[Sigia-l] Distance-based graduate programs in human factors

[Listera]

Bruno Monteiro:

> According to your post, I supose you don´t "trust" e-learning
> methodologies or distance-base graduate programs... and this is really
> a big problem for many, many people around the world working, or
> wanting to work, on IA related fields.

It's not that I don't trust them, it's just that there's really no credible
alternative to face-to-face contact in a field as intangible as IA or
design. 

(I suppose if you're delusional about the 'scientific' nature of these
disciplines, then the pain might be appear to be less, but that's another
rant.:-)

As you say, not everyone is in proximity of relevant educational resources.
That's why I'd recommend apprenticing with a local pro, if it can be
arranged.

I'm sure doctors will tell you that they learn more during their internship
than they do in med school. There's more to learning via observation,
osmosis, interaction and immersion than absorption of (mostly) facts via
e-learning.

I've trained many designers and developers over the years, and mentored
people via email. While you can get a lot of 'facts' and impressions of what
*other* people have done via e-learning, there's no substitute for doing it
yourself and getting immediate feedback via human interaction.

Ziya
Nullius in Verba