I finally decided on the presentations to attend on Wednesday. Wednesday, March 23rd, 2016 8:30 AM-9:45 AM: General Session, Paper Awards & Keynote: Larysa Nadolny Iowa State University, EPIC WIN: Designing for success with game-based learning 10:15-10:45 AM in Scarbrough 1: What Features We Like When We Like Educational Games, Spencer Greenhalgh, Matthew Koehler & Liz Owens Boltz 10:45 AM-11:15 AM … Continue reading "SITE Conference Day 2: My Itinerary for PD"

As a producer of learning management systems (LMSs) that are designed to let you to use a variety of different training delivery methods in a blended learning solution, we give a lot of thought to how employers can create the "best" blend. Actually, we don’t think there’s any one simple answer to that question that you can apply every time. There are various ways to look at it, and each make sense in different circumstances. However, one idea that we’re big fans of when creating a blended learning solution is to select the training delivery method (example-e-learning, written, video, field-based OJT, instructor-led classroom training, etc.) by considering the type of training material (the information) that you’re trying to convey, and/or the employee’s need for practice and feedback during training. We’ve introduced that method of creating a blended learning solution in an earlier article. In this article, we’re going to take a deeper look at one aspect of the blend-training that’s designed to help employees acquire base-level, foundational knowledge that doesn’t require a lot of practice or feedback. In an earlier article, we looked at using scenario-based training during training to help workers develop advanced job skills that may require a lot of practice of feedback. Convergence Training is a training solutions provider with a strong manufacturing and safety offering. We offer off-the-shelf e-learning courses, several different learning management systems (LMSs), custom training, and more. Contact us to set up a demo, view full-length course previews, or just ask some questions. And while you’re here, why now download some of our free guides to training? Guide to Effective Manufacturing Training Guide to Effective EHS Training Guide to Online MSHA Training Guide to Writing Learning Objectives Introduction: Basic Job Knowledge-When Employees Need It and What It Is Before we charge ahead and start talking about the training delivery methods that are best for this kind of learning, let’s look more closely at the kind of "basic job knowledge" that we’re talking about. When Do Employees Need to Learn Basic Job Knowledge? There are lots of times when people have to learn basic information that they can then apply on the job. These times include: When a person is a brand-new hire at the company When an existing employee gets promoted to a new position If there’s some type of change at work-a new process put into place, a change of process, a new machine is acquired, or you begin to make a new product What Do We Mean by Basic Job Knowledge? People always have to know certain things on the job. In some cases, this is just procedural stuff-like your HR policies. In other cases, they need the information to actually perform their job tasks. So this can include things like: Company’s attendance policy; drug/alcohol policy, etc. Information about the company’s products Information about the company’s production method Information about a specific job role Information about specific production lines, machines, and supplies Information related to specific job tasks Basic Job Knowledge: Broken Down Into "Types" of Information Learning & development experts often talk about this stuff that people need to know on the job as including facts, concepts, and processes. Here’s what each of those are: Facts: A simple bit of knowledge. Example: This is a press. Concepts: A group of things that share certain characteristics. Example: All three of these machines are presses. Processes: How something "works": Example: This is how the metal is pressed in this press. (We’re keeping this discussion of "basic job knowledge" and facts, concepts, and processes short, but feel free to read this more extended article if you’re hungry for more information about facts, concepts, and processes.) How Does This Basic Job Knowledge Fit In With Other Stuff Employees Have to Learn to Do Their Jobs? This is the "foundational" knowledge that people need to know on the job. This is the stuff you have to know before you can even begin to do other stuff on the job, such as perform simple procedures, apply basic skills, or demonstrate advanced job skills. In many cases, it’s a precondition for performing those tasks. For example, you can’t learn how to run a press if you don’t know what a press is.                       The Need for Feedback and Practice for When Learning Basic Job Knowledge Sometimes, employees need a lot of feedback or practice during training, and sometimes they need almost none. This often comes down to what kind of information they are learning during the training session.                         While there will be exceptions from time-to-time, in general, there’s no great need to let employees practice when they’re learning the kind of basic job knowledge we’re talking about in this article, and there’s no great need to provide feedback either (although Q&A/discussion sessions can be arranged). As a result, you can rely on training delivery methods that don’t involve a lot of human interaction to teach workers this kind of information. In some cases, these training delivery methods will be just as good as face-to-face training methods. In other cases, they’ll may be even more effective, partly because they allow for more self-guided learning and partly because they may include things like better images. Training Delivery Methods for This Kind of Basic Job Information Here are a few training delivery methods that are well-suited to help employees learn this kind of information. e-Learning e-Learning courses can be a great way to deliver this kind of information to employees. They can complete the course when it best fits their schedule, they can go through it in a self-guided manner that fits their learning pace, they can easily return to previous screens to review information they’ll fuzzy on, and there’s a built-in test of comprehension as well (we’ll return to this issue). Here’s a sample e-learning course about Process Control Charts with this kind of basic job information. It’s from our libraries of off-the-shelf e-learning courses for workforce development. Like that sample? You can check out more here. Also, here’s a quick video overview that shows short samples from a variety of our courses. Video Video, even video filmed with a simple camera or your phone, can be an effective training tool. Of course, on its own, video doesn’t include a way to assess comprehension, but stay tuned for more about that. As you know, there are lots of helpful videos on YouTube, plus OSHA, MSHA, the Chemical Safety Board, and others make good training videos as well. Websites There are many good websites where employees can learn valuable job-related information. Do you know of some? If so, leave a URL in the comments section below. Written materials (PowerPoints, books, Word documents, PDFs, etc.) And of course, written materials in various formats can be helpful learning tools as well. Putting Training for Basic Job Knowledge Online One great thing about the e-learning courses, videos, websites, and written materials we just discussed is they can all be imported into an online learning solution and delivered to employees online.                   These systems are generally called learning management systems (LMSs) and they help you: Assign training to different workers and/or workers in different job roles Notify workers of training assignments Deliver some training online (including the kinds we’re talking about here) Automatically giving workers credit for completing training Delivering online assessments to determine if workers understood the training materials Storing completion records indefinitely and over time Changing training assignments when a worker changes his/her job Creating reports Automatically generating and emailing reports on a recurrent basis (day/week/month) Using a Learning Management System (LMS) Still curious about using an LMS to deliver this kind of training to workers? Here’s a short video that gives you a better idea of what an LMS can do. Assessing Basic Job Knowledge One convenient aspect of using an online learning management system is that you can also have employees complete online tests and quizzes that the LMS automatically scores, using the score to determine if the worker passed or failed. This is a quick and effective way to determine if the worker understood and has truly learned from the online activity. Conclusion: Helping Workers Learn Basic Job Knowledge So there you have it. One way to create a blended learning solution for workforce development. The benefit of this is it allows you to maximize your valuable, expensive, and probably limited face-to-face training for those more advanced job skills further "up the pyramid" we showed you earlier, where they’re more needed and where you will get more bang for the buck. What are your own thoughts? How do you blend your training? Hey, since you made it all the way to the end, don’t forget to download our Manufacturing Training Guide below, too…   The post Training that Helps Employees Learn Basic Job Knowledge appeared first on Convergence Training Blog.

Random clip art of office workers in deep collaborative thought.You're welcome.  -------------------------As you create your budget and cost estimates, make sure you document HOW you got your numbers.Any strategies usedAny assumptions madeYour entire range - from pessimistic to optimistic What pessimistic MEANS (what could go wrong)This is the beginning of what is known in project management circles as the Risk Register. Known constraintsThe confidence level of your estimateThough your monetary gatekeepers might not ask these questions right away, they WILL come up.Best to have that information handy.Ideally, your organization has defined processes and templates available for project budgets and supporting documentation.If you have a Project Management Office in your organization - go talk to themIf you don't - find the person who does most of the "project management type" activity in your office If your organization doesn't have processes or templates available - a search on Project Budget Templates in the search engine of your choice will help provide examples.

Ever since the advent of the Internet and the proliferation of mobile devices like smartphones and tablets, the way we access and acquire new information and knowledge has changed dramatically. This is especially true for millenials (otherwise known as Generation Y), who are taking advantage of technology to increase their business acumen through e-learning. The marriage of technology and learning doesn’t look like it will disappear anytime soon either. In five years time, the digital natives that grew up with devices like the iPhone will come of age and enter the world of work. Therefore, it is fair to say that digital and mobile technologies are the future of workplace training. As a result, workforces in years to come won’t feel like referencing a textbook or passively sitting in a classroom to boost their skillset. They could probably access much of this learning online anyway, so will want training to feel familiar and be enjoyable. For these reasons, businesses must realise that traditional training methods won’t be effective for much longer. But how can you shift your organisation’s approach towards mobile learning (m-learning) if obstacles concerning implementation stand in the way?     The increasing adoption of mobile According to the report Mobile Learning at Work by Towards Maturity, tomorrow’s generation of mobile-orientated workers will demand learning tools that they can relate to. While just 25 per cent of top learning companies are currently using mobile devices as a means to deliver learning and development content, many organisations are planning to follow suit in the near future. What’s more, 47 per cent of managers report additional business benefits to mobile learning, which include improvements in organisational productivity and an increase in organisational revenue. However, doubts still remain. Amit Garg, Director of Custom Learning Solutions at Upside Learning says "even though some large organisations have started using mobile technology to empower their workforce, for most others the question still remains - how do we actually use it in the workplace?"     The challenges relating to m-learning For both formal and informal learning programmes, m-learning can provide access to content, encourage communication and collaboration, act as an alternative mode of delivery to personal computers, help with the application of new skills in the workplace, and deliver support when it is required. Even so, L&D teams face a number of challenges in terms of introducing a new approach to learning. Obstacles include but are not limited to organisational culture and policy, getting buy-in from management at all levels, IT infrastructure and security issues, as well as a lack of skills and knowledge by the L&D team on how to introduce m-learning. However, Towards Maturity states: "The barriers to success need not be insurmountable and it is certainly worth persevering with finding the right mobile solution. When these issues are successfully addressed the benefits both in terms of business results and in staff satisfaction and engagement are clear."     Making the move over to m-learning Instead of a drastic changeover of teaching methods and training techniques, most organisations will make the move to m-learning gradually at no fixed point in time. This is because the entire organisation will need to prepare for a self-directed learning approach, especially in cultures where formal face-to-face training is the norm. Blended solutions are the key here, as engaging and interesting content can encourage thought as well as action. In turn, a cultural shift should eventually start to happen as the benefits of m-learning become clear. However, it is important to keep moving forward with m-learning, due to the rapid rate in which technology changes. After all "mobile users are three times more likely to use cloud-based content than non-mobile users and using web 2.0 widgets to personalise learning environments," according to Towards Maturity.     Possible m-learning approaches   Content delivery - The easiest and most straightforward way to implement m-learning is to make content available on smartphone screens. However, it might be more beneficial to favour tablets instead, as this can reduce the need to redesign courses specifically for smartphones, while content will be much easier to view and interact with. Mobile devices can also double up as content browsers or media players for the purposes of providing company information such as price lists, product manuals or job aids. While these resources aren’t unique to mobile, the speed of delivery alongside the ability to provide learning at the point of need is what makes smartphones and tablets so invaluable.   Informal learning - With the correct planning and careful design, there is no reason why the extensive capabilities and functionality of smartphones cannot be an intrinsic part of mobile learning apps, which increase learning interest, boost retention rates, and provide performance support for practical tasks. To give an example, accelerometers and motion sensors can be used to create immersive simulations or gamified scenarios. Then there is the option of incorporation social networking too, as mobile users are 50 per cent more likely to use learning communities such as action learning sets.   Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) - Towards Maturity reveals "1 in 2 organisations cite the wide variation in learners own personal technologies as a real barrier to implementation." For this reason, 31 per cent are now providing learners with mobile devices that are compatible with the company’s IT architecture. But in the future, the increasing use of HTML5 will allow access to the same learning content from any device, regardless of its operating system or screen dimensions. However, due to security issues with BYOD, there needs to be a clear framework and policy that encompasses privacy concerns, terms of usage and access rights.     The rise of mobile M-learning is something that organisations cannot ignore or expect to go away like other previous training fads. It might seem like several obstacles stand in the way of implementation, but these can be overcome gradually rather than all at once. What’s more, by striking the right balance between content delivery, informal learning and BYOD, your employees will feel a lot more positive about training and achieve better learning outcomes too. Share this post with your own audience

Read our blog about spaced repetition learning for apprentices on L&D website, trainingZONE.   As we reflect on National Apprenticeship Week, we discuss how best to approach learning for our talented apprentices of today.   You can read the post here. Share this post with your own audience

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eLearning content development is serious business! In fact, without authentic content, you are unlikely to have a worthwhile eLearning course. Remember, adult learners only spend time, effort and money on learning experiences that have a direct impact in their real lives. Before plunging into an eLearning course development process with your team, spend some time developing a formal problem statement. We assure you, with this research-based technique we are sharing in this article, you will be ready to impress both your organization and your clients. Let’s determine the research-worthiness of a problem and the steps to create a clear learning problem statement. Before the content is developed, you need to determine whether the learning problem on hand is really worthy of being researched and developed into a course. Often, successful eLearning organizations or companies with in-house eLearning departments face the looming challenge of "what should the next eLearning course be about?". Many companies seek eLearning services for the sole purpose of knowledge management and knowledge development. When course mentors facilitate large volumes of knowledge sharing, they feel they can filter out content for the next course. Without doubt, the online discussion forum in your learning management system is a perfect place to identify learning problems. But, are those problems worth researching and developing into complete courses? How do you determine the research worthiness of a problem? What are the steps that lead to this decision? In this article, we answer these questions and help you create a new course from a learning problem or a learning gap. No statement in the learning environment can be accurate or valid without the support of extant research. Indeed, the development of eLearning content requires careful collection of current and valid facts with the SME. What if you do not have the content available in the form of a PDF, Power Point or Word document? How will you create content based on a learning gap or a performance problem identified by managers in your organization? Levy & Levy (2008) in their paper Framework of problem-based research: A guide for novice researchers on the development of a research-worthy problem describe a four step process that will aid in finalizing a research-worthy problem. These four steps will help you determine if research for complete content for a new eLearning course is needed or not. i) Look: As mentioned above, learning gaps and performance problems are identified through common comments in the LMS and common complaints from managers. Personal interests expressed by members of learning communities, an expert’s knowledge that needs to be "tamed in the form of eLearning" and even gut feelings are great ways to identify learning gaps. Basically, when the current situation is far from the ideal situation, a learning problem is formulated. Use this step as your starting point. ii) Read: A common error when developing eLearning courses is reinventing the wheel. We do not need new courses that are simply restated from a new angle! Once you determine that a particular course content cannot be retrieved from previously created courses, you can be assured that your learning problem deserves further investigation. Get access to scholarly journals in your areas of interest (for example business and technology journals or health care peer-reviewed magazines) and read about the learning problem. Perform countless keyword searches for the identified problem to collect research done in the past. Create topics and collect content for the topics under the problem area. Does the existing body of knowledge tell you what is not known about the problem area? If yes, then involve experts to determine customized solutions for the problem. This even offers fertile grounds for conducting action research to solve a problem and then yield an eLearning course. iii) Synthesize: In this step, you combine insights from several scholarly pieces of research and apply them. This step is all about customizing the research to provide solutions for your organization. Integrate work from leading researchers in your course content. Compose a generalization based on several examples of similar situations. This is a perfect step to identify the storyline for your eLearning course. State the problem and solve it with solutions offered through the research. iv) Consult or Seek Feedback: In this step, you involve the managers, senior managers, stakeholders and even talented employees to receive feedback on your researched material. Ask them if your efforts uncovered all areas. Is there anything left out? What material could be left out? The goal here is to create new knowledge for your organization in a synthetic manner. After confirming with all stakeholders that your content is complete, you can begin developing your eLearning course with confidence. Did the above exercise yield substantial background literature and supporting research to confirm that a problem really exists in terms of learning and performance? If you do not have enough supporting research, you do not need to explore the problem further. Some problems like developing a knowledge management system that encourages members to share valuable information is not a research worthy problem. On the other hand, determining the desirable features of a knowledge management system that promotes valuable knowledge sharing between members is a viable research worthy problem. The outcome of this research should lead to the development of strong content that can be disseminated using an eLearning course. The next step is to define the problem statement clearly. A problem statement definition is the first step towards achieving a green light for developing an eLearning course. The first document that you share with a client seeking eLearning services is a proposal. This proposal needs to have a clearly defined problem statement. After a meeting with the client (or the stakeholders of your organization) you need to create a clear problem statement in which you describe who is involved in the performance and who is effected; where does the problem occur and how can it be solved. Use the following strategy discovered by leading educationists to define the learning gap or a performance problem addressed in your eLearning course: 1) What: What is the problem addressed by the future eLearning course? Describe it with two sentences. A learning problem is something that leads to a performance issue. 2) Who: List at least three current, peer-reviewed items of research that support the presence of this problem. Does the current literature indicate that such a problem is commonplace? 3) How, Where and When: Precisely, in no more than two sentences, explain how people are being impacted by the problem. What are the negative influences of the problem? When and where are people being effected by this problem? 4) Who: Now go back to literature research again. Find three peer-reviewed references that support the impact of the problem in similar situations. Describe the nature of the literature support. 5) Why: Now jot down the conceptual basis of the problem - why, according to the published research is the problem occurring? 6) Who: Again, list three peer-reviewed works that support the conceptual basis of the problem and describe the nature of the support. Refer to the study to view an example of a viable problem statement. This 6 step strategy to formulate a correct problem statement has many advantages. For starters, you earn the trust and credibility for your scientific research. Stakeholders know that they will be implementing best practices through your eLearning course. Secondly, the statement will help you identify valuable learning objectives and content for your eLearning course. It will also direct you to extra resources that can be shared with your learners. Any gaps in research can be fulfilled by the R&D team for further knowledge development. A strong problem statement is akin to developing a solid justification for the need to research for viable content and develop a complete eLearning course. Preparing a logical argument for a problem statement is a challenge when a solution is not needed! Answering the above six questions will be a lot easier if the problem is worth exploring and needs an eLearning course to solve it. Once you have a clear learning problem statement and it is approved by stakeholders, you can create an eLearning course with greater comfort and confidence. The post eLearning Content Development: 6 Steps to Create a Learning Problem Statement appeared first on TalentLMS Blog.

Educational technology research journals are now rife with the mandatory technology skills trainers should have. Are you hiring someone for developing eLearning training programs for your organization? Maybe you are crossing over from training to training development yourself. Or perhaps you are assessing your current educational technology skills. No matter which way you go in eLearning, you need to have a few basic skills to make it. In this article, we’ll share with you a list composed by leading educational technology journals. Look around you and into any education journal you may find. Each one will have a set of educational technology skills that are a must-have for every trainer or eLearning developer. Ten years ago, Laura Turner in The Journal spoke about these skills. A decade later, The Journal revealed an updated list. We have recompiled this list to bring it up to date, and the (maybe not so) surprising thing we discovered is that many educational technology skills may already be in your tool box! But some may be missing. Find out which ones! Let’s find out if professional development training is in order. 1. Be Able to Search and Research over the Internet The use of Boolean operators and symbols in your searches — such as using "-" tells your favorite search engine to ignore a term before it. Shift down to better search findings by making a habit of using "and" & "or". The key is to find the relevant content matter for your training. Evaluating and validating websites comes next. Check out if a website you are referring to is authentic and not fake or a duplicate. A good way to do that is to browse through all menu items and check out the "last updated" date at the footer of the webpage. If using information from the site, cite your sources in the desired format (APA, MLA Chicago, Harvard, etc.). 2. Social Media for eLearning The overwhelming surge in popular social media hangouts like Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, Snapchat, Google+, YouTube, as well as the true power that blogs have, all tell us where the potential learners are. As an educator, connecting with learners using their preferred social media is another way to individualize the learning experience for the learner. Utilizing a social media tool in a learning management system is a great way to get the learners to hang out with you. Tell your learners that your social media has like-minded individuals with similar goals and aspirations in life. Capitalize on the characteristics of the social media group in which learners hang out. Social media is also a great course marketing tool, as announcements for updates or new courses reach learners faster than email. 3. The Productivity Applications Creating assignments that require learners to improve productivity is a great way to teach them using technology. You not only disseminate the content, but you also teach them how to use a new tool. Mention in your assignments that you need it in a particular format. For example, the prevalent MS Office suite may have a strong reputation, but your learners may not be proficient in using it and could use the practice. Stress in the beginning of the eLearning course that learners are required to have word processing, database development and presentation skills, for example, and set a particular benchmark for them. Provide links for MS Office tutorials to point them in the right direction. Modelling the use of productivity applications is a great way to teach educational technology tools. Online applications like Prezi, PowToon, goAnimate, Google Slides and Storyboard That! are a great start. Not only do they take the boring aspect out of assignments, they are as easy to use as new social media for a learner! 4. Knowledge Management Skills It is very easy to get bogged down when it comes to your own learning! This is natural, in part because of the speed at which we need to update ourselves as learners and educators. Learn how to manage your own knowledge by grouping it in a meaningful way. Create an online portfolio using HTML5 development tools like wix.com or WordPress. You can create a complete website-style portfolio that includes an "About Me" page to introduce you through text, visuals and videos (more about those later). You can present your current technology skills in the next page by linking with any projects or presentations you have online. Group the skills and tools in your "wish list" on the next page with appropriate links to tutorials. This keeps you updated on what you have completed and what needs to be done for your professional improvement. A page dedicated to courses you have taken or are planning to take is also a great way to help you stay up-to-date. Moreover, hiring managers would love to see what’s going on from a professional standpoint! Google Sites and Wikis are other notable options to manage your own knowledge. Just think of a knowledge management strategy as a better way to format your CV! 5. Create your Own Videos It truly is about time you shed the camera-shyness and step into the limelight. There is nothing more powerful in an eLearning setting than a person’s voice talking to a distant student. The key is to speak clearly and provide subtitles in your videos. A great start is to create a "introductory" video for learners and other professionals that may want to learn more about you. Think of this "about me" video session as a personal narration of your updated CV. The passion and enthusiasm you bring into your video will be your selling points. With video creation and editing tools like the ones on YouTube and your smartphone, this should not be a problem at all. Screencasters like Jing, Screencastomatic and several others will help you capture complicated topics on your screen and illustrate them clearly. Also, encourage videos as a means for your learners to introduce themselves. Videos create stronger connections in an online learning environment. 6. Be a Life-long Learner Being in the field of training requires you to develop life-long learning habits. Develop your curiosity for the latest productivity and knowledge management tools. A great way to make sure that you have all the best tools at your disposal is by reading a popular eLearning research journals. The next step is to keep your learning portfolio updated. If you like to write, create a personal blog and connect with your learners through social media by asking their opinion. Learning never stops for a trainer! 7. Be a Learning Management System master For starters, know the difference between a stand alone LMS and an online, Cloud LMS. Learn how to use the embedded tools in TalentLMS to showcase your eLearning courses and manage your eLearners. Collaborating and creating effective lessons and assignments in the online environment requires technology tools. When researchers say with conviction that eLearning yields higher success rates and advanced reasoning skills and sometimes better quality of learning, it is in part due to these necessary skills. And as a training developer, you cannot do without them. The learning curve associated with most of these skills is minimal, making them even more appealing. And the rewards? How about having an arsenal able to conquer any eLearning project you set your mind to! The post 7 Tech Tools & Skills Trainers Must Have appeared first on TalentLMS Blog.

When you know your team composition this way, it's tempting to hire someone who fits in to the open area of your team model to create more balance. There are two problems with this: Their work life will be isolating and frustrating since they will not 'fit in' with the others without some intentional team discussionsIt's not about their strengths, it's about the jobThe Job Benchmark process we use with our customers starts by creating a model of the job and then looking for the best fit for the job. People in the right job are engaged. People who are in the wrong job are not bad employees, they are just in the wrong job. Companies tend to need jobs that are complimentary. The wheel is an example of how certain functional areas in an organization create natural conflicts if team models are not used to clarify.   In business as in life, diversity drives innovation and connection if there is a sense of trust between members created through intentional exploration of each others strengths.