This article was first published at eLearningindustry.com In the present scenario, a wave of new eLearning tools has helped Learning and Development professionals avoid repetitive classroom training. Instead of standing in a conference room full of employees each quarter, trainers can now present the curriculum via online video presentations and interactive eLearning, and check for[...] The post Using eLearning As A Tool For Learning And Development Success appeared first on Amit K Soni | A Learning Professional.

Let us consider this scenario. Brian, a sales manager in an IT company, travels a lot as part of his job. He meets his customers very frequently to sell his company products. He often has to rush to meet the customers directly from the airport. During meetings, customers often ask him about the specific features of the products. Brian is stuck in such situations as he doesnot have every detail with him. What do you think willhelp Brian? If Brian has important and relevant information in easy-to-access devices like smartphones and iPads, he can answer customer queries without the need to refer to his laptop or back office personnel. Accessing a personal device such as a smartphone or a mobile device to learn or know more about information is termed as mobile learning. Let us see more about mobile learning. What is mobile learning? Is it taking courses or reading long presentations in a mobile phone?No, it is not. It is learning in the form of short and concise forms of informationusing personal devices.This could be applied to the business context if organizations have the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy. We will look at BYOD a little later. Why will you go for mLearning? You can optfor mobile learning if: Your employees work remotely most of the time, for example sales executives You are clear that mLearning will add value toyour organisation and not just act as a replacement of the existing eLearning You can tackle the challenges of required responsiveness to the number of devices, platforms, and screen resolutions You want to enable your employees to access the tips and best practices anytime, anywhere and at their own pace Let us look at the concept of BYOD, which allows you to integrate mLearning in business trainings. What is BYOD? Unlike in a strict business environment where employees are not allowed to use personal devices, the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy allows employees to use personal devices such as mobile, tablets and laptops at work. As a result of this, many employees use one or the other devices at work. Keeping this change in mind, the companies have decided to use these devices for training purposes. Since these devices can be used for training solutions in business settings because of the BYOD policy, such learning is widely known as BYOD. Why BYOD? Save Money Organisationssave money by using the employees’ personal devices as the medium of training delivery. Organisationsdo not have to spend more to: Buy dedicated devices for the employees Buy the internet data plans for these devices Maintain and repair them More effective Most of the employees are reluctant to spare time for trainings from the tight schedule of their jobs. Even if they take the training, they do it for the sake of completing the mandatory trainings. They are more happy and enthusiastic to take up the training: At their own pace From anywhere in the world At their own way At any time of the year without a pre-booked timing, office device and place When they do this willingly and happily, the trainings become more effective. More comfortablefor employees   Employees use their personal devices day-in and day-out. Enabling employees to access the training from their own devices makes it more handy and comfortable for employees. They do not have to stick to the office-issued desktops or laptops at a specified time. How can you integrate mLearning in your training? Integrate as a performance support solution You can integrate mLearning as a performance support solution (just-in-time) where employees can access the right information at the right time. This will help them in performing better making their customers happy. Integrate to motivate the end-users You can integrate mLearning as a way to motivate the employees by creating an informal environment of learning, allowing them to learn outside offices and classes. When allowed to use their own devices, they feel comfortable to take up the learning anytime, anywhere and at their own pace and will. The post How to integrate mobile learning/BYOD to your training? appeared first on EI Design.

  Gamification in eLearning helps create an effective learning system that enables learners to rehearse real-life scenarios and challenges in a safe environment. In this article, I will walk you through some of the benefits of Gamification for learners and how the experience of learning (recall and retention) can be enhanced through Gamification. How Gamification In eLearning Enhances Learning What is Gamification? According to Wikipedia, "Gamification techniques strive to leverage people’s natural desires for socializing, learning, mastery, competition, achievement, status, self-expression, altruism, or closure." Gamification is about more than just playing games (in fact, sometimes it does not involve playing games at all). It can be defined as the concept of applying game-design thinking to non-game applications. In the context of Gamification for serious learning, a game based concept is applied to content to meet the specific learning outcomes. Does Gamification in eLearning truly help learners learn? Several organizations do not consider Gamification in eLearning as a viable approach on account of higher cost, longer turn-around time to develop, and so on. Many shy away from using it in their formal eLearning programs, believing that while it is fun for the learners, it does not necessarily lead to a learning outcome. However, there are some interesting statistics that clearly establish it cannot be ignored: "By 21 years of age, many males will have spent over 10,000 hours immersed in online gaming."Source: McGonigal, Reality is Broken Gartner’s research estimated that more than 70% of Global 2000 companies would offer at least one gamified application by the end of 2014, although not all effectively. "By 2015, more than 50% of organizations that manage innovation processes will gamify those processes."Source: Gartner, 2011 industry research How does Gamification enhance learning? Successful learning is a combination of three elements: 70% from real-life and on-the-job experiences, tasks, and problem solving 20% from feedback and from observing and working with peers and role models 10% from formal training Take a look at this diagram on the techniques used in learning design approaches and their relationship to retention of learning: As we note from this, gamification can provide an effective approach to enhancing learning. This is on account of these inherent features: It evokes friendly competition. It provides the learners with a sense of achievement. It provides an engaging learner experience leading to anticipated behavior change. It encourages learners to progress through the content, motivate action, and eventually influence behavior. 6 Benefits of Gamification in eLearning Better learning experience.  The learner can experience "fun" during the game and still learn if the level of engagement is high. A good gamification strategy with high levels of engagement will lead to an increase in recall and retention. Better learning environment. Gamification in eLearning provides an effective, informal learning environment, and helps learners practice real-life situations and challenges in a safe environment. This leads to a more engaged learning experience that facilitates better knowledge retention. Instant feedback. It provides instant feedback so that learners know what they know or what they should know. This too facilitates better learner engagement and thereby better recall and retention. Prompting behavioral change. Points, badges, and leaderboards would surely make training awesome. However, gamification is about a lot more than just those surface level benefits. Gamification can drive strong behavioral change especially when combined with the scientific principles of repeated retrieval and spaced repetition. Can be applied for most learning needs. Gamification can be used to fulfill most learning needs including induction and onboarding, product sales, customer support, soft skills, awareness creation, and compliance. Impact on bottom-line. On account of all these aspects that touch and impact learners (better learning experience, higher recall and retention, catalyzing behavioral change, and so on), it can create a significant performance gain for the organization. Success factors While Gamification in eLearning provides several benefits, as outlined here, much depends on the concept that is used to drive the learning. The mantra to succeed in using gamification in eLearning is to create a concept that: Captures (and retains) learners’ attention Challenges them Engages and entertains them, and Teaches them I hope this article has given you an insight on why you should evaluate Gamification for eLearning and how it will benefit both learners and your business. You could also look at my previous articles to learn how can you practically use Gamification for learning: Gamification In Learning Through An Avatar-based Serious Game Concept  Gamification Of Compliance Training Through A Serious Game Concept  Gamification In Learning: Featuring Gains Through A Serious Game Concept The post Top 6 Benefits Of Gamification In eLearning appeared first on EI Design.

    You have decided to outsource, secured the budgets, and are ready for the evaluation process. The next question would be where to start. India is a great option to start; however, it is a vast country and there are several cities that have eLearning companies. So, very soon, you will face the challenge of having far too many companies to evaluate, as you will not know where to start and how to ensure that you get the best option. In this article I will begin by summarizing why India is possibly the right destination for you, and then I will share some tips that will help you navigate through this maze. These pointers will make your evaluation process a tad easier in short-listing the best from all eLearning companies in India. How To Find The Best Out Of Many eLearning Companies In India India - the world’s preferred destination to outsource Several global surveys rate India consistently as the first option for software sourcing, and today this extends to eLearning outsourcing as well. You get to work with a young and dynamic workforce; most of them keenly pursue additional training or certification programs to enhance their skills. Also, there is no language barrier, as most people speak English. Finally, a very significant aspect is the flexibility that you will have in order to manage different time zones: Most Indians will work extra hours to help you handle these time zone challenges. Key advantages of choosing outsourcing to eLearning companies in India To start with, there is a wide range of eLearning companies in India that can provide the entire spectrum of services that you seek. The eLearning industry in India is in a mature phase, which enables you to access high skill levels across Project Management, Visual Design, Instructional Design, QA, and Technology. In addition, outsourcing to India helps you reap benefits in terms of: Competitive pricing High quality and quick turn-around time Access to the largest pool of technology and multimedia professionals in the world Seasoned Project Management professionals A mature eLearning development process (optimized for globally distributed development) How can you go through the maze and select the right eLearning companies in India to partner with? Here are the 3 key eLearning hubs where you can start: North: Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) West: Mumbai and Pune South: Bangalore, Chennai, and Hyderabad After your evaluation, you can use these parameters to short-list 2 or 3 potential partners: Been in existence for over 10 years Focus on tools and technology/learning experience and learner-centricity Focus on eLearning (check if at least 50% or more of their business is coming from eLearning) and future plans (ask for their short-term view over the next 2-3 years) Quality of demos and samples Reference checks Project Management expertise Team (particularly check for attrition rates and their talent retention initiatives) Processes (particularly check for conformance to processes - a quality certification is a great indicator) Quality Management System Cost How to zero in on the best? After you have completed the short-listing, it is a good idea to revisit the start-point as to why you had planned outsourcing. This aspect will have a bearing on the final selection. Your decision could have been driven by: Scaling (to handle higher volumes) Reducing the time to market Cost reduction Access to talent that you do not have Addition of more innovative solutions to your portfolio Here are my inputs on how to choose the best company for you (based on my assessment of what the location offers): If you are looking at cheaper options, look at Delhi (particularly NCR) and Pune. (Although I believe that there is a tradeoff: lack of innovative solutions and capability to look into the future, not necessarily the best talent in technology that can provide you the edge, and so on. These issues may be addressed more effectively in other locations). If scaling is your primary reason, pretty much all cities will meet your mandate. If innovative solutions are your primary concern, look at Bangalore. Note: If outsourcing is strategic, you need to work with the same team over the long term. The attrition rates in mid-sized companies are lower, and therefore you get to continue to interact with the same team for a longer period of time. Some additional inputs Delhi and Mumbai have some of the biggest companies that can address the high volume needs. Bangalore and Hyderabad offer more quality-oriented and process-oriented mid-sized companies than other cities. Bangalore, also known as the "Knowledge capital" of India, offers a better talent in technology on account of access to stellar technical colleges and universities. You will also find more innovative approaches in these organizations. Pune offers great Visual Design talent. On account of all these factors (access to specialized talent pool and a mature eLearning industry), India is certainly the right destination to outsource eLearning. I hope I have been able to provide some meaningful pointers that would help you in selecting the best partner for you.The post Too Many eLearning Companies In India - How To Find The Best? appeared first on EI Design.

    Amongst the challenges that Learning and Development teams and Learning Consultants face today, the top 2 pertaining to training would be: 1) How to increase the efficacy of training?, and 2) What learning strategies should be adopted to ensure that the learning and business mandates are met? In this article I will outline 5 tips for innovative eLearning development that will help organizations improve efficacy of training by making the learning stick. Innovative eLearning Development Did you know? In 1885, Herman Ebbinghaus, a German Psychologist defined the exponential nature of forgetting. As you see from this diagram featuring the "Forgetting Curve", we forget 80% of what we learned in 30 days! How can we improve stickiness of learning? By following innovative learning strategies outlined in this article, you will be able to create the required "Chain of Impact". How can we improve stickiness of learning? To create the "Chain of Impact," we need to adopt ways to ensure the learning sticks. Sticky learning is the learning that lasts over time. This can be achieved through many approaches. One of the significant approaches is adopting learning strategies that: Focus on action ("to do" things rather than "seeing" how they should be done) Build on the current schema of the learners (draw upon what they know) Allow exploration (enable self-discovery) 5 Tips to improve stickiness of learning through innovative eLearning development We have a range of solutions that improve learning, recall, and retention. These are rendered through our innovative eLearning development framework. My top 5 tips are: 1. Use Gamification for learning You can use the power of games to deliver specific learning outcomes in your learning and performance strategy. You can opt for: Overlay of a gamification concept on your content to have the whole course gamified through levels, board games, or challenges Partial Gamification of inline checks and assessments 2. Use Interactive videos (particularly for micro-learning) Today, several options are available to convert linear videos to interactive videos that can create an immersive and engaging experience. The passivity of the videos can be overcome by providing learning interactions, knowledge checks, and feedback. 3. Use Decision-making branching simulations You can use branching scenario simulations to move the learning process from mere knowledge acquisition to its application. These simulations can complement the scenario-based approach and should be used when learners need to deep dive into multiple related facets or handle a far more complex situation. This approach helps learners work in a safe environment (where they can practice and also easily recover from the mistakes they may have made). They can evaluate different aspects and get a sense of what impact their choices can have. 4. Use Story based learning (Storytorials) A proven approach, the story-based approach (Storytorial) combines the principles of Instructional Design with the compelling power of a story. The dual impact enhances the quality of learning, resulting in an immersive learning experience. Storytorials are strung together in a fictional narrative and generally have a beginning, body and an end. While a story may have multiple plots based on the content, you need to make sure that the central theme of the story sticks to the content and avoid redundant material that has little or no contribution to make to the training. 5. Use Scenario based learning As per ATD (Association of Talent Development), Scenario-Based Learning (SBL) is a proven method to build expertise in tasks that are unsafe or infrequent in the workplace or to build critical thinking skills. You can use scenarios to create learning activities where learners are presented with a real life situation or problem and they must work through it to achieve their goals. Although most of these interactions help hone learners’ cognitive skills, there is always the option of adding an emotional element for greater learner engagement. An example of this would be simulating a real-life situation where every decision that the learners make has a direct bearing on themselves or their colleagues. I hope this article featuring innovative eLearning development provides the required cues that you can practically apply to create a "learning retention and recall curve" for your organization.The post Top 5 Tips For Innovative eLearning Development appeared first on EI Design.

    The last few years have seen an influx of outsourcing of eLearning to India. This is clearly reflected in the growth of custom eLearning development companies in India who have a focus on international business. In spite of this, the success stories are not too many. In this article I will share the pointers that I have picked up from the evaluation of my own organization by several global companies when they chose to outsource to India. Criteria For Evaluating A Custom eLearning Development Company In India Top 6 criteria for the evaluation (and tips to increase the chances of success) of your outsourcing initiative   Capability and Expertise in Custom eLearning This is the start point to look at the services and product portfolio and how closely this maps to your current and future needs. Tips Do check for the industry-specific expertise that is relevant for you. Do not miss out the review of audited balance sheets to check on the financial stability (more importantly, you must get an understanding of their next 2-3 years’ plan). Match your growth plans with the expertise they currently offer/have plans to add in future. Do ascertain what they "do not do"! Size and capability to scale. While the current team size should be an important factor for your evaluation, it is equally important to understand how they can scale at a short notice, if required. Tips Check on the number of concurrent projects that a typical team handles and the turn-around time. Ascertain how easily they can scale to your ad-hoc requirements. People (particularly talent in Project Management and Instructional Design). The quality of people in the vendor team determines the success of your outsourcing initiative. So, ask for the details on the talent that will be potentially aligned for you. While you start your interaction with the Account Management and Project Management talent first, ask for the details of the next level as well. This information is an important indicator to ascertain how multiple, concurrent projects will be handled. Particularly significant is the check on the expertise from the Instructional Design team. It is vital to determine their expertise in learning design. You also need to get clarity on their Instructional Design methodology. Then look at Visual Design from the range of talent available (for instance, from visualization to illustration capability). Look at the Technology team’s capability to support varied requirements (different authoring tools, adaptive and response frameworks, and Learning Management System support). Last but not least, look at their Quality Management System and specifically check for how they feed the lessons learned to continuously enhance the process. Tips If you are targeting outsourcing as a long-term or strategic initiative, start with the management team details first. Particularly in the early phase of the association, it is risky to work with the vendor’s contractors. It is essential to have their employees working with you. During the evaluation phase, do focus on assessing their working style, communication skills, and flexibility they can offer. Development process. A mature development framework is the second most important factor that would determine the success of your outsourcing initiative. Ask for the detailed work-flow and the supporting assets. Do assess how efficiently the sign-offs will be handled. Ask for the risk management and mitigation measures. Additionally, ask for the communication guidelines and ascertain what measures are in place to ensure timely delivery (with requisite quality). Tips Make sure that you check out the flexibility the development framework offers and how easily it can be tweaked and aligned to your development methodology. What is important to check here is the work-flow and if it is aligned to "continuous improvement". You need to also check for actual assets to assess how they are used practically. In addition to these, check what their focus is on international business and how it can address the dynamics of distributed development. Pricing model for custom eLearning. One of the benefits of outsourcing is cost saving, so this aspect is a crucial evaluation factor. You must ask for a detailed break-down of all components to ensure that there are no hidden or unplanned costs. Tips The project pay-out to the vendor is not the only component of your cost. You need to factor for other aspects, like your Project Management time, tracking for risks, reviews, and tracking how effectively your feedback gets incorporated. Quantify all these aspects to determine your Total Cost of Outsourcing (TCO) and assess your progress against this. Over a period of time, you should be able to use TCO pointers to leverage more from the same budget and be able to manage more projects at the same time. Infrastructure and measures to protect your Intellectual Property (IP). Since the outsourcing vendor would be your distributed development arm, it is vital to ensure that their infrastructure is in line with your requirements. Additionally, you must ascertain the Info Security policies that they have in place to safeguard your IP. Tips While most companies that focus on International business will have the required infrastructure, double check on the bandwidth of communication links. Besides obtaining details on Info Security policies, check how exactly the practices to limit access to your information are applied during development. Aquick summary to use in your evaluation of custom eLearning development companies Credentials. How long have they been in business of custom eLearning? How much has the business grown? How many customers are long-term? Prior work (demos and samples). Ask for a wide range of samples (cutting across varied authoring tools). Ask for samples showcasing innovative learning strategies. Reference checks. Do not depend on email alone to get feedback. Pick up the phone and have a detailed discussion - ask for the pain areas, how were challenges addressed, and so on; do not restrict your questions to what worked, ask for what did not work and how they addressed the challenges. Work-flow. How is it aligned to dynamics of distributed custom eLearning development? How easily can it be tweaked to your specific requirements? Details of the Management team, Project Managers, and Development team. An outline of their HR initiatives to retain talent and what attrition rates they currently have. Their take on what they see as the "future of learning" and how they are aligning to it. I hope this article will add value to your evaluation process and help you in securing a long-term partner who can consistently add value to your business. The post How To Evaluate A Custom eLearning Development Company In India appeared first on EI Design.

    The edge that a bespoke or custom developed course has over off-the-shelf course is well established. In this article I will illustrate the power of bespoke eLearning to create sticky learning through 6 examples. I have picked examples that address varied training needs like compliance, application simulation, and professional skills. What Is Bespoke eLearning? There are two kinds of online courses that you can choose from for your eLearning needs: Off-the-shelf courses (generic). Off-the-shelf courses are ready to use. Bespoke (also known as custom) courses. Bespoke or custom courses, as the name suggests, are specifically designed or tailor made to meet your requirement. Off-the-shelf courses can be deployed quickly, whereas bespoke or custom courses will need longer time to develop and deploy. While bespoke courses may be more expensive on account of initial development costs, they would not have any associated recurring licensing costs. What Are The Advantages Of Using Bespoke eLearning? Bespoke eLearning courses are branded for your organization. They may use the raw content that you have or use content that is specifically created for you. The examples and case studies would be relevant to your organization and the assessments would be specifically designed for you. Their design approach factors for your learners’ preferences, your culture, and is tailor made to meet your learning and business mandates. How Does Bespoke eLearning Fare Against Off-the-shelf Courses? Off-the-shelf courses are quicker to deploy, but have certain inherent shortcomings. By definition, they are generic and may not be able to meet the specific requirements of your organization. Again, they offer standard features that you need to live with and they cannot be customized to suit your specific requirements. Let us see how these aspects are offset in the bespoke approach and what advantages you will get when you opt for it: The courses are developed as per your branding. They feature your imagery and this helps learners relate and connect better to the learning piece. The content is specific to you and your learners. It is presented in a form that will engage them and ensures the required learning mandate is met. The learning experience is customized to your program. It uses a learning strategy that is best suited to meet the required learning mandate. The Assessment strategy is customized and aligns effectively to your learning and business mandates. Looking at your dynamics, the delivery format can be for traditional eLearning or multi-device (the content would run on tablets and smartphones). This enables you to choose an authoring tool that is most suited to your requirements. You can also decide on supplementing your primary eLearning with Performance Support intervention that can lead to better application of the learning on the job. This will have a significant impact on the ROI of eLearning. The Bespoke eLearning Advantage Through 6 Examples Let me illustrate the advantages of bespoke eLearning through 6 examples. I have selected examples that address varied training needs like compliance, application simulation, and professional skills. The first example illustrates an approach that is scalable and can be applied for any training area like soft skills, induction programs, and so on. Bespoke eLearning Example 1: To highlight intuitive and immersive experience. This example is my personal favorite, as it showcases a design that does not have a "Click next to continue" or "Prompt text". The learner can intuitively ascertain (through visual cues provided alongside the content) on what should be done next. It creates an immersive and engaging learning experience. It is a multi-device design that adapts equally well to PCs/laptops or tablets.   Bespoke eLearning Example 2: Gamification in Compliance. We created a simulation-based task-oriented Gamification course, which was interactive and engrossing. To achieve this, we incorporated a real work environment (visually), an element of challenge (bonuses and bombs), rewards for success (caps, badges), and learning through activities including elements of surprise and delight. Do refer to this case study in detail in my earlier article Gamification in Compliance through a serious game concept.   Bespoke eLearning Example 3: Branching scenario and simulations with a progress indicator. This example showcases a complex decision making scenario. While the learners are going through the scenario, the visual indicator (shown on the right) provides cues on how they are faring. This enables them to pause and reflect on their choices and even re-think their strategy mid-course. Bespoke eLearning Example 4: Application Simulation. This is a great example of how we uplifted dry and linear content into an interesting and engaging format. We chose a responsive design (to support PCs, Laptops, Tablets, and Smartphones) and made learning bite-sized enabling learners to undertake a long, arduous journey in short, engaging steps. You can view the "Office 2013 - Application Simulation" under App Simulations section (as part of our Demos).   Bespoke eLearning Example 5: Scenario with a twist. In our suite of Generic Compliance, we chose a scenario with a twist by adding a theme of "Choose the Right Path". While all of us have a sense of right and wrong, this approach added value in the context of the specific compliance mandate in terms of the most appropriate behavior and why the learners need to demonstrate the same. You can view the "Compliance - Introduction to the Code of Conduct" under Compliance section (as part of our Demos). Bespoke eLearning Example 6: Performance Support Tool - Featuring Interactive PDFs as a learning aid to supplement online learning. This is also one of my personal favorites, as it provides a better learning experience through simplicity. Interactive PDFs can be used to convert mountains of boring information into a visually appealing, interactive format. Furthermore, you can integrate videos, interactive demos, and audio to create an engaging learning experience. Do refer to the detailed case study on this outlining the value the Interactive pdf brought to my PowerPoint deck in my earlier article Performance support - Featuring Interactive pdf as a Learning Aid to supplement online learning. I do hope these examples illustrate the power of custom or bespoke eLearning in creating an effective and immersive learning experience. I look forward to your feedback and suggestions.The post What Is Bespoke eLearning? Featuring 6 Killer Examples appeared first on EI Design.

    Choosing the right custom eLearning company is a tall order. The outcome needs to successfully address one or many reasons because of which you began the process of outsourcing. In this article I will build upon the evaluation process and provide tips on how you can choose a custom eLearning company in India using my checklist. How To Choose A Custom eLearning Company In India? In my article How to evaluate a custom eLearning company in India I had shared my insight on top 6 criteria for evaluation. Here is a recap of the key aspects to focus on during your evaluation process: Capability and expertise. Size and capability to scale. People. Development process. Pricing model. Infrastructure and measures to protect your IP Choosing the right custom eLearning company is a tall order. The outcome needs to successfully address the reason(s) that triggered your outsourcing initiative. Just to recap from my earlier article Too Many eLearning Companies in India - How to Find the Best?, your decision to outsource could have been driven by: Scaling (to handle higher volumes). Reducing the time to market. Reduction in cost. Access to talent that you do not have. Addition of more innovative solutions to your portfolio. In this article I will build upon the evaluation process and provide tips on how you can choose a custom eLearning company in India. Choosing the right custom eLearning company in India should be driven by your assessment of qualities they must have and that will ensure that you are laying the foundation of a mutually beneficial and long term relationship. The cost of re-evaluation is high in case your initial choice does not work and often you may not get the required management support to do the exercise all over again. I will provide you a checklist that will help you choose the right custom eLearning company in India. I have mapped each facet to a set of probing questions and how they will have an impact on the success of your outsourcing initiative. The Basics What is their focus? Ask what their focus on custom eLearning development is.Tip: This should map to 50% or more of their revenue. In turn, you get the assurance of the required support in the long run. If custom eLearning is their primary business, they will invest on enhancing skills, portfolio, and continuous improvement. What are their credentials? Ask for their prior record in similar relationships.Tip: Specifically ask the duration of each engagement and assess what percentage of these is long term. You need their longevity record to be more certain of how your relationship will be handled. Talent. Ask for the resumes of the team that will be aligned to you, including Project Managers, Instructional Designers, Visual Designers, Technical Experts, and Quality Auditors.Tip: Check on their talent nurturing and retention plans. This will provide good cues on how likely you are to continue with the team you ran your pilot with! Clear and well-defined process. Ask for the process, supporting assets, and more specifically, how flexible their work-flow is to handle your requirement. Ask for assets being used on some projects to determine how effectively the prescribed processes are followed.Tip: Check for the periodicity of updates to the existing work-flow. Ask about the AGILE practices. Success Factors Approach. Ask what drives their solution architecting. Ascertain if their solutions are driven by tools or learning experience.Tip: Check if their solutions are based on learner performance and how they will create a positive impact on the business. Ascertain if they take a consultative approach to craft the right solution. Meeting deadlines (while sustaining quality). Ask how they manage the schedules. Particularly check on the impact (if any) when concurrent projects happen.Tip: Ask this question during the reference checks. Risk management and mitigation. Ask about their framework and how exactly risks would be communicated to you (including their mitigation plan).Tip: Ask how this learning will be factored in subsequent projects. Collaboration. Ask about their framework for collaboration between distributed teams. Specifically ask about the coverage to handle time zone challenges.Tip: Ascertain the effectiveness of their communication and collaboration during the reference checks. Innovation. Ask if this exists and, if so, how exactly this is driven. Ascertain if this is indeed part of their DNA.Tip: Ascertain the outcomes and some success stories and certainly check this during the reference checks. Pricing model. Ascertain that there are no hidden costs.Tip: I have mentioned this at the end, although it is a very significant factor. This is because you need to weigh all of the aforementioned facets against your basic outsourcing cost to determine if the model will be feasible. I hope this information will help you choose a custom eLearning company in India that will help you succeed in your outsourcing initiative.The post 10 Tips On How To Choose A Custom eLearning Company In India appeared first on EI Design.

    In this article, through a series of questions, I will provide answers on what Performance Support Tools (PSTs) are and why they must be an integral part of your organization’s learning strategy. I will also share my insights on how they help learners and how they can help address a key challenge that Learning and Development professionals face in terms of increasing knowledge recall, its retention, and application. What Your Boss Wants To Know About Performance Support Tools Here are 5 important questions about Performance Support Tools; their answers explain why they must be an integral part of your company’s learning strategy. Q1. When do learners seek learning? Dr. Conrad Gottfredson and Bob Mosher’s Five Distinct Moments of Need© very succinctly captures when exactly learners seek learning. According to them, learners seek support in these Five Moments of Need: When they are learning an aspect for the first time (New). When they want to deep-dive and learn more (More). When they want to apply or remember something (Apply). When they need to solve a problem or fix something that has gone wrong (Solve). When something changes (Change). While formal training does address the first two learning needs, the use of Performance Support Tools is particularly relevant in meeting the subsequent three needs. Please refer to my article Improving ROI in eLearning where I have highlighted how an effective Performance Support intervention can increase the application of learning. This has a direct impact on improving ROI in eLearning. Q2. What are Performance Support Tools and where exactly do they fit in an organization’s learning strategy? Performance Support Tools (PSTs) provide employees with on-the-job tools that make their work a lot easier. Unlike training, these tools are available to support and guide employees as they actually do their jobs. These tools are very easy to find, often directly embedded into the learners’ workflow (Learning Hub) and offer active guidance. These solutions enable organizations to provide the right amount of task guidance, support, and productivity benefits to learners precisely at the moment of need. Q3. How do Performance Support Tools help learners? Performance Support Tools provide an option for employees to learn and work at the same time. They can help an organization to reduce the cost of training while increasing productivity and performance. From a learner perspective, Performance Support Tools: Empower employees to perform tasks with a minimum amount of external intervention or training. Save the time spent by skilled performers in helping the less skilled performers on specific tasks. Help new team members perform quickly and accurately without losing productive time when training is impractical, unavailable, or constrained. Guide new employees through a complex process or task that cannot be memorized. Introduce, upgrade, or consolidate new systems (for example, customer relationship management, enterprise resource planning, or tasks in certain call centers where agents must perform using complex systems, processes, or products). Q4. How can Performance Support Tools offset some of the challenges in learning recall, retention, and application? In 1885, Herman Ebbinghaus, a German Psychologist, defined the exponential nature of forgetting. As you see from this diagram featuring the "Forgetting Curve", we forget 80% of what we learned in 30 days! Added to this is an associated challenge that by investing on formal training that would happen for a few days in a year, we cannot expect learners to gain high levels of proficiency in it although baseline proficiency can certainly be achieved. The real solution lies in creating "Learning as a continuum". A good way to do this is to identify the areas for formal training and use Performance Support Tools intervention to reinforce it shortly after the formal session. You can then create a "learning path" that has interventions like this during the year. A combination of reinforcement as well as new assets that push application of knowledge on-the-job will help you create a high degree of knowledge recall, retention, and application. You can refer to my article Top 5 tips for innovative eLearning development where I have shared pointers on how we can change this curve to "retention curve". Q5. What are the possible ways to offer Performance Support Tools? Mobile Apps These are among the best forms of Performance Support available today and just like any professional for whom "information" is the key, learners could greatly benefit from mobile app solutions. Interactive PDFs You can convert any lengthy document into an interactive PDF with content tagging for easy navigation, richer visual experience, and so on. These make factual and knowledge-based information available to learners quickly and easily. These may include tips, fact sheets, checklists, practical forms, participant guides, processes, and procedures documents. eBooks Any document can be converted into HTML5 compatible eBooks accessible through PCs, tablets, and smartphones. These can also be converted as SCORM packages. Again, these can include key takeaways from a training program, participant guides, processes, and procedures documents. Kinetic Text/Animations If the content is highly conceptual and difficult to illustrate or the message is nuanced, sometimes showing the text is the best approach. That’s where kinetic text comes in - it’s an engaging, and dynamic way of bringing text content to life. With the option of presenting the content accompanied by a music track or audio narration, kinetic text infuses energy into the text content. It also enables us to highlight the key messages in the text - through the use of color coding, font size, and other effects. Whiteboard Animations You can create high impact videos using a creative story with pictures being drawn on a whiteboard along with conceptual graphics and audio. These can be used to teach employees different company policies or demonstrate a new software or product to consumers. Expert Videos, Webinars/Recorded Webinar Learners respect experts. Whether it’s a classroom tutor, eLearning guide, or workplace mentor, we are used to listening to and respecting expert views. These can be made more effective by enhancing them visually. The performance of the learners can be tracked by adding Assessments with SCORM packaging. Webcast/Podcasts These are short episodes of audio or video that can be downloaded to the learners’ own device. Episodic in nature, webcast/podcasts are the perfect example of a resource built for mobile delivery - brief, targeted, and entertaining; to be watched/listened to while in a train on the way to work or to kill time before a meeting. View demos of various Performance Support Solutions. I hope this article addresses the questions you or your boss may have on what Performance Support Tools are and why they must be an integral part of your learning strategy. If there’s more on Performance Support Tools or any other related aspects that you would like to know, do let me know or drop in your comments and suggestions. I shall try to address them and share more insights soon.The post Performance Support Tools: Top 5 Things Your Boss Wants To Know appeared first on EI Design.

    mLearning or Mobile Learning is fast becoming a significant part of training delivery for organizations, as tablets and smartphones are increasingly becoming the preferred mode of learning. What Are The Benefits Of mLearning? In this article I will touch upon the benefits of mLearning, why it is gaining momentum, and why it must be a significant part of your learning strategy. Additionally, I will share 5 examples that showcase successful application of mLearning. Let us start with the benefits: Flexibility to learners. At the top of the benefits list is the flexibility mLearning offers. This includes: Flexibility and choice of device to access learning "anytime-anywhere". Flexibility of learning with more varied formats (videos, podcasts, and so on). Better completion rates and higher retention. The bite-sized or micro-learning approach makes it easier for learners to initiate, complete, and retain learning better. Collaborative learning. It is a great way to engage with peers to share learning experiences and be part of communities of specific practices. Higher engagement. The experiences are more immersive and statistics reveal that more learners complete the courses through mLearning than traditional eLearning. Multi-device support. The same course is available on varied devices ranging from PCs, laptops, tablets, and smartphones. Performance Support. mLearning is becoming the preferred approach to provide Performance Support intervention as mobile devices are an intrinsic part of the learners’ work-flow. This facilitates an easy access to information while at work and increases the probability of usage and retrieval. Learning path. Mobile devices can also be used to update learners on their "learning path" thereby facilitating "learning as a continuum". With more people depending on phone-based organizers, integrating links in organizers to commence/resume the courses saves time for learners. What Is Driving mLearning’s Rapid Adoption? Changing learner profiles. The mix of learners in organizations now includes traditional learners, baby-boomers, Gen X, and Gen Y. A significant percentage of learners (particularly Gen Y) prefer using tablets and smartphones for learning. How learners learn. As an extension to the changing learner demographics, more and more learners seek different formats to learn (particularly videos, podcasts, access to bite-sized learning, or micro-learning on the go). They also want learning to be part of their work-flow (that is, self directed). Changing learning device preferences. This is resulting in initiatives like Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) facilitating learning on the device of the learners’ choice. Maturing of tools and technologies. Particularly, over the last three years: Most Learning Management System platforms now offer the required flexibility of mobile delivery as well as platforms for social learning. The range of available mLearning authoring tools has widened. The tools can now be used to create both rapid as well as high-end custom solutions. More options to pick the approach that is most suited for learners have emerged. You can now opt for: Adaptive frameworks. These are designed for a single build to work on PCs, laptops, and tablets. (You can also have a variant called Adaptive+ framework that can provide a supplement of the primary learning on the smartphones. However, the smartphone build is a separate build and is normally a lighter build than the primary course.) Responsive frameworks. These are designed for a single build to work on PCs, laptops, tablets, and smartphones. Can You Manage Without A mLearning Strategy Today? Well, the answer is rather obvious; this is a trend that cannot be ignored and the need of the hour is to adopt a two-pronged approach: Migration of legacy courses. You can use this opportunity to redesign some of your older courses toο and also get the multi-device flexibility. This can create a better learning experience and provide the flexibility for learners to access the courses on the device of their choice. mLearning strategy for new development. This should be able to leverage the power of mobile devices to create an immersive learning experience. As highlighted earlier, you can opt for Adaptive or Responsive approaches. Where Can mLearning Be Applied? mLearning is a great fit for formal learning and Performance Support. It can also be used effectively to foster a collaborative or social learning environment. Let me illustrate how it can be used to provide enhanced learning experiences through my favorite 5 examples. mLearning Example 1 Induction Program With Gamification: This is my favorite example that showcases how you can use gamification for an Induction program. We chose the 100 days Induction cum onboarding plan to map to a theme of a mission that needed learners to clear various levels within the stipulated time. It also had leaderboards to enable them to assess how they are faring against the other team members. You can also refer to my article Benefits of Gamification in eLearning to see how it can improve learner recall and retention. mLearning Example 2 Time Management Featuring Immersive Learning Strategies: The difference here lies in the way we engaged the learners with the time management concepts. We removed "Select next to continue" by making the information flow more intuitive. To engage learners further, we brought in a few gamification concepts (interactive exercises) in the learning path. mLearning Example 3 Compliance-Combating Money Laundering: This example reflects how you can enhance a legacy course during migration to mLearning format. The legacy course was text-heavy and as you will see from the screenshots, we relooked at the visual approach in the mLearning format to reduce clutter. We also did extensive layering of content to further limit the on-screen text. mLearning Example 4 Agile Development Methodology Featuring Interactive Video: This example is also one of my favorites as it reflects marrying the Agile concept to an innovative strategy, that is, interactive video (both reflect changing dynamics). The content adapted well to fielding questions that the learners may have had in their mind as the Agile approach is a relatively new concept. We were able to leverage on the power of interactive video to clearly establish the gain in a very short run-length. mLearning Example 5 Industry Vertical (Oil and Gas) Featuring Thematic Visuals: As you will notice in the screenshot, we have used industry specific visual design as the theme for the entire course. I hope this article has given you the required insights to determine how you can use mLearning effectively in your organization. If you have any comments or suggestions, please reach out to me.The post What Are The Benefits Of mLearning? Featuring 5 Killer Examples appeared first on EI Design.