Sioux Falls Business Journal

INSIGHT: On-demand learning goes beyond classroom

By Don Feige For the Sioux Falls Business Journal

Tuesday, 07 August 2007

Futurists predict that the 21st century will be equivalent to 20,000 years of progress at today’s rate of change. Businesses are confronted everyday with new technology decisions and investment options. Don Feige, owner of New Horizons Computer Learning Centers of South Dakota In our increasingly on-demand world, learning has changed to keep pace with technology advancements. Self-directed and self-motivated individuals seek more than the traditional instructor-led classroom lecture. Especially in computer learning, mentored and online learning have generated high rates of student achievement. Mentored learning is a multi-sensory approach to training that combines both the traditional classroom instruction with an on-demand delivery to create the most effective and efficient computer-skills learning solution for a company or an individual. The result is a flexible and customizable learning process that increases a student’s ability to retain information and apply newly acquired knowledge on the job.   “There are so many types of learning methods available, that there is an exact fit for everyone. E-learning has been around for years, it just doesn’t get talked about that often. In rural areas, without these types of options available, people would be completely unable to take advantage of some of the technologies that most people have at their fingertips,” says Deb Gearhart, director of E-Campus at Troy University and current Dakota State University online instructor. Mentored learning combines auditory, visual and kinesthetic learning tools to meet the needs of a multitude of students with varying skill levels and learning preferences. Students control the pace at which they learn and the content covered so they can focus on the specific skills they need to gain. Mentored learning features: • Pre-class assessment, which identifies skill gaps and enables students to study only the content they need. • Hands-on practice that reinforces skills learned. • One-on-one attention that offers support and guidance from a certified instructor. • Customized-schedule classes delivered around students’ work and personal life. The traditional classroom is not going away. But increasingly, students are blending the benefits of an expert instructor, on-demand access and targeted reinforcement activities. Mentored learning offers resources and tools for those who learn best by practicing on their own but who still may need interaction with a certified instructor.    In today’s on-demand world, those who guide our technology decisions need to learn the technologies themselves as quickly and efficiently as possible. Feige is owner of New Horizons Computer Learning Centers of South Dakota This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it www.newhorizonssd.com 339-3221