Real Learning In Organizations: Bottom-Up Learning From The Top Down  For years, I’ve grappled with consultants who find it cute to say that we need to formalize informal learning. Snicker, snicker. The joke is that if you formalize informal learning, you strip it of its anytime, anywhere, moment-of-need, spontaneous delivery and peel off the intrinsic motivation inherent in "I’m learning what I choose". What the smart-mouth critics mean to say is that it’s a good idea to routinize informal learning, to understand its value and how it works, and to nourish a culture that is fertile, open, sharing, experimental, networked, optimistic, and respects the opinions and value of others. You nurture social learning; you don’t command that it happen. You might as well try to change the course of rivers by giving them orders and blowing upstream as demanding that people learn. Man plans; God laughs. Research by Richard Boyatzis at the Wetherhill School of Management [1] found that no matter what else, adults learn what they want to learn. Boyatzis’s studies included studying for exams or being physically threatened; you don’t retain things you’re not interested in learning. Dilemma For Organizations: Us Vs Them  How can we synchronize individual desires and organizational requirements? People are inherently free spirits, acting in the secret movies playing in their minds. This makes traditional managers squirm. They seek to get everyone lined up and assigned with their tasks, but the workforce is 30% to 90% unengaged, up yours, and resents lining up for anybody. Workers are no longer emotionless mechanical parts. Match this against volatile, unpredictable demands from customers and rapidly morphing business models. We don’t even know what we’ll need to deliver a few years hence. How will factors like plain English results from Big Data, cheap answers from Watson (HAL), and intrusive bio-monitors change the picture? People have to be organized, but in a traditional organization this leaves the manager herding cats. Square-peg people are hammered into round-hole job descriptions. Nobody is happy. The whole set up is wrong. Organizations Are Organisms The industrial age model of the organization as a machine has outworn its usefulness. Networks changed everything. We're all connected, and nothing is ever finished. Old authority has given way to individual autonomy - you play by new rules or drop out of the game. Real time replaces calendar time. Free-flowing networks subvert hierarchy, markets become conversations, honest conversation drives out hype, and power flows to customers. Old style hierarchies and rigid organizational structures can’t keep up with today’s demands. Organizations today are living organisms. Responsive organizations perform like schools of minnows, not whales. Ecology replaces bureaucracy. Members replace employees. Caring human beings replace mechanical jobholders. Everyone acts in the organization’s interest, for it’s their interest, tool. Thus, the secret to herding cats doesn’t lie at the individual cat level. You can’t spread yourself that thin. You must set up an environment that enables the cats to take care of themselves. You do things that benefit all the cats, e.g. an exercise program, more catnip, yoga classes. Or, if the cats are human, by helping them learn. Organizations should strive to become as adaptable as a school of fish. Every fish in the school is autonomous. I flip a chunk of pita from my seaside seat in the marina of Češme, Turkey. The fish arrive as one and then break ranks for a feeding frenzy. Human behavior can be that way. On Black Friday, shoppers wait for hours for Macy’s or BestBuy to open its doors. Everyone is friendly, sharing hot tea and stories in the waiting line. Kumbaya. The doors open and pandemonium breaks out. Shoppers belligerently grab and shove as if they were poor farmers from the Steppes set loose with unlimited credit at a Whole Foods superstore. Confusion. Chaos. Then back to heading the same way, in formation, relaxed, poised, calm. They don’t follow a leader, but they all head in the same direction. Responsibility is shifting from organization to individual. Everyone makes decisions on the spot. Organizational members help customers help themselves. We are each responsible for our own development. People concentrate on problem solving and customer service because the linear, repetitive, boring functions that people used to do back in the twentieth century are being delegated to computers. All of us are smarter than any of us, so it’s wise to let the organization’s collective intelligence take the helm. Organizations Are Alive Three years ago, twenty one management theorists and agile coaches met on a mountaintop in Switzerland to discuss the need for organizational transformation. [3] The mountaintop summit echoed the famous mountaintop meeting that developed the Manifesto for Agile Software Development a dozen years earlier. We agreed that: Reflecting on leadership in organizations today, we find ourselves in a bit of a mess. We see reliance on linear, mechanistic thinking, companies focusing more on stock price than delighting customers, and knowledge workers whose voices are ignored by the bosses who direct them. All these factors are reflected in the current economic crisis, increased inequity, bankruptcies and widespread disillusionment. Our primary conclusion was that organizations should be seen as learning networks of individuals, and that management’s job is stewardship, not control. We believe that we uncovered some of the common characteristics of that better way. For example, that organizations can become learning networks of individuals creating value and that the role of leaders should include the stewardship of the living rather than the management of the machine. After the two-day session in Stoos, I took the train south to Lugano, a perennially sunny town that couples Swiss efficiency and Italian verve (Mangiare!) on the shore of an Alpine lake. Fragments of the mountain top conversations rolled around in my head. I concluded: The business world must shift its focus from things to people. Living things trump machines. Moreover, people are inherently social. We cannot thrive -or even survive- in isolation. Connections are vital to creating value. And how is that value created? By adapting to change - and that requires learning. Bottom line: Businesses are networks of learning individuals. Financial success is not the ultimate target. Chasing money for its own sake is wrong headed and demoralizing. Drucker had it right: The purpose of business is to create and satisfy customers. People in sustainable organizations focus on doing this better and better, forever delivering more value to their customers. Do this right and the money will follow. For several hundred years, the machine has been the metaphor for the organization. Management’s role was to make the machine work efficiently. People were cogs; managers controlled human resources as if they were interchangeable parts. Bosses did the thinking; workers were told to get the job done. It was as if workers lacked intelligence, emotion, and initiative. Shut up and do your job. Machines work well when you need to do the same thing over and over. They’re not so hot when doing different things is required. Denser interconnections have transformed the world into one vast complex system. The past is no longer a guide to the future. Small things have enormous consequences. Logic breaks down. Shit happens. Everything’s different. These days it’s more productive to think of organizations as organisms. Managers become stewards of the living. Their role is to energize people, empower teams, foster continuous improvement, develop competence, leverage collective knowledge, coach workers, encourage collaboration, remove barriers to progress, and get rid of obsolete practices. Living systems thrive on values that go far beyond the machine era’s dogged pursuit of efficiency through control. Living systems are networks. Optimal networks run on such values as respect for people, trust, continuous learning, transparency, openness, engagement, integrity, and meaning. Transforming The Organization With Real Learning Many businesses are in the process of transformation from top to bottom. They want to reinvent themselves as a social business or be digitally transformed or to adopt Management 2.0 or become a Learning Organization. Some are embracing radical management or management 3.0 or elastic leadership or customer capitalism or organic business. [4] All of these approaches to transformation involve building a culture that is open, authentic, sharing, customer focused, social, risk tolerant, and progressive, the same values that are built into Real Learning. An organization is moving from a traditional structure to an organic one is in an ideal position to embed real learning and working smarter into its culture. Traditional Structure Rigid Predictable Fixed Simple Absolute Linear Transactions Individuals Isolated One time Mass production Central authority Teacher-focused training Organic Structure Flexible Chaotic Flowing Complex Relative Linked Relationships Teams In context Iterative Mass customization Distributed intelligence Learner-focused learning   Real Learning can ride on the coattails of an organization wide transformation. For a large effort, it’s worthwhile to customize the content of the book and website to focus on the change initiative. People will be learning to learn by learning more about their own organizations and teams. The usual change management advice applies: Get top management support, sell the stakeholders, enlist champions to proselytize, don’t try to boil the ocean. Jane Hart’s Modern Workplace Learning [5] calls collaboration specialists and community managers to enable and support informal learning and collaboration. Learning and performance advisors assist with personal development. Once again, Real Learning can be a resource for helping people learn to learn. The agricultural approach. Many executives and Chief Learning Officers buy into the philosophy underlying Real Learning and want to do something about it but lack a methodology and have scant time to devote to it. For them, I propose a radical approach. Treat the inexpensive Real Learning book and exercises as seeds. Distribute them widely. Picture what I’m describing. I call the place where people work and learn a Workscape. Others call it a learning ecosystem. It’s the place where value is created.       Endnotes: [1] See https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=formalize%20informal%20learning for discussions of formalizing informal learning. [2] Richard Boyatzis, "Unleashing the Power of Self-Directed Learning," advance chapter from Changing the Way We Manage Change: The Consultants Speak. (Quorum, 2002). [3] Steve Dunning, "Stoss: Facilitating a Tipping Point for Organizations," Forbes, January 13, 2012. [4] Steve Denning, Comparison of Approaches to Transforming Management, Draft paper, January 2012. [5] Jane Hart, Modern Workplace Learning, January 2015. This post was first published on eLearning Industry.

ICCE 2015 theme is "Transforming Education in the Big Data Era" ICCE 2015 is a premier annual international forum for researchers, practitioners, policy makers, and people in the industry in the Asia-Pacific region to connect with international research communities for the worldwide dissemination and sharing of ideas for research in the field of Computers in Education. ICCE 2015 Sub-Conferences Themes The seven theme-based sub-conferences will foster the building of strong research communities within the broader field of Computers in Education and Educational Technology. The meta-conference umbrella will play the dual role of allowing researchers to enhance their identity in their thematic research communities, but also allowing cross-disciplinary interactions to help broaden the scope of and inspire future innovative research. ICCE Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Education/Intelligent Tutoring System (AIED/ITS) and Adaptive Learning ICCE Conference on Computer-supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) and Learning Sciences ICCE Conference on Advanced Learning Technologies (ALT), Open Contents, and Standards ICCE Conference on Classroom, Ubiquitous, and Mobile Technologies Enhanced Learning (CUMTEL) ICCE Conference on Digital Game and Digital Toy Enhanced Learning and Society (GTEL&S) ICCE Conference on Technology Enhanced Language Learning (TELL) ICCE Conference on Practice-driven Research, Teacher Professional Development and Policy of ICT in Education (PTP) The 23rd International Conference on Computers in Education (ICCE 2015) will be held at The First World Hotel (Hangzhou, China) from November 30 to December , 2015.   This post was first published on eLearning Industry.

The Story Of Learning Battle Cards  Learning Battle Cards (LBC) is an inspirational tool for educators supporting them in their Instructional Design efforts. If you are unfamiliar with this concept you can check a few of my former articles published on the eLearningIndustry.com: Learning Battle Cards: A New Tool For Instructional Designers Gamification Of Learning Design: How To Use Learning Battle Cards? Learning Battle Cards Pinterest Space: 4500+ Inspirations For Instructional Designers On Pinterest You can also check Learning Battle Cards website where you can not only learn more about the concept, but also visit the LBC store. The Idea  In 2011 we met with a group of friends (and competitors at the same time) from the Training and Development industry. During discussion we came into an idea to work together with a goal of promoting mature, balanced use of eLearning in the Training and Development field. During a brainstorming session we created many ideas, but one of them looked the most appealing to us. We decided to show a variety of learning methods hoping that it would open educators’ minds for deliberate mixing and matching them to optimize the learning journey. We had many ideas on how to build the tool (set of infographics, Mendeleyev’s Periodic Table, etc.). We decided, however, to choose the collectible cards idea. Here are our sources of inspiration from the brainstorming session which let us focus on the winning concept. Content The first challenge we faced was the content. What criteria should we consider to place the learning method to the deck of Learning Battle Cards? What should be the scope of information placed in the card assuming that it had to fit into the small space of it? How we should collect it assuming that we were not experts in every single field of education, training, and development? To address these questions we decided to use a crowdsourcing model. After defining the framework of information space we asked for contribution of professionals from the industry. We just e-mailed a simple Excel sheet to them asking for providing tags to the tag cloud and their judgments of parameters which were located at the back of every card.  After that we merged all input and generated the first version of LBC database. Was it that simple? No - there were a lot of challenges, additional communication, responding to questions, following up, responding and taking into account suggestions from contributors, etc. On overall, however, the results exceeded our expectations. Visual Design In this challenge we were lucky, as one of us had a friend who was a co-owner of a marketing agency. He was so excited with the idea, that during the first meeting he told us that his team would design it free of charge. This is the raw concept of the cards which we showed to him during the meeting… … and this is what we have now as a result of his team’s visual design: Development Of The Deck There were only 32 cards in the first mock up of Learning Battle Cards. We focused only on the most basic learning methods supported by new technologies. We quickly realized, however, that we should extend the product by adding cards defining all methods supporting the Training and Development process. In this task we were supported once again by contributors who suggested many new cards and changes in the formula of the deck. Now the deck of Learning Battle Cards consists of 108 cards with about 10-20 more sitting still in the bench and waiting for new editions of the product. It is worth to point out that our intention was to create an open product, so we assume that the deck of Learning Battle Cards will never be finished, and we expect that every single year more cards will be added to it. Field Tests After the design phase of LBC development we decided to print out some mock ups to be able to make some field tests. Tied with a rubber band, with no box at all, with manually rounded corners - well, they were no perfect, but just good enough to play with them on various conferences and workshops. We quickly realized that this idea sticks. That people (trainees, participants of the conferences, etc.) are thrilled when using them. That they deliver the promise of opening eyes and flexing their minds. By using them we were adapting the logic of the product and designing some activities bringing educators into some conclusions or actions. Here are some pictures from field tests of the Learning Battle Cards idea: Proofreading From the very beginning we were considering LBC as a global product. The core database exists in English and can be translated (if necessary) to other languages (for example Polish). Of course we did our best to place the right words in the card, but we were afraid that local proofreading, even done by professional translators, wouldn’t be enough. Once again we asked for help. And once again we quickly found a contributor from US who agreed to check the final project in terms of wording. His feedback was very valuable as he pointed out a couple of important, cultural-related issues which was hard to find without being a native speaker and a learning industry professional at the same time. Further Development Of The Idea  Apart from the aforementioned idea of expansion of the LBC deck we have more side products based on the Learning Battle Cards concept. First of all, we wrote a book on Instructional Design based on the Learning Battle Cards way of thinking. Once again, it was written according to the crowdsourcing model in which 55+ contributors described various learning methods. For the moment this book is only in Polish, so only a small fraction of eLearnind Industry readers can have a chance to read it… At second, we designed the LBC Development Kit. This is a gamified tool for supporting the Instructional Design process. You can find some visuals here. We will probably start marketing activities of the LBC DK in the Q1 2016 after more field tests and finishing the product. We have many more ideas in mind (LBC Maps, LBC Hints, LBC Tips), but they are still in the concept stage. Final Thoughts  During the whole project we were amazed by the scale and the quality of people’s engagement. We were contacted by many people we haven’t any relation with declaring their support. We almost never heard "no" for an answer to our question for support. This let me think that not only relations matter, but also the stickiness of an idea. I would say that people love to engage in something which matters for them; which they consider fun, interesting, valuable (in terms of personal development for example), important, etc. In The End…  We would like to thank to all contributors and supporters of the LBC concept. We greatly appreciate all of your comments, feedback, e-mails, phone calls, and discussions about the idea. We appreciate your engagement in the crowdsourcing space. Names of all supporters can be found on the Learning Battle Cards website. This post was first published on eLearning Industry.

eLearning In Leadership Training And Development  The model of heroic leadership is fast becoming a relic of the past. As our workforce gets younger, a new paradigm of leadership is emerging: Leading as a team or a collective. And eLearning is perfectly poised to train and develop the leadership teams of the future. Why? Because eLearning incorporates social media like webinars and social networks as part of their training structures. Think about it: We human beings are social creatures. We share. It’s part of our wiring. The human race has been sharing information socially ever since there’s been a human race. In more modern terms, we text, email, post, and tweet our best and worst experiences. We tell each other about our favorite show on cable. Or we talk about the terrible service at this bank, or that restaurant. Or we rave about the best place to get organic avocados, bananas, tomatoes, etc. And we subscribe to -and use- technologies that increase our ability to share with an ever-expanding network of social connections. If something (or someone) has impacted you in any way, you’re probably talking about it. And you’re talking about it with a lot of people. So for this article on leadership training, we invite you to consider this question: Does your leadership training and development program allow for team interaction, and learning in a social media network? Social media/social networking is now a fact of life in developed and developing countries. The connectivity of the internet provides us with opportunities to share our experiences with unprecedented speed. And so far, social media is an underutilized tool for leadership eLearning. And there is still some resistance to using social media in training programs, particularly among the baby boomer generation of leaders. As a counter to that resistance, we offer this rather simple recipe. Take the emerging paradigm of collective/team leadership. Add the tendency of human beings to share. Blend in the social aspect of eLearning. Roll the mixture out liberally on various mobile or internet-capable devices. And voilá! You get a leadership training and development program that (potentially, at least) serves up leadership success. Well, the theory is nice. But let’s take a closer look at the practical aspects of social media in leadership eLearning. Connections In The Classroom And Beyond eLearning is web-based, and learners can access the information individually. But then, learners can use social media to share what they have learned with each other. Peers can now connect with each other, and discuss their ideas, thoughts, and insights. Each person experiences information individually and uniquely. And if they can share that unique experience, they can learn as a community. Learning in a community boosts the effectiveness of training. What one learner may struggle with, another may grasp quickly, then pass on the knowledge to his/her cohorts. When learners work together toward mastering common subject matter, the resulting synergy boosts the learning potential. It also boosts the effectiveness of the leadership team. From Independence, To Integration, To Innovation  Another plus to eLearning’s social media aspect is the exploration and innovation that comes with community learning. New ideas emerge as solutions for challenges (both existing and potential), without "reinventing the wheel". Social media can be built into the eLearning experience. And when there is a built in structure for the social aspect of eLearning, information is shared more freely. New ideas and solutions emerge. While leaders-in-training receive instruction on the organization’s best practices and policies, they’re also free to explore and discover, leading to innovation. This community approach to leadership development allows for flexibility, which means the organization can evolve and shift as time goes by, while also maintaining its competitive edge. Developing your leaders in a team environment also supports them in relationship and consensus building. As leadership models shift from a single heroic individual to a team or community of leaders, the ability to build relationships becomes even more important. An effective team of leaders will potentially strengthen relationships in the workforce, leading to greater employee empowerment and morale. Team Leadership Training Empowers Discovery Of Future Leaders  Team leadership development can further create an environment where leaders are willing to listen to, and acknowledge, the ideas and thinking that emerges from the people whom they lead. And this allows leaders to create and discover other leaders. Furthermore, the community is better able to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the learning group as a whole, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of the individual member. Strengths can then be refined, and weaknesses can become areas of development. So, why not view social media as an investment in the future of your leaders? Especially when you consider that our workforce is shifting toward a generation for whom using social media is as normal as using a phone? To resist that shift is to lock your organization in the past. Far better, then, to incorporate the use of social networking as part of leadership development. In our next article, we’re looking at eLearning that takes leadership training and development to a whole new level. As eLearning becomes more and more engaging, blurring the lines between education and entertainment seems to be inevitable. Look for our next article, where we start looking outside the xBox for leadership training and development! This post was first published on eLearning Industry.

How To Work With Tech-Resistant Learners In eLearning: 7 Tips For eLearning Professionals If eLearning professionals had their way, every learner who logged into the eLearning environment would embrace technology wholeheartedly. However, in reality, there are learners who fight technology at every turn and are completely resistant to the eLearning technologies at their disposal. In this article, I will share 7 tips on how to work with learners who are less-than enthusiastic about interactive eLearning, mobile-friendly online courses, and other tech-centric eLearning resources. Be clear about expectations and goals. One of the reasons why many learners are resistant to using technology in eLearning is because they are unsure of what is expected of them. In many respects, it is the fear of the unknown. Thus, you must be perfectly clear about why you’ve chosen the eLearning tools you have, as well as the role that eLearning technology plays in the overall eLearning experience. For example, will your learners be using the eLearning technology as a supplemental resource after the in-class training, or will the entire eLearning course be conducted online? What types of eLearning activities are you going to include? Walk your learners through every step of the eLearning course so that they know what is in store for them and what they need to do in order to successfully complete the eLearning course. Offer a demo. Some of your tech-resistant learners in eLearning may not actually be resistant at all, but unsure about their ability to use the eLearning tools at their disposal. For example, a learner may be unfamiliar with how to use an online assessment, which makes them hesitant to enroll in the eLearning course in the first place. This is why you should always offer your learners an in depth walkthrough of how to use the eLearning software such as your learning management system. Let them know about all of the features, eLearning navigation controls, and interactive eLearning activities. For learners who need a bit more help with tech know-how, consider creating an video tutorial or text-based explanation of how they can access and use the eLearning platform. Encourage group collaboration. Putting your learners into smaller groups and encouraging them to explore the eLearning platform gives them the opportunity to learn about the tech together. You can pair them up with other tech-resistant learners so that they can share their common concerns and help each other through the process. Likewise, you can group them with tech-savvy learners who can use their personal experience to provide assistance for those who are not familiar with technology. The goal is to utilize social learning to your advantage by having learners share their experience and insight to make the most of the eLearning technology that is available to them. Stress the benefits up front. This is the case for all learners, but doubly so for those who are tech-resistant. You must stress the benefits of taking the eLearning course from the start, so that your learners get the motivation they need to actively participate. Learners who are hesitant about using technology will be more likely to actually engage in the learning process if they know what they’ll get out of the experience; in other words, what is in it for them. If they are willing to put in the time and effort to utilizing the eLearning software, then they want to know that it will all be worthwhile. Show a proven track record. Making learners aware of the fact that the eLearning technology has worked in the past can be the nudge that tech-resistant learners in eLearning need. Give them evidence or testimonials that show them that the instructional strategy is actually sound and that they can achieve success if they dedicate themselves to the eLearning experience. You can even let them see past feedback forms, such as surveys  or focus group notes, so that they are able to get a glimpse of how the eLearning course can benefit them. Ask for their feedback. Speaking of feedback, in order to create a track record for your eLearning course and to make improvements that can strengthen your eLearning strategy, it’s always a good idea to solicit feedback from your current learners. This also gives tech-resistant learners in eLearning the chance to voice their concerns and opinions, and lets them know that their thoughts matter. It may be a good idea to offer them a survey at the end of the eLearning course, or even at the midway point, so that you can make changes as you go along. For example, if most of your learners aren’t comfortable with a particular eLearning activity or resource, then you can determine if it’s really a good fit for your online course. Introduce the eLearning strategy slowly and steadily. It’s best to ease learners into eLearning technology, especially those who are new to the world of eLearning. Don’t force them into highly immersive and interactive exercises right away. Instead, slowly but surely give them the opportunity to acclimate to the eLearning technology by offering supplemental eLearning resources and online activities. Then, as they become more familiar with technology, integrate eLearning scenarios, simulations, and other multimedia elements that offer them the full benefit of your online learning tools. This is also why it’s important to learn as much as possible about your audience beforehand, so that you can find out their level of tech-savviness and integrate the appropriate eLearning activities. Technology has the power to transform an eLearning experience, but only if learners are receptive. These tips can help you ease them into technology and offer them the full benefit of your eLearning course. Motivation is one of the most important aspects of eLearning. If your learners are motivated, then they will be more likely to welcome technology with open arms. Read the article Tips to Engage and Inspire Adult Learners to discover 11 adult learner tips that will give you the ability to overcome the obstacles that are often associated with training adult audiences. This post was first published on eLearning Industry.

The Death Of SCORM: 4 Reasons   If SCORM is actually a standard, then why is it going extinct? Here are 4 reasons: 1. Inflexible and narrow in scope. SCORM was initially built to manage communication between a learning object (a course, for example) and a Learning Management System - but it’s still narrow in scope. To be more specific: It can only track what’s happening inside an eLearning course. But we don’t just want to know who takes the course and how well they do on the assessment. We want to track more information about the learning behavior of our users. Besides this, SCORM works with flash shared objects. But: not every mobile device supports this. Mobile flexibility? Not so much. 2. Too much complexity, too few results. When SCORM 2004 was brought to life, its most significant contribution was undoubtedly the "simple sequencing model". Given the fact that it was anything but simple, most courseware developers were having a hard time implementing this. The reason? SCORM is extremely outdated. The model upon which it’s based is over 10 years old. Moreover, the emphasis on self paced computer-based training was clearly misplaced. This is one of the many reasons the "latest" SCORM version resulted in a very low adoption. The number of searches for the word "SCORM" on Google: 3. Not education specific. Unfortunately, as some of us consider it to be a solution, SCORM barely addresses any of the requirements. That’s why this tool is definitely a poor fit for education. Our advice: The less reliant you are on SCORM, the more flexibility you will experience moving forward in an education centered environment. 4. New technologies: Tin Can or Experience API. Since SCORM 2004 was introduced, new technologies have been used in several ways to meet the demands of both digital B2B buyers and learners. Smartphones have become mainstream, gamification has seen a massive rise in popularity and whatnot; learning and performance management systems have clearly reached a point where cost effectiveness, smooth integration with other systems, and user friendliness are much more important than constantly releasing new features. These major shifts in technology made most of us realize we need something more versatile. That’s why Tin Can API (also known as xAPI or Experience API) was introduced. This tool enables you to view in depth test results and lets you transition between platforms. But that still isn’t enough. What if your employees are dealing with your content the wrong way? And what if you want to make quick changes to your courses as your employees are moving forward? This Is How You Will Survive: Do-It-Yourself Learning The do-it-yourself learning culture is not near, it’s here. It means you should be able to easily make changes to your learning content when necessary. And your learners should be able to be working outside your Learning Management System and transition between multiple platforms and trainings. Modern platforms will allow you to create any course or content yourself. This post was first published on eLearning Industry.

Are You eLearning Industry Ready?  While traditional methods of education and training have not gone away, online learning, or eLearning as it’s otherwise called is booming. Analysts at the Global Industry levels project this segment will touch a whopping $107 billion by the end of 2015. Information dissemination and training through the web, right from the corporation to public schools, are becoming popular and are seen as viable options for learning. Online training services such as Pluralsight which provides training for technology professionals has reached the distinction of closing a $135 million in Series B funding. Do you wish to ride the wave and make a profit out of a billion dollar industry? What is the history behind this industry and what’s in it for you? What can history show you and how have companies benefited, from seeing the industry’s boom early? Here we look into these aspects to help you understand this industry better. What Is Possible And What Are The Challenges So Far  There came companies like Vector Learning and Pluralsight which have been in the business of providing content for eLearning for mandatory skills such as software training and compliance, computer programming, etc. These are relatively easy to do, but for areas which have a greater and more urgent need, such as non-mandatory training, more so in areas like sales, leadership, soft skills, etc.; content creation is a great challenge. A Little History To Aid You Along The Way  The term "eLearning" was coined way back in 1998, and until such time corporate training online was an under-performing industry which was a bad product not wanted by anyone. This one sector was screaming for attention and looking for people to come along and make changes. The industry was looking for someone to get people to sit in front of the computer or a mobile device long enough to learn something useful. How did this situation arise?   Let’s go back a few more years…  eLearning was white hot in the late 1990s, and in 1999 several investors poured in $800 million into a segment that was threatening to make live training obsolete. Cisco’s John Chambers predicted that "eLearning was the next killer app" which according to him would make email sound like an error! But this really did not happen! By 2004 investment had gone down to near zero. While companies had invested in access to corporate eLearning libraries, there were very few people watching these or learning from them. Many with access to the eLearning platform never logged in! A few watched one or more programs and quickly gave up. Something was horribly wrong with what eLearning content developers were doing. One reason could be: The mixture of LCD screen, mouse and keyboard placed people in a state of extreme distraction. Getting people to sit in chairs and read a book has been easy for writers, but with online training or non-urgent training, keeping these learners focused for more than 10 minutes was next to impossible. Linear, logical, and complete content, which read like a book, worked with people because human minds were conditioned to accepting information in that manner. If You Wish To Take Advantage Of The eLearning Boom, What You Need To Know Is…  Two decades after the advent of the digital age the rules for eLearning and content creation for the same had been turned upside down. This saw the era when the computer had become capable of conveying the written word in ways that competed with books. As more and more learners started depending and relying on the knowledge gleaned online, they also started craving this information that came in the form of "short, overlapping, and disjointed bursts". With this attention spans of all these people shrank. When Instructional Designers started creating content for eLearners they created content with minds fixed on the book era. "Linear, logical, and complete" were the watchwords for online content creators, but this is not what people with a mouse in their hands wanted. When Instructional Designers started creating 90-minute eLearning modules this was difficult to watch for digital natives, Gen-Xers and Boomers whose brains were in rewired condition. Let’s Look At What A Few Industry Leaders Did At This Time  Lynda.com, a consumer company with content library, had been limited to software training until 2008. A new growth-oriented CEO Eric Robinson decided to transform the modest Lynda.com into a global eLearning company. 2012 saw the emergence of this dream with Lynda expanding its content library into new areas especially business skills. With continued expansion into general business content, Lynda soon had over 1200 courses including 500 on management, interpersonal communication, and leadership. This led to Lynda.com becoming a company that shook up the eLearning content market. Lynda.com invested $103 million in 2013 showing that its rise was real and in 2015 it received another $ 186 million into the company. Later LinkedIn paid $1.5 billion and bought over Lynda. Lynda’s business model and growth were carefully studied and the lessons learnt from Lynda can come in useful here. The message for eLearning insiders is clear - If you wish to make the big bucks in this industry you need to remember these points: They used business courses that were long, but these courses had been broken up into five to ten minute shots. The learning should be smart and not micro learning, ensuring it fits the short attention span of learners today. Lynda’s content producers are aware that they are creating video which operates under a different set of rules than traditional learning platforms. They are also fully aware that the well-developed content will anyway useless if we are not able to get people to watch the modules. Also, they ensured they found good Subject Matter Experts who could speak comfortably in front of a camera and not look wooden. Quality of content matters. You cannot use second rated content in this industry for long. If you are able to grab the learner’s attention and hold on they’ll probably be able to give in to the bait for a second! This post was first published on eLearning Industry.

Why Your Organization Needs A Learning Culture To keep abreast of these changes and ensure your business is flexible and adaptable, you need to foster and encourage a learning culture within your organization. Providing your biggest asset -your people- with training, development, and career pathways could also result in a happier, more-productive workplace and save financial resources spent on managing turnover. But wait, there’s more! At PulseLearning we always remind our clients that a learning culture: 1. Builds sustainable engagement.  The 2012 Towers Watson Global Workforce Study found that almost 6 in 10 companies reported difficulty retaining critical skill employees, and around the same number have difficulty retaining high potential employees and top performers. Why? Because of disengagement. The study found that sustainable engagement is closely related to the nature and quality of your employees’ experience on the job. Engagement develops as part of an organization’s culture and work environment. It must be created and continually nurtured through a focus on training, performance management, communication, and visible leadership. 2. Encourages problem solving.  "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime". This quirky proverb tells us it is more worthwhile to teach someone to do something than to do it for them. It looks like the person responsible for this pearl of wisdom knew the value of a learning culture. Through teaching skills and facilitating learning in your workplace, you are continually adding value to your employees by increasing their skills sets. Encouraging people to seek answers creates a problem-solving mentality rather than relying on others for solutions. Even better, a problem solving mindset helps people make good job-related decisions. 3. Responds to technology.  Advances in technology are pushing the need for a new skill set. The Global Talent 2021 study conducted by Oxford Economics identifies several competencies that will be in high demand within the next decade. These skills include: Digital skills for working remotely and utilizing social media. Agile thinking for dealing with complexity and ambiguity. Interpersonal skills for effective physical and virtual collaboration. Global operating ability for managing diverse groups of people, understanding international markets, and acting with cultural sensitivity. Moving forward, it will be important to provide training and encourage your people to learn about these new skills to ensure their productivity and effectiveness remain stable as technology continually changes the workplace. 4. Increases employee retention. Five key drivers for attracting and retaining employees were identified in the 2012 Towers Watson Global Workforce Study. Career advancement opportunities were ranked in third place and learning and development opportunities in fifth place. Of those surveyed, 41% also said they would have to take a job elsewhere to advance their career. For employers, the message is clear: "I prefer to be employed and highly engaged here, but I need to see evidence that I can grow my skills and career". An effective way to provide that evidence is precisely through well-defined and communicated career paths, skill training, and strong and effective leadership. For sustainable success, it looks like all organizations need to bring on that learning culture. At PulseLearning we develop effective, targeted, custom eLearning solutions to help organizations build a productive learning culture. Related Article: 5 Reasons Why You Need To Invest In Employee Training References: 2012 Towers Watson Global Workforce Study Oxford Economics Global Talent 2021 This post was first published on eLearning Industry.

4 Challenges To Overcome When Managing eLearning Platforms  To go or not to go online is no longer a question for the training providers. Even face to face training programs of significance (such as University or Certification courses) are hard to deliver without interactive online presence. Some are using established eLearning platforms such as Moodle or Blackboard and tailor them to the delivery needs, while others develop eLearning platforms of their own (e.g. Interact eLearning Platform by the Charles Sturt University). This brief article attempts to discuss some of key challenges faced by the eLearning platforms’ exponents. Getting Started: In-House Development Vs. Outsourcing. When a training provider wants to make his courses available online, the very first dilemma it is likely to face is: To handle development and implementation of the eLearning Platform on his own or to outsource the task to the 3d party. So far, there appears to be little consensus among the providers which path to follow. Some Universities like to "stay in control" and keep a team of in-house developers who can cement commitment to eLearning by working continuously on the platform development and improvement while others trust the "hired experts" - aka the outsourced consultants. While the in-house developers are arguably more committed, few of the Universities are able to boast a level of technical expertise that is high enough to develop an eLearning platform that is tailored to the ever changing learners’ needs and incorporates all of the necessary learning and teaching technologies such as embedded video streaming, Turnitin, online marking tools, user support area, etc. Therefore, outsourcing of the eLearning platform development does pay-off! User Support: Teaching To Learn And Learning To Teach? Both students and instructors take time to acquaint themselves with a new eLearning platform and utilize its capacity to the full. Furthermore, some of the users (including instructors) never discover major potential joys that eLearning platforms have to offer and focus on employing the very few functions and tools that are absolutely essential for training delivery (at the instructor end), such as uploading lecture slides and assessment requirements, and for completing the learning tasks (at the learner end) such as submitting assignments and downloading the resources available. Both parties often tend to ignore a wide range of teaching and learning options that the eLearning platforms are capable of delivering. For instance, distance students often feel isolated throughout their studies and would love to have some peer support, but even if a video chatting option is available (even though majority of the students is likely to be using technologies such as Skype already) they may not even be aware that the video chatting option does exist. They rarely if ever read user documentation or use the site help function leave alone calling or emailing the helpdesk. As evident from the passage above, availability of effective user support systems and processes is critical for optimizing the eLearning experience. It confirms the need for every eLearning platform to incorporate a virtual helpdesk function that supports both the teachers and the learners 24/7 as well as keeps "promoting" all of the platform’s functions to the users continuously. Managing Platform Administration Rights: Who Is The Boss? The concept of empowering users is central to any eLearning platform. However, there are obvious limitations to how far the empowerments should progress. We cannot allow instructors to make alterations to the system settings (not to be confused with customization) and certainly cannot allow students to manage assessment requirements or the Gradebook section. Therefore, training providers need to find the "Golden Middle" between user empowerment to have the platform customized and keeping settings in accordance with the established standard. Another important factor is managing access rights. There has to be a clear policy to address access related issues. During the initial stages of eLearning implementation, there have been cases where students were accidently provided with "Staff Access" and vice versa. Furthermore, lecturers/instructors should be provided with access and administration rights that are on the one hand sufficient for managing their classes but on the other hand do not allow them to access irrelevant areas as it may lead to potential data security breaches. For example, it is common for eLearning platforms to store students’ personal data that they provide on enrolment (e.g. date of birth, home address, contact phone number, etc.). It is transparent that while even access to complete personal data set for the students that the instructors are currently teaching is questionable, they should definitely not be able to access personal data of the students enrolled in other subjects and programs. Learner Engagement: Communities Are Hard To Build. Learner engagement takes more than availability of fancy communication tools to build. Students love using mainstream social media channels such as Facebook or Twitter, but often tend to be reluctant to communicate via Moodle forums or Blackboard blogs. Building online student communities is an ongoing challenge. Usefulness alone will prove to be insufficient for successful community building unless there is also a truly social twist to it. "Smart" communities invite learners to combine discussion of study related matters with chatting about social issues, hobbies, sports, and other topics of interest making it feel like a friendly community rather than a purely study oriented one! To sum up, eLearning platforms take time to develop and grow. Launch of such a platform is just the starting point. As evident from the discussion above, successful eLearning delivery is not just about delivering suitable eLearning platforms, but also (and even more importantly) about effective management of these eLearning platforms and tailoring them to the users’ needs! This post was first published on eLearning Industry.

29th AAOU Annual Conference theme is "New Frontiers in Open and Distance Learning" Over the decades, distance education has undergone tremendous changes. Starting as postal correspondence courses, it has evolved into the digitally enabled learning of today with the advent of broadband wireless technologies. Learning is no longer reliant on print technology and a host of fixed infrastructure. Nor is it constrained by time, space and distance. Instead, learning is very much flexible as it is self-paced, self-directed and self accessible. Learning is also easily accessible to all, regardless of age and vocation. More importantly, this emergence of digitally enabled learning has opened up new opportunities and possibilities in open and distance learning (ODL), some of which are relatively unexplored and require further debate. A case in point is the mushrooming of providers of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) worldwide, some of which are associated with top universities in the world. The provision of MOOC is but one significant new frontier in ODL which has greatly widened participation in higher education. As more and more advanced technologies are being introduced in this digital age, more educational innovations are expected to come along to satisfy the needs of the wider audiences. The 29th AAOU Annual Conference can provide the much needed forum for national and international ODL practitioners, experts and providers to exchange views and ideas on recent educational developments in ODL Among the debatable issues that form the sub-themes of the conference are: New Paradigm for Open Universities Technology as Drivers in ODL New research and Practices in ODL Quality Assurance in ODL Open Knowledge Movement 29th AAOU Annual Conference Keynote Speakers Professor Yuk-Shan Wong, President, the Asian Association of Open Universities, President, the Open University of Hong Kong Professor Dr Yang Zhijian, President, Open University of China Professor Asha Kanwar, President and CEO, Commonwealth of Learning Professor Nageshwar Rao, Vice Chancellor, Indira Gandhi National Open University Professor Tian Belawati, Rector of Universitas Terbuka (UT) Indonesia 29th AAOU Annual Conference will be held at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (Dubai, UAE) from November 30 to December 2, 2015. This post was first published on eLearning Industry.