Today, I want to share a piece of news that’s really exciting for us. As of this morning, Rustici Software has been acquired by Learning Technologies Group plc (LTG), a publicly listed learning technologies agency made up of specialist digital learning businesses. As a part of LTG, we’ll have the opportunity to work with the other Group companies in creating the next generation of technically-focused learning solutions. LTG has a great deal of learning expertise and serves organizations worldwide. LTG’s portfolio includes LEO, a pioneering learning technologies firm, the multi-device authoring tool gomo learning, games with purpose company Preloaded, and Eukleia, an e-learning provider to the financial services sector. As part of LTG, we’ll continue offering exactly the same services we do today to an ever larger group — not only will we provide our world-class e-learning standards support to LTG companies and their customers but as part of the Group, we’ll also have the platform to reach new global audiences. For our Rustici Software customers, the story is simple. The very same people will be providing to you the very same services in the same way. Our ability to serve our customers in the way we always have is something we feel really strongly about. We’re excited to have the opportunity to work with the fine folks at LTG, and to continue to serve the e-learning industry in an even bigger way than before. We’re also excited because we’re spinning off Watershed at the very same time. Watershed will continue to push forward with their exploration of learning analytics and LRSs, and has also received a significant investment from LTG as part of Watershed’s Series A funding round. Mike and I, as CEO of Watershed and CEO of Rustici Software respectively, are both excited about where the two companies are headed. If you have any questions or need more specific information regarding the acquisition, please let us know. Any inquiries or requests for additional documentation should be sent to info@rusticisoftware.com. Tim The post Big news from Rustici Software appeared first on Rustici Software.

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According to the Facebook group to which I was added at the weekend, this year marks the 30th anniversary of the graduation of Liskeard Comprehensive School’s class of ‘86. Looking at the roll call of names and photos in the group is like being in the audience of a Peter Kay gig. (‘Remember the 80s? Permed hair eh? And rah-rah skirts? Remember those? And eating butterscotch Angel Delight at your Nan’s house while you watched The Sullivans? Remember that?’) And, though I’m not going to be able to make the physical reunion this weekend, my nostalgia buds have well and truly been tickled, and some old real-life friends have become new Facebook buddies. So let’s get nostalgic about technology. In 1986 I was 16 and had just completed a load of CSE and O levels. And despite only getting a grade 4 in Computer Studies CSE (I go to pieces when being observed or examined in any way - hence my 4 failed driving tests and disappointing exam results. The fact I managed to get any qualifications at all is a miracle), I would like to think I was pretty tech-savvy for the day. When I was seven years old, my parents had one of the first Space Invaders machines in the country in the pub they ran, so it was no massive leap to owning one of those fake walnut veneer ATARI tennis game system thingies when I was about 10 or 11, then a Commodore 16 when I was 16. My God, I loved typing out those pages of code from computer magazines back then, and going through every letter, digit and parenthesis to look for errors when, inevitably, the code didn’t work. Now I think about it, had the role of learning technologist been around back in 1986, I know it’s something I’d have wanted to be when I grew up. Back then journalist, cartographer or chartered helicopter pilot were the closest I came to having those sorts of dreams. When we completed personality tests at the age of 15 and then saw a careers advisor, she recommended that, based on my scores, I pursued a job working with animals. That’s probably the point that I gave up on life to be honest. I don’t dislike animals…but at the same time, the fact that I don’t own any highlights just how useless that careers advisor / personality test was. So, with not much of an idea as to what I wanted to do, I ended up going to Art College and getting a degree there. I did this because art was the only thing I could think of that I was good at. Naturally, this led me to a career as a bar manager and then as a lecturer in teacher education(!)…but here’s the thing. All of the time I was developing a love of technology that even I didn’t realise was there. When I saw a computer running Windows 95 in the adult education centre in which I began my teaching career, I was curious and felt nostalgic for my old Commodore 16. So I greeted it like an old friend and started having a tinker. I like learning by toying with stuff, and guessed that as it wasn’t my computer, it didn’t matter if I broke it - plus, as far as I was concerned, the only way I could break it was by physically throwing it out of the window. Which, in those early days, I wanted to do a lot. At the age of 24 (a few years before I went into teaching - I was at the bar manager stage of my journey), I owned my first grown up gaming console: a Sega Mega Drive. And as my curiosity (and age) developed, I upgraded from the Mega Drive to PlayStation to Xbox. And this upgrading still continues as my addiction to Fallout 4 will attest. My job didn’t exist in 1986, but rather fortuitously, the odd route I took to becoming a learning technologist was perfect: I have a keen eye for design (and qualifications to prove it, so let’s nip those ‘smug cow’ comments in the bud!), so I can design aesthetically pleasing resources. My background in teacher education means I know a little about how we learn and how we engage with new knowledge, so I can see learning from both teacher and student perspectives and have half an idea of works and what doesn’t. And all those years monkeying around with computers, then laptops, then the new-fangled internet, then tablets, via a suite of operating systems, cables, wireless devices and other new-fangled gizmos and gadgets mean that I’m not too bad with computers. Put all of these skills together, and I think they make for mean learning technologist. Or, at least, they do in January 2016. Whether they’ll be appropriate for the role in 2, 3 or 10 years is another conversation entirely… …so what’s the overarching message behind this nostalgia-fest? I think it’s this: if you are at the age where your teachers and family are pestering you to make decisions about the exams you’ll be taking and the job you hope to get at the end of it, then ignore them. It is very common to find, later on in life, that the subjects you choose to study don’t often seem to have any bearing on the career you go into. So you mustn’t think that your life is over if you choose the ‘wrong’ qualifications, the ‘wrong’ apprenticeship or the ‘wrong’ degree. The job you end up doing may not have been invented yet - and may not be invented for another 20 years. I really didn’t know what I wanted to be until I started doing it - so I was about 40 when the penny dropped. And, to be honest, I think curiosity, the capacity to cock up without believing that your world has ended and the ability to embrace change are better than a bag full of certificates anyway.  

An Interview with Learning & Performance Consultant JD Dillon on metrics L&D should value to prove learning success in business I recently had the pleasure of speaking with JD Dillon (pictured right), an experienced, active and well-respected proponent for improving corporate learning and development. JD authors his own Just Curious Learning Blog and speaks regularly at the industry’s top learning conferences. Most recently, he served on the ATD 2016 TechKnowledge Conference Program Advisory Committee where he led a session entitled: Reworking the Puzzle: How to Build a Smarter Learning Ecosystem. Here’s what JD had to say about learning metrics and how to tie learning to bottom-line business results. Axonify: Most large organizations have an LMS in place. What are the top ten learning metrics you can pull from a typical LMS? JD Dillon: I’d really have to stretch to find ten useful pieces of data that I can pull from a traditional LMS. This data is typically limited to logistical details about specific training events and includes items like: Completions Level 1 survey feedback Level 2 assessment scores Training session dates/times Training hours associated to specific objects Assignment/registration info Organizational hierarchy info pulled from HRIS Axonify: How does this data help you understand and measure learning? JD Dillon: It doesn’t. While you can tell who attended and completed training and what they scored on any assessment, that doesn’t necessarily indicate learning, or more importantly, performance improvement. A traditional LMS doesn’t offer effective ways of tracking knowledge growth over time, or correlating training activity to real-world performance. Unfortunately, the limited data collection and reporting capabilities in an LMS prompt L&D organizations along with stakeholders to value the wrong data simply because it’s available. While I do care about resource utilization and formal training attendance, I really care about the connection between those data points and business KPIs, a connection that LMSs do not make easy to establish. Axonify: How do you or other professionals in your industry use this data (or is it just data that’s collected but not used)? JD Dillon: Based on my experience and ongoing conversations with peers across industries, I’d say that we don’t leverage data very effectively as an industry. This starts with a lack of effort in designing learning towards the collection of meaningful data. Then, because our systems do not support effective data collection/analysis, we are left with limited options. We also do not stress data analysis as a core L&D competency, which limits our ability to improve the situation in terms of selecting better systems and designing to ensure measurable outcomes. The order-taking nature of L&D also disrupts our ability to meaningfully use data, as it requires focus on long-term objectives rather than short-term deliverables and check-in-the-box completion. Finally, we limit ourselves by separating "training data" from "business data." It can be extremely challenging or impossible to locate and correlate information from various business units, including sales, customer service, quality, HR, L&D, etc., and therefore people often don’t make the effort. This means we fail to gain valuable insights into performance. Axonify: What data would be meaningful for measuring learning and tying it to business results? JD Dillon: Trends. An effective measurement strategy must take long-term changes in performance into account and connect them to learning opportunities. This starts with subjective and objective performance measures. In addition to hard metrics like sales, customer satisfaction, and quality feedback, we must collaborate with managers to capture behavioral insights into performance that don’t specifically appear in reports. At the same time, we must select and effectively integrate systems and processes that help us collect data on how employees are using support resources, including learning content. This includes everything from employee traffic flow through content repositories to knowledge assessment scores and practice session observations. We can then identify trends over time from this "learning data" and connect these patterns to changes in performance. This will help us ask more informed, meaningful questions when performance gaps are identified as we look for the best ways to support the organization. Axonify: How would you recommend L&D professionals get started on identifying and measuring the most important learning data? JD Dillon: Get more comfortable with data, especially information outside the traditional realm of L&D. Do your research. Take advantage of shared resources. Enroll in online classes to enhance your measurement, reporting, and analysis skills. Then, focus on performance. Find partners who have access to and experience with high-value performance data within your organization. Work to become experts with this reporting so you can, not only speak the language of the business, but also design learning and support strategies that target the right data for the purpose of finding meaningful connections. Continue to use learning data to inform your questions and decision-making, but focus on the measurements that are most valued by your partners across the business. Is this your challenge? Next week, we’ll feature a post about how to turn learning measurement on its head. We’ll take you through a business-first approach that focuses on key business objectives and then uses those objectives to drive your learning programs. Written by Richele Black The post Useless vs. Useful Learning Data appeared first on Axonify.

C3 EMEA just happened and now C3 US is fast approaching. C3 is the CallidusCloud Connections event where Litmos is part of the agenda. This is where we get the opportunity to meet our customers, and potential customers, in a focused learning environment. And where we learn as much from our customers and they learn from us. It's an amazing corporate event for anyone in the corporate training or L&D industry. With the European event behind us and the US event still to come here is a little of what you can expect at the US event if you missed C3 EMEA. The Litmos Product We like to kick of the event with some in-depth training on the Litmos SaaS-based LMS. Our team takes you through a basic overview, how to build a course, the learner view, managing users, reporting, and powerful integrations. It's always a great opportunity to show everyone the real power of the Litmos platform in one session. While Litmos continues to grow and expand in its capabilities, its still easy to use and quick to deploy. And that's only one of the benefits you'll discover. Rory Cameron, EVP & GM of Litmos.com, also uses C3 as an opportunity to announce new product initiatives. And deliver his presentation on the future of learning and how Litmos working hard to meet your training needs. At C3 EMEA Rory announced Litmos TV and Litmos Persist to an excited group of Litmos customers. Litmos TV will give users the ability to access Litmos modules on Roku or Apple TV. And Litmos Persist is a notification workflow that continues to notify learners of courses they have not completed with notifications sent through different channels including emails, SMS, iPhone notifications, Salesforce Chatter, etc. Litmos and CallidusCloud And since Litmos is part of the CallidusCloud family, you are also invited to the major keynotes, expo, and reception party. C3 EMEA recently enjoyed a motivational keynote from Clive Woodward, Rugby World Cup Winning Coach, Team GB Director of Sport, London 2012 & Captured founder. His formula for a champion includes talent, willingness to learn, able to think under pressure, and hard work. All of which applies to anyone. Not just world class athletes. With sales expertise filling the CallidusCloud side of the event and learning expertise on the Litmos side, this event is the perfect environment for training specialists focus on supporting sales departments. There is no better place to learn about training and learning in an environment filled with your target audience of learners. It's a fantastic opportunity for all learning professionals but especially powerful for Sales Training Professionals and those creating eLearning for a sales and marketing focused audience. Customer Case Studies One of the most important parts of an event like C3 is sharing our experiences with others in our field. It's one of the best ways to learn new strategies and tactics for creating, developing, delivering, and supporting the training needs of your business. C3 EMEA had Redknee, Mimecast, and Training Eye, amongst others deliver presentations about their experiences implementing Litmos. And you can expect the same at the US event as well. Keep an eye on Litmos.com/C3 for updates. Also, if you are a Litmos customer and want to share your story please feel free to reach out. We also have experts from the eLearning industry present new and exciting strategies and opportunities for training success. This year C3 had Ant Pugh who lead a fireside chat Q&A session about eLearning. Last year we had then pleasure of hearing from Clark Quinn who has authored a number of books related to the L&D industry and is known worldwide for his expertise in eLearning and informal learning strategies. C3 is always an experience to remember. It grows every year and you don't want to miss out on the fun, the learning, and the career inspiration. Grab your training team and head out to the Wynn in Las Vegas May 9-11. If you have any questions you reach to me @litmos or you can always contact your customer representative. I hope to see you there.   The post Litmos at CallidusCloud Connections May 9-11 in Las Vegas appeared first on Litmos.

Why instructional design? Why not just design, period!? I would encourage everyone to engage with others who work in design oriented disciplines. If you've never done it, it will be an eye-opening experience. I've engage with designers of all sorts throughout the years and have discovered that there are far more similarities across fields than one might think. If you look specifically at the final product of each discipline you would most likely not come to this conclusion. However, if you dig deeper into their processes and how they get the work done, the similarities become obvious.  Oddly enough, I've also discovered that most other design fields have already discovered this...a long time ago! The instructional design industry seems to always be the last to find these things out. What makes the design work we do any different from the work of other designers? Sure our tools look different. Our final products look very different. But our approach and processes are perfectly aligned. With maybe a few small exceptions. I'm writing about this today because I ran across a link on twitter to this web site for the Interaction Design Foundation. It's been a long time since I've thought about this topic so I dove right in. Here is how the Interaction Design Foundation defines design. "We take design at its most simple definition that of a practical approach to problem solving. This remains true from industrial design to service design - designers build products and/or services to solve user and customer problems." Interaction Design Foundation Hey! That sounds an awful lot like what instructional designers do too! We solve business problems, user problems, customer problems too, right? And isn't our training supposed to keep these problems from occurring? Preventative design...if that's a thing. In all honesty, I've often thought that if there was perfection in all other forms of design training would not be unnecessary. All products and services would be so intuitive that we would all just naturally understand them. That's just a fantasy. Fortunately for us, we are an imperfect species living in an imperfect world. And we all need help with our learning through training products, events, and experiences. If you are new to the world of training I would encourage you to become familiar with the basic ideas behind design thinking. And if you have time, dive into a few totally unrelated design disciplines. See for yourself. The post Why Design is More Important than Instructional Design appeared first on Litmos.

Staff and partners joining Specsavers will be able to earn a virtual coin to donate to charity in a new online induction course.The international optical and hearing business will make a real money donation to charity in proportion to the virtual coins earned by employees who complete the induction training.The innovative online course has been created for Specsavers by award-winning elearning company, Sponge UK.The module is being rolled out across 15 countries including the UK and will form part of the company’s induction programme for all new recruits.Simon Poole-Anderson, Global Learning Technologies Consultant at Specsavers, said:"We selected Sponge after a vigorous selection process, and found them to be great partners in assimilating our creative and technical direction. Sponge also provided strong project management which ensured we landed the project on time, on budget and to the desired quality. They were essential in developing this progressive learning technology intervention with us. We’ve had wholly positive feedback from our global stakeholders and we’re confident that it will provide a positive and impactful welcome to our new starters."During the module, new joiners explore an animated map of the world which includes video clips of senior managers talking about the company’s global activities.The induction course helps learners understand Specsavers’ values, goals and brand and reinforces knowledge about the company with authentic scenario questions.Those who complete the module can select one of three Specsavers’ partner charities to donate their virtual coin to, Sightsavers, Vision Aid Overseas or The Fred Hollows Foundation.Louise Pasterfield, Managing Director of Sponge UK, said:"Specsavers set out to push the boundaries of online induction and the company should be applauded for its commitment to innovation. Linking charitable giving to the induction process is not only a strong motivator to help people engage with the training but also underlines the importance the company places on giving back to communities. We’ve worked closely with Specsavers to use the latest learning technologies to incorporate animation, video and a high degree of interactivity to really bring this induction module to life." The online training can be completed by Specsavers employees and partners either during the first few days of their new job or before they take up a new position.The module covers all aspects of the business including stores, manufacturing, distribution and back office.Rob Foster, Global Head of Learning Technologies at Specsavers, said:"Our online induction course is intended to confirm to new starters that they’ve made a great choice in choosing Specsavers as their next employer. Likewise, we believe we made a great choice in choosing Sponge as our partner to help us develop this innovative learning solution."Around 5,000 people are expected to complete the module in 2016. Sponge UK has worked with a wide range of organisations on induction elearning projects including Toyota, United Nations OCHA, United Biscuits and Sports Direct. The post Specsavers uses online induction to ‘coin’ its values with new starters appeared first on Sponge UK.

I had the honor of speaking today to leaders and learners from Dallas County schools at #LiteUp2016 Below you will find the resources I shared Contact me at AngelaMaiers [at] Gmail [dot] com   Literacy […] The post Literacy Reimagined appeared first on Angela Maiers.

Research shows, and our life experience confirms, that nearly all 5 year-old kids believe they can and will change the world, and they have big plans for doing so. Conversely, only about 2% of adults […] The post Rediscover Your Genius appeared first on Angela Maiers.

If you use social media at all you will most likely be aware of the ‘Be like Bill' meme or 'Be like Bob' which is another variation. Through the power of the internet its popularity has spiralled and it has now gone viral! Some people love him, some people want to kill Bill. However if you have been under a rock or got lost underneath a mountain of paperwork and are unaware of who Bill is I have provided a quick catch up in this post.