mike on eLearning.

This book shares his insight on what makes good elearning, particularly from the viewpoints of motivation and interactivity. I am starting a new project with a lot of possible impact and reading his book has helped me immensely. Also, it contains several little history lessons on eLearning and Authorware that I really enjoyed. Lots of examples of good projects are discussed and included on a CD-ROM that unfortunately is not included in the book, but available for free from his website. If you are really interested in learning more on what makes good eLearning, I would definitely order it soon.

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars This book directly applies to your work! March 3, 2003

By Joy Kopp

Format:Paperback

Dr. Allen is a champion of learner-centric design - and has written a refreshingly reader-centric book about the topic. He understands that learning is an "internal, personal, and ultimately individual act." His words reveal his passions and opinions in such an authentic manner that you can quickly understand his perspective, and extract points of meaning that can directly apply to your work. As a producer and designer of interactive media, I continually find his insights an inspiration.