Top 5 Ways to Reduce eLearning Costs In today’s economy, many organizations are struggling to offer the right learning program due to the high costs and complexity of existing systems. A recent study by Bersin and Deloitte shows that corporate spending on training has increased by 34% while employee engagement levels have dropped to 24%. Does your organization have the right eLearning in place? Watch our webinar and learn how to: Reduce your current training costs by 50%-80% Achieve consistently better learning results Reduce employee turnover and increase learner engagement The post Top 5 Ways to Reduce eLearning Costs appeared first on VivaeLearning: The Best Free Video Tutorials Online.

E-learning models serve as a base that helps instructional designers visualize their problems and break them into manageable units. Models give structure and meaning that enables the designers to alter their design based on their understanding. To improve your instructional design skills, many theories have been proposed. Each of these has its own importance. In this blog, I’ll share 5 models that help IDs design better eLearning courses. Gagne’s Nine Steps of Instruction: Robert Gagne’s 9 steps of instruction contribute to the systematic approach to instructional design. The 9 steps are: gain attention, define clear objectives, recall prior knowledge, present the content, provide learning guidance, elicit performance, provide feedback, evaluateperformance, enhance retention and transfer knowledge. ADDIE: ADDIE is the most commonly used model as it is simple and easy to understand and can be applied in any type of organization.The steps with in the phases of the ADDIE model can be changed according to organizational needs. The ADDIE model consists of 5 phasesviz. Analyze, design, develop, implement and evaluate.  Dick Carey & J. Carey’s Model: This model was originally published in 1978 by Walter Dick and Lou Carey. This model addresses instruction as an entire system, focusing on the interrelationship between context, content, learning and instruction which interact with each other and work together to meet the intended outcomes.  Learning Cycle: The importance of using the learning cycle is to determine the structural design of course. The four main phases of the learning cycle are review, learning, application and adaptation. SAM (Successive Approximation Model): SAM was first proposed by Michael Allen, and the title itself conveys the meaning - taking small and quick steps, instead of giant leaps to complete each milestone. SAM incorporates contemporary design methods such as rapid prototyping and Savvy Start which is a short meeting involving the team members of the project and the customer. There are 2 versions of SAM - SAM 1 and SAM 2. SAM 1 is ideal for small projects that do not require specialized skills. SAM 2 is useful for huge eLearning projects that require advanced programming skills. SAM provides many advantages such as: It recognizes the challenges that arise during the process and provides a clear path to success. It involves the stakeholders throughout the design and development process, and this helps achieve the desired performance outcomes. It enables delivery of projects on time, with quality and within the budget. To summarize, among all the models, SAM provides room for iteration, helps manage projects effectively and supports collaboration with the project team. These aspects of the model make it the best model for eLearning development. Have anything to say? Please do share! Related Posts4 Effective Ways of Presenting Scenarios in E-learning CoursesDo We Need to Follow a Specific Process to Design an eLearning Course?Content Chunking in E-learning - 4 Common Errors

How A Cloud Based Authoring Tool Can Take The Pain Out Of Developing eLearning Easy-to-use authoring tools and a systemized process are key factors that help create a high-performance eLearning development team. But frustration seems to always hold back eLearning teams. According to Steve Penfold, director at Elucidat, it was out of conversations with such frustrated eLearning managers that Elucidat was developed. "We wanted to make developing eLearning as straight forward for teams as possible, without compromising the end product," he said. A Τale Οf Τwo eLearning Αuthors To show you just how frustrating developing eLearning can be, I want to share a story - a story of two eLearning managers, Bob and Lucy. Both these people work in enterprise organizations and both manage teams of eLearning authors. Let’s examine the differences between Bob and Lucy’s experiences. Meet Bob: He Uses A Desktop Authoring Tool.   First up is Bob. Bob’s team uses desktop tools to develop, assemble, and publish digital files. Desktop tools do what they say on the tin: they work off your desktop. This presents a challenge for Bob. His team of talented authors needs to be working on the same project simultaneously so they can build it quickly and get it deployed. Bob’s team has two common problems that hold back productivity: Multiple versions of the same file. Everyone has their own copy of the files, which means there are multiple versions containing different updates. Version control.  No one is sure which version is the most current. Sound familiar? Bob is experiencing six common challenges associated with desktop authoring tools: Only one person can work on a file at a time. Bob’s project management budget blows out because only one of his team is ever working on the file at a given time. He has to pay for resources that are hanging around - doing nothing - waiting to work on the file. Project files need to be stored on local machines. Bob has to ensure that all project files are on local machines and still not on the network. A lot of desktop tools don’t work well across a network, so doing so means risking crashing the software, or worse, corrupting the file. So unless Bob is super organized or has set up an SVN (Sub-Versioning Software) to run a system of check ins and check outs with file merger capabilities, he still goes to sleep at night worrying about multiple versions of the same project and version control! Poor old Bob. Authors working in different locations have to use VPN’s. What’s more, Bob has to manage eLearning authors working in different locations. VPNs (Virtual Private Networks) help him manage that, but he still has the issues associated with working with desktop tools. Team members have to take files off the VPN, work on them on their local machine and then re-upload them over to the VPN again. Authors need to install software on their local machines. Every member of Bob’s team needs to have the tools loaded onto their local machines. A check-out system is also needed to prevent multiple people from working on a file and then inadvertently creating multiple versions. Additional software required to log and track changes. Bob also needs to use software to log and track changes. Whilst SVN software such as Tortoise shows changes and helps resolve conflicts, it’s an added step that slows down the eLearning development process. Maintenance costs. If Bob needs to update a course, he needs to find the files, make the changes and then republish it. This is time consuming and expensive. Meet Lucy: She Uses A Cloud Based Authoring Tool. Lucy runs a team of office-based and remote eLearning authors. She overcomes the challenges of desktop authoring tools by using a cloud based authoring tool. Collaborate in the cloud. Lucy’s tool has a development environment for all the projects the team is working on and one shared file for each project. Her team can work on one project file with no requirement for proprietary software to be loaded on each member of her team’s machine. One up-to-date file version. Lucy doesn’t have the headache of having to deal with multiple versions of files. Each project file automatically gets updated with changes and additions. Her team members can work on a project file simultaneously without having to upload and download each time they need to make a change. In Lucy’s authoring tool, a project file is always the most recent, incorporating everyone’s updates - all of the time. Track and log updates. Lucy’s cloud based authoring tool incorporates features that help her track updates. There’s a comment tool that lets team members, subject matter experts, and clients add notes for the rest of the team. She can quickly see what changes or additions have been made or requested and by whom. Lucy can throw away her separate spreadsheet she uses for tracking bugs and changes. No VPN, SVN, or network needed. Lucy’s team doesn’t need a VPN, an SVN, proprietary software, or even a network; they just need a computer with a browser like Chrome and an internet connection. Lucy’s cloud based authoring tool brings all the development together into one easy-to-use environment. This empowers her team to work more productively since they are not restricted by the challenges of a desktop tool. Lucy is able to deliver projects on a tighter time frame and at a lower budget. 3 Key Cloud Based Authoring Tools Benefits Cloud based authoring tools - like Elucidat - provide an umbrella environment that brings all the tools an eLearning team needs together into one ecosystem. Whilst Bob is still using multiple tools throughout the eLearning development cycle, Lucy is streamlining development with one simple tool. eLearning managers can realize 3 key benefits when they move to cloud based authoring tools: Clear process. All the stages - design, build, test and iterate - are handled in one system. Holistic. No need to switch to other software for reviewing, commenting and tracking changes. Improved productivity. Teams can work simultaneously on projects whilst the software merges workflows and keeps everything current. Sometimes, we assume improvements to budget, time, and resource functions within the project lifecycle will come at the expense of quality, but this is not the case with the new generation of eLearning software. Authoring tools like Elucidat do not compromise quality of the end product because they are designed with best practice and compliance in mind. These tools help learning managers develop best-practice eLearning while providing their team with the technology to be creative and work productively. To help you visualize exactly what is possible with a cloud based authoring tool, take a look at these eLearning examples that have been built with Elucidat: Utility Warehouse: New Starter Training Medieval Swansea: Interactive eLearning Game Open University: To Lie Or Not To Lie Connect Group: The Golden Rules This post was first published on eLearning Industry.

Lectora Inspire V11 Tutorial: How to Use the Inheritance Feature in Lectora Inspire V11 e-Learning Software This Lectora Inspire V11 Tutorial presents how to take advantage of the inheritance feature. Let Lectora e-Learning software do the work for you. This authoring tool helps ensure your e-Learning course is consistent from beginning to end. The post Lectora Inspire V11 Tutorial: How to Use the Inheritance Feature in Lectora Inspire V11 e-Learning Software appeared first on VivaeLearning: The Best Free Video Tutorials Online.

For years, Adobe Flash was used extensively to develop eLearning courses. Many eLearning courses were developed using this tool. However, with the growing "mobile" workforce and the increasing employee preference towards mobile learning, organizations started to bother about their huge legacy online training materials which were developed using Flash which are not compatible with mobile devices. Now, how do they make these legacy courses compatible with mobile devices? The answer - migrating them to HTML5. HTML5, the latest format which is readable by all the latest browsers, mobile devices and iPads is transforming the eLearning course development landscape. This format became important as the courses need to run on multiple devices. Here is an info-graphic which lists 9 easy steps to convert your legacy courses into HTML5. Hope you find this post useful. Do share your views. Related Posts4 Tips for Developing E-learning Course Using Rapid Authoring ToolsRapid E-learning through Storyline Tool: 5 Infographics Sharing Key Features5 Reasons to Convert Legacy E-learning Courses Using Articulate Storyline

Articulate Storyline offers a lot of flexibility to eLearning developers in developing interactive eLearning courses.They can use triggers and variables or add external JavaScript code to meet the unique online learning requirements of instructional designers. In this blog, I am going to explain how we met one such requirement. Requirement A training manager wanted to provide an option to learners where they can type notes in the course slide. Later, on completing the course,they should be able to take the printout of notes they had written. Solution There is no default option to print data in this tool. You can do it using triggers and coding in JavaScript. Let’s see how it is done. Step 1: Open Articulate Storyline and insert a Text Entry field in the Insert Tab. When we insert theText Entry field,the Text Entry Variable is automatically created. Step 2: Insert a button name as Print in the Insert Tab. Step 3: Then, to the print button, add a trigger such that "Execute JavaScript when user clicks Print button". Step 4: Double click the trigger and click the Add/Edit JavaScript button. Then,an empty window opens wherein we have to write JavaScript code as shown below in the screenshot. Step 5: Now save and publish the course and check the output. These are the steps to take a printout in Storyline when a learner types the text in an eLearning course. Please do share your thoughts. Related PostsRapid E-learning through Storyline Tool: 5 Infographics Sharing Key FeaturesHow to Combine Your Adobe Captivate Projects Into Single Course?Printing User Entry Text in Notes Field Using Articulate Storyline

DTL 2015 will be attended by a broad range of professionals in distance education and training, experienced as well as newcomers. They represent organizations from all regions of the United States and other countries worldwide. The conference is designed to provide opportunities for you to teach, learn, and connect. Each of these goals are enumerated below. Teach Discuss success factors and innovative practices in distance education and training. Examine key components of effective course design, teaching methods, technology tools, learner support, management, policy, and evaluation. Share successful approaches, strategies, and techniques. Identify active teaching/learning methods for effective engagement, motivation, and performance outcomes. Discuss major issues, new developments, and trends. LearnReflect on progress made in improving the quality of distance education. Increase knowledge about teaching/training at a distance. Explore how teaching and learning can be adapted to new and emerging technologies. Consider future possibilities and technologies for distance education. ConnectFacilitate networking among distance educators, trainers, practitioners and administrators. Share program resources via technology (e.g., print, audio, video, multimedia, and the Internet). UW-Madison Sponsorship The conference is organized and sponsored by UW-Madison Continuing Studies' Distance Education Professional Development (DEPD), and affiliated with the UW-Extension's Instructional Communications Systems. DEPD is dedicated to fostering effective teaching and learning, offering online certification programs and custom learning experiences that utilize the latest research, best practices, and strategies in distance education. DTL 2015 will be held at the Monona Terrace Madison, Wisconsin on August 11-13, 2015.   This post was first published on eLearning Industry.

Introducing Gomo 2.2 Find out about the latest version of gomo - the HTML5 e-learning authoring tool from the Learning Technologies Group - in this webinar recording with Managing Director Mike Alcock. The webinar covers all of the basics of gomo and shows you how quickly and easily you can build your own responsive and adaptive learning content for multiple devices. Mike also builds a course in just 15 minutes and shows off all of the intuitive enhancements that are being added into gomo in the latest version. Because gomo is a cloud-based tool, subscribers and trialists of the authoring tool get all of the added capability as soon as it is released, no downloads needed. To find out more about gomo, head to www.gomolearning.com or get in touch with us directly at contactus@gomolearning.com. The post Introducing Gomo 2.2 appeared first on VivaeLearning: The Best Free Video Tutorials Online.

Technology is continuously evolving and it is no different with Learning Management Systems. According to a research published by EDUCASE Center for Analysis and Research, the average age of an LMS is eight years. It means that institutions need to replace their LMS every eight years to keep up with their current needs and demands. So, every few years, training managers or stakeholders of organizations will need to make a decision about either changing their existing LMS or modifying their current one. With so many options available, how do they decide which one is right for them? Selecting an LMS that is a "best-fit" for your organization is not an easy task. CommLab India has released an eBook 3 Options to Consider While Choosing An LMS - An Expert’s Advice that attempts to answer this question. The eBook suggests three LMS options (WordPress, Moodle or Enterprise Solutions) based on the size of the organization. To learn more and download the eBook, click here. Related Posts6 Questions to Ask About User Management While Selecting an LMSLMS for Your Organization - How to Select The Best Fit? Part 3: MoodleManaging Learning Programs with Moodle LMS - Free eBook

3 Ways To Engage Your Staff With Interactive eLearning Courses Employee engagement refers to the measure of engagement among employees and is characterized by three elements; namely, vigor (resilience, energy, and effort), dedication (enthusiasm and pride in one’s work), and absorption (concentration in one’s work). It is also manifested in three dimensions; namely, intellectual engagement (thinking about the job and ways to improve performance), affective engagement (positive feelings about the job), and social engagement (active participation in work-related discussions). While there are many factors that influence your employees’ engagement levels, your staff will significantly benefit from participating in interactive eLearning courses. Think of these courses as part of your career development programs, including training and continued education, which will enhance your employees’ knowledge and skills from the rank and file to the top executives. That being said, here are 3 ways in which your staff can become more engaged in taking interactive eLearning courses. Just remember that employee engagement in online training is less about technology and more about people, connections, and relationships. Emphasize The Benefits. Your employees will not be as motivated to take their interactive eLearning courses if they are unaware of their benefits, including their real world value. As such, you must always emphasize the knowledge and skills your staff will gain from taking their courses, as well as the personal and professional growth they will achieve when they complete them. Let them read the course description, syllabus, and certification requirements, and answer all the course-related questions that they may have; by doing so, it will be easier to motivate them. You can highlight the benefits of interactive eLearning courses by: Integrating simulations, scenarios, and role play activities that emphasize real world value. Allowing testimonials from others, including fellow employees and experts, to provide concrete examples and instances that demonstrate the real world value of the courses. Encouraging your employees to navigate through a few course sections, so they can get a real feel of the courses' subjects. Keep in mind that one of the best ways to motivate your employees is to lead by example. Basically, you must be a walking advertisement; this means that you should have taken a few of these courses yourself. Encourage The Culture. To build a corporate culture where online training is not only accepted, but also encouraged, you need to explain that online training is not just a mandatory activity. Your employees should be aware of the investment that management has made on online training, as well as the benefits they can enjoy from it. Your mission is to get your employees on board by presenting online training as an engaging and enriching activity, not just a mandatory activity that adds many training hours but little practical knowledge to their work life. You can build such a culture by: Sending out emails and newsletters that highlight the benefits of interactive eLearning courses. Offering a series of online training modules relevant to your employees’ career development goals. Getting employees excited about mastering new knowledge and skills. While encouraging a culture of acceptance for online training has its challenges, your persistence will be rewarded soon enough. Provide For Variety. Your employees will appreciate a wide range of interactive eLearning courses mainly because they will have the opportunity to choose those that are most relevant to their career development goals. You should ask employees about the types of knowledge and skills they want to develop and the certifications they want to acquire. You will then be able to select the courses that meet these goals, and thus provide your employees with more incentives to join. The subject matter is not the only element that can offer variety in online courses. Different employees learn in different ways, so your learning methods should also reflect variety in order to meet all learning needs. Thus, your online courses should incorporate interactive training opportunities such as scenarios, simulations, and podcasts. When employees are engaged, the benefits for both them and the organization can significantly contribute to their mutual development. Keep in mind that strong employee engagement improves worker morale, productivity, and retention, as stronger engagement means stronger work performance. This post was first published on eLearning Industry.