The SME test

Dealing with Subject Matter Experts

I’m Jenny.

I’m a learning designer.

I used to be a training designer.

But now I’m a learning designer.

Anyway …

I work with SMEs –subject matter experts.Here’s one I used to work with –Smeaton

He knows a lot about widgets.I mean a lot!

Go on, ask me

anything!

…which is good for me because I’m working on some elearning on An Introduction to Widgets.

Smeaton, why are widgets gizmo-

shaped?

It’s obvious, my dear …

But it’s not always easy.

That’s the trouble. He doesn’t always realise how much he knows.

As I said in the guidance notes, on page, oh, 74 was

it?

Every grain of knowledge in his head is linked to every other one.

That’s why he’s an expert. He knows the links.

Much of it unconsciously.

I want just a few bits of knowledge for my course

But you’re missing …

That’s not giving the complete picture …

It’s not right to generalise like

that.

It hurts him

This is true of most widgets, but …

The 1972 Widgets Act changed that for certain categories of

widgets …

… he feels ill

Predominantly, under most

circumstances, however …

Sometimes I have to insist …

Sometimes I have to insist …

You’re hurting my

links!!!

Oops.

Smeaton recovered but he hated my course and undermined it in the business areas

Hnnnf, hnnnfff!

Quite.

What’s a designer to do?

I asked Cathy Moore …Use the Action

Mapping approach!

I asked Cathy Moore …Start with the

business change you

want to make.Then work out the

tasks people actually do, and

devise some practice activities.

You only need offer enough information for the learners to do that practice.

That makes sense!

blog.cathy-moore.com

I asked Donald Clark…Make it contractual!

Limit their sphere of activity by getting them to sign a strict schedule, along with agreements on delivery, format for

comments, what they have to do and what they don’t do (learning and interactive

design).

Hey, we’re being

leveraged!

http://donaldclarkplanb.blogspot.com/2006/09/sme-subject-matter-egomaniacs.html

Did you mention

hay?

I learned to use Clive Shepherd’s Learning Object Design Assistantto structure the

questions I asked the experts.

So this is a concept, not a procedure,

Bellamy.

Very good, sir, concept

it is.

http://clive-shepherd.blogspot.com/

Now Smeaton and I get on famously … I just needed to ask the right questions.

What do I need to know in order to stack widgets on

a shelf?

Well, their shape, the sizes they come in, the

kinds of shelves …And

how to unpack

and stack them.

That’s a procedure!

… and that’s all.

Of course, more remains to be said about ….

That’s all. Quite.

How can I tell her I adore her?

Norman Lamont, Lloyds Banking Group