epic thinking
Issue number 68, November 2007

24% of e-learning adopters do it all in-house. DIY is on the rise. This month we offer some advice for DIYers... We also probe the leading edge with the first of three Think Tanks on innovation... And we open the newsletter up to your comments on the Epic Blog.

• Ten Top Tips - for Marketing e-learning
• Where's the Leading Edge? - an Epic Think Tank
• The Tao of Wow - ELN's 'Build or Buy' Event
• Pitfalls of DIY - a Few Musts to Avoid
• Six Steps into the Forest - Trust and DIY e-learning
• Instant Poll - Do you Open Source?

for Marketing e-learning

Whether you build or buy e-learning, your biggest challenge is going to be getting learners engaged with it. Follow these Ten Tips to help ensure the highest possible uptake.

Part One: Innovation

Epic are currently running a series of Think Tank dinners examining the issues at the leading edge of e-learning. We cover this in three dimensions:

• Innovation
• Sectors
• Geographical

This first of the series zeroed in on the challenges of innovation...

One of the most striking things that emerged from last month's 'Build or Buy' conference was how much more important the so-called 'wow factor' in e-learning often seems to be for clients than for content producers. Read our reflections on this E-learning Network event.

With between a quarter and a third of organisations doing their own e-learning, will we have DIY disasters similar to those seen in the housing market - where householders dig out their foundations for a cellar, only to find that the house falls down? Some musts to avoid!

Trust and DIY e-learning

Two trust issues provide challenges for organisations producing e-learning in-house. Firstly, the question of what people will say about the materials that are presented to them and, secondly, what people will produce given the tools to do so...

Do you Open Source?

What sort of LMS do you use to launch and track your e-learning? Follow the link below to participate in our survey... and see the results so far.

In line with Epic's enthusiasm for all things Web 2.0, we've made an important change to the way we publish our newsletter. From this month on, all content for the newsletter will be hosted on the Epic Blog rather than on the Epic website. The most important effect of this is to give you, the reader, an immediate and visible means of reply to views expressed in all the articles we carry. You can agree, disagree, correct errors, add insights of your own - spark and continue a discussion. We value your feedback so please take this opportunity and get involved!

Rapid Create Information Pack

Create your own accessible, SCORM-compliant e-learning with Epic's new authoring tool. Email us today for your CD-ROM information pack, including:

• Flash walkthrough
• Brochure
• Fact sheet
• Accessibility White Paper
• User guide
• 30 day FREE trial

FREE access to exclusive reports on TJ Online

Due to an exclusive arrangement with TJ Online, the publication for learning and development, readers of Epic Thinking can now gain free access to TJ's exclusive reports. Read an interview with Jay Cross, the green argument for using e-learning, a report on web conferencing, and much more.

Download these reports FREE

Subscribe to TJ online

Free Report: Second Life and Virtual Worlds

Exclusive offer to readers of Epic Thinking. Courtesy of Learning Light, we offer this 29 page in-depth report, published this month, for free download.