Jim is the manager of a Destination Management Organization (DMO) which offers several tourist packages for people who wish to travel different serene destinations. As a part of his efforts to expand the organization, he hired travel agents who explain about different destinations to tourists and started training them. But he noticed that the training was ineffective and time taking, involving prolonged "time-off" jobs. Even after extensive training, the agents couldn’t retain the information on different destinations when the tourists enquired them. He was disappointed as the poor quality of training resulted in his business taking a beating. This is a common problem faced by many managers of DMOs. But, why is the travel agent so important for a DMO? According to the ASTA, 2011; Tnooz, 2011; Travel Market Report, 2011 Tnooz, it was revealed that travelers generally rely on the travel agencies and their recommendations to choose their travel destinations. This is because they believe that the agency has the required knowledge and experience to suggest the right tourist destination. This observation highlights not only the role of the travel agent in planning tours, but also the role of a DMO in training the travel agent effectively. Previously, DMOs used different ways to train travel agents like making them read books/ magazines and attend educational trips, conferences, seminars, etc. on different destinations. However, owing to the dynamic nature of the industry, the organizations started relying on digital technologies not only to promote themselves but also to train their employees effectively. With the number of travelers visiting new destinations increasing day by day, destination management has become very important for travel managers and their agents. The courses imparted through eLearning are going a long way filling the need and helping agents increase their knowledge. E-learning courses on destination management can cover the following topics, which are required by travel agents. Destination Attractions: This is the most important information needed by the travelers. All information about the main attractions at the destinations like museums, malls etc. can be included in the online course. With a good LMS,notifications and solutions related to travel packages can be introduced. In this way, announcements and e-mail notifications directly reach agents’ inboxes. Information on the Tourist Site: The "tourist appeal" of a place can be enhanced by providing information about the climate, currency accepted, languages spoken, nightlife and places to shop. General information on that particular destination can also be detailed as per the traveler’s requirement. Making all this information accessible on an LMS proves beneficial as it helps agents get the latest information on a tourist site. Information on Local Transport facilities: Many tourists would like to have information on the transportation facilities available at a tourist spot. So, the travel agent should have comprehensive information on bus and railway stations, airports and other facilities available, in the area. They can be introduced in the online course using interactive games. Special Offers at the Destination: Offers at a destination change from season to season. The travel agent should keep himself abreastof these ever-changing offers. These details can be introduced as scenarios or situations in an eLearning courses and given to travel agents to help them understand and explain the same to tourists. I hope you liked this post. Would love to hear back. Related Posts9 Strategies for Marketing eLearning to EmployeesCreative Ways to Present Click on Tab Interactivity in E-learning Courses - An InfographicCommLab India Celebrates Thanksgiving with its Heroes

Camtasia Studio 8 Tutorial: Editing Dimensions Basics This Camtasia Studio 8 Tutorial covers the following topics: 00:00 - Intro 00:15 - Default editing dimensions 00:30 - Maximum 720p HD option 01:10 - Changing the editing dimensions 02:15 - Changing the background color 02:45 - Wrap-up / feedback The post Camtasia Studio 8 Tutorial: Editing Dimensions Basics appeared first on VivaeLearning: The Best Free Video Tutorials Online.

As an instructional designer or a learning technology professional, you may always be in search of information that can help you create highly engaging and effective online courses. I have compiled a list of eBooks that can make your search easy. 1. 25 Incredible Examples of E-learning Assessments It is well-known that assessments play a key role in the learning process and they are used to measure learners’ understanding of the subject. In an eLearning course, two types of assessments are used - formative and summative. Formative assessments are conducted after completing each topic, and feedback is provided immediately after a question is answered. On the other hand, a summative assessment is an evaluation at the end of the course, and here, feedback is not provided. Assessments can be more effective if they are presented in the form of games. For example, we can present an assessment question using the game of cricket. If the learner selects the right answer, an "animated player" hits a six, and if he selects an incorrect answer, the ball hits the stumps. This eBook provides detailed answers to the following. What are the ways to make your formative assessments interactive and engaging? What are the ideas to gamify your assessments? What are the games which you can use while designing assessments for your online course? Click here to download eBook for free 2. 10 E-learning Interactivities that Engage Your Learners As instructional designers, we always think of new ways to present information to help learners get involved in the learning process and retain information for longer periods. It is important to choose the right interactivities, so that you can ensure that the learners "connect" themselves with the course. This eBook will help instructional designers make the best use of interactivities in online courses and contains comprehensive information about 10 eLearning interactivities that engage your learners. They are: Click on Images Hotspots Rollovers Tabs Timelines Numbers/ Processes Slideshows Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) Flip Cards Flipbooks Click here to download eBook for free 3. Best Practices for Content Chunking to Create Cogent E-learning Courses As we all know, one of the important aspects of instructional design is content chunking. Instructional designers need to break long strings of information into understandable chunks and delete extraneous data. When the content is divided into small chunks, it becomes easy for the learner to understand the topic and helps him retain information longer and recall it effectively.  You will find answers to questions such as the following. What is content chunking? Why is content chunking important? What are the steps in the content chunking process? How to chunk content, easily, and effectively? What are the aspects to be considered before chunking learning content? Click here to download eBook for free 4. Best Practices for E-learning Design and Development Do you want to learn how to build professional, engaging, and interactive eLearning courses that meet your specific training objectives? Here is an eBook where you can learn to design an excellent eLearning course. The eBook answers the following. What does it take to design an effective eLearning program? What are the stages of an eLearning development process? How can you develop a strategy for your online course? Why do you need to review the developed online course? How can you deploy online courses? Click here to download eBook for free 5. How to Select the Right Rapid Authoring Tool Today, in the market, there are many rapid authoring tools, and choosing the right authoring tool is a difficult task. It is very important to know the features, advantages and limitations of various tools to make an informed choice. This eBook will help you select the "ideal" tool by providing comprehensive information about 5 widely used rapid authoring tools. They are: Articulate Storyline Articulate Studio 13 Adobe Captivate 8 Lectora Inspire 11 iSpring Presenter 7 It also covers the features of: Adobe Presenter 9 Adobe Premiere FlipBook Maker  Click here to download eBook for free 6. Articulate Storyline for Building E-learning Courses In today’s market, there are many rapid authoring tools. Articulate Storyline is the most popular among them. Articulate Storyline can be used to build eLearning courses, very efficiently, in quick time, at low cost. By reading this eBook, you will get answers to the following. How is Articulate Storyline different from traditional authoring tools? What are the features of Storyline that make it very popular with eLearning designers and developers? How can you develop interactive courses using Storyline? How does Storyline simplify the implementation of learning strategies? How can Storyline be used in different training situations? Click here to download eBook for free 7. Mobile Learning 101 - All You Need to Know to Get Started  Mobile technology has transformed our lives significantly, and today, there is a phenomenal growth in the number of users of the "mobile Internet". This growth is compelling companies to develop and deliver online courses that can be accessed effectively on mobile devices. This free eBook provides comprehensive information on the design and development of mobile learning courses. The eBook will give answers to the following. Why does mobile learning require a separate strategy? How can mobile learning be blended with existing training programs? What are the factors that you need to consider to implement mobile learning? What are the learning design strategies that are unique to mobile learning? How can you use mobile learning in different training situations? Click here to download eBook for free I hope you find these eBooks useful. To know more about our eBooks on eLearning, click here. Related Posts4 Effective Ways of Presenting Scenarios in E-learning Courses5 Gamified Assessments for Your E-learning Course - An Infographic5 Creative Ways to Gamify Your E-learning Assessments - An Infographic

Top Qualities That Shape A Successful eLearning Freelancer Taking the leap from full-time to freelance employment is a risky career decision, but when done properly can be truly liberating and rewarding. But what does it take to be a successful eLearning freelancer? In this article, I´ll share the top 12 qualities that shape an eLearning freelancer in order to help you determine whether this eLearning career option is right for you and ensure that your freelance business is in for the long run. Passion for learning. eLearning freelancers have an inherent thirst for knowledge. They want to know everything about the eLearning industry. From instructional design theories and graphic design principles to information technologies, successful eLearning freelancers are constantly looking for ways to expand their knowledge base. In the eLearning industry, technologies and tools change all the time; staying on top of these changes will help you develop new skills that will differentiate you from other eLearning freelancers. However, it is difficult to stay up-to-date with all eLearning trends if you don’t have a true passion for learning. Being a successful eLearning freelancer requires having a wealth of knowledge about a variety of things, from eLearning authoring tools and software to instructional design models and ways to develop eLearning video scripts. But there are no shortcuts to knowledge; you need to always be curious, ask questions, and take every opportunity to learn something new. An insatiable curiosity is a vital quality for all eLearning professionals. And it is this natural passion for knowledge that helps them to design eLearning experiences that make an impact upon their learners, because they know how they learn and what motivates them to become active participants in the learning process. Leadership skills. Even if you have no one working under you, you still need to have leadership skills as an eLearning freelancer. There will be clients who need guidance during the eLearning course design process, as well as subject matter experts and other eLearning professionals who require some degree of management. Taking care of the client billing, filling out the necessary forms, and managing the books also requires a fair amount of leadership skills. Self-discipline. Being your own boss means that there is no one to look over your shoulder or create a set schedule. One of the best things about being an eLearning freelancer is not having to report to anyone, but that also happens to be one of the disadvantages. If there is no one to hold you accountable, you must have the self-discipline to stay on track and see your projects through to the end. Perhaps self-discipline is the most important quality freelancers should have; without self-discipline, you simply cannot be a successful eLearning freelancer. For some people, not having a boss breathing down their neck may be a problem. When you don’t have someone to tell you what time to start working and what time to stop, you need to put all the effort to focus yourself. Not having to deal with a strict 9-to-5 type schedule will tempt you to do things you like as often as possible; watching movies, surfing the web, staying up late, drinking coffee with your friends on Tuesday mornings. However, you will soon realize that by doing this you will be at risk of missing deadlines and disappointing your clients. You simply cannot have fun all the time; you need to stay focused, avoid distractions, and organize a daily routine that includes your freelance working hours. It can be tempting to "call in sick" for the day when you feel burnt out or to find reasons not to work, even though there is plenty to be done. However, being an eLearning freelancer doesn’t mean that you sit around all day and work whenever you feel like it; rather, it means that you are able to choose how to set your working schedule. Self-direction, self-motivation, and self-discipline are vital skills for success in the eLearning freelancing field. If you have the self-discipline to work hard and stay focused on the task at hand, then you are more likely to be successful. Time management skills.  Time management skills are often associated with developing a productive work schedule. While this is important when you’re an eLearning freelancer, the ability to manage your time effectively actually has a variety of benefits. Most notably, it helps you to create accurate estimates for your clients based upon the fact that you can properly gauge how much time each task will require, and thus enables you to prioritize your projects and charge your client accordingly. For example, if you set aside five hours of time to work on the storyboard for an eLearning course and it takes you ten, then, you will either have to charge the client more, which can diminish your credibility, or miss out on five hours of pay. Tracking time spent on projects by breaking down your working hours into categories such as designing and developing your eLearning course, communicating with your client, creating eLearning videos and so on, will help you manage your time wisely. By doing so, you will be able to calculate your freelance hourly rate and ensure that you are paid fairly. Not being able to manage time and prioritize activities will be a problem if you want to be a productive and successful eLearning freelancer. Decisiveness.  If you have been an employee for a long time before becoming an eLearning freelancer, you may be used to someone telling you what to do all the time. Now that you are your own boss, you will no longer be told what to do; you need to come forward and take action. You need to ask questions; you need to be decisive; you need to take full responsibility for both your decisions and your actions. Taking initiative means making things happen, and this is something your clients always appreciate. Taking initiative also means taking responsibility for every aspect of your business. While you may work with other eLearning freelancers to complete projects, when all is said and done you are the one who is in charge of meeting deadlines, landing new projects, and ensuring that you deliver a high quality finished product. This is often one of the most difficult attributes to develop if you are used to being an employee, as you will be required to carry the burden of running your own business so that you can enjoy all of the perks. Communication skills.  You may think that when working almost exclusively online, as most eLearning freelancers do, it is not of utmost importance that you have strong communication skills. This is a mistake; a clear and precise communication between you and your clients is essential at all times, whether in person or not. Keep in mind to always reply to your emails within 24 hours and, if you cannot, send an email confirming that you received the message and you will answer questions asked as soon as possible. Communicate your ideas in a clear and professional way in live chats or video calls, and be smart enough to know when your advice is wanted and when it is not. This last one doesn’t mean that you need to compromise the quality of your product, but it is important to be sensitive and not force your advice on an unwilling client. Try to be flexible and suggest alternative ways of doing things, so that you will be able to keep both yourself and your client happy. Quick thinking.  eLearning freelance competition can be really tough, and thinking quickly will make it more likely to secure something before someone else does. This is not only about being able to "get" what your clients want fast, which is essential, but also about making quick and effective decisions when confronted with complex situations. If it takes a long time for you to adapt to different circumstances or to make a decision on the spot, your clients will simply look for another eLearning freelancer next time. Persistence.  As is the case with all professions, there are going to be times when you feel like throwing in the towel. This is when determination and persistence comes into play. When business is slow or clients become difficult, persistence is going to keep you focused and on-track, so that you can push through the challenges and reap all the rewards of a successful career. Being persistent is crucial, especially at the beginning of your career as an eLearning freelancer. When you have completed one or two eLearning projects, it will be easier to land a job; but at first, when you need to prove yourself, you must believe in your skills and abilities. Rejection from a variety of different clients is a common situation for most eLearning freelancers and should not discourage you. Taking no for an answer doesn’t mean that you need to give up, but rather to keep trying and not stop looking for new opportunities. Freelancing is exciting, but it can get frustrating; being persistent is of utmost importance when the road is rough and steep. Flexibility.  Another benefit of being an eLearning freelancer is that you have the opportunity to work with a wide variety of people. When working as an eLearning freelancer, no two days, no two clients, and no two projects are ever the same, which means that every opportunity is exciting and new. As such, you need to be able to adapt to every situation and to be flexible. Different clients are going to have different work processes and different expectations. If you don’t have the power to adapt to the ever-changing tide of the eLearning industry, then you simply won’t get the same opportunities as those who do. Being flexible will help you tremendously not only in learning new things and developing new skills, but also in decision making, as the more able you are to adjust yourself and your work to different circumstances, the easier it will be to decide whether to undertake rush jobs that come your way. Charging extra for rush jobs or not is another decision you must make; but successfully handling short notice deadlines is always highly appreciated, as it is important for your clients to know they can rely on you in tough times. Empathy. This may seem like a rather peculiar item on this list, but empathy is an essential quality for eLearning freelancers. You must be able to get into the minds and hearts of your learners. You have to find out what makes them tick, how and why their brains absorb the information, and what it will take to connect with them throughout their eLearning experience. In many respects, eLearning freelancers must put themselves in the shoes of their learners in order to figure out what they need to take away from the eLearning course, what they expect, and how the information should be delivered. Professionalism.  Can you think of what you look for in your ideal client? Honesty, trustworthiness, effective communication, consistency, reliability; all these elements are also what your clients look for in you. Being professional means earning the trust of your clients, and in order to do this you need to always keep your promises and deliver high quality products on time. Trust is difficult to build and very easy to destroy; you can’t expect from someone you have disappointed once to give you another chance, so you must always respond promptly to your clients’ requests. Putting your customers’ satisfaction first, showing that you are willing to go the extra mile, and being reliable will take you a long way. Networking skills.  Networking is considered to be the most effective way to land a job as an eLearning freelancer, and your personal website, blog, and social media accounts can work as great marketing and networking tools. Make sure that you keep your Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter accounts active and updated, so it will be easy for people to find and contact you. Don't hesitate to publish eLearning articles on other relative top ranking eLearning sites. This will give you the chance to immediately reach your target audience, build your online presence, and market yourself as Top eLearning Author. Furthermore, try to attend as many eLearning events as possible, always making sure that you bring plenty business cards with you, as eLearning events are great opportunities for networking. Finally, keep in mind to ask for a recommendation from a client you have had a great experience with, as word of mouth is the best form of advertising. Experience and continued education can also help to fine tune eLearning freelancer skill sets and talents. Ultimately, dedication to your craft and the constant pursuit of knowledge and personal growth are key to being a successful eLearning professional. Interested in landing more jobs as an eLearning freelancer? The article 7 Tips Every eLearning Freelancer Should Know To Land More Jobs features top tips that can help you get more eLearning design and development projects and build your instructional design portfolio. Also interested in learning more about how to build a long term and thriving eLearning freelance career? Read the article 7 Tips To Find your Niche as an eLearning Freelancer and find out all the factors that are involved in choosing the eLearning niche that is just right for you. This post was first published on eLearning Industry.

Adobe Captivate 8 Tutorial: Natively Import HTML5 Animations in Adobe Captivate 8 This Adobe Captivate 8 tutorial presents how to import HTML5 animations into your Adobe Captivate project without requiring any plug-ins. The post Adobe Captivate 8 Tutorial: Natively Import HTML5 Animations in Adobe Captivate 8 appeared first on VivaeLearning: The Best Free Video Tutorials Online.

Recently, we got an interesting requirement from one of our clients. We were asked to develop an online course on their product which needs to be delivered to four types of audience (sales people, service technicians, customers and consultants). In the first slide of the course, the learners should select the category to which they belong (sales people, service technicians, customers and consultants). Depending on the category, the learner should be directed to specific slides of the course. For example, if the learner selects the service technician category, he should be directed to slides 4, 7, 9, 24 and so on. There are no assessments in the course. Once he goes through all slides intended for his category of learners, the course completion status should appear as "completed". In general, an eLearning course will be tracked based on the number of slides visited in the course or on attempting the final quiz (Through Result Slide). Moreover, as we don’t have a quiz in this case, the learner need not go through all slides of the course to complete it. The tracking should be done based on the number of slides visited. Solution: After struggling a bit, I found an effective way of tracking an eLearning course in which only some slides are visited. We can achieve this with the Result Slide. Follow the steps below to know how to get the ‘completed’ status for eLearning courses though some slides of the course are not visited. Step 1: Create a branching scenario with four users (I have added images here). Step 2: Add navigation for each user as shown in the screenshot below. Step 3: Click the Insert tab. Step 4: Click New Slide. Step 5: In the Quizzing category, select Blank Result Slide and then click on the Insert button. Step 6: In the window opened, set the Passing Score option to 0% in the Results category. Step 7: In the Options category, uncheck all options, and then, click the OK button. Step 8: This adds the Result Slide to your course. Now add a trigger in the ending slide of each user to jump to the Result Slide, when learner clicks the Next button. In this way, we can track an eLearning course even when only a few slides are visited. Have anything to say? Please do share. Related PostsRapid E-learning through Storyline Tool: 5 Infographics Sharing Key FeaturesHow to Combine Your Adobe Captivate Projects Into Single Course?Navigation in Articulate Storyline Based on Learner Specified Time Limit

The 2015 National Forum on Active Learning Classrooms (NF-ALC 2015) at the University of Minnesota focuses on advancing practice and research on active learning classroom spaces. Our expectation is that participants from a wide variety of institutions will attend the NF-ALC 2015 to a) examine common issues affecting the effective use of these spaces and chart a path for their resolution b) share successful practices that have enriched the student and faculty experience in active learning classrooms c) build and deepen networks with colleagues in order to advance their campus efforts. The forum is framed by the alignment between the use of new learning spaces and achieving the academic priorities of many universities and colleges, such as increased retention, improved graduation rates, student engagement, emerging technologies, and global learning. Since these priorities are of broad interest to all working in higher education, international participation is most welcome. NF-ALC 2015 Featured Speakers Keynote Speaker Active Learning Classrooms: Cultivating Opportunities for Growth, Play, and Transformation Kim Eby, Associate Provost for Faculty Development; Director, Center for Teaching and Faculty Excellence, George Mason University Opening Remarks The opening night speaker for the NF-ALC 2015 is Robert H. Bruininks, President Emeritus of the University of Minnesota. Closing Remarks What Is a Classroom Anyway? Thomas Fisher, University of Minnesota; Former dean of the College of Design; Dayton Hudson Chair in Urban Design in the School of Architecture at the University of Minnesota. The 2015 National Forum on Active Learning Classrooms (NF-ALC 2015) will be held at the University of Minnesota on August 5-7 2015.   This post was first published on eLearning Industry.

It is common knowledge that well-trained sales teams play critical role in the success of today’s organizations. But, with companies releasing hundreds of products into the market, how can sales people be trained effectively? How can organizations ensure that their sales personnel are equipped with the needed knowledge and skills to meet the challenges posed by a dynamic world of business? Well, firms need to focus on 6 vital aspects to deliver first-rate training to their sales forces. Let us see what they are and why they are very important. Hope you find this post interesting. How do you train your sales people? We’d love to know. Related Posts7 Tips To Create Effective Sales Training Courses For Gen Y Workforce - An InfographicWhy do You Need to Go Beyond ‘E-learning Development Cost Per Hour’?6 Sure-fire Tips to Market Your E-learning Course - An Infographic

Camtasia Studio 8 Tutorial: Custom Production Settings This Camtasia Studio 8 Tutorial covers the following topics: 0:00 — Intro 0:20 — Production Wizard 1:15 — Choose a format 1:45 — The Controller tab 3:10 — Video and embed sizes 3:40 — Video settings 4:15 — Audio settings 4:40 — Interactive features 5:00 — Wrap-up / feedback The post Camtasia Studio 8 Tutorial: Custom Production Settings appeared first on VivaeLearning: The Best Free Video Tutorials Online.

The telecom industry has witnessed exponential growth in the past decade. The presence of an increasing number of smart-phones in the market and better availability of high speed internet connectivity make the telecom industry a vibrant sector of the economy.But, this fast technological change and the volatility within the industry need quick solutions to such complex problems. Thus, with growth, the telecom industry is also susceptible to challenges. It has to make sure that its employees are well-versed in the use of the latest technology available in the market. What Are the Training Solutions Needed by This Industry? The training solutions can be categorized into: Product and Technical support Sales support Compliance Leadership and Management Does E-learning make sense in this industry?  The first answer should be "Yes, it makes sense". Let’s see how. With employees spread across the globe, eLearning helps to reach and meet each of their training requirements. New employees can be ‘raised up to a competent level’ easily with eLearning courses, which they can take at the comfortable time.  Often, content has to be updated to suit the changing market conditions and technologies. This can be done easily with eLearning, without making major changes in the delivery mechanism. Thus, it saves valuable time and money for the organization.  What Is the Impact of E-learning on This Industry? The telecom industry comprises of workforce from various verticals having different educational and socio-economic backgrounds. E-learning must address training requirements of these different learner profiles. Sales personnel, who spend a better part of their day outside the office premises and have limited access to computer, can be trained through mobile devices. An interactive, bite-sized learning solution can be used to help them understand telecom technologies to sell the product better to the consumer. Technical persons, who are more comfortable dealing with software, can be trained through simulations. These simulations give them the option to practice and master the software with ease. Call-center personnel, who focus mainly on solving customers’ problems, can be equipped with the needed knowledge and skills using eLearning courses containing scenarios. Scenarios are the ideal tools to teach them how to handle different customer objections and provide quick solutions. For managers, who need to understand the nitty gritty about corporate affairs, eLearning courses with case-studies are crucial to understand the concepts in detail. Thus, a simple eLearning course has a lot more to offer to the telecom industry. To summarize, with ever-increasing technological developments, the time has come to implement eLearning to meet the training requirements of the telecom industry. Related Posts5 Questions you Need to Ask Before Designing a Course for the iPadBlended Learning for Effectively Meeting Challenges in the Telecom SectorE-learning: Helping Telecommunication Companies Impart Training Better