Change Management
Overview
Perhaps the most significant challenge to implementing elearning is not technologically based - it is social.
Frequently, technology is treated as a scapegoat when an elearning initiative fails (or when a course has high dropout rates). While technology obviously plays a role in these "failures", it is important to go deeper. Why do people resist technology? Why is it so difficult to encourage staff to begin using elearning? Why do some managers not see the many benefits of elearning - lower costs (potentially), greater learning, and more satisfied customer/student/end user?
The reason for these issues is based on our resistance to change. Anything new is viewed as a threat until it is understood. Any manager, department chair, or instructor, needs to initiate a "change management" strategy to ensure adoption of elearning. Blaming technology is misguided.
| The biggest challenge in implementing elearning lies in overcoming people's natural resistance to change. |
Resources
Technologies
for Understanding: Three Conditions for Positive Change
Useful read.
"Three Conditions for Positive
Change:
- Apply the principles
of "Teaching for Understanding" to the implementation of technology;
- Accommodate the "scholarship of teaching and learning" as
a way building and sharing knowledge about teaching for understanding
in new learning environments;
- Develop robust programs for faculty development based on what we know
about how people learn best."
Change
Management Toolbook
"In this Toolbook for Change Management, I will offer you a broad
range of methods and strategies which you can apply during different stages
of personal and organizational development."
Qualitative
Issues
This article tackles the concerns of aligning practice with policy.
Managing
Change Library
If you are implementing an elearning course, or institution-wide project,
take a few minutes to visit this resource-rich site. Great suggestions
for managing change.
Managing
Change (course notes)
This site is a resource for
an online course. Offers an excellent overview of the reasons for, and
processes of change management.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License
