It has been my experience that most people want to learn in small, quick ways.  My theory is that anytime a shortcut can be taken in life, including learning, it is human nature to take the "easy" way.  If I can get a lesson in 5 minutes that answers my question and allows me to move on with my task at hand, I'll take the brief lesson and sacrifice a deeper understanding of the broader concepts - even to the point of losing any context in which the lesson exists.

There is a new website that provides short tutorials on technical subjects (more below).  They are mostly nicely done in Flash.  But I haven't seen any with audio; nor any with actual simulation interactivity.  I looked up about 5 technical terms.  All were visually appealing, however there was a lack of depth that left me wanting a bit more explanation.  I learned some information and liked the quickness.  It didn't make me feel like I learned enough to do anything with the information.

My conclusion is that quick tutorials will always appeal to busy professionals wanting to get a fast, lightweight overview answer.  But I wouldn't call it "training". 

However, I'm the first to admit that I am not formally trained as an instructional designer.  Many of my colleagues and clients have much more knowledge of instructional design than myself.  They have shared with me theories, study results, best practices, etc. that have opened my eyes to the counter-intuitive relationships that exist between how material is presented and the outcomes of the learners.  Perhaps some of the more knowledgeable would be willing to share their thoughts on how tutorials play a role in instructional design theory and practice.

I would much rather engage in a simple, interactive simulation that let me try to apply the knowledge to accomplish a task.  Even if I only read a bit, answer a couple of questions, read more, answer, repeat...that makes me think more.  And the interactivity, albeit very rudimentary, seems to be much more effective in stimulating my mind to retain the information.

I received an email yesterday because I am on the Denver Metro e-Learing Developers (DMELD) list.  The email contains the press release for a company deciding to use the tutorials for it's training.  Does anyone else see this as a bad example of applying "e-Learning" as a solution?  Would you even consider such an online tutorial as e-Learning?

Here is a copy of the email announcement:

Boulder & Boise. Idacomm, a leading provider of hosted VoIP services in Boise, Reno and Las Vegas announced selecting TECHtionary to provide sales and customer training tutorials.

According to Robert Speers, EVP of Idacomm, the key benefits to TECHtionary are "simplified explanations of complex concepts like Simplified Relocation, Outlook Integration, SIP, VoIP and many others. These animations reduce the number of days in the evaluation process and dramatically reduce the effort needed to produce sales."

According to Tom Cross CEO of TECHtionary, "Idacomm customers will reap the benefit of thousands of hours of animation synthesized into easy-to-understand and visually exciting segments. That is, we add motion to the notion." He added, "TECHtionary's solution - "virtual or animated" product/service tutorials are proven to "reduce the sale cycle, lower customer support costs and increase customer satisfaction which will provide immediate benefits to Idacomm and their customers." Lastly, Speers indicated, "In regard to customer satisfaction, customers are looking for a vendor who is still responsive after the sale. New features can be added or changed and as new services emerge TECHtionary animations can be easily updated to meet new challenges."

About IDACOMM

IDACOMM, a subsidiary company of Boise-based IDACORP, Inc. (NYSE: IDA), offers complete and sophisticated broadband over power line

(BPL) integration and operation services for electric companies. The company also provides fiber optic broadband services for organizations in high technology, manufacturing, distribution, health care, education, and state and local government; as well as a full range of broadband Internet, Voice over IP and private network solutions using a variety of access technologies. For more information please visit http://www.idacomm.com or http://www.idacomm-bpl.com.

About IDACORP

Boise, Idaho-based IDACORP, formed in 1998, is a holding company comprised of Idaho Power Company, a regulated electric utility; IDACORP Financial, a holder of affordable housing projects and other real estate investments; IdaTech, a developer of integrated fuel cell systems; Idacomm provider of telecommunication services and commercial and residential Internet services; and Ida-West Energy, an operator of small hydroelectric generation projects that satisfy the requirements of the Public Utilities Regulatory Policy Act of 1978.

About TECHtionary.com

TECHtionary http://www.techtionary.com is the World's First and Largest Animated (rich media) Library/Magazine on Technology - Web Hosting Magazine's Editor's Choice for Technical Help. TECHtionary has more than 2,700+ free tutorials on data, internet, wireless, VoIP-Voice over Internet Protocol (internet telephony), PBX systems, central office switching, protocols, telephony, telecommunications, networking, routing, IPTV, WiMax, power systems, broadband, WiFi-Wireless Fidelity and other technologies. TECHtionary.com provides "just enough – just-in-time" critical success information. TECHtionary produces animated sales brochures, virtual installation manuals and animated web infomercials proven to "increase revenues, decrease customer support costs and increase customer satisfaction."

Tom Cross CEO of TECHtionary is a member of the Technical Board of

Advisors for the VOIP-Security Alliance. TECHtionary also publishes

animated medical tutorials at http://www.msnopedia.com. Job opportunities and postings can be found at Ciscopedia – http://www.ciscopedia.com.