A few years ago, when rapid eLearning development tools were in their infancy, the job of eLearning designers was fairly straightforward, and had very little to do with web standards. Courses were prepared using software products that were almost all based, to a greater or lesser degree on the Microsoft PowerPoint model of slides, templates and bullet points. All that designers had to do was to provide a nice looking screen layout and graphics, add a few animations and activities and publish the course, which really meant exporting the lot to Flash. This would then be uploaded to and delivered by an LMS and it was out of their hands. Not any more. Driven in part by Apple’s decision in 2010 not to allow SWF files to run on the iPad, there has been an accelerating move away from Flash and towards the new emerging HTML 5 standards which allow most (but not all) of the same effects to be delivered without the downsides of dubious security, buggy code and outdated plugins. The main advantage of HTML5 is that it is built around WebApps, or small pieces of code that run within a browser, rather like little pieces of software, or mobile phone apps. Unlike Flash, HTML5 does not need any kind of separate plug-in for recent browsers to be able to interpret the code - and it runs seamlessly on most recent smartphones and tablets. So what do eLearning designers need to be aware of? The first and most important thing of course is to publish courses to HTML5 rather than Flash wherever possible. Not on every occasion - there are still some areas where Flash has the advantage, and provided that few students will be trying to access your courses on iOS (Apple) devices, it may still be appropriate where complex animations or special audio and video effects are involved. Some custom built assessment types may not run on HTML5 and if they’re vital, it may be necessary to stick with Flash there too. But for most other courses, and particularly when planning new content, it’s probably important to think exclusively in terms of HTML5 content, and give some consideration to what your course will look like on mobile devices. There’s a good summary of a range of eLearning authoring tools and the extent to which they support HTML5 on the eLearning Industry website. Recent versions of most popular desktop tools such as Adobe Captivate, Articulate Storyline, Lectora and Camtasia offer the choice of publishing content to Flash or HTML5, or in some cases are able to detect automatically which option to use. There is also a new generation of online cloud based authoring tools such as Gomo or Dictera which not only publish automatically to HTML5, but are also beginning to break out of the straitjacket of the PowerPoint slide-based model and move towards flexible usage of screen space, more akin to an interactive web page. Tools like Gomo also have the advantage of offering a more responsive rather than merely an adaptive approach - but at the expense of some cosmetic elements. Unlike web designers, eLearning designers don’t have complete control over the screen appearance of their products, as they’re usually mediated through SCORM or xAPI and an LMS. Responsiveness, as we learned in the first part of this article is largely controlled by the use of percentage variables in CSS, and eLearning designers don’t get access to this in most off the shelf products. Instead, tools like Storyline and Captivate allow the user to set up screen layouts for a variety of different device types, and maybe some flexibility in specifying the breakpoints between different screen sizes, but essentially this is an adaptive approach. The simple reason is that it’s more important for eLearning authoring tools to offer solid and consistent functionality with as much control as is practical over screen appearance rather than an infinite range of cosmetic effects at the expense of basic functionality. There’s a whole variety of things like buttons, sliders, carousels and other layout devices that simply can’t all be infinitely resized on the hoof. It’s sometimes possible to incorporate more complex workarounds using Javascript, but that may run the risk of breaking something else further down the line. How are things likely to change in the near future? It’s fairly clear that mobile devices - smartphones and tablets - are becoming increasingly important for the consumption of learning content, although some evidence suggests that users are becoming more selective in how they use different devices. A recent study by Google, The New Multi-Screen World concludes that we choose the device to use by context - for example, when we need something quickly, which might include a nugget of just in time training, we’ll probably turn to our smartphone. However, many people seemed to think their tablet was mainly for entertainment at home, was not be their first port of call for eLearning. Similarly, there’s a lot of evidence to suggest that in large companies, a desktop computer is still the only device on which people can undertake mandatory eLearning. While Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies are becoming increasingly popular in tech-savvy companies and educational institutions, there’s probably a while to go before they will be accepted in more risk-averse institutions like banks and large multinationals. The bottom line is that while eLearning designers need to be aware of the possibilities of responsive and adaptive design, many of us are likely to be producing content exclusively for desktops for a few years yet. The post Adaptive and Responsive Design for eLearning: Part 2 appeared first on eFront Blog.

2015 was a good year for us, and we wish you have shared the same level of success. During the last year we experienced exponential growth with TalentLMS, we re-positioned our enterprise offering eFront and we released a new mobile app. Along the way we also got some important awards. Our restrengthened goal for 2016 is to excel on what brings value to you; to build usable and innovative learning tools that help you be a bit more productive and a lot more successful. We started as a technology driven company and we still carry a very strong technical DNA. We consider technology as the gatekeeper for greatness. And we spend most of our work time iterating over ideas that produce tools that people actively use, as the balance between usability, simplicity and fit-to-purpose is a moving target. We would like to use this opportunity to discuss what happened in Epignosis this year and our plans for the next one. So take a deep breath and let’s get started. The products TalentLMS is now over 32,000 learning portals strong and it grows at a pace of around 1,250 learning portals per month. On the infrastructure front, we experienced an up-time of over 99.99% which is among the very best in the industry. We also responded to 8,118 support messages. That’s up 68% over the previous 12 months. Within 2015 we had 4 major product releases. Those releases added the ability to build a custom homepage, offered ample opportunities for blended learning, minimized the administrative overhead with automated actions, let you schedule reports delivery, introduced subscription payments and the calendar. The last release also introduced the mobile app. Altogether, there is no sign of slowing down for TalentLMS’ improvement. This sets the tone for 2016 as well. eFrontPro had its own share of important milestones. The product is now a complete rebuild that shares little similarity with the original eFront. Here is a link to this year’s releases for those of you who have some time to dig into the details. This year we also took the hard, but necessary decision to discontinue the open-source version of eFront. The reason behind this can be found in this post. Finally, this year we introduced a micro-learning mobile app, called Snappico. The product uses the metaphor of cards to tell interesting stories, a card-per-day. Snappico is available for iPhone as we are speaking so go grab your copy. Currently there are over 350 topics to discover from English Civil War to how Aging works. We consider micro-learning an important part of the future learning landscape. The micro-learning concept is still in its early stages, a bit clumsy and immature, but we’ve seen a number of products lately that share the same enthusiasm about its potential. For example, check Primer, the Google’s app for Marketing micro-courses. The people We grew considerable. We are now 25 people strong. I would like to welcome Eleni, Angel, Haris, Yannis, Chris, Alex, Maria, Thelxi, Simon, Lisa & Manolis. We keep hiring for next year so if you are into programming, marketing or sales check our open positions. The content Last year we accelerated our effort around content, with an emphasis on eFront’s and TalentLMS’ blog. Our posts are about eLearning topics spanning from tips to build better courses and eLearning industry coverage to new product releases and use cases. Altogether we released around 200 posts, accompanied with around 40 eLearning related videos (check them on the related TalentLMS’ and eFront’s YouTube channels). We even created an elearning tips podcast series! The integrations 2015 was heavy in integrations. First of all, eFrontPro got integrated with OpenSesame. This opened a number of opportunities for reusing ready-made, professional courses within eFront with minimal effort. eFront got integrated with Connections as well, the business social network platform from IBM. We are demonstrating this integration on IBM Connect conference from January 31 to Feb 3. TalentLMS integrated with Shopify and Woocomerce among others. The misfortunes Of’course, nothing is perfect in a non perfect world. This year we experienced a catastrophic failure of our official Youtube channel that took some time to recover from. This was an interesting lesson though you might want to read about. Next year and beyond… We have big plans for next year and with a bit of (always needed) luck we will deliver. Some things that are being "cooked" at the moment are native mobile apps for all products & H5P support for rich, interactive content building. Regarding our long term plans, rest assure that we are here for the long run, making a sizable dent in the universe. Here is a post from Signal VS Noise blog that summarizes our view of doing business better than I would ever did. And finally… We would like to wish all of you the very best for 2016. Life is a journey and it always has some marvels across its path for everyone. Enjoy each moment! The post Wrapping up the year appeared first on eFront Blog.

Gamification, the idea of using game-based techniques to increase engagement in a non-gaming activity, might have began as a novelty reserved for web 2.0 social startups, but is now an accepted part of the web in general and the eLearning industry in particular. And not just in eLearning courses meant for the general public — gamification is big in business and corporate training too, while an increasing number of enterprises is implementing game based eLearning courses or adding a touch of gamification to their existing courses. And it works. There’s nothing like a little competitive element to increase learning engagement and have enterprise employees try to outdo each other. Gamification, after all, is not that different from decades old employee motivation techniques such as "employee of the month" awards and employee recognition programs. Why gamification works Gamification, in essence, is based on the complementary ideas that man is a competitive creature, but also a creature that likes games — and not only just a child, but well beyond adulthood. One just has to point to the extreme popularity of sports to make the case for both assumptions. Games and play in general are not just an acquired taste either, but something that we’re "wired" to enjoy, so to speak. It can be found in nature too, in all kinds of animals, including primates that are genetically extremely close to the homo sapiens. The Dutch historian and anthropologist Johan Huizinga (1872 - 1945), even went as far as calling our species "homo ludens" ("the playing man"), and suggesting that play is essential part to the generation of human culture. There are several scientific theories that explain why playing games is important in nature. The "play as preparation" theory is based on the observation that play in animals often mimics adult themes of survival. Consider, too, how the initial set of Olympic sports were all based on skills essential in the ancient battle (running, throwing spears, wrestling, chariot racing, long jump, archery, etc.). Play has also been found to help shape the brain, resulting in a more efficient cerebrum. It’s also a survival trait in itself, as it helps animals to learn to switch and improvise their behaviors and reactions more effectively, preparing them for the unexpected in a non-threatening setting. Games also tap on our brains’ "motivational engines". When we’re excited and engaged because of a sudden reward, our brain releases dopamine, which serves as a chemical agent (a "neurotransmitter" in scientific jargon) passing the signal of satisfaction around our neurons. Given that our games trigger our pleasure centers and our brains want to relive the same experiences that gave us pleasure, dopamine is perhaps the greatest motivator we have at our disposal. It’s exactly this process of taping into our brains’ motivational machinery that makes gamification techniques so effective. How companies use gamification Enough about the theory. How do companies use gamification in corporate training to engage employee motivation and enhance their business training programs in the real world? The answer is: in many different ways, from the most basic schemes to quite advanced setups. Cisco, for example, teaches social media skills to its employees and contractors through a multi-level training program that lets learners advance through the ranks to obtain the ultimate title of a social media "Master", through 46 courses. This level/title based approach was a wide success with hundreds of certified employees taking a total of 13,000 courses. In another example, Engine Yard, a popular Cloud services platform focused on (popular web development framework) Ruby On Rails hosting, was facing difficulties with getting their employees and users to peruse its Knowledge Base portal. By implementing a gamification system based on badges, achievements and missions that rewarded searches and contributions to the knowledge base, they show a 40% increase in knowledge base searches and customer support performance. SAP, the leading Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solutions provider, had also leveraged to gamification techniques to train its sales representatives in the details and intricacies of its (quite complex) product line so that they can be more effective in answering customer inquiries. They did so by implementing "RoadWarrior", a game-show like application that simulates talking to a customer, and awards employees with badges and a place on the leaderboard for correctly answering customer questions. Enterprise gamification solutions are not just good for eLearning scenarios, either. Salesforce, for example, a leading enterprise customer relationship management (CRM) provider, has also embraced gamification to help motivate employees in competing for better sales results. In Salesforce’s case, this is achieved through their "Motivation" platform, their CRM add-on that implements common gamification techniques such as team leaderboards, progress bars, and goal-based challenges. Gamification in eFrontPro As we show from the previous examples, while gamification applications can take various forms and follow different strategies and end goals, they all share some common elements: levels, badges, leaderboards, scores and the like. eFrontPro gives you access to all of these elements, and offers you enough flexibility in combining them and customizing them so that you can implement your own unique gamification strategy (or any common one, for that matter). Let’s describe this basic gamification "lego blocks" that eFrontPro has to offer. Points Points are the equivalent of "keeping score" in a game. In eFrontPro a user’s total points are shown on their homepage header, with any newly award points briefly displayed in a non-intrusive popup message. eFrontPro gives you a lot of flexibility in configuring how and when points are to be awarded (for example, when a user completes a course, for each login to the LMS, etc.). Badges Badges are the equivalent of real world medals and similar distinctions. In eFrontPro, as in most established web-based gamification systems, badges are implemented as visual stamps (images), that are unlocked when the user achieves certain, err, achievements. As is the case with the user’s points, badges are displayed in his homepage header and in his profile info. eFrontPro’s badge-awarding system makes acquiring budges increasingly difficult, as to make it more challenging for the users and help them maintain their interest and increase their efforts in the later stages of their training. Levels Levels are similar to ranks in the army or to getting promoted at work. In other words, they are a hierarchy that the user can slowly climb, and get increased access and perks. eFrontPro lets administrators customize when learners should get to the next level (e.g. when they reach N points, or when they have completed X courses or acquired a specific set of badges). Leaderboards Leaderboards add to the competitive spirit by making all of a user’s achievements (with regards to the previously described gamification elements) visible to all learners. Similar to a "high score" list, leaderboards in eFrontPro show a user’s ranking under several metrics (points awarded, badges earned, number of certifications, etc), as give them a sense of how good (or bad) they fare compared to other users. Between these tools, and with the extra flexibility that comes from the numerous customization options available for each, eFrontPro lets you implement any web-based gamification strategy you can come up with. You don’t have to go crazy with all these options, mind you. After all, your end goal is a more effective training program through the use of corporate gamification techniques — and not turning your enterprise training into FarmVille. The best approach is an incremental one, in which you slowly introduce a few gamification options here and there, and take your time to see which ones work better and are more effective for your enterprise training needs and with your employees. And, of course, if some particular gamification element doesn’t seem to work, you can always take it out. Game got real While a purely virtual gamification strategy is very effective in increasing user participation and engagement (and, as a consequence, training effectiveness), it can be made even more effective is it’s combined with actual perks and rewards for your best learners. This can be anything the crosses the digital barrier and enters the real world, from a promotion for your best performing employee, to bonuses or even physical token awards (e.g. from an award trophy to free beer). While not essential, such gestures are indicative that your gamification strategy is not just a virtual carrot, but something that can also lead to real workplace benefits. To play or not to play? In our (informed) opinion the real question is not whether you should introduce gamification elements to your eLearning, but rather how soon. With it’s demonstrated and measurable effectives, gamification will be an inherent part of eLearning and corporate employee training in the future, and it’s increasing adoption by all kinds of businesses proves that it’s not some kind of fad, but a natural extension of training, with deep roots in pedagogy and human psychology. We suggest you give a good look of eFrontPro’s powerful gamification engine, and try to incrementally introduce some gamification elements to your corporate training. After all, you don’t want your competitors to get that shiny "we use gamification" badge before you, do you? The post How Companies Use Gamification To Motivate Their Employees appeared first on eFront Blog.

In the times of yore, when employees looked forward to a lifetime of employment in a company like General Motors and IBM, managers could afford to have their new hires "learn on the job". After all what’s the harm in allowing employees a few months to get up to speed, when you compare it to the 30 plus years that they’d work for the company? That, as they say, was then, and this is now. Hitting the ground running In today’s competitive economic landscape, businesses can’t really afford to have new employees learn on the job. First and foremost, because neither companies are that loyal anymore, nor are their employees. Some of the them might just be seasonal hires, that need to be trained and productive "by yesterday" to help offload your regular personnel. Others, especially in sectors with plenty of working opportunities such as IT, are not gonna be around for more than 4-5 years before they start to look elsewhere for their next career move. In both cases, getting new employees productive pronto makes a lot of sense in terms of savings and increased productivity (especially if one considers that, according to some estimations, the cost of replacing an employee can reach 50% of their annual salary). There’s also the fact that the modern ecommerce opportunities gave mistakes the potential to be costlier than ever. And with online and social media ready to jump on the first sign of a good story, certain employee mistakes that would go unnoticed in the past, can cause a huge embarrassment (and loss of sales) to a company. These are just some of the reasons that conspired to make employee onboarding a big deal in the last decade (we’ll get into a few more later in this post), and had businesses search for ways to make their employee onboarding and orientation processes more efficient. eLearning, especially in the form of modern web based learning management systems (LMS), has been the obvious answer to those needs. And I say obvious, because, after all, what is an onboarding process if not a special case of employee training meant for new hires? The duration of an onboarding course might be shorter, and its content might be less challenging than a regular training course (and not entirely job related as we’ll see), but it’s still the same process, and an eLearning system is ideally suitable for it. But before we get into how enterprises can leverage eLearning for employee orientation and new hire training, let’s first have a look at the contents of a typical employee onboarding course. What goes in an onboarding program While enterprise training needs can be many and varied, ranging from training your franchise partners to make the perfect McBurger to air-force training for F-16 pilots, employee onboarding courses tend to be much more similar in scope and content between organizations. Regardless of your line of business, for example, the goal of any employee onboarding program is to help new hires integrate smoothly in your company. For this you need to introduce them to their new working environment and give them the basic information that they need in order to start being productive. The first thing they’ll need to know is what their responsibilities are, along with their place in your enterprise’s organizational chart (in other words, who their colleagues and bosses are), as those are the very things that define their professional role. You’ll also need to inform them about your organization’s operating procedures and policies, and also about any legal restrictions and guidelines that they’ll need to follow. If we’re talking about simple seasonal hires or unskilled employees that will only be handling some small and well defined part of your business (e.g. freight loading, burger flipping etc.), that much orientation, perhaps combined with an equally to the point training program detailing the skills they need to have, might be more than enough to call it a day. Obviously the training needs of new hires are different when you’re dealing with a retail employee versus a VIP level executive or an engineer. For employees that are meant for more advanced roles, and especially for people that are meant to be with the company for the long term, it would be best to get them to see the bigger picture, to help them understand how they fit in into it, and this means an extended (in breadth and time) training program. Giving your new hires a brief history of the company and explaining its range of operations, its customer base, and its core values would be a good place to start. You could then continue with some (very useful for new employees) information about career advancement prospects in your company, your corporate culture, and all the benefits and perks available (including health & life insurance, pension plans, etc). Depending on the job market, and how hard it is to get talent for your particular industry, you might have to make your onboarding course more retention oriented (as opposed to orienting it to quick productivity). Especially in certain fields such as IT and Finance, talent acquisition can be hard, and an employee’s first impression of a company during his first few months on the job has been shown to play an important role to their decision to stay there. That’s why it’s important for your orientation/onboarding program to help new hires feel that they’re welcome, that they’re part of something bigger, and that they have made the right career choice. Now, unless your CEO is called Steve Jobs (or maybe Elon Musk), or is a regular speaker at industry conferences, don’t bother with some long winded "message from the CEO" — your employees are gonna skip it anyway. If you want to have one, keep it short and to the point. That said, offering some real life working experiences and advice from your existing employees would be a nice way to give your new hires a sense of what would be like working for your company. For work in IT, or involving computers (so, almost all of them), an introduction to your organization’s intranet and web facilities should also be included in your onboarding material. That’s especially crucial if your company has a BYOD policy, in which case you’ll also need to include some setup guides (e.g. for employees to configure their email program, or to connect their laptop to your VPN). Your employee onboarding program should also teach the professional and industry best practices regarding customer support, data privacy, etc., as well as any industry or government mandated rules and regulations (e.g. regarding labor safety, environmental protection, etc.). Last, but not least, another thing that should definitely be in your employee onboarding checklist, is education regarding sensitive legal and social issues such as sexual harassment and racial discrimination, so that your employees are aware of the correct codes of conduct for these situations. eLearning based onboarding There are several key benefits of implementing your employee onboarding program with an eLearning management system (LMS), besides the fact that it’s what all the big boys do. 1) It helps you formalize your onboarding process and material. This makes onboarding a more well-defined and repeatable process, than having someone showing new hires around the office and giving them a prep talk and a few brochures that they’ll never read. Of course your managers should come down with well defined roles and clear expectations and goals for new hires, and assist your eLearning instructors to put them in writing. 2) Being repeatable and automated, means it only incurs a one-time cost in order to create the onboarding course materials, which from then on can be maintained and re-applied whenever the need arises, with minimal overhead. 3) It leverages your existing LMS infrastructure, which means that you can run your onboarding process as a regular training program, complete with tests and reports to verify its effectiveness. This is an option that you don’t have when you use a regular content management system (CMS) for your onboarding. This ability to monitor and track an onboarding program’s progress has been shown to be crucial in its success. Another useful option with eLearning based onboarding, is that you can also your LMS to evaluate your new hires (thru quizzes, tests, etc) and their aptitude for different kinds of tasks. This can complement your hires’ initial evaluation from your interviewers and HR people, and help you determine what roles and responsibilities you should assign them. 4) As eLearning is asynchronous, your onboarding can take place at the time that best fits your business needs and employees schedule, which is good both for minimizing business downtime and disruption and employee satisfaction. Your new employees will be able to take an e-learning orientation course at their own pace, while still getting on with everything else that they have to do during their first weeks or months. 5) Unlike regular classroom based onboarding and new hire training programs, an eLearning based one doesn’t require multiple instructors, scheduled classes, transportation and other such expenses. In fact the same onboarding program can be server from your LMS platform to employees all over the world, 24/7. 6) With LMS based onboarding your new employees can go straight from their onboarding/orientation program to a full-on new hire training program, while using the same web-based environment they’re already familiar with. 7) While some of it might be fluff, a lot of onboarding/orientation material consist of things that your employees will need to consult again as time goes by (e.g. regulations, organizational charts, IT guides, etc.). With LMS based onboarding, these materials will be available online in a formal and easily accessible format. In fact an LMS allows you to have your onboarding material serve as part of your organization’s recruiting strategy by making the same information about your company’s structure, corporate culture, work experiences, perks and benefits etc., available either to the public at large (e.g. as part of your public facing portal) or just to potential hires. This will help raise excitement about your working environment and the career opportunities that you offer, and is a strategy that many big companies follow, from Google and Facebook to Pixar. 8) Last but not least, an e-learning based orientation course can use the LMS system to track attendance and completion status. In case of dispute, this can serve as a legal proof that your company has indeed provided knowledge of things like company policy, sexual harassment laws, etc, to the new hire (of course your regional laws may vary, so consult your legal department on this). Blend it While eLearning based onboarding is great in all the aforementioned ways, and an improvement over the costly and ad-hoc onboarding processes of yore (of their lack thereof), onboarding shouldn’t be relegated only to the online realm. An effective employee onboarding program will also need some physical presence, from the classic "tour around the office" where new hires can meet and greet their new colleagues, to specialized training sessions were physical skills are important (e.g. how to operate some machinery). A modern LMS platform like eFrontPro has you covered here too, as it provides support for blended learning, allowing you to schedule and treat physical training sessions, meetings and seminars the same way as your web based lessons. Get onboard In this post we’ve had a look at the basics of employee onboarding and new hire training, and examined how eLearning software not only helps you increase onboarding effectiveness and minimize costs, but also affords several unique opportunities over traditional onboarding techniques. If you’re looking for a modern, web based, eLearning platform for your employee onboarding and training needs, you don’t have to look any further than our own industry leading eFrontPro LMS. With over a decade of development, and now in its fourth version, eFrontPro (formerly known as eFront) is well known for its ease of use, excellent support and extensive feature list, from Reporting and Instructor-Led-Training support to a full blown extension API and REST interface. Take eFrontPro for a test drive, with your own account, and get your company onboard with employee onboarding today! The post How to use eLearning for Employee Onboarding appeared first on eFront Blog.

  Greetings, and a very Happy New Year to you! We hope your holidays were happy ones, and that 2015 came to an exciting close as we charge ahead into 2016. Last week, we shared some thoughts on what trends our team felt were the most noteworthy in 2015. Today, we’d like to share some of our prognostications for 2016. Will this be the year of Big Data in L&D? How about wearable tech? Our top trends for 2016 are a collection of new and not-so-new (but reaching critical mass) developments in eLearning. Let’s take a look. Growth of Mobile - We’ve noted the growth of mobile as a significant trend for awhile now, but we expect it to continue in 2016. It’s reached a point where clients simply expect the solutions we create for them work seamlessly on mobile devices, and our dev team has responded by taking a "mobile-first" approach. Look for mLearning solutions to become more robust and powerful in the new year. Augmented Reality - Some brands have already started delivering powerful experiences using augmented reality, largely in marketing applications. To put this in a learning context, imagine having a performance support tool that walks someone through completing a task, step-by-step. You can do that on a tablet or smartphone with all kinds of multimedia - checklists, photos, videos and more. Now imagine a multidimensional replica of the exact task the person is working on appearing right in front of them, and imagine they can interact with it not with a tablet, but hands-free with something like Google Glass. We’re still very early in the adoption of augmented reality, but the possibilities are endless and intriguing. Big Data - 2016 may be the year of data and analytics in the learning space. More organizations are creating long-term learning strategies and employee development is becoming a source of competitive advantage, not only in terms of product/service delivery but in employee recruitment. If we aren’t using data in a strategic way to close the loop between learning programs and business outcomes, learning strategy is greatly hindered. Look for greater reliance on third-party data analysis and reporting tools or in-house data analysts this year. Cloud Solutions - Cloud-based learning management systems have been on the rise for several years, but we’re expecting 2016 to mark a major milestone in the rate of adoption. LMS users are becoming wise to the many advantages of using a cloud-based system over one that’s locally installed. We’ll be watching to see whether the benefits can outweigh the switching costs that some learning teams are struggling with. Wearables - It’s hard to say exactly how wearable tech will impact learning this year. It’s still early in the product lifecycle, but smartwatch wearers are already receiving emails, text messages and app notifications on their wrist, which could already impact learning delivery and follow-up. Will learning content be designed for smartwatch consumption, embedding learning even deeper in the workflow than an iPad? Time will tell. What do you think is a trend to watch in 2016? Leave a comment below to join the discussion and be sure to let us know if you think we’ve overlooked anything. Cheers to a great 2016! photo credit: Happy New Year 2016 via photopin (license)

Hilarious examples can be found all over the Internet and in everyday life of kids mimicking adults. They overhear us at our best and worst moments and turn around and repeat what they’ve heard, often to hysterical effect. Learning through observation is the very first type of learning we experience as children. It helps babies start to become more self-sufficient. Young kids learn how to solve puzzles or beat the next level in a video game by watching their siblings or friends. As we grow into our teens and adulthood, a greater percentage of our learning is structured, but that doesn’t stop experiential - or informal - learning from occurring. It’s a learning modality as old as the human race itself. Older, even, as we could surely study learning behavior of non-human species and the role it’s played in biological evolution. We’re most interested in informal learning in the learning & development space. It’s been a hot topic in recent years as we put our collective heads together and try to better understand the informal learning our training audiences experience and how it impacts our work. What Is (And What is Not) Informal Learning In order to understand how informal learning fits within the greater scope of organizational training, we need to have a clear understanding of what is, and what is not, informal learning. And, well, it depends on who you ask. For our purposes, we define informal learning as learning that happens without intent or structure. It occurs naturally, on- or off-the-job. It happens through observing others, participating in water-cooler conversations, overhearing a discussion happening down the hall or in the next check-out line over, visiting your daily Internet news sites...by simply going about your day, you learn things. Those things might be applicable to how you do your job. You didn’t plan to learn anything, but you did. Non-formal and self-directed learning are two other terms commonly thrown around and mixed into discussions about informal learning, and we need to be sure to differentiate. Non-formal learning differs from informal learning in that it’s intentional and at least somewhat structured or orchestrated, though clearly less so than formal learning. Self-directed learning is intentional on the part of the learner, and not necessarily structured or orchestrated by a third party, such as a training department. Now that we’re clear on informal learning’s definition, let’s talk about why it’s great. Informal learning comes with a lot of upside. The lack of intent or structure leaves the individual somewhat unaware that knowledge transfer has taken place. It doesn’t feel like work and occurs entirely on the individual’s terms. It’s not something they’re forced to do, and this can make the individual very receptive to new information. A Framework for a Holistic Approach to Learning Created in 1994 by the Center for Creative Leadership, it’s hardly a new idea. But as technology has made rapid changes to the learning and development space, analysts from the Brandon Hall Group and others have emphasized the 70:20:10 framework as part of ongoing discussions about learning strategy. The model offers a guideline for developing a successful, blended learning strategy, which should include approximately 10% formal learning, 20% social or collaborative learning, and 70% informal learning. Those who have historically directed all L&D resources toward a formal learning strategy should consider a blended approach, using modern technology to its fullest potential. Starting down this path leads many to wonder how informal learning can be accounted for, tracked, or leveraged in the execution of a learning strategy. Does the learning function only have access or control over formal learning, i.e. only 10% of the audience’s total learning experience? What Should L&D Do With Informal Learning, If Anything? It’s important to try to understand what happens during that 70%. What is your audience learning on their own? Understanding this will help you improve your formal learning offerings and tailor them better to meet the audience’s needs. If informal learning is largely considered unintentional and experiential, is there a way we can support it or somehow be involved? There is, and it’s all about creating a culture of learning. Jane Hart, Modern Workplace Learning Advisor, Centre for Learning & Performance Technologies, suggests several ways we support informal learning: "Help managers understand the importance of everyday learning and the part they play in it. Help individuals extract learning from their daily work. Help individuals carry out a planned daily learning workout. Help individuals share what they learn with one another. Help managers measure the effectiveness of everyday learning." You’ll note that her advice isn’t so much about L&D participating in the informal learning itself. It’s about helping participants and others impacted make the most of everyday experiential learning; to be aware of new opportunities, recognize it when it occurs, and embrace it. The opportunity exists to empower the formal and informal to enhance one another, which will only lead to a happier, more knowledgeable audience. If you want to read more about informal learning, Edutopia, Brandon Hall Group, and Learning Solutions Magazine have published great resources. To what degree, if any, has your organization adopted the 70:20:10 framework? Have you started to evaluate informal learning and how it affects your training audience? Please share your experience with us in the comments below. photo credit: So happy =) via photopin (license)

Learning Technologies 2016 is Europe's leading showcase of organisational learning and technology used to support learning and training. The exhibition consists of more than 150 free L&D seminars, 250 exhibitors and two exhibition halls. If you haven’t heard of it, where have you been?! The event will be held on 3rd and 4th February at Olympia, London and we will be on stand P10.        

Creating accessible courses in Lectora® isn’t hard to do. In fact, with the many built-in features, options, and tools, it’s a straightforward process. The key is to keep accessibility in mind from the start as you design and develop your title. This will save you significant time in the end and prevent you from having to retrofit your title. In this post, we’ll cover some of the more common items you’ll want to keep on your accessibility checklist as your build your course. Keep in mind, this is not a comprehensive list, and you will still need to check your title for accessibility both manually (try unplugging your mouse and using just your keyboard), using automated tools (like a screen reader or accessibility evaluation tool), and in the field with students. However, this checklist should give you a head start down the path toward more usable, accessible content. Accessibility Development Checklist Web Accessibility Settings are turned on. As you begin to design your content, be sure to turn on the Use Web Accessibility Settings option within your Title Options on the Design Ribbon. When you select this option, Lectora will automatically enable certain features in the application that will assist you with meeting Section 508 standards and the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 Level AA. Select Title Options on the Design Ribbon to enable Web Accessibility Settings   Selecting this option modifies the following options in Lectora: The "Lightbox style" option is disabled for pop-up windows. This style of windows is not recognized by a screen reader. Rather, Lectora will publish with standard pop-ups that open in a new window. ALT tags are always published for images and buttons. ALT tags provide alternative text for assistive technology, like a screen reader, in order to interpret and announce visual content. Video and audio skins are disabled. Certain media players, or skins, are not accessible. Rollover video controllers are disabled. The rollover video option relies on a mouse and is therefore not accessible. The "Set Reading Order to Last" property is enabled for groups. For example, this property allows you to place navigation buttons at the title level but set them to be read last. This way you can take advantage of inheritance, but override typical reading order behavior. The "Language" property is enabled for text blocks. Using this property, you can let a screen reader know that a specific text block is different from the default language of the page. This is useful if you are using multiple languages in the same course. Visible focus indicators are displayed in web-based publishes. This is a requirement of the WCAG 2.0 AA guidelines. A bright orange outline will be displayed for any element on the page that can receive focus, like an entry field, checkbox, or button. * The Use Web Accessibility option is not yet available in Lectora Online.   A language is declared for the title and any necessary text blocks. Use the Language drop-down in the Title Options dialog to specify the default language for your title. This will default to the language you chose when you installed Lectora. *The Title and Text Block Language options are not yet available in Lectora Online.   Set the Title’s language if it differs from the installed language for Lectora.   Layering order is correct on each page. The Title Explorer controls the layering of objects on a page, and therefore the reading order that screen readers use to identify objects. An object at the top of the list in the Title Explorer is actually on the bottom-most layer of the page. A screen reader would identify this object first. Alternatively, an object at the bottom of the list of objects in the Title Explorer would be identified last.   Remember that objects that are inherited on a page are always identified first and layered at the very bottom of that page. A screen reader will first identify inherited title level objects, then identify inherited chapter level objects second, and identify page level objects last.   You can check the reading order simply by reviewing the Title Explorer from top to bottom.   Lectora’s Title Explorer reflects the layering order.   * Use caution when setting the Always On Top property for an object. This option places the object on the top-most layer of the page and at the same time, makes it the first object identified by a screen reader.   ALT Tags (object names) are used for images, media, buttons, and hotspots. Accessibility guidelines require that a text equivalent is provided for every non-text element provided. You can provide text equivalents in Lectora by using ALT tags for images, buttons, and multimedia. ALT Tags in Lectora are created from the object’s name as it is listed in the Title Explorer. The name used in the Title Explorer is the same name that appears in the Name field of the object’s properties. Use short, descriptive object names to create ALT tags for images, buttons, animations, and media.   If you’re layering transparent buttons on top of images to create hotspots or rollovers, ensure that the ALT tags for the all of the transparent buttons (as well as the underlying image) have appropriate ALT tags as well. The name of the object in the Title Explorer used as the ALT Tag.   ALT Tags are turned off for decorative images. If any of the images in your title are of no informational value or are used merely for decoration, they should have empty ALT tags. For example, this might apply to background images and shapes.   Screen readers and assistive technology will skip over objects with empty ALT Tags. You can set this in Lectora by selecting the Empty ALT Tag option in the object’s properties to properly turn off ALT tags for an image. Don’t leave the object name blank or a screen reader will end up reading the image’s filename instead. Select Empty ALT tag from the Properties Ribbon for decorative images.   Descriptions are available for complex graphics. Complex graphics, charts, and images will require a longer description than what you can provide with an ALT Tag. Rather than using an ALT tag, you will need to provide access to a textual description. There are many ways to do this in Lectora: You can layer the description behind the graphic, so it is only recognized by a screen reader but not displayed on the page. Use a small font and a text color that matches the background color of the page. Then layer it behind the image. Describe the image within your page’s text. This benefits all learners by reinforcing the information presented in the graphic. Add a hyperlink below the image to open a textual explanation in a new window. You can use a Display Message action and type the long description in the Message The hyperlink in this example opens a message with a full description of the image.   Skip navigation link is on each page. Accessible content means your learners have the ability to skip repetitive navigation, buttons, and links. This prevents them from having to listen to a screen reader announce each navigation element on the page before arriving at the main content.   Lectora enables you to provide a skip navigation button or link that, when executed, will automatically bring users to the main content on the page and enable the screen reader to begin announcing that content. Follow these 5 steps to create a "skip to content" link: Create an empty text block that will act as a placeholder object. In the Title Explorer, layer the placeholder before the main content. Add a button or hyperlink that is set to Go To > Current Page, and Scroll To the placeholder. Layer the "skip to content" link in the Title Explorer by placing it before any navigation. Use an appropriate ALT tag for the button or text for the link, such as "Skip to Content."   The skip to content hyperlink scrolls directly to the empty text block.   Audio and video include captions and transcripts. Accessible multimedia involves providing equivalent alternatives that are synchronized with the presentation. To accomplish this, Lectora enables you to add closed captioning to video (FLV and MP4) and audio files (MP3, FLV, and M4A) within your title. To add closed captioning: Select the Add Captions button on the Video or Audio properties ribbon. You can import an existing XML file, or open a sample XML file to get started. The sample XML file can then be modified with the correct details for your media. Save and import the modified file to use with the video or audio. When you preview and publish your title, the captioning text is displayed above the controller according to the details specified within an XML file. Remember to use the sample XML file as a starting point when creating your own captions. While captioning is available for audio files, you may also choose to include a textual transcript of any audio narration you add to your title. You can display the transcript on the page, or you may link to a separate text file that opens in a new window. *Audio captions are not yet available in Lectora Online.   Text headers are identified for text. Users of screen readers can search the page to find and identify important content. To enable this, you can mark and structure text using the HTML Text Type property. For each text block, you can set the HTML Text Type to Heading 1 through Heading 6. When you label the text block as a heading, it is recognized by screen readers and even search engines as containing important information. This selection will not affect the formatting of the text block, but will define the importance of the text relative to the content. In order of importance, H1 comes first, then H2, and so on.   Set the HTML Text Type for important text on the page.   Header rows are identified for tables. If you use tables within your titles, accessibility guidelines require you to identify row and column headers so that a screen reader can properly identify the information within the table. In Lectora, you can select the Include Header option within the Table Properties. This will identify the first row as the header. Items within the table are then automatically associated with the left-most column of the table and the identified header row. The Include Header option is on the Table properties ribbon.   Labels are used for form elements and questions. Most questions and form elements are already accessible, but there are a few design consideration to keep in mind.   For example, all form controls like radio buttons and entry fields require a label so that learners can identify the name and function of the control. Radio buttons and check boxes automatically include a Label property you can use to enter a descriptive label. They are added directly to the page. However, drop-down lists, list boxes, and entry fields require a different method. You will need to add a Text Label from the Test & Survey Ribbon. Then use the Label for option within the Text Properties to associate the label with the correct form element. In this example, the Feet Text Block is set to be a label for the Feet Entry Field.   Since radio buttons, check boxes, entry fields, and other form elements are used to make up the parts of a question, it’s helpful to know which questions can be used in accessible titles. Generally, the question text or question choice will serve as the label for the form control.   The following questions are accessible and require no additional work: True/False Multiple Choice Multiple Response Likert Essay Short Answer Fill in the Blank Number Entry Rank/Sequence * Remember to place labels close to their corresponding form elements on the page. If a learner is using a screen magnifier, it should be easy to determine which label identifies which form control.   The Accessibility Check Tool does not return any unintended errors. As you go through the process of designing and developing your title, you can take advantage of Lectora’s Accessibility Check tool. Keep in mind this tool should not be used as the final indicator in determining whether or not your title is 508 or WCAG compliant. No automated tool can fully accomplish what a person can do with a manual test. Instead, the Accessibility Check tool can be used to help identify objects within your title that may require special attention in order to comply with the 508 requirements or Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. For example, while the tool cannot determine if you have provided the appropriate synchronized captions for your title, it will provide a warning indicating that you may need to address your multimedia objects. Run the Accessibility Check tool often as you develop your title. When viewing the items listed in the Accessibility Check tool, note that blue items are only warning messages, while red items are errors. You can double-click the message to jump to the page containing the object identified in the message.   Now you can create your own accessibility development checklist to keep on hand as you develop your next accessible title.   Stay tuned for an upcoming post that will cover ways to make accessible content more interactive and engaging. The post How to Use Lectora to Create Accessible Courses appeared first on .

  Integrating technology in whatever you do is no doubt an overwhelming task. As such, teachers find themselves pulled in different directions everyday due to the ever evolving technological advancements. So, how do educators find the ideal balance between technology and teachers? As a result, this article explores a few ideas that teachers can embrace to harmoniously integrate technology in the classroom. Read on to know how those in the education sector can strike a perfect balance between technology and teachers.   As you try to harmonize technology and teachers, it is imperative to note that technology is the literacy that is required in higher education and in the economy. It is the universal language that the entire world speaks. The coming generations are going to have a very tough job market whose competition will be determined by how technologically savvy one is. This does not however mean that job will not be available. It means that career opportunities will continue to dwindle as outsourcing and automation expand. And this is perhaps the biggest reason why technology and teachers have to be coordinated.   As such, technology and teachers have to strike a perfect balance in order to equip learners with both the required technical knowledge and the technological know-how needed to survive in the competitive world of hi-tech gadgetry. If technology and teachers are not synchronized, then we will have educated people who cannot fit in the current career world despite their educational accomplishments. And if technology does not get enough of classroom tutoring, then we will have a tech-savvy generation that does not have any professional clout to effectively discharge their career responsibilities. Therefore, both technology and teachers need to be synchronized to ensure that learning institutions churn out graduates who have mastered professional concepts and have the technological prowess to perform their tasks in the immensely automated 21st century working environment.   Technology and teachers will never be on a balance unless educators stop seeing education as a threat to quality teaching. Instead of technology and teachers viewing each other as enemies, they should they should complement each other. Both technology and teachers need each other. For instance, a teacher should tap into the many benefits of technology to ease the strenuous teaching process and technology ought to understand that it is teachers who gave birth to it. Technology and teachers cannot exist without each other. Each needs the other for survival- and both are very essential. Students who are exposed to technology should integrate it in their class work with the help of teachers and the tutor and the learner should see technological advancements as the fruit of the knowledge acquired in the classroom.   Finally, technology and teachers can be harmonized by those in the education sector to make learning through technology the bedrock of the curricula. This will make learning fun for the students and a lot easier for the tutors. It will help students stop viewing teaching as a boring impediment to their technology-filled lives. In the same vein, it will help teachers realize that technology complements technology and that the two do not clash in any way.   However, it is important to note that the balance between technology and teachers is not very healthy presently. Therefore, whatever measures that are taken to synchronize technology and teachers ought to be systematically gradual in order to be fully effective.   The post Tips for Striking a Perfect Balance between Technology and Teachers appeared first on Fedena Blog.

This morning, IITS installed the JMOL filter on our Moodle server. Now you can upload and view interactive 3-D molecular models directly onto your course page, use them in quizzes, or ask students to share structures in the discussion forum. JMOL is open source software with lots of well documented features. Here is a short video to help you get started using it.   We have written Getting Started Instructions for JMOL, as well as links to additional information on the IITS web site.