You’ve probably heard repeated at some time or another that there are three kinds of lies: "Lies, damned lies, and statistics". We beg to differ. There are at least half a dozen other kinds: PR spin, disinformation, trolling, superstition, urban legends, and, my pet peeve, myths. And we don’t mean "The 12 labors of Hercules" kind of myths, but rather those modern, widespread, but false beliefs that people keep repeating without bothering to check. We’ve busted some of those right here in this very blog (including The 10 most popular Cloud-computing myths, as well as Myths about Mobile Learning and Web Design). In this post we’re gonna examine and shoot down 5 pesky corporate eLearning myths. Hold on tight… eLearning Myth #1: Online training solutions are expensive and thus meant for big organizations There’s absolutely no reason for SMEs to be afraid of eLearning. The fact that Fortune 500 companies have adopted it wholeheartedly is not proof that it’s only for large enterprises — just that it is a mature and essential tool for modern businesses. Whereas cost could have legitimately been a concern in the past, it has been close to a decade now that effective eLearning solutions have been available and accessible to all budgets, big and small. What’s more, the flexibility, asynchronous nature and "create once / reuse as long as you want" nature of eLearning based training means that it can be much more cost-effective compared to traditional classroom based lectures and seminar programs — and cause much less disruption to your employees’ workflows, which again, saves you money. eLearning Myth #2: You need an IT department to deploy your own company-wide eLearning solution In 2000 maybe. But ever since the advent of Cloud-computing and Software as a Service (SaaS) eLearning solutions, even a small private company is able to take advantage of eLearning without requiring an IT department or complicated server installations and maintenance. With TalentLMS, for instance, all it takes are a few seconds to register for an account and you’re ready to create your own eLearning courses, or buy and offer ready-made, high quality courses to your employees. eLearning Myth #3: It takes a (costly) professional instructor to create a business training course Not really. Sure, you can potentially get the best results from a professional instructor — but that also comes with overhead of its own: besides their pay, you’ll have to spend time and resources to get them familiar with what exactly your employees need to learn. The thing is, you don’t have to have "the best" course — a good enough course is fairly easy enough to create, and will still have a great positive impact on your employees’ skills. In fact, a modern eLearning tool like TalentLMS will help you reuse all the existing content (like PowerPoint presentations and Word documents) that you’ve used in the past to informally train employees and turn them into full blown lessons, complete with multimedia, tests and everything. Plus, for common employee training topics (from ethics and harassment issues to financing and MS Office skills) there are plenty of professionally made courses that you can just buy, load on your LMS platform, and serve as part of your training program. eLearning Myth #4: eLearning is all automatic Ah, of all eLearning myths, this one is my favorite! Sure, eLearning automates a lot of stuff for you, compared to traditional classroom based learning: student management, grading, test creation, etc. But it’s by no means an automatic process. You will have to spend time to craft your courses. You will have to talk to your students and make adjustments. You will need to use the tools your LMS gives you, like reporting, to evaluate the success of your training program. And, at least at first, you will need to get employees on board, and motivate them, so that they start participating in your eLearning program and take their lessons seriously. eLearning Myth #5: Employees don’t like eLearning As with #3, this is again a half truth. The truth is that employees merely don’t like tedious eLearning programs, especially when they conflict with their work schedules. But there’s no need to make your courses tedious. And there’s no need to force your employees into a strict eLearning schedule — if anything, the ability for users to study when it’s most convenient for them is one of the most important features of eLearning compared to traditional learning. Giving your employees the opportunity to study at their own pace and at their own place (or commute), automatically ensures that they will prefer eLearning over any classroom based seminars where they’ll have to be dragged to at a specific time and listen to some boring lecture. Plus, modern LMS platforms allow you to incorporate multimedia, interactivity, and even gamification features, that make the learning process more fun and engaging. Conclusion In this post we had a look (or rather, tore apart) 5 common corporate eLearning myths. There are, of course, many more still, some related to general eLearning and others related to specific learning niches and activities (gamification, for example, has its own share of myths). That said, in future posts, we’ll be busting more of them, so stay tuned. The best recourse - well, second best compared to reading this blog -  when you hear statements such as the ones we’ve examined from colleagues or even eLearning industry pundits is taking them with a grain of salt and doing your own research as to their validity. The post Busting 5 Pesky Corporate eLearning Myths appeared first on TalentLMS Blog.

Your sales team carries a great deal of weight on their shoulders, especially if they are aspiring to be top earners who contribute to your bottom line. As such, they need access to effective online sales training materials that build essential skills and keep them informed about the latest and greatest products. In this article, I’ll share 5 online sales training mistakes that you should avoid in order to drive your sales to an all-time high. How To Avoid The 5 Common Online Sales Training Mistakes No matter how beneficial your products might be or how many resources you invest into your marketing plan, all will be for naught if your online training program is sub-par. You must ensure that your sales team has all of the skills, know-how, and experience they need to seal the deal, which hinges on the effectiveness of your online training courses. As sales training is always a top priority, here are 5 of the most common online sales training mistakes you should steer clear of, as well as ways that you can overcome them. 1. Using a "one size fits all" online sales training strategy Every employee has specific learning needs, goals, and preferences. So, it makes perfect sense that there is no "one size fits all" online sales training strategy that will work for your entire sales team. You must be ready and willing to research your employees’ background, experience, and knowledge base in order to develop a dynamic and personalized online sales training program that meets their needs. Even if you rely on eLearning templates, themes, and asset libraries to create your online sales training course, there should still be some level of customization involved, if you want to make it truly effective. Ideally, you will want to get feedback from your audience, speak with sales managers and supervisors, and meet with Subject Matter Experts who can help you create an engaging online sales training strategy. 2. Not addressing the benefits or applications of the online sales training Your sales team should be well aware of how they will be able to use the information or skills and the benefits that online sales training will bring. Otherwise, they may lack the motivation and drive that they need to actively participate in the online sales training experience. Before they even click on the first module make sure they know what is expected of them, the key takeaways involved, and what they are going to be doing with the information they acquire. For example, inform them that they will be learning how to complete a sales transaction using the POS system before they engage in a true-to-life simulation. Mention that the online activity will help them provide better customer service and increase their sales, due to the fact that they can complete a transaction from start to finish. Better yet, include gamification and scenarios that show them how the online sales training applies in real world settings. 3. Underestimating the importance of ongoing online sales training Online sales training is not a one-time thing that you should only offer to newcomers. Every member of your sales staff must receive ongoing online sales training in order to brush up on their skills and retain knowledge. Online sales training is not a one-time thing that you should only offer to newcomers.Click To Tweet Repetition is essential, as it gives them the chance to commit information to their long-term memory. As a result, they are able to recall important concepts and ideas when they need them the most, like when they are helping a customer. Ongoing online sales training also offers them the opportunity to build upon preexisting knowledge, so that it’s easier for them to absorb new information and add it to their mental schema. Host monthly online sales training events where sales employees can share their ideas, address their concerns, and ask questions. Integrate online activities that center on new procedures or products. 4. Focusing on products instead of skills Speaking of products, despite the fact that product knowledge is essential, it is just one piece of the puzzle. Your sales team might be well versed in all of your products and services. They might be able to highlight every feature or spec of a particular product line. But does all of this knowledge translate to actual sales? The simple truth is that your employees need to have the skills to sell your products to the customer. They must be able to communicate effectively, negotiate the details, and identify the needs of your customer base by actively listening. Simulations are a great tool for this purpose, as they give them the chance to interact with characters in a safe and supportive environment. Employees are able to learn more about the importance of body language and empathy, as well as other soft skills, by interacting with virtual customers. 5. Creating passive online sales training content Interactivity is the cornerstone of a successful online sales training program. To illustrate this point, consider these two online training activities: watching an eLearning video and participating in a branching scenario. While watching an eLearning video might be engaging and informative, it doesn’t give employees the power to interact and connect with the online sales training content. They are passive participants. An online sales training scenario, on the other hand, encourages them to dive into the subject matter and make choices that lead to realistic consequences. Interactivity is the cornerstone of a successful online sales training program.Click To Tweet Online discussions, group collaboration activities, webinars, simulations, and eLearning games are all perfect examples of interactive online content that you can use in your online sales training program. These online activities can also help to reduce corporate learner boredom and boost their motivation, thanks to the fact that the online sales training is more tactile and immersive. Keep this list of these top 5 online sales training mistakes on-hand when you’re developing your next online sales training course to create the best possible corporate eLearning experience. If you are ready to launch, then use it as a checklist to make sure that your sales staff gets all of the tools and resources they need to increase profits. Do you need to give your sales staff real world experience without exposing them to real world repercussions? Read the article Creating A Hands-On Online Training Demo: 3 Benefits And 5 Useful Tips, to discover a tool that can help you create an effective hands-on demonstration for your corporate learners. The post 5 Online Sales Training Mistakes To Avoid appeared first on TalentLMS Blog.

It’s getting difficult to tell a fad from a genuine new development these days, but make no mistake: microlearning is here to stay. In fact, not only has it been gaining popularity in the eLearning world, but it’s also getting recognized as a valuable tool in traditional educational settings. Besides, far from a fad, microlearning is not even a new concept in the first place. Rather, it has been around for ages, helping learners learn smarter and save time by freeing them from having to re-learn familiar concepts. As an effective adult learning tool, it might just be the thing for the senior learners in your organization. You know, those who already possess plenty of knowledge and should now get their training on a need-to-learn basis. In this article, we’ll attempt to define microlearning and discuss the learning situations where design strategies based on its principles will increase efficiency. In educational technology jargon, microlearning is any brief and targeted learning object that spans between 3 to 6 minutes. Microlearning is any brief and targeted learning object that spans between 3 to 6 minutesClick To Tweet Those microlearning "nuggets" can be fragmented or stand alone, and they should be able to be referred to at anytime and by anyone — ideally by being available in a repository for quick access. Microlearning is focused on specific learning outcomes, and can be used as a part of formal training when quick references are appreciated by trainees. Microlearning is focused on specific learning outcomes and can be used as a part of formal trainingClick To Tweet So what does this do for a learner hunting for a "refresher" or a "quick revision"? It enables them to learn without browsing pages and pages of content. This is what makes microlearning a perfect fit for the knowledgeable and experienced employee who does not have the time to go through the entire course which they are already familiar with. If a microlearning option is available, they can simply access the topic of interest and achieve their learning goal within minutes. But how is that better than accessing a specific chapter directly from the full course? Glad that you asked. See, the trouble with most eLearning course chapters is that they usually build upon previous content or storyline. While this interconnectedness is fine when you’re going through the material, while completing a full course, it’s hardly the best option for a quick review. Why? Because the learner needs to start from the beginning to understand the scenarios and topics covered. Microlearning "nuggets" are created from the start with the intent to serve as complete, concise and short units, which are designed using rich media formats. Accessibility issues are also far less frequent in microlearning nuggets, allowing the learner to experience such sessions from any kind of device they prefer. In fact, mobile compatibility is one of the most significant points that microlearning design has to address, and that’s again something that’s extremely beneficial for adult learners. When adults return from work (and especially office work), they do not want to turn on their laptops. Instead, they tune into their smartphone or tablet, and if they are going to engage into any kind of learning, they want it to be quick, easy and entertaining. This kind of behavior is typical of the millennial generation that grew up with increasingly powerful mobile devices. And with the average human attention span dropping by 4 seconds since 2000 (down to 8 seconds according to a recent Microsoft study), microlearning strategies are only poised for greater adoption going forward. MicroLearning Applications in the Workplace As compared to educational institutions offering eLearning solutions, business learning solutions enjoy a greater degree of freedom towards learner-centric instruction design. Traditional learning environments in the education sector are rapidly being replaced by eLearning programs in the corporate sector, driven by the need for brisk professional growth. Longer courses, training sessions, workshops and hefty manuals are less preferred by employees. This does not imply that they do not want to attend training programs, but that they just opt for shorter learning surges and more control over their training regimes. These factors conspire to make microlearning a cheaper and more efficient method to fulfill the learning goals of employees. Let’s examine some popular applications for microlearning in the corporate learning environment. Convert Policies and Manuals into Interactive Videos Instead of having to plan and execute onboarding, offboarding or migration schemes for employees, which means having them go through hefty manuals and PDF’s, provide them with microlearning segments of the content. Create short interactive videos that are arranged chronologically, but as complete units. This way, instead of sitting through sessions of workshops, employees can simply experience them through their mobile devices, in their spare time. Empowering them within their convenience is definitely the way to go! And in order to confirm that learning did take place, embed these videos with quick quizzes, the responses to which can be stored in the corporate Learning Management System. Create a Taxonomy of Training Modules in the Corporate eLearning Library You have a plethora of learning materials that need to be consumed regularly by all employees. So, to make things easier, consider renaming them using key terminologies for efficient accessibility. Also, try to create complete and independent modules, and have them arranged in the library in alphabetical order. Each module should be searchable using at least five different keywords, and it should not be longer than 6 minutes. The shorter consumption time and the increased discoverability and ease of access will aid in the success of your eLearning program. Think about a newly promoted employee who needs a briefing on their new responsibilities. While a verbal briefing is a formality and useful for interpersonal relationships, a microlearning nugget can provide them with the knowledge needed to confidently take over their new job duties. Other Benefits of Microlearning Microlearning helps create a sense of autonomy in the employee. Microlearning helps create a sense of autonomy in the employee.Click To Tweet The fact that microlearning puts them in control while increasing their responsibility over their own training, along with the rapid learning capabilities it affords, can effectively change employees’ attitude and morale, which eventually fosters a positive workplace culture! Moreover, updating the content is faster and efficient with microlearning. Performance gaps are filled up quicker, so that there are fewer lapses in achieving the goals and objectives of a team. The motivation to learn and the faith in learning is restored, almost automatically. Shorter attention spans require shorter exposure to information, and this is what turns microlearning into an instant knowledge booster. A great way to relate with the microlearning strategy is to compare it with an individual’s general internet-based learning habits. Outside the workplace, we often find ourselves pondering over a question and searching for relevant videos or articles on the Internet. We love to learn in brief snippets, and go come back to go through the remaining content until we complete it. And that’s microlearning’s secret: it helps you create eLearning programs that are as compelling for the employee as they are for an individual outside the workplace. Our microsuggestion After reading through our arguably macro post, you should already have a good grasp of microlearning and the opportunities it affords for enterprise training and talent development. The next step would be trying microlearning in practice — and for that you’ll need the right tools. We suggest Snappico, Epignosis’ comprehensive microlearning solution that uses the established flash card metaphor to provide bite-sized training on your employee’s smartphones. Snappico comes complete with micro-assessments (for checking your learner’s progress under various compliance scenarios), a gamification engine (to increase engagement), and multimedia capabilities for filthy rich learning. Visit https://www.snappico.com/business/ to register and learn more about Snappico, and start microlearning today! The post What Is Microlearning And Why You Should Care appeared first on TalentLMS Blog.

The boom in social media and the round-the-clock need to connect in communities is doing wonders for the eLearning industry. Social learning is an age-old learning and teaching strategy, backed by many cognitive scientists. While retouching social learning theories is a requirement for this article, we cannot overstate the benefits this effort can incur for training professionals. In this post, we uncover some social eLearning strategies that will help harness better engagement and involvement for your learners. Leveraging social learning with the eLearning content is the new norm of eLearning courses. Progressive organizations are keeping their employees engaged in training beyond the training hours! This has led to a positive growth in job performance. Social learning creates the much in-demand informal learning setting where learners can network, share, collaborate, and exchange ideas on problem-solving. Let’s examine some top benefits of social learning in organizations. What is Social Learning? Before we delve into the benefits of this type of learning, we need to understand what research in social learning tells us. Social learning theory: The social learning theorists Bandura and Walters have described this theory as follows: · Learning is not purely behavioral; rather, it is a cognitive process that takes place in a social context. This points to the learners’ preference to learn in groups. The interchange of knowledge and perspective creates new knowledge that is personal to the learner. · Learning can occur by observing a behavior and by observing the consequences of the behavior (vicarious reinforcement). · Learning involves observation, extraction of information from those observations, and making decisions about the performance of the behavior (observational learning or modeling). Thus, learning can occur without an observable change in behavior. · Reinforcement plays a role in learning, but is not entirely responsible for learning. · The learner is not a passive recipient of information. Cognition, environment, and behavior all mutually influence each other (reciprocal determinism). Why Social Learning? Social learning theories explain this form of learning as learning with and from others. This can happen through direct and indirect contact. Direct contact is, as we know, the face-to-face interaction between learners in a formal classroom setting or an informal on-the-job setting. Indirect contact is what we do on our social media like LinkedIn, Twitter, online course discussion boards, etc. If we observe closer, we can see some uncanny similarities between the way we meet physically with each other and the features available in social media to do the same. Think about the "poke" features, the "like" and other emotional gestures, the comments and the reactions available to us in various social media. And the list of physical interaction emulation keeps growing every day! Think about the standard communication and collaboration features in any social media like comments, posts, instant messaging, group discussion boards, wikis, video chats, and so on. Now think of the availability of these features in a Learning Management System. In order to have an authentic social learning experience, learning management systems are increasingly offering social capabilities. Learners are now able to share experiences and research new knowledge and combine the two in learning forums to create new knowledge for peers. Social learning leads to better learning and improved self-affirmation - a mandatory personality feature to maintain motivation. Social learning leads to better learning and improved self-affirmationClick To Tweet Knowledge repositories created within organizations are another great application of social learning. These repositories are created with experts talking to each other and novices asking experts questions. Effective organizational knowledge management stems from this type of learning. Such practices can only be perfected when learners are exposed to learning platforms in their eLearning training programs. How Social Learning Helps Let’s determine how social learning strategies will enhance your eLearning course objectives: The Learner Social learning is clearly the most widely used learning strategy in adult learners. As employees, we are more comfortable with the "watch and learn" job learning strategy. By sharing performance experiences, lessons learnt, possible solutions and creative ideas, we are able to gain a wider spectrum of knowledge. We also experience a greater control over our learning. Have you heard of the 70/20/10 ratio of learning and development used in training? 70 percent of our knowledge is derived directly from observing others during on-the-job scenarios. 20 percent of the learning is achieved through interactions. And only 10 percent from formal learning methods. What does that tell you about our basic learning preferences? Social learning is the natural way to learn. Social learning is the natural way to learn.Click To Tweet Think about fortifying your eLearning courses with multiple social interactions and group work opportunities. The Organization Organizations that learn together, grow together! Have you heard of "learning organizations"? It is a form of knowledge management in which employees undergo active and conscious conversations about their tasks and roles. Important information is documented and stored for later use. Learning and performance gaps are analyzed. New training programs are suggested. New product or service designs are suggested, best practices are implemented. All activities are performed and enhanced through social learning. A learning portal is the main hub to store all organizational learning activities. In fact, communities of practice are nothing but specialized social learning platforms that keep all employees involved, engaged and updated. Expert panels are also increasingly becoming the norm in organizations. Moreover, celebrity-guest lectures are enabling organizations to adopt even more progressive business practices. Providing social learning opportunities through the LMS features is not a new requirement of many organizations. Social communication features are increasingly being added to learning platforms to accommodate the learning needs of the digital consumers. The benefits of social learning outweigh any other learning strategy. So, it is only wise to invest in such learning practices to get more out of your eLearning investments.   The post The Social Learning Revolution in eLearning appeared first on TalentLMS Blog.

A lot has been researched, said, done and written about improving user experience (UX) when interacting with a given interface. Seems like the standards for UX respond to the changing interface size and device-to-software compatibility. In the eLearning environment, we talk about the quality of learner experience when interacting with the online courses and training programs. In this article, we share the four most common principles to abide by when coming up with UX design for eLearning. The eLearning interface is like an artist’s canvas. As an eLearning developer, you have plenty of space to play with. Your interface design will directly influence the degree of interest and engagement of your learners. There are many ways to measure user experience quality, and UX quality depends on some common principles of interface design. But, before we examine the principles, defining user experience (UX) is in order. There are numerous definitions of user experience but the one below, specific to web design, incorporates key elements of the entire experience: "User experience (UX) is about how a person feels about using a system. User experience highlights the experiential, affective, meaningful and valuable aspects of human-computer interaction (HCI). It also covers a person’s perceptions of the practical aspects such as utility, ease of use and efficiency of the system. User experience is subjective in nature, because it is about an individual’s performance, feelings and thoughts about the system. User experience is dynamic, because it changes over time as the circumstances change." Four Principles to Boost UX Design for eLearning 1. Learner-Centered UX Design You may have heard and read the expression "learner-centered design" many times, but how many times have you seen it being implemented? Unfortunately, as eLearning developers we are more concerned about incorporating the latest widget or the latest feature in our eLearning programs. When designing a course site or an eLearning interface, always ask "how will the interface look to the learner? What are the different ways the learner will perceive the interface?" Design as a learner, not as an eLearning developer. It is very important to involve some representative learners in the early interface design phase. Design as a learner, not as an eLearning developerClick To Tweet 2. Predictability You may think a surprise here and there will keep things interesting and challenging for the learner. Our take on this notion: no! Predictability is probably one of the most under-utilized elements of UX design for eLearning. We are not just referring to the layout, theme and navigation. We are talking about the overall user interface structure. Specifically in terms of how the content is categorized, titled, labeled and/or placed within the course site. Unfortunately there is plenty of evidence of courses where the content is titled similarly and misleading to learners. Everyone should be able to predict the upcoming content. Similarly, referring to an assignment with unique names is strongly advised. Think about the same document posted in two or even three different places that is identical in content! Learners will automatically perceive the document as new or unique. How confusing!  The same goes for naming your chapter or topic tabs. Name them very economically. Self-descriptive is the key when naming tabs. The learner should be able to predict the content by reading the name of the tab. Save the learner time in figuring out your course site and structure by being predictable in all your courses. Learners need that time to do something equally predictable: learning. 3. The Learning White Space You will be amazed how white space improves learning efficiency by 20% and how much it can reduce cognitive overload. White space is a crucial part of any online user experience. This white space is between columns, text, images, and margins on the page, even space around headings. The white space serves as a visual relief to the learner. It makes the learner feel comfortable and at ease about the learning material, as opposed to being overwhelmed. The white space serves as a visual relief to the learner.Click To Tweet The key is to avoid using large volume of text. Break the space with an image or a tip for the learner. It is better to have a large volume of pages in your eLearning course with the appropriate white space, than to have a large volume of lines on a single page. 4. Minimalist Approach Minimize clutter. Resist the urge to decorate the learner interface. A good list is to avoid three or more colors and sizes in your font, and do not haphazardly place images. Photo size, quality, format and placement should offer uniformity too. A better design tip is to frame images with the same border throughout the course experience. Where necessary, offer a fine print caption "click to enlarge this image". The one word to arm yourself with? Avoid chaos! Just like a physical classroom needs to be neatly organized in order to enable maximum focus by learners, the online learning environment needs to be organized too. Keep the learner interface simple to keep them focused. Conclusion Designing an eLearning course with user experience in mind is increasingly becoming the norm. Accessibility, usability and user’s comfort are the goals of quality UX design. In an online learning environment, where engagement, motivation and trust are the main barriers to success, UX design for eLearning should take precedence before many other dimensions of a course. References Lin, D. Y. M. (2004). "Evaluating older adults’ retention in hypertext perusal: impacts of presentation media as a function of text topology." Computers in Human Behav The post 4 Tips to Boost User Experience (UX) Design for eLearning appeared first on TalentLMS Blog.

The Waterfall Model is an age old instructional design strategy. It enables the eLearning development team to manage a large project efficiently. This is especially true for iterative design, where in-depth analysis and detailed planning is required. In this article, we will list the six steps of the Waterfall Model, and share its relevance to the instructional design process. The Waterfall Model is one of the best practices in project management strategies. The process is synchronous and follows a strict precision pattern. This is similar to the linear instruction design strategy that most eLearning developers prefer. Before entering your design phase into the Waterfall Model, you need to ensure that your learner analysis is complete. You have your content ready with the aid of the subject matter experts. You have already researched on the media types and variety to be included in your eLearning course. Once you have these initial tasks complete, you are ready to create your first prototype with the aid of the Waterfall Model. The Waterfall Model enables you to create learner-centered courses that eventually provide a greater ROI. Your development costs are also reduced dramatically. A great amount of time is devoted to pre-design activities. These include researching, planning activities and determining the organizational learning gaps. This gathers enough data for the eLearning course before the design phase is entered. When in the design phase, you simply need to fit the data into the relevant places. Revisions are less pervasive and mistakes are less drastic in this way. Another great benefit of the Waterfall Model is that it puts the entire development team on the same page. All members are in autonomous and coherent communication at all times. Training needs assessments and goals, this is the first step that is accomplished in a cohesive manner. Your management team or the client can confirm these goals before you begin the research and development steps. Once the game is on, all team members dig into their tasks and keep everyone regularly updated on their activities. For example, the SME can continue working on the content, while the user experience designers can create the format and the theme of the course. The SME can see their content displayed on a selection of formats. The team can also share the format and theme choices with the client. Once everyone is comfortable with the theme, the focus moves to the multimedia content. This smooth collaboration is perhaps the single most bestselling feature of the Waterfall Model. The Waterfall Model keeps all stakeholders in the loop so that there are no surprises for anyone. The Waterfall Model Steps for Instructional Design As you can see, the Waterfall Model approach is quite linear and synchronized. It helps keep things simple and moving in a flow. This gives your team a chance to work on every area of your eLearning project. Let’s take a closer look at the formal Waterfall Model steps for Instructional Design: 1. The Requirements Analysis: Learner Nowadays, the science of learner analytics is quickly taking center stage when determining learner characteristics. Learner analytics, along with surveys and questionnaires, will help your team determine learner preferences, style, competencies and needs. Training analysis must include the organization KPIs. 2. The Requirements Analysis: Knowledge The learner analysis will provide a concrete view of the current knowledge of the learners. It will also help you determine the difference between the organization’s knowledge needs and its current knowledge level. The content for the new training program needs to be comprised of this knowledge difference. 3. Content Development This is where the eLearning goals are developed. Assessment activities and points are conjoined with goals. And the content is developed using a range of multimedia options. The content needs to comply with the learning goals and the assessments items. 4. Content Design Limitations What barriers exist that will hinder the accomplishment of the knowledge goals of the new training program? Technology resources? SMEs? Lack of time or budget? Each barrier needs to be addressed as much as possible in order to achieve the eLearning program success. For example, schedules need to be reshuffled a bit to create more time for training. Senior managers need to be present as SMEs if no other choices are available, and so forth. 5. Prototyping and Testing Effectiveness tests are important to reduce the risk of any high-stakes project. In an eLearning project, create a prototype of a module. Test it with sample learners and focus groups, keeping meticulous notes on their feedback. Then apply necessary changes to the project and create another prototype to test again! 6. Deployment This step allows you to measure your ROI. It takes a complete learning cycle to measure its success. A learning cycle includes completing the course, passing the assessments, applying the learning to the performance context, evaluation of the performance and lastly, employee reflections. This involves a great deal of research, planning and revisions of the current program. 7. Iterative Maintenance Feedback received from focus groups and evaluations entered by line managers will help provide data for iterative maintenance. eLearning development is never complete. There is usually a next version that has rectified the limitations of the first one. The Waterfall Model provides plenty of opportunities for extended research and reflections. It is an excellent application of an iterative eLearning design approach. Use this article as a guide to re-examine your current instructional design and project management practices and add to them. Good luck! The post The Waterfall Model for Instructional Design appeared first on TalentLMS Blog.

The best thing about creating eLearning software with ease of use and real customer needs as your priorities, is that you only get to work on substantial features. Whereas many software companies put out products and services meant to look good on comparison matrices, our releases aim to be immediately useful to our customers. It’s a "no fluff, just stuff" mentality that has served us well. Here we are again, then, ready to roll out another TalentLMS update chock-full of great new features — some big, others small, but all eminently usable. The flagship features of this release are: New infographic report Infographics came in fashion some time ago as a means of giving a lot of information in a visual, fun to read, and easy to comprehend way, and are frequently used by online news outlets to give an overview of complex stories and their related statistics. Now, with TalentLMS, you can have an infographic on your own eLearning portal that lets you view at a glance how your training activities (and/or business) are doing. Especially handy for downloading as an image and sharing with the stakeholders in your company. Learn how to generate your own infographic report here. Undelete for courses and users While TalentLMS did always warn you before letting you delete any course or user, sometimes you just weren’t paying attention. Or maybe you did want the deletion to happen at the time, but had second thoughts about it later on. Well, the new TalentLMS update’s got you covered. Our new undelete feature lets you restore any users or courses that you accidentally delete from now on. Just visit the extended timeline panel as an admin, and click the "Undo delete" option next to any delete event you wish to revoke (or check our useful mini guide on how to do it, here) (Note that you can only undelete the last 20 deleted users or courses). A 5-star ranking system for courses Course enrollment numbers can tell you a lot (well, provided that a course is not mandatory), but they are not the same as actual popularity.   Our new 5-star ranking system lets learners rank their favorite courses — handy for knowing which courses are hot in your eLearning portal, and for ordering popular courses based on user feedback. Find out how you can enable course ranking here! But wait, there’s even more awesome in the TalentLMS update! There are also a number of less headline-y features, which will still be super important to some of you depending on your workflows and use cases. Those include: - The ability to forward TinCan statements to an external LRS - Better support for multiple choice questions, including differentiating between multiple-choice questions with one and multiple correct answers and improved visual design - Revamped support for Mass Actions such as assignment of Courses to Users through a Group - Support for GoToTraining (building on our support for GoToMeeting & GoToWebinar) - Improvements to the Messaging system, especially for customers exchanging large amounts of messages - Ability to show Course fields on the course info screen - Timeline can now capture more information and metadata per event So there you have it, all the goodness we’ve packed in the TalentLMS update, you’ve already automagically received in one post. Nifty, eh? Stay tuned for more awesome news and insights from your favorite LMS, plus a surprise we’re excited about and will need your help with. Wanna know more? Patience, patience…   The post Fresh no-fluff, just-stuff TalentLMS update on the Cloud! appeared first on TalentLMS Blog.

eLearning course facilitation is not an extension of a course developer’s job. Contrary to popular belief, instructional designers do not teach the courses they create. The reason being one and only: course facilitation is a complete field that requires training before practice. Course facilitators are increasing in number to meet the needs of hybrid and online training programs. However, the demands of live course facilitation differ from those of online courses. In this article we’ll talk about some cool eLearning course facilitation strategies to create efficient learning experiences. Pedagogy for the current digital environment has undergone a massive revolution. The use of productive technology that assists in mundane tasks has brought about this remarkable change in learning. In today’s learning environment, one cannot teach without having experience in the use of technology. Furthermore, it is a well-known fact that learners today are far more motivated and focused in their learning than the previous generations. Technology has broadened the scope as well as the application of learning.  But the widespread use of technology has created a gap between teaching strategy and the instruction that a learner expects. But what kind of technology is the learner expecting and how can course facilitators provide it? Learners are hard to attract and retain in an eLearning environment. The traditional environment uses various teaching aids like charts, graphs, or flash cards. eLearning courses, however, can do much better. The challenge here is not to create learning aids, but the level of interactivity achieved by them. This is especially true for instructor-led training programs (ILT). The eLearning course in this case is hybrid, and can be facilitated as synchronous or a live session. Both instances of an eLearning course utilize educational technology tools. If you are an online course facilitator, there are several ways you exercise effectiveness. eLearning course facilitation requires rigorous training before facilitators are ready to administer an eLearning course. Some of the strategies taught in such training programs are mentioned below. These will help boost your popularity among eLearners and the success of the eLearning course you are facilitating. 1. Independent Material One of the most popular preferences of online learners is access to external resources. The goal here is to replace the massive content with supplemental resources that are meant to be explored. Adult learners also enjoy "digging deeper" through an external link and extract supporting information. This strategy is akin to the browsing habits of today’s learners. With fewer boundaries around the course, learners will enjoy the freedom to learn as much as they need. Providing independent material is also a fun way to learn. Learners who are shy in participation will definitely find that this method works well for them. They will be able to provide more helpful links and opinions in the discussion board activities. 2. Embed Videos and Audios We know, we know. This has been one of the biggest overstatements of the eLearning industry! Embed more videos and audios. The truth of the matter is, these multimedia resources do help a lot! Imagine your learners driving or even cooking at home. They can easily turn on the audio podcast and enjoy listening to the content rather than reading it. Similarly, for more visual learners, videos are a great way to connect abstract ideas with concrete representations. So, if you have eLearning content that has minimal audio and video, conduct your own research. Start with the latest news based on the content. Any blogs that talk about the application of the content you are about to teach? Find a few multimedia resources and discuss with your eLearning team whether their placement is okay or not. Being proactive as a facilitator is a required skill to teach in the current digital learning environment. 3. Work-based Role Play Before you dismiss this idea as childish, we would like to explain it through. Role playing within a virtual classroom has purportedly created improved interest in (and awareness of) the content. The roles developed for an eLearning course need to be relatable with the learner’s work environment. The nature and challenges of the learner’s work context can be determined during the learner analysis phase of instruction design. The work scenario is demonstrated using relevant and culture-sensitive background images. The problems in the scenario are linked to the learning goals of the topic and are stated clearly. When the learner interacts with the scenario, they need to adopt a role. Based on the responsibilities of the role, the learner responds to the problems. This technique can be made as complex as the learner capabilities. Learners learn countless management, communication, decision making, critical thinking, analysis and even synthesis skills using this strategy. As a facilitator, you need to make sure that you understand the work-based issues of individual learners. This will help you assign roles accordingly. When learners realize the value of their learning in their performance context, they enjoy the learning session even more. And the credit goes to you, the course facilitator! 4. Participative Materials Real-time, two-way or one-on-one interaction does wonders for distance learners. As a facilitator, you have the use of multiple online collaboration tools. Be sure to engage with your learners using a variety of them. This will give you an idea of whether emails work best for this batch of learners, or online discussions or live groups chats for another. Another great way to facilitate tougher courses is to request learners to create their own rules of engagement. Once they create the course participation rules themselves, they are more likely to follow them. 5. Evaluation Tools The trend of using "emoticons" has invaded a multitude of mobile apps and online programs. Use the same for your course facilitation style as well as course content evaluation. Emoticons like happy face, angry face, confused face and even the "like" icon can be used to answer evaluation questions. For angry and confused faces, you can ask for a brief explanation. A light-hearted approach towards evaluation keeps things fun and casual. And remember, learners reveal more about themselves in a casual setting than in a formal one. Course facilitation - easy,  isn’t it? As eLearning developers strive to create learner-centered learning materials, course facilitators need to follow suit. Facilitators can work in collaboration with eLearning developers to offer experienced input on what the learners desire in a course. This field knowledge will aid the eLearning developer to create quality materials. Together they can produce impactful and effective learning experiences. The post Boosting Course Design: 5 Easy-to-Follow Course Facilitation Techniques appeared first on TalentLMS Blog.

The ancient world had its myths. The medieval world had its legends and folklore. And our world, including the modern internet-based industries, has its share of myths, "old wives tales" and misinformation. Which is just as well, or else my myth-busting buddies and I would be out of a job. Fortunately, with the rate and breadth that misinformation spreads in the modern corporate learning industry, there are still hundreds of myths to bust. So let’s crack 5 insistent social learning myths, shall we? 1. Social learning is a new thing Social learning might be a lot of things but we can hardly call it new, and much less a "fad". It’s actually a decades-old theory based on the observation of a centuries-old practice. Social learning, as a pedagogical theory, has been brought forward by prominent 20th century teachers and psychologists, the most famous probably being Albert Bandura (of Stanford University). At its most basic, it is the idea that people learn through observing and interacting with others in a social context. But even before a formal study of social learning was put forward, people have been learning from others outside of a strict teacher-learner relationship for millennia, both in and out of school setting (at work, at play, at home, etc.). Social eLearning on the other hand is indeed new — I’ll give you that. But that’s just because eLearning itself is a new-ish development speaking in historical terms, or course. In technology years, which are even more condensed than "dog years", it’s a century or so old already. Where I’m getting with this is simple: social learning is not some passing fad, we’ve talked about this before. Rather, it has been part of the learning process since the beginning of education, and it will forever be a required part of its online counterpart (eLearning) too. At least as long as humans are "social animals" (Aristotle). 2. Social anything is a waste of time Another common misconception, not just about social learning, but about the online social experience in general. Many people observe that Facebook, Twitter and other prevalent social media, are used primarily for casual chatting, vacation photos, witty remarks, cat videos, trolling and the occasional "flame-war", deducing from this that any time spend on social media is time wasted. That is, to put it mildly, far from the truth. Let’s start with the obvious: social media vastly expand our social circles and thus the number and variety of people we interact with. Hidden among all the cat videos and vacation photos are all the little information exchanges (about culture, politics, technology, business, etc.) that happen all the time between us and our Facebook/Twitter/etc friends. Just 30 years ago, people rarely had the chance to casually engage in conversation with others, not just from out of town, but from other countries, cultures and ways of life — 24/7. This tremendously expanded our awareness and understanding of the "global village". And when it came to learning, people soon took advantage of social media to create "communities of interest" and ad-hoc schools, where they exchange information, knowledge and tips, and teach each other all kinds of things, from foreign languages and business skills to math and physics. And, of course, all these only pertain to casual social media sites. For Social Learning, in the context of an eLearning program, where the instructor plays an active role, and can help organize the social interaction towards a specific learning goal, the situation is extremely better. 3. Social Learning must involve Facebook, Twitter and the like… No, it does not. Again, where do people get those ideas? Sure, Facebook, Twitter and co are the biggest and most well known social networks. But social, whether it is "social media" or "social learning", describes a way of doing things — not a particular implementation or brand name. Social, whether it is social media or social learning, describes a way of doing things!Click To Tweet That said, a social learning program could definitely incorporate Facebook groups, Twitter messages or other well known social media services within its context. It’s a very good way to take advantage of existing, highly successful (and highly familiar) social networks, and ease learners in. But, as we said, it doesn’t have to. A custom social learning environment, one that only includes your students, is also a great way to add social learning capabilities to a learning program. It’s also more powerful and robust than depending on a third party social provider, because you can customize and extend it to fit your particular learning needs and expectations. 4. Social learning is for younger learners Sure, your kid or nephew can hammer 20 responses a minute on Twitter and Instagram and whatever else the youngsters use these days. And sure, kids, and especially teenagers and people in their early 20s, love their social media. They have literally grown up with these. But that doesn’t mean that social learning is only suitable for the younger demographic. People of any age can and do learn things socially — and people of any age can take advantage of social learning within an online learning program. Besides, do you see any shortage of 40 and 50 and 60-year-olds on Facebook or Twitter? Rather the opposite. So what makes you think that dealing with a social learning module in their eLearning portal will prove particularly challenging for them? 5. Social learning isn’t for businesses This is basically another variation of the "social anything is a waste of time" and "social learning is for kids" myths that we have already debunked. If you look back at the first myth we busted in this post, you’ll know why this is also false. Considering that the social element has been an indispensable part of learning since forever, it follows that it is also an indispensable part of business learning. Just a look at the business software market, by the way, would be enough to dispel this myth: both "social workspace" tools and "social learning" platforms have been adopted by the largest enterprises and organizations in the world. Why? Because they solve the very real problems of communication, collaboration and knowledge exchange within today’s dynamic work teams. Anyone who still maintains that social learning isn’t for businesses just hasn’t been paying attention. Conclusion So, here we are: 5 down, dozens more to go. That’s the hard and thankless job of the eLearning myth-buster. I sure hope that by reading this post you now have a better idea of the importance of social learning, and a clearer understanding of its role and origins. Stay tuned with this blog for more TalentLMS posts, eLearning industry news, and, of course, myth-busting. And with that, I’m off to post some videos of my cats on Facebook. The post Νot just cat videos: 5 Social Learning Myths appeared first on TalentLMS Blog.

Excellence in online teaching is not a permanent state - it is a condition that must be developed, nurtured, and sustained through proactive instructional strategies. At TalentLMS, we post a variety of progressive instructional strategy-related topics. We hope you are able to improve your training techniques and interact with your trainees better, and that these posts aid you in this endeavor. But an eLearning course experience is never complete without an open-minded mentor who strives to change according to their learners’ needs. That’s why in this article we’ll demonstrate eight ways for you to achieve online course mentoring excellence.  Planning the course mentoring activities is crucial before the start of the eLearning training session. How will you provide individual and group feedback? Do you have a reflections journal? How will you support individual difficulties? Do you have a co-mentor? Many similar questions are planned in the few days before the course launch. The goal is to mentor the current course better than the previous one. Trainees and online learners have higher expectations from an eLearning program than ever before. They want their new course to be interesting and the information provided to be new to them. Learners usually begin a course with a positive attitude, as a new course means a fresh beginning for them. They are also determined to do better than they did in their previous learning performances. The first few days of the course provide a wonderful opportunity for an instructor to engage the learners, connect them with each other and create an environment that is conducive to productive interactions. One of the main challenges faced in online training is the pressure to satisfy line managers. Both the trainer and the line manager are working towards performance objectives for the trainees. The goal is to spend some cost and time with experts and senior peers to share practical knowledge that can be applied right after the training program. For this purpose, trainers need to be in touch with line managers and experts to provide valuable feedback to trainees. Another common problem exists with learners who prefer to hide behind anonymity - the geographically dispersed learners who simply wish to complete the mandatory training program. So, how do trainers provide equal engagement and participation for all trainees? Let’s work our way through these eight best practices to online course mentoring excellence. 8 Ways to Achieve Online Course Mentoring Excellence Excellence is a continuous improvement act that effects every decision and action you make during your online teaching process. It is not a one-time act, but a process of effective training habits, developed over time. The challenge is to have learners benefit from your excellence. A well-balanced approach takes into account the organization’s standards, the learner’s needs and your own accountability towards for teaching/training. The following eight steps will enhance your approach towards excellence in online training:   1.    Dealing with Difficult Trainees Best practices indicate that when dealing with difficult trainees, the best way is not to try to improve a learner just in their educational capacity, but to transform them so that they become more cooperative. For example, if a learner contacts you and expresses themselves inappropriately, use this transforming opportunity to get to the heart of the matter. Trainees are sometimes frustrated with their work-life balance or achieving their learning outcome, or any other number of possible reasons. Maintaining your emotional intelligence is the key to developing a receptive attitude towards difficult trainees. This enables you to turn an interaction into a potentially productive conversation. Also, a conversation over the phone is more time-effective than a series of email exchanges.   2.    Getting to Know your Learners Avoid thinking of your eLearning sessions as a mass group of students. Instead, aim for personalization: treat each student individually, get to know them on a one-to-one basis. Have them post an introduction passage in which they describe their goals, dreams and aspirations. Create a reflections log, in which you are able to write at least one descriptive word about each learner. This will make your feedback and responses more individualized and personal. Learners will feel "heard" and will have more faith in your instructional strategies.   3.    Productive Relationships The development of positive relationships is the direct result of positive interactions. Positive interactions occur when learners see you as approachable and as available for assistance when they need it. Any extra efforts in communicating with trainees will help them see your personality, and leave them with a positive impression. You can accomplish this through multiple forms of contact. Convert your virtual connections into human-to-human interactions with your students by offering them help at all times.   4.    Professional Communication Only enter into a conversation from the perspective that will help you connect with the learner. Keep in mind that written communication can sometimes be misleading. The choice of words directly affects the tone of your message. Try to begin any message with a positive word that gives a welcoming feeling. Think of different interpretations when sending a message to the learner.  Use words that tell the learner that you are respectful, you are trying to help them and you are willing to provide specific details again (as opposed "see the agenda" statements). And always - always - follow up with learners who have unresolved issues.   5.    Trainer Credibility Credibility to train cannot be forced but, rather, it can only be demonstrated. In an eLearning environment, trainer credibility issues in the minds of the learners are even more important. Credibility is developed through one learner-to-mentor interaction at a time. As a leader in an eLearning session, learners think of you as a guide, as an expert and as a fair individual. Trainer/mentor behaviors like maintaining rules and being fair, understanding their needs, and being flexible whenever possible or warranted, boost credibility. It’s all about how learners perceive you. Are you approachable and available? Are you patient with persistent issues? Always remember, one negative interaction interrupts the series of positive interactions you have built with your learner. It’s all about how learners perceive you.Click To Tweet   6.    High Expectations from Learners Expecting high standards of excellence from yourself as a trainer and from your learners is equally important. This involves two major conducts that need to be adapted: being accountable for the quality of all work done in the eLearning session and establishing yourself as a role model/example for your learners. At the beginning of the course, let your learners know that you expect them to provide substantive work, be willing to learn and maintain organizational learning standards of excellence. To accomplish this goal you must do more than facilitate a class and check off each requirement -  you must also be open to following those same guidelines. But also, in order to achieve this goal, you as a trainer or course mentor should be able to accept constructive feedback from evaluations and adapt your strategies accordingly.   7.    Proactive Practices Excellent course mentoring and facilitation is all about observing learning behavior and deciding when to intervene and how much. In your eLearning sessions, you may have a learner who is falling off the radar, not participating in discussions, and/or not be completing their assignments. The best approach for this type of learner is to maintain contact attempts until they respond in some manner. This shows them that they are valued and you want to assist them. The idea behind this outreach is to get them back on track.   8.   A Support Structure Your aim is to train learners towards establishing lifelong learning habits and ultimately creating a learning organization. Describe how learning continuously leads to innovation. This value will not be overseen by many learners. Help them achieve a "growth mindset". Provide them information on upcoming eLearning programs. Prescribe additional resources and popular eLearning programs for their professional growth. Provide them with the feeling that you are available for support at all times. Help your learners achieve a "growth mindset"Click To Tweet   Every trainer or teacher aims to have learners grow and connect with the content matter - that’s course mentoring’s biggest reward. They all hope to have eLearning sessions full of engaged and involved learners who need very little direction. However, this is not possible all the time. Learners come with a wide range of developmental needs, experiences, interests, and varying levels of performance skill sets. Supporting the progress of learners with an open mind is one of the approaches towards excellence. We hope these eight steps have aided in your self-reflection and goal-setting towards improving the training practices for your organization. The post 8 Ways to Achieve eLearning Course Mentoring Excellence appeared first on TalentLMS Blog.