NEWS: Learning leaders will be talking about the action L&D professionals can take to improve business impact during a series of interviews at the CIPD Learning and Development Show (L&D) 2016.Elearning provider, Sponge UK is hosting the sessions in support of the #MakeItHappen campaign organised by research and benchmarking organisation, Towards Maturity.The campaign is aimed at providing practical insights and resources to help L&D professionals focus on one area of action that will help them deliver impact in 2016.Some of the UK’s leading L&D professionals and thought leaders will be sharing their insights on how to turn aspiration into action during the show.Sponge UK is a Towards Maturity Ambassador and works with the independent organisation to promote research, change and good practice across the industry.Louise Pasterfield, Managing Director of Sponge UK, said: "The Make It Happen campaign is all about taking small steps towards a much bigger goal. We thought it would be helpful to hear from some of the people supporting the drive for change. We will be asking them to share some ideas and tips on positive action during this year’s CIPD L&D Show. We hope it will help inspire people to respond to the challenges facing our industry."The CIPD Learning and Development Conference and Exhibition takes place on May 11 and 12 at Olympia, London and brings together learning professionals, experts, practitioners and suppliers.The #MakeItHappen interviews will take place at Sponge UK’s stand 409 in the main exhibition hall and will be shared on social media during and after the event.The guests are:Day One (May 11) Teresa Rose, E.ONPaul Morgan, Telefonica UKJane Hart, Centre for Learning & Performance Technologies Day Two (May 12) Andy Lancaster, CIPDDr Itiel Dror, University College LondonLaura Overton, Towards MaturityA schedule of interview times will be published during the show via @Sponge_UK on Twitter.Towards Maturity will also be launching the 2016 Benchmark Study at the CIPD L&D Show. It is Europe’s largest, most comprehensive independent study of corporate learning. The post Learning leaders share insights on change at CIPD L&D Show appeared first on Sponge UK.

If there was a simple way you could help learners retain more information over long periods of time would you use it? One of the earliest pieces of research into memory and learning identified a technique called spaced practice. It significantly improves the recall of information and it could be the key to achieving better long-term results from your training. What is spaced practice? Hermann Ebbinghaus , a pioneering memory researcher was the first person to document what he called "the forgetting curve" in his 1885 paper Über das Gedächtnis, translated as "On Memory". He observed that the rate of forgetting is highest immediately after learning happens. After only a day, two thirds of the information learned is gone.The original experiments that Ebbinghaus performed were based on remembering nonsense syllables. However, it also works with basic skills like typing as well as remembering facts and processes.By revisiting the learning, you bring the level of recall back to the top of the graph and the rate of forgetting reduces after each visit.The key finding was that if you space the practice of the learning out at longer and longer intervals, the curve eventually flattens out and knowledge is retained more effectively.Further reading: Will Thalheimer offers practical advice (pdf) for introducing the spacing effect to workplace learning Robert Bjork explains the benefits of the practice in this YouTube video This article by Daniel T. Willingham is an accessible and practical discussion of the benefits and potential limitations of the spacing effect in practice. How can it help me?As an L&D professional, you want your learners to retain information because it’s valuable and because they can build on it in the future when developing advanced skills.It’s not going to be a silver bullet that fixes issues or turns around poor performance on its own. The best way to see a real impact from spaced practice is to make small tweaks to your course design and implementation.Any area where skills are going to be used over the long-term will benefit from better knowledge retention. Skills development and sales & product knowledge training are two areas that lend themselves well to spaced practice.You could introduce the technique to induction and training on company culture in order to better reinforce a message.It’s also useful in training for real events that happen rarely but where knowledge retention is key. First aid or fire safety both require specific knowledge that is rarely used in everyday life.Spaced practice will help learners absorb this type of knowledge and have it ready when it’s needed most. How can I put spaced practice into action?Make your training stick by putting the spacing effect to work with these practical steps: Find the key facts and processes Break the key facts down into individual sections Schedule reviews of the small sections Include reviews of key sections in subsequent courses Some of these tasks will already be part of your learning design process. You may already have the building blocks of a good spaced practice approach. An example of a spaced practice for elearningWe’ll show you one way you can put the process into action. We’re going to take a fire safety compliance course and give your learners the benefit of spacing effect. Find the key facts and processes and break them down You identify the following areas that are critical to fire safety training: The fire triangle Precautions to take Fire alarms Evacuation procedure Types of fire Types of fire extinguisher Then you dive deeper into one of the key parts of the course: Types of fire extinguisher. Water Dry powder Foam CO2 You design a series of learning interactions to teach learners when to use each extinguisher. They range from simple multiple-choice questions, to infographics, to learning games featuring the different extinguisher types.You then repeat the process for all the key areas. Schedule reviews of the small sections Now you have the fundamental pieces of training, you can design a learning schedule that incorporates spaced practice. You send out an email to learners who need the fire safety training. Your Learning Management System (LMS) can track when they access and complete the course for the first time.An automated email is sent to each learner 24 hours after they complete the training. A link is provided to a short learning course that reviews the key information from the course.48 hours after the learner has completed their review a new link is sent with another short review of the fire extinguisher types.A week after the initial training, invite learners by email to join a discussion on types of fire extinguishers in the organisations internal chat system. Include reviews of key sections in subsequent courses One month after the training, a new course launches as part of the health and safety programme. Before the course begins, there is a review of the fire safety training including the types of extinguisher and a short assessment.After tracking the assessment, any knowledge gaps are identified and the process can be repeated with the learning interactions adjusted appropriately.That’s one way of using an LMS infrastructure to get the benefit from the spacing effect. Can I apply it to my existing learning?Yes, as long as you have the relevant information available in the right sort of format. Updating your courses to include elements of the spacing effect is also possible.We’ve done some research into learners who use our Launch&Learn LMS and how long they leave between visits. Interval between visits Same day 1 day 2 days 7 days 8-14 days 121-364 days % of learners 70% 20% 10% 3% 11% 11% Around 70% of people return to their courses twice in a day, 20% return the next day, and 10% after 2 days. This drops off until the second week when 11% of people return, falling again until we group together everyone returning after 121 days up to a year which represents 11%.These figures might not be representative of your own employees patterns, but you could do a similar analysis to see how they’re returning to courses using your own LMS.Many learners are already returning at suitably spaced intervals. Tracking of completion and assessment is also already taking place in most LMS’s.With some minor tweaks to your approach, it’s possible to benefit from the spacing effect.There have been entire papers written on why the spaced practice theory hasn’t been put into practice, but there’s no clear reason. The future of elearning is going to offer many more opportunities to get real benefits from learning theories using new technology. Spaced practice will come into its own when automation becomes easy, and that point is getting very close.More and more adaptive learning and personalisation is becoming possible. Mobile devices are more capable and widely used than ever before. Learners are able and willing to access online learning any time. Now is the time to start taking advantage of the possibilities that technology introduces, rather than using the technology for its own sake. The post Spaced practice: The 130 year-old trick for making training memorable appeared first on Sponge UK.

You need to understand how employees learn to improve your performance.It’s one of the four priorities Towards Maturity identifies as part of its #MakeItHappen campaign."Listen and learn how colleagues do their job and how they learn and design for that. That’s what 86% of Top Deck organisations do (versus 30% on average)." By concentrating your efforts on one area that is really getting results for top performing businesses, you can give your own performance a significant boost.Everyone can benefit from taking a closer look at the people who are taking their training.We’re going to offer you practical advice for focusing on how you can better serve your learners and #MakeItHappen.Find out about your learnersHow can you find out how your employees learn best and use that knowledge when you’re designing learning for them?An online survey can be a good way to collect feedback from a lot of learners, but interviews and feedback sessions give a deeper insight.You could use the questions from The Learner Voice survey from Towards Maturity as a starting point.  Comparing your results to the report will give you an insight into how your company fits into the bigger picture.Measuring results is an important part of the feedback process.  You can track learner performance inside the course through a Learning Management System (LMS).Comparing training assessment results to a relevant performance indicator for the business can reveal how effective the learning is.With data on effectiveness and feedback from learners, you can identify the areas to work on that will have the biggest effect.We go into more detail on getting feedback from your learners in our blog post Getting feedback and monitoring results in elearning.With an insight into how your employees learn you’re now able to start applying what you’ve discovered.Universal trendsTo get an idea of the challenges that all learners are facing you can look to surveys like The Learner Voice from Towards Maturity.These trends are common across all age groups, job roles and sectors. They make a good starting point for looking at improving your own training.Collaboration is most valuable - 91% of learners say team collaboration is either essential or very useful for learning what they need for their jobTime is limited - 3 in 5 learners struggle to find time for learningRelevance is critical - 2 in 5 learners can’t find what they need or think that current offerings are not relevant to needThese issues affect a wide range of learners across many sectors and professions.If you dig deeper into the report, there are some counter intuitive results. Both managers and new starters are most likely to access digital training on their way to or from work.Would you have put managers and new starters together when designing your course? It highlights the fact that learners differ and some patterns might not hold true for your business.How to apply learner feedbackUsing the universal trends as examples, here’s how you can start using ideas from inside and outside elearning to improve results.Collaboration is most valuableSocial learning is more than a buzzword, it’s already happening at your organisation. Your employees are likely to find learning from colleagues one of the most important parts of doing their job.You can learn more about starting your social learning journey with these resources:An introduction to social learning3 questions to ask before starting social learningA well bee hived workplace webinar recordingThe best companies know where their learners are already using social learning and support it where they can.Time is limitedYou’re competing with a lot of other tasks for your employees’ time.  In order to get them to take your training you need to make sure it’s more engaging than the alternatives.Demonstrating the specific benefits to them is critical to making them see the value of digital training.One obvious way to reduce time pressure for training is to offer shorter courses. We look at the benefits of breaking down subjects in our post The benefits of micro learning.By splitting the course down into distinct subjects, you allow relevant sections to be accessed individually and repeated at the time of need more easily.Allowing your learners to complete training at their own pace has worked well for many businesses. Giving experienced employees the chance to move quickly through topics they are familiar with whilst not rushing new starters makes sense.Giving learners access to further courses after completing their role specific tasks can also help identify talent.For more tips on making sure your employees have the time to take your training, read our blog post How to find time for elearning.Relevance is critical Your learners need to have relevant training. If they’re not being shown something that can offer them real benefits in their work they’re not interested and won’t perform well.Save yourself and your learner’s time by letting them find the best training for their needs.Not everyone is going to find the same things relevant to their role. This is something that will come out of the research you do before starting the elearning design process.When asked about which social network they used for learning, the learner voice respondents overwhelmingly favoured YouTube.Graphs from the Towards Maturity Learner Voice reportWhy? With over 300 hours of video being added every minute, the information they are seeking is likely to be there. More importantly, they’re able to find it easily and quickly.Once you’ve found a video, you know within a few seconds whether it’s going to be useful for you.When you find a video that is useful it is easy to find more like it. You can subscribe to the creator of the video, watch the next video in the series or choose from a list of suggested videos with one click.All of these options are available through one account on desktop, mobile or even your TV.Think about how your elearning catalogue could be accessed like this.Anyone whose first thought is to head to YouTube for an instructional video will benefit from a searchable index of courses tailored for them on your Learning Management System (LMS).You can create playlists, suggest another course or section, or make a channel for videos that are relevant to a certain role. Any way you can make it easier to find the content that’s needed will help.Alternatively you can go where the learners are.If your staff are using YouTube then put your training on YouTube.  It doesn’t have to be a full course, just the sections that are most relevant to those learners.Norfolk County Council used this technique to make training videos on lifting and handling available to their employees when they needed them.Custom elearning - the ultimate personalisationOne thing we can take from huge content aggregators like YouTube is the move towards creating their own content. With their knowledge of their audience and existing content, they are in a good position to offer engaging entertainment.Even with a huge catalogue of user or studio-generated content at their disposal there is still a need to cater to their customers with custom programming.Services like YouTube, Amazon Video and Netflix have all started to offer original programming. It’s this tailored content that many people see as the future of streaming video.These are the steps taken by good bespoke elearning providers when they create digital learning. They analyse the existing content and the audience to ensure the digital learning is the best possible match.With bespoke elearning you’re getting a targeted, relevant course for the employees that need it most.The post Your learners are telling you how to improve, are you listening? appeared first on Sponge UK.

Julian Stodd is an author, speaker and popular blogger who accompanies his insights into social learning and theory with thoughtful illustrations. His blog has gained a large following thanks to the accessible way he introduces concepts through everyday events. We’d recommend subscribing to the frequently updated blog at julianstodd.wordpress.com. You can also follow Julian on Twitter at @julianstodd and find out more about Julian’s consulting at seasaltlearning.com. The questions and their times are provided so you can skip back and forth to learn more on a specific subject: 00:45 - What does learning in the Social Age look and feel like for the people at the sharp end, that is the learners? 01:54 - What’s the role of L&D in supporting social learning? 03:27 - What’s the single most important thing you can do to support social learning in your own organisation? 04:44 - Where do organisations go wrong with social learning? 06:10 - What is the role of technology in social learning? 09:07 - Where does curation fit into social learning? Ways to listen to the Sponge UK elearning podcast The full interview is available to listen to using the player above, you can stream the audio directly to your computer or mobile device. Download the mp3 file using this direct link: SpongeUKPodcastEpisode006-JulianStodd.mp3 (11:31, 3.9MB) Subscribe to the Sponge UK elearning podcast to get the latest episodes automatically. Subscribe in iTunes Subscribe using the RSS feed Join us in two weeks for the next episode of the Sponge UK elearning podcast.The post Julian Stodd - Sponge UK Elearning Podcast appeared first on Sponge UK.

NEWS: An expert industry panel will discuss how to equip L&D for the future during a special online event this month.Laura Overton, founder and CEO of Towards Maturity, Simon Poole-Anderson, Global Learning Technologies Consultant with optical and hearing business, Specsavers and Louise Pasterfield, Managing Director of elearning provider, Sponge UK will be taking part in the Google Hangout on Thursday, May 19 from 12.30-13.30pm (BST).The Hangout follows the launch of the 2016 Towards Maturity Benchmark Study, which aims to provide L&D professionals with the evidence they need to modernise learning to meet the challenges of a changing workforce.The topics covered by the panel will include how the role of L&D is evolving, ideas for transforming learning, tips for taking action and the role of benchmarking in improving performance.Louise Pasterfield, Sponge UK, said:"There are huge demands on L&D teams and they have incredibly high aspirations about what they want to achieve. Adopting new ideas and strategies, as well as making the best use of technology, can help deliver the impact organisations are seeking. With the CIPD L&D Show providing inspiration and this year’s Benchmark Study being launched, it is a good moment to focus on the future. I’m hoping the Hangout will generate some useful discussion and practical ideas for action." People are invited to ask the panel questions or join the discussion on Twitter using the hashtag #SpongeHangout.Simon Poole-Anderson, Specsavers, said:"L&D needs to further harness the products and devices we engage with outside of work. Aligning aspirations of corporate learning to the quality of our digital experiences outside is key to raising the bar. Research-based initiatives, such as the Towards Maturity Benchmarking provides L&D with robust rationale to inform new strategies for effectively developing our people."The Google Hangout, Equipping L&D for the Future is available via Google+ https://plus.google.com/events/ceutaanntk82o8ms3ikg2mcdg2g or YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiVKM5SZZxA.The event has been organised by Sponge UK, the incumbent winner of Outstanding Learning Organisation of the Year (Elearning Awards) and a Towards Maturity Ambassador.The post Expert panel joins debate on future for L&D appeared first on Sponge UK.

The future of the Learning and Development industry was the hop topic at this year’s CIPD L&D Show at Olympia London.People from across the industry joined the discussion on how to keep pace with the changing world of work. We interviewed seven leading figures at the event about ways to achieve change, as part of Towards Maturity’s #MakeItHappen campaign. The initiative is about focusing on one key area of action in 2016. "L&D could become extinct" Teresa Rose, Product Expert in Digital Learning for the energy company, E.On kicked off the discussion by defining modern learners and how we need to respond to their changing needs: "Everyone starts with a solution without understanding what the problem is"Paul Morgan from Telefonica UK (O2) helps you understand the skills L&D professionals need to improve their learners’ experience. "For too many people the mindset is that learning equals training" Leading learning expert, Jane Hart from the Centre for Learning and Performance Technologies explains why L&D needs to be aware that learning is happening all the time in many different ways. "Become a modern learner yourself" Andy Lancaster, Head of Learning and Development Content at the CIPD talks about the shift in L&D and how, as learning professionals, we need to change the way we learn. "Mistakes are the greatest learning opportunity to utilise" Dr Itiel Dror from University College London talks about using cognitive neuroscience can help to maximise learning. He runs through the basics of using a cognitive-informed approach and explains why failure is so important in learning. "Look at how learners learn in their personal lives" Mike Booth, Learning Technologies Manager at Vodafone shares his tips on how to better understand learners and design learning experiences to meet their needs. "Change only happens when we take action" Laura Overton, founder and CEO of Towards Maturity concluded the #MakeItHappen interviews at the CIPD L&D Show 2016. She explains how the Towards Maturity Benchmark can help you identify the change that is right for you. To hear more #MakeItHappen interviews visit our YouTube channel. You can join the #MakeIHappen campaign and analyse your learning approach as part of a free benchmark study at www.towardsmaturity.org The post 7 video insights from the CIPD L&D Show appeared first on Sponge UK.

Chuck Lorenz is an elearning developer who contributes to the Adapt learning project. We spoke to him to find out why it’s one of the most talked about new elearning authoring technologies. If you’re not familiar with Adapt it’s a set of free, open source tools that allow anyone to create responsive elearning content. It means you can create one course that can be accessed on any type of device with a modern web browser whether you have programming experience or not. You can find lots more information and examples of projects built in Adapt at adaptlearning.org. Chuck has recently been given a place in the Adapt steering group so we thought it would be a good time to catch up with him to get the perspective of an independent contributor. "I like beautiful things, I like to help people, I like education, I like technology and that all fits together with Adapt" Hopefully this podcast will inspire you to check out how Adapt could work for you and how you might be able to contribute to the project yourself in the future. The questions and their times are provided so you can skip back and forth to learn more on a specific subject: 01:08 - As someone based in the US how do you find working on a project with many team members based in the UK? 01:53 - What’s your background in developing digital learning? 02:34 - How did you first hear about Adapt? 03:25 - When did you first encounter Adapt? 03:38 - Are there any alternative open source authoring tools out there? 03:56 - Do you see the demand for responsive learning content increasing in the future? 05:52 - What was the first thing that struck you about the Adapt project? 07:12 - Where have you contributed the most to the Adapt project? 08:38 - Do you have any advice for developers who want to contribute to the Adapt project? 11:00 - Can you explain what accessibility means in terms of the Adapt project? 12:26 - Is there anything in particular that you’re looking forward to in the Adapt project? Ways to listen to the Sponge UK elearning podcast The full interview is available to listen to using the player above, you can stream the audio directly to your computer or mobile device. Download the mp3 file using this direct link: SpongeUKPodcastEpisode007-ChuckLorenz.mp3 (13:59, 4.8MB) Subscribe to the Sponge UK elearning podcast to get the latest episodes automatically. Subscribe in iTunes Subscribe using the RSS feed Join us in two weeks for the next episode of the Sponge UK elearning podcast.The post Chuck Lorenz on Adapt - Sponge UK Elearning Podcast appeared first on Sponge UK.

Learning management systems (LMS) are evolving.  It’s time to rethink how they can work for you.Your LMS is how your learners interact with your learning. It’s the best chance you have to get them interested, measure their progress and engage with them in their personal development.Let’s look at some of the ways you can shift your perspective on your LMS and see how it can benefit your employees.Spend time on your LMSOn average it takes over 6 months for a company to choose and deploy an LMS. This setup period is just the start of administering the platform.Don’t panic though, once you know what you need, a modern cloud-based LMS can be set up quickly and easily.Administering a modern LMS is as easy as using any other web application, like Evernote or Google Docs. Taking the time to learn the features allows you to build a more useful platform for your learners.It won’t be effective if you take it for granted, but you’ll get great results if you invest time and effort into learning how it works.The more you put into the LMS the more your learners will get out. Many of your everyday tasks can be automated or made much easier by the LMS, leaving you more time to focus on your learners.Automate the right thingsThere are some tasks that are best handled by the system. Automate what you can, but don’t forget the human touch.Crunching numbers for reports is something that can be set up and forgotten. Once your reports are generated, it’s important to relate them back to individual learners and courses.Check in personally with learners who are highlighted as performing above or below expectations. This follow-up can be part of the normal review process of a company.Reminders for refresher courses can be sent out automatically at intervals depending on when a learner has completed a course. Useful for keeping employees up to date on compliance training.Giving learners access to different courses based on completion of others is possible in most LMSs but you should consider opening up what you have for all employees.Popular language learning application DuoLingo does this well by allowing you to take a test to open sections of courses that would normally have to be completed linearly.Once the courses are open you can revisit them anytime and review your knowledge, perfect for ‘just in time learning’ and taking advantage of spaced practice.By allowing automatic access to advanced courses some retailers have been able to help identify talented employees who seek out the extra knowledge outside their current role.Give your learners what they’re used toUser experience (UX) will have a big impact on how your LMS is used. Before you commit to an LMS you should make sure it’s suitable for your audience or can be customised appropriately for your needs.One of Jakob Nielsen’s 10 principles for user interface design is consistency.  Make your LMS work in a familiar way to your learners by following conventions set by the websites they use most.Alexa is a ranking website that tracks traffic to any popular website. They publish a list of the most visited websites on the web. This is a good place to start to see how your learners use the sites they visit most.Google.comYouTube.comFacebookcomBaidu.comYahoo.comOf the top 5 visited websites in the world, two are search engines and three are social platforms or portals.Why do people visit these sites so much? To find the information they need and to see what’s new in their circle of contacts.It’s no surprise that LMSs are evolving into a combination of these types of websites.  People need to be able to find training that’s relevant to them when they need it.Think of your LMS as a window to a shop that contains all the content that a learner could need to do their job better. Picking out the items that will bring your employees in through the door is a very important part of the process.Your elearning courses are a part of that content, but they’re not necessarily the main part. Study the front pages of popular websites and you’ll find prominent search boxes, the latest highlights and personalised content.Introduce these elements to your LMS to make sure your learners see what they expect from a useful online platform. No one wants to have to learn how a system works to get the most out of it, so make it easier for everyone by making it work in a familiar way.Host more than digital learningA modern LMS should be a hub for your learners - the first places they look for information on improving their skills and knowledge.There’s one thing all huge websites have in common - they don’t leave the most important curation choices down to a machine.Even with the advances in artificial intelligence and algorithm-based tools like chatbots, there’s a need for manual updates by a skilled person.Take a cue from Facebook’s trending news team. They work to make sure the most relevant stories are pushed to the most visible part of the site.Make sure there’s fresh content for your learners to see when they log in to the LMS. Think about how a marketing approach could help, getting eyeballs onto the page is one of the biggest tasks you have.Research from Towards Maturity shows that employees use sites like YouTube to find training materials.Why not integrate YouTube links into the LMS?Ask for suggestions or submissions from other learners who have taken the training or have relevant experience. They could even create their own video content and upload it to your LMS.Your LMS is competing with all these sites and more to get your learners’ attention. The more useful you can make it, the more likely they are to return to it again and again when they want to develop their skills.Get socialWe know that learners value advice and help from colleagues above any other form of on the job training. You can help to make that happen by integrating social elements into your LMS.One of the popular ways to encourage learning from colleagues is based on the theory of communities of practice. Etienne Wenger describes communities of practice as "groups of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly."And the perfect place for a community to grow is within your LMS. One of the easiest ways to get learners talking about your courses is to integrate existing platforms that they’re using.Your LMS can be the place this community is based. Create a forum within the LMS itself or integrate an existing communication platform like Slack or Yammer and you have a ready-made community.Pull in the latest posts from the forum or relevant chat groups to the front page of your LMS to bring attention to how people are using these services.Karen O’Leonard spells it out in The changing social learning landscape - Why you need a social LMS by Bersin:"By implementing a social LMS, social learning can be carried out right alongside core learning strategies."For more tips on introducing social learning to your L&D strategy listen to our podcast interview with expert, Julian Stodd.Your LMS should be the delivery tool for all your digital training. Spend time making sure there’s a clear route to the learning content that employees need.A great LMS requires time and effort to get right. Every day more content appears that is useful to your learners, so make sure you’re providing them access to the best content you can.The post 5 ways to make your LMS work for you appeared first on Sponge UK.

Having an understanding of research and evidence is essential for effective learning design.Cognitive science (often called brain science) is an exciting field of study that covers many disciplines.More and more L&D professionals are using this scientific-based research to inform their thinking but it can be hard to stay on top of new theories.We’ve curated a list of ten ‘brain science experts’ for learning, including neuroscientists, psychologists and learning leaders who reference research-backed techniques.Whether you’re starting out with brain science or updating your current list of ‘go-to’ gurus, this list has something for everyone.Dr Itiel DrorSenior Cognitive Neuroscience Researcher at University College London, Dr Itiel Dror’s research has featured in The Economist and the journal, Nature.He’s also presented at major learning events, offering an insight into the practical applications of cognitive neuroscience research.Follow for: Practical applications of cognitive theories for L&D.Read: Training Induces Cognitive BiasWatch: Itiel Dror - Learning and The Mind : Learning Technologies 2013Engage: cci-hq.com/contactNigel Paine20 years in L&D gives Nigel Paine the experience to apply the lessons of neuroscience to learning and development in a practical way.His 2014 book, The Learning Challenge includes a section on neuroscience and learning which addresses many recent studies and how they relate to L&D.Follow for: An L&D perspective on cognitive neuroscience.Read: The Learning ChallengeWatch: Nigel Paine at eLearnz 2015Engage: @ebaseProfessor Uta FrithYou may recognise Professor Uta Frith from BBC Horizon shows about autism and OCD. She also writes about general research into neuroscience in education.Follow for: Insights from a pioneering researcher into the way the brain works.Read: Implications of Recent Developments in Neuroscience for Research on Teaching and LearningWatch: Understanding unconscious biasEngage: @utafrithK. Anders EricssonOne of the foremost researchers on expertise, K. Anders Ericsson is Professor of Psychology at Florida State University.For over 20 years, he’s been publishing on memory and skills learning, and his research has inspired bestsellers like Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers.He’s recently released his own book which includes explanations of the research and tips on how to stand out at work.Follow for: Diving deeper into expertise and performance.Read: Peak: Secrets from the New Science of ExpertiseListen: Freakonomics podcast: How to Become Great at Just About AnythingJohn MedinaA bestselling author and brain scientist who explains why "we don’t know how the brain works".He has a great ability to cut through myths and present the real, peer-reviewed, research that could make a difference to how you approach learning.Follow for: A broad overview of brain science, backed up with research.Read: Brain rulesWatch: How does the brain work?Engage: @BrainRulesBooksJulie DirksenAuthor of the must-read for book Design For How People Learn, Julie Dirksen often references brain science in her writing and speaking.If you’re a learning designer who wants tips on incorporating learning research into your courses, this is a great place to start.Follow for: Accessible tips for learning designers based on scientific research into learning.Read: Design for how people learn - second editionWatch: Julie Dirksen: Designing for how people learnEngage: @usablelearningDaniel PinkSometimes we want someone to take scientific research and wrap it in an accessible package. That’s what Daniel Pink’s book Drive did for research on motivation in the workplace.Daniel Pink keeps up with social media and regularly makes new resources available on his website.Even if you’ve already read the book, be sure to check out his latest content too.Follow for: Popular books based on relevant research.Read: Drive - The Surprising Truth About What Motivates UsWatch: RSA ANIMATE: Drive: The surprising truth about what motivates usEngage: @DanielPinkDaniel WillinghamProfessor of Psychology at the University of Virginia, Daniel Willingham has written several books that L&D will find inspirational.Daniel’s books are mostly education- based, highlighting how teachers and parents can improve children’s learning performance. L&D teams who deal with adult learners can also learn a lot from his work.Follow for: Readable books which highlight relevant brain science.Read: When educational neuroscience works! The case of reading disabilityWatch: Is Teaching an Art or a Science?Engage: @DTWillinghamAdele DiamondThings like creativity, flexibility and thinking ‘outside the box’ are Adele Diamond’s speciality.Much of her work is focused on learning in children but there are many aspects that can be applied to elearning at work.Follow for: A different perspective on how children and adults can improve the building blocks of learning and development.Read: Conclusions about interventions, programs, and approaches for improving executive functions that appear justified and those that, despite much hype, do notWatch: TEDx - Turning some ideas on their headEngage: @DrAdeleDiamondTom StaffordWhen not lecturing in psychology and cognitive science at the University of Sheffield, Tom Stafford is a contributing author on the popular Mindhacks blog. His writing also appears on the BBC website and in The Guardian.He has a very accessible writing style and often covers areas which will be useful for L&D teams  who want to apply neuroscience.Follow for: An accessible overview of brain science with focus on learning and memory.Read: The science of learning: five classic studiesListen:  Why how you practice affects how good you’ll getEngage: @tomstaffordWe’d love to know if you find this list useful and who you turn to for quality information and expertise on brain science topics. If there is anyone you think we should include on the list, let us know via @Sponge_UK on Twitter.The post Brain science for learning: 10 experts to follow appeared first on Sponge UK.

David Wilson is the CEO of Fosway Group, an independent researcher into Human Resources and learning in business.With 20 years of research behind him, David Wilson has a unique perspective on how technology can be used to help learners in business.Listen to hear about the trends that have been revealed over the years of Fosway Group research and where L&D teams can improve the way they work with technology.You can follow David on Twitter at @dwil23 and find out more about the work that The Fosway Group does on fosway.com.The questions and their times are provided so you can skip back and forth to learn more on a specific subject: 00:37 - What’s your background and approach to elearning? 01:11 - Tell us about The Fosway Group and the research that you carry out? 04:20 - Is there a gap between what people say they’re doing or what they aspire to do and what they’re doing in practice? 07:22 - What are the recurring trends and new things that you’re seeing in your research? 11:03 - What are the encouraging signs coming out of your research? 15:28 - How do you think things are going to evolve over the next few years? Ways to listen to the Sponge UK elearning podcastThe full interview is available to listen to using the player above, you can stream the audio directly to your computer or mobile device.Download the mp3 file using this direct link: SpongeUKPodcastEpisode008-DavidWilson.mp3 (18:58, 6.5MB)Subscribe to the Sponge UK elearning podcast to get the latest episodes automatically. Subscribe in iTunes Subscribe using the RSS feed Join us in two weeks for the next episode of the Sponge UK elearning podcast.The post David Wilson CEO of Fosway Group - Sponge UK elearning podcast appeared first on Sponge UK.