Lasher joins Hall and Masie as a recognised learning ‘expert’

Trainer1’s Neil Lasher, has joined Brandon Hall, Elliott Masie, Bob Mosher, Fred Harburg and Jeanne C Meister as one of six experts who have each contributed an article to the January 2007 edition of the prestigious US-based Chief Learning Officer (CLO) magazine.

Well known in the USA as well as in the UK for his views on e-learning, especially instructional design (ID), Lasher’s article argues that it is time to change our reliance on Blooms’ Taxonomy – now over 50 years old – and Gagne, whose views on ID are now over 40 years old.

According to Lasher: ‘When used in the classroom, there is no better model. Many e-learning authors, however, have interpreted no fewer than three of Gagne’s nine events of instruction by relying almost exclusively on questions and answers.

‘In doing this, you can create a culture of learning by inquisition. New approaches have been sought to enable e-learners to reach a far higher level of knowledge understanding rather than simple knowledge transfer.’

In Lasher’s view: ‘Often, interventions attempt to “fix” or change an existing situation or process. Instead of the fix, start each learning design with a clean piece of paper — look at the purpose of the learning intervention as an outsider and try to identify the real reasons for the learning and what purpose it could really fulfil.

‘Using this process, consider how powerful enterprise learning could be if we could identify the potential customer we lost. If we could understand what went wrong to make that person go elsewhere, we could write a learning intervention for the business that would bring measurable change directly to the bottom line.

‘With any luck, using techniques such as these will allow our “new” style of learning to be around for the same length of time as those of Bloom and Gagne.’

Lasher continues to run a series of courses on instructional design in the USA, the UK and, from early 2007, in Russia, working in partnership with Business Training Russia (BTR), one of Russia’s leading short-term business education and training companies. Among the Moscow-based company’s internationally known clients are Audi, Bacardi, Sony, Volvo, L’Oreal, IKEA and Diageo.

About Chief Learning Officer magazine
MediaTec Publishing is an award-winning publisher of magazines and media that focus on workforce development, MediaTec Publishing’s portfolio includes Chief Learning Officer (CLO) magazine, Workforce Performance Solutions magazine and Certification Magazine.

CLO was named ‘Best New Magazine’ by the American Society of Business Publication Editors in its launch year, and it has been nominated for several Neal Awards. MediaTec also publishes the CLO Sourcebook, an annual Business Industry Intelligence Report and CertMag’s Study Guides. Each magazine is supported electronically with e-newsletters, special supplements, online e-Seminars and an interactive Web site.

MediaTec’s electronic media family also includes TrainingPrism.com, featuring original articles, columns and resources covering tactical learning and development solutions. In its role as the industry’s leading source of research and intelligence, MediaTec also produces the international CLO Symposium conference series on best practices in corporate learning.

In May 2006, Chief Learning Officer Academy was launched, in partnership with Capella University. The pioneering continuing education program is aligned directly to the specific competency needs of workforce learning and development professionals. All MediaTec publications, electronic media and events share a similar emphasis on providing their international audiences with clearly presented information to help them succeed in new and changing markets.

CLO magazine has offices in Chicago, IL, and Oakland, CA.

About Trainer1
Trainer1 is one of the UK’s leading independent e-learning specialists, creating sophisticated courseware for learning. It works in a number of areas including:
• Creating custom-built e-learning solutions
• Supplying e-learning training and consultancy to make clients self-sufficient in servicing their e-learning needs – especially in terms of embedded and workflow learning
• Operating as a ‘tools warehouse’ for tools used by Trainer1’s clients

Trainer1 has lengthy experience in computer delivered learning. In particular, Trainer1 develops, supplies and supports:
• Authoring tools - for the creation of content, meeting all common standards.
• Learning and Knowledge Management tools - for the management and distribution of content, including accreditation and reporting of data within existing databases.
• Delivery systems for workflow learning - CSL™.
• Tools and libraries to create multimedia content, including image editors, easy to use Flash production tools, libraries of sound, graphics and animation.
• Specialised training events to assist trainers and instructional designers to become self sufficient in e-learning design and production.
• Development services in the creation and maintenance of learning content.

Trainer1’s client list includes international major corporations such as ABN AMRO, Kraft Foods, Deutsche Post (DHL) and Mitsubishi Corporation, along with clients including DCLG (formerly the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister) in the UK, the Department for International Development, and the UK’s Royal Hospital for Neuro-Disability, along with many municipal authorities.

Trainer1 is privately owned and remains a small, friendly company providing high quality product combined with personal service to Blue Chip Companies, as well as small and medium sized enterprises. Trainer1 is a member of many e-learning organisations, and Neil Lasher, of Trainer1 is a committee member of the eLN and President (from 2006) of the Global Network of ASTD UK. He also works with standards bodies to ensure technology is meeting the needs of users worldwide, as well as the guidelines determined by the governing groups in the e-learning industry.

Further information from:
Neil Lasher, Trainer1, 00 44 (0) 20 7264 4844; www.trainer1.com
Bob Little, Bob Little Press & PR, 00 44 (0) 1727 860405