Free DevLearn Webinar: Inspiring Motivation in eLearning - Self-determination Theory in Practice eLearning is often viewed as a brain dump of knowledge, with far too little examination of how to motivate learners. While engaging design elements and interactivity can inspire learners to complete modules, they don’t necessarily inspire learners to keep learning and growing. So how can you motivate your learners? This free Best of DevLearn Webinar, Inspiring Motivation in eLearning—Self-determination Theory in Practice, from The eLearning Guild will explore the self-determination theory, a motivational theory identifying the three basic human needs required for growth and achievement: autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Join Kristianna Fallows, Supervisor of Learning Design at JetBlue University, next Wednesday, July 22 at 10 AM PT to explore the proven business benefits of using SDT to motivate learners and learn new strategies for eLearning that can have long-term positive results for retention, employee development, and employee performance. Register for this free webinar now at: http://bit.ly/1HQKK18 Can’t attend the live webinar? Register anyway and we’ll email you a link to the recording after the event! This post was first published on eLearning Industry.

What Your Boss Wants You To Know About Learning and Performance Ecosystems Where does the answer lie? One of the approaches is to work with a bigger picture of "Learning and Performance Ecosystem" and drive training through multiple channels (including formal and informal learning, social learning, and performance support). This combination ensures that multiple learning avenues are available to learners, and instead of one-off trainings, the focus shifts to "learning as a continuum". In this article I will address the questions that you may have while evaluating or adopting a "Learning and Performance Ecosystem" based approach, and specifically how it can create a better learning environment in your organization. Q1) What is a Learning and Performance Ecosystem? One of the ways to define Learning and Performance Ecosystem is: "A learning and performance ecosystem enhances individual and organizational effectiveness by connecting people and supporting them with a broad range of content, processes, and technologies to drive performance". "A learning and performance ecosystem introduces new capabilities that integrate learning and performance solutions into the work environment. It minimizes the need for workers to leave work in order to learn, reduces work disruption, and places more learning opportunities directly into the flow of the work". Source here. Q2) Why is it required? Learning and Development professionals today face more challenging performance problems and many of these cannot be met through traditional learning strategies. As we saw in the definition, "Learning and Performance Ecosystem" is people-centric in nature. It offers a framework that you can use to supplement and complement your existing learning strategy. Having finite formal training (of durations that consume about 2-5% of learners’ annual work hours) can at best create baseline proficiency. It certainly cannot lead to mastery and this is another reason why formal training must be supplemented by other forms of learning approaches that are an integral part of a "Learning and Performance Ecosystem". It also helps mitigate the challenge of "The Forgetting Curve" that indicates that there is an exponential decline in our learning after a training session; if no reinforcement is provided. This can be addressed through Performance Support Tool (PST) intervention (alongside your formal training). Most of us are familiar with the 70/20/10 model that indicates that learning happens as follows: 70% from our on-the job experiences (includes handling challenges at work, solving problems, and so on). 20% from feedback and observing others (peers, boss, or role models). 10% from formal training. What this signifies is that formal training contributes to just 10% of our learning. Hence, informal learning (through Performance Support Tools) and collaborative learning (through social learning) can play a very significant role in equipping your employees to reach the desired levels of mastery. This is the core of a "Learning and Performance Ecosystem" based approach. Q3) How can it be used practically in an organization’s learning strategy? I will address this question through our own experience. We draw inspiration from Dr. Conrad Gottfredson and Bob Mosher’s Five Distinct Moments of Need©. According to this model, learners seek support in the "Five Moments of Need," which are: When learning for the first time (New). When wanting to learn more (More). When trying to apply/remember (Apply). When something goes wrong (Solve). When something changes (Change). As you will note, the first two moments of need adapt to formal training (eLearning, mLearning, classroom, or blended) and the subsequent three to just-in-time Performance Support Tools (PSTs). You can use this model to band: Formal learning: For acquisition of knowledge. Informal learning: For application of knowledge. In the process, you can also mine your existing knowledge assets and assess if they could be converted to a Performance Support Tool format to improve learnability. Looking at the nature of the learning need, you can also integrate social learning. To see how Performance Support Tools can be integrated into your learning strategy, please refer to my article Performance Support Tools: Top 5 Things Your Boss Wants To Know. To illustrate how this can be designed, here is a quick glimpse of a typical "Learning and Performance Ecosystem" solution. Q4) What are the expected gains? There are following significant advantages that will reflect as gains for your learning strategy as well creating a richer learning culture. Holistic approach. It brings together all elements you should plan for in your learning strategy to help people not only learn better but perform better. This would lead to effective learning and its application will create a positive impact on business. Richer learning environment. Extending the learning from discrete elements to "learning as a continuum" will create a richer learning environment in your organization. Improved ROI on your training budgets. As the focus of a "Learning and Performance Ecosystem" is on application of knowledge, this will have a direct bearing on creating a positive impact on business. This will lead to better ROI on your training investment. Q5) What are the challenges in implementation of "Learning and Performance Ecosystem"? Organizations often resist change and see a holistic approach like "Learning and Performance Ecosystem" as difficult to implement. Frameworks like this are often associated with terms like "difficult to apply", "not flexible enough", "cannot be customized", and so on. The reality is far from this. A "Learning and Performance Ecosystem" will add value to your current approach and provide a far more dynamic framework to deliver effective learning. More significantly, this will also equip the Learning and Development team to meet new performance challenges more effectively. I hope this article has helped you understand how adopting a "Learning and Performance Ecosystem" based approach can help you enhance your existing learning strategy. If you have any suggestions/feedback, do reach out to me. This post was first published on eLearning Industry.

JoomlaLMS 2.0. - How To Create An ELearning Course This JoomlaLMS 2.0. video explains the course creation process with the help of the course builder. The post JoomlaLMS 2.0. - How To Create An ELearning Course appeared first on VivaeLearning: The Best Free Video Tutorials Online.

How To Create eLearning Storyboards: 12 Tips For eLearning Professionals  Every successful online course has one thing in common: a solid foundation. If you don’t have a stable structure in place when you begin creating your eLearning deliverables, every aspect of your eLearning course will suffer as a result. This is why an effective storyboard is such a vital tool for eLearning professionals. The first storyboard in history was developed at the Walt Disney studios during the early 1930s, when animator Webb Smith came up with an alternative to describing a cartoon plot with words: He drew sequential scenes on separate sheets of paper and pinned them up to the walls of his office. eLearning storyboards ensure that you and the reader are literally on the same page, as it is a document that describes every single piece of your eLearning course, specifying its visual, text, audio, and interactive elements. You can use a storyboard to help the subject matter expert fill in their expert content, or to help your developer to use it as a blueprint for the final product in order to sequence the eLearning course according to your instructional design. In this article, I'll  share 12 tips to successfully create an eLearning storyboard, so that you can make your clients or supervisor(s) visualize the eLearning experience you have in mind. Select a storyboard template. There are many free storyboard templates out there, so the only thing you need to do is decide whether you want to use Word, PowerPoint, or a commercial application. Have a clear idea of your goals and objectives beforehand. Why are you creating this eLearning course? What are your main and secondary learning goals and objectives? What are the desired results? The answers will guide the whole storyboarding process. It’s essential to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve by creating the eLearning course. Identify exactly what the learner needs to take away from their eLearning experience and why they need to acquire the information in the first place. Meet with subject matter experts to find out what needs to be covered and what can be left out, so that you can determine how much data you are working with in advance. Know your target audience. Research is key to creating a successful eLearning storyboard. Conduct focus groups, surveys, and one-on-one interviews to learn as much as possible about your audience, including their educational background, culture, professional knowledge base, experience level, and what skill sets or knowledge you need to include in your eLearning course. Also, assess previous strategies that the client has used to identify what worked and what did not, so that you can develop a more effective eLearning storyboard. Figure out when and how you will assess your learning audience. While many people might assume that adding eLearning assessments is one of the final stages in the planning process, it should actually be one of the first. While you are creating your storyboard figure out where each of the tests and exams will be placed and what type of assessment is best suited for the subject matter and audience. Look at the storyboard, as a whole, and map out your knowledge checks, as well as lesson summaries and chapter recaps. In addition, include basic information about the eLearning activities and online exercises, such as the key points it must include, which learning goals they tie into, as well as how each will be graded. Write content for each of your eLearning objectives. Writing content for each of your objectives will help you keep your eLearning storyboard flow natural and your audience focused. State your topic, explain your idea, focus on key points, and maintain a conversational tone by using simple language, short sentences, examples, or metaphors, and asking questions. Furthermore, consider letting your audience think about the situations you present them and select the answers from a variety of options before moving on to your next topic. Organize your material by creating your content sequence. To support your eLearning objectives, you need to define the right design elements. Gather the learning material from the subject matter expert and all information necessary from your client to organize your content. Break your content up into chunks and modules to effectively depict it in your storyboard. Then, decide about the sequence your eLearning content is going to be presented to your audience. The more natural is the order flow of your content, the more effective your eLearning course will be. Think of what topics or units should come before or after others and arrange accordingly. A good tip is to title every page of your storyboard. Although titles will not  appear on the final product, they will help you organize your content more easily. Decide upon the multimedia elements. Images and graphics, animations, eLearning videos, all these and a lot more help your audience capture best the message you need to get across. Decide upon all the multimedia elements you will incorporate into your eLearning course by including an analytical description of each in the corresponding part of your eLearning storyboard. Be sure to leave room on each screen for visual and audio elements, such as clips, narrations, and interactive scenarios. It's a good practice to note their position on the page by drawing a rough sketch or by adding a text description. Be as detailed as possible when storyboarding interactions. As your progress through each screen of your storyboard include every interaction that needs to be integrated into the final design. For example, if you need to redirect your learner to the first screen of the second module when they click on a button, mention that in your storyboard. Do this for every activity, assessment, and navigation icon in your eLearning course so that you don’t run the risk of broken hyperlinks or a disorganized navigational flow. Add your script. After selecting all media types you will use, start writing the corresponding narrative scripts. Keep screen text short and to the point, as it's going to be further explained in your voice overs. You have only one chance to deliver your points, so remember that too many words on each screen may tire or even bore your audience. Include the script for any narrations and the individual branches for your scenarios and simulations into your storyboard for every screen of your eLearning course. Prevent cognitive overload. Bear in mind that the storyboard is going to serve as a guide as you move forward in the development process.  So, now it's time to take your final decision about how much content you are going to include on each page and how you are going to deliver the information. If you have a lesson that may be lengthy or contain an abundance of text, then break it down into more digestible modules and only include the key takeaways. By taking cognitive overload into consideration at this stage you can create an eLearning course that is concise and cohesive instead of having to make major modifications during the final revision process. Don't forget to revise your script accordingly. Map out the eLearning course navigation. Decide where to put the next and back buttons, what graphics you will use to denote these actions, and how your eLearning course will respond to specific behaviors of your audience. For example, you can outline what will happen if a learner provides an incorrect response or clicks on a link that redirects them to a third-party site. Creating an outline for all of these branches will make the design process much easier, as you will already have a clear idea of which navigational elements belong on each page. Include transitions between each lesson. Storyboarding gives you the opportunity to plan out every detail of your eLearning course, including how and when you will transition between slides and modules. Include transition screens between topics and make a note of how you will transition to the next segment. Also, don’t forget to include a brief summary of what they learned in the current lesson, as well as what they can expect to learn in the next to pique their interest. Additionally, you can allocate time for reflection at this point, so that your learners have the opportunity to review what they have learned and tie it to real world applications. This not only brings value to the eLearning course, but also boosts knowledge retention by enabling your learners to commit the information to long-term memory. Keep these tips in mind to create effective eLearning storyboards. It may be true that no two eLearning courses are alike, but every eLearning experience should begin with a successful storyboard. Now that you know how to create an eLearning storyboard, you may be interested in taking your eLearning presentations to the next level. Read the article Top 10 Tips To Create Effective eLearning Presentations and Slideshows and learn how you can produce amazing, interactive, and highly engaging presentations and slideshows for your learners. This post was first published on eLearning Industry.

Prezi Video Tutorial: Rotating In Prezi This Prezi Video Tutorial shows you how to rotate your content to any degree. Whenever you need to add a little angle to your content, why not try adding a little rotation? The post Prezi Video Tutorial: Rotating In Prezi appeared first on VivaeLearning: The Best Free Video Tutorials Online.

JoomlaLMS 2.0- Introducing JoomlaLMS 2.0 This JoomlaLMS 2.0. video introduces JoomlaLMs 2.0. After a long process of redesign and redevelopment we couldn’t be more excited to introduce JoomlaLMS 2.0! Mobile adaptiveness, modern layout, course builder, GoToMeeting integration, Joomla! 3.4 compliance and much more! The post JoomlaLMS 2.0- Introducing JoomlaLMS 2.0 appeared first on VivaeLearning: The Best Free Video Tutorials Online.

Prezi Video Tutorial: 3D Backgrounds in Prezi This Prezi Video Tutorial shows you how to make your presentation pop by adding your own 3D background. Watch the video to learn how to impress your audience with custom a single or multi-image 3D background! The post Prezi Video Tutorial: 3D Backgrounds in Prezi appeared first on VivaeLearning: The Best Free Video Tutorials Online.

Prezi Video Tutorial: The Big Reveal in Prezi This Prezi Video Tutorial shows you how to add a little more suspense to your presentation! Just check out this video to learn about a technique that we like to call ‘the big reveal’! The post Prezi Video Tutorial: The Big Reveal in Prezi appeared first on VivaeLearning: The Best Free Video Tutorials Online.

Adobe Captivate 8 Tutorial - Quiz - Multiple Choice Question Want to create interactive Multiple Choice Question for your eLearning course? Watch this video in which you can learn how easily you can create MCQ type of question Using one of the famous eLearning authoring tool - Adobe Captivate. The post Adobe Captivate 8 Tutorial - Quiz - Multiple Choice Question appeared first on VivaeLearning: The Best Free Video Tutorials Online.

Prezi Video Tutorial: Reusing Your Content (Saving To Favorite) in Prezi This Prezi Video Tutorial shows you how to save and reuse your content…with ease. To save time when creating a new prezi, why not try reusing your content? The post Prezi Video Tutorial: Reusing Your Content (Saving To Favorite) in Prezi appeared first on VivaeLearning: The Best Free Video Tutorials Online.