What if your health and safety training was the best learning experience your employees ever had?Colleagues talk about what they learned.  New starters get up to speed more quickly.  Learners recommend the training to others and share further learning resources.Is this vision overkill? The answer depends on what you want to achieve.To go beyond ‘tick box’ compliance and create a health and safety culture, you need to keep learners engaged and motivated.Health and safety is one of the first training topics your employees will encounter and a core business function.Towards Maturity says top performing organisations rank health and safety as one of their highest priorities.Here’s how giving your health and safety training more love can bridge the gap between engagement and compliance.Counting the costThe best businesses are improving the value of their health and safety training by using appropriate learning technologies.Towards Maturity reports that high achieving organisations are 26 times more likely to have improved the effectiveness of the learning experience through better application of technology than low achievers.These companies know it is in their best interest and those of their employees to make their health and safety training the best it can be.The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) estimates the total cost to organisations of injury or illness at work as £2.8 billion. The cost to individuals is £8.2 billion. So health and safety training can have a much bigger impact on employees than employers.Good health and safety training explains the real costs and benefits for learners.Are you neglecting your health and safety training?With mandatory training topics, sometimes there is a focus on completion rather than engagement.After all, your employees must do the training. Why sugar the pill?But the learning experience fails if your people don’t absorb what they need to know.If you suspect your health and safety training needs rethinking, see how it measures up against this checklist:Boring - Do your employees dread doing it because they find it boring?Relevance - Are your colleagues confused about why they have to do the training?Consistency - Is the look and feel of your training in line with your corporate culture?Personal - Do your employees end up doing parts of the training they don’t need?Availability - Can your learners find the training and access it easily?Follow up - Are your employees given the option to find more after the initial mandatory training?Tips for giving your health and safety training some loveHere are four ways to help learners love their health and safety training.GamificationCampaignsMicro learningCustomisationWe’ve picked some real examples of each approach to show how to enrich your health and safety training.Gamification: Southern Health NHS Foundation TrustGames work best when there are real risks and consequences. So health and safety training is a good match.Fire safety is one of the most common types of compliance elearning that companies provide for their employees.In this game for Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust learners complete tasks while under pressure.  It is easier to recreate this situation using game techniques. When there is a real emergency staff are under pressure to complete tasks.  Game-based elearning mirrors the effect.Campaigns40% of learners say not being able to find what they need stops them from learning at work.You can overcome this by making the training a process, not an event and marketing it to your learners.You could incorporate health and safety into an existing campaign or programme such as onboarding or induction.It is possible to combine a campaign with a leader board to foster friendly competition between colleagues.See how retailer, Tesco is using this campaign approach to transform its compliance training.Micro learning - FarmfoodsThe more convenient it is to access training, the more your learners will take advantage of it.One way to reduce barriers is to break the content down into manageable chunks.Farmfoods turned key health and safety topics into bite size elearning modules. This allowed staff to fit the training into their working day more easily.Consider a micro learning style if your learners need to brush up on their knowledge, or where you want to minimise time away from customers.Using a mobile friendly technology like Adapt also allows employees to access training from anywhere on any device.CustomisationIf your business has unique health and safety requirements, you may need to customise your training approach.Tailoring a course can overcome learner complaints about irrelevant training or ‘catch all’ courses.If you can show your employees the specific benefits to them personally, your training will be far more effective.Now you know why and how to add some love to your health and safety training, time to put it into action.The post Why your health and safety training deserves more love appeared first on Sponge UK.

David Kelly is Vice president and executive director of the Elearning Guild, he’s one of the people you go to when you want to know what’s hot in elearning technology. Follow David on Twitter @LnDDave. The questions and their times are provided so you can skip back and forth to learn more on a specific subject: 00:34 - What’s the value of staying up to date with emerging technology? 01:35 - How do you judge what technology has potential in the learning space and what hasn’t? 03:00 - What have you seen that has the potential to disrupt the learning landscape? 06:00 - Are there any red herrings that people thought would be important but haven’t emerged as expected? 08:24 - How to learning and development professionals stay ahead of the curve? Topics covered in this interview include: Technology in general and how it can be applied to digital learning Mobile technology and it’s potential for learning Interactive video Google glass as a successful experiment in augmented reality Read highlights from the interview in the accompanying blog post.Ways to listen to the Sponge UK elearning podcastThe full interview is available to listen to using the player above, you can stream the audio directly to your computer or mobile device.Download the mp3 file using this direct link: SpongeUKPodcastEpisode004-DavidKelly.mp3 (11:51, 4.1MB)Subscribe to the Sponge UK elearning podcast to get the latest episodes automatically.Subscribe in iTunesSubscribe using the RSS feedJoin us in two weeks for the next episode of the Sponge UK elearning podcast. The post David Kelly - Sponge UK Elearning Podcast appeared first on Sponge UK.

Your employees will benefit most from an elearning course if they can access it at the best possible moment.Sometimes, it’s the right course but it’s deployed at the wrong time, or in the wrong way.This post looks at some of the factors to consider before deciding when to launch your new elearning course.Business-focused driversThere are internal and external drivers that may affect your elearning timetable.  We’ve picked out some instances where timing is critical.InternalA change in company leadership or an internal review often brings with it the need to introduce a new corporate culture. Making a company-wide shift will involve a broad range of roles and requires detailed planning.Taking time to plan an L&D campaign should be the first step.  An elearning course that sets the scene for the rest of the programme is a good way to spark employee interest.Tesco used this technique with their Learning Leap campaign.  After an extensive review of their current compliance training, they decided on a new approach with an elearning course at its heart.These kinds of programmes target a wide range of employees and must be carefully planned and delivered.In such cases, your elearning course’s longevity is more important than getting it out quickly.  Make sure the high level vision is set out before introducing your elearning course to the rest of the workforce.Sometimes, it’ll be an existing situation that needs addressing.  Emma Barrow talked about this process in her presentation at Learning Technologies 2016. She took interactive video and put it to good use at The Royal Mail to help address a need for change in how managers dealt with difficult conversations.ExternalSome of the biggest external factors are legal and regulation changes that introduce new compliance requirements.New regulations are often phased in to allow companies to get the training they need out to the employees affected.Pension reforms for example, meant many small and medium-sized businesses in the UK had to roll out training for their staff.The requirements were set out in advance of the regulations coming into effect.  L&D teams had time to prepare a strategy for training, often including an elearning course.By offering training early in the process, you allow learners to return to it and repeat complex elements.Changes in the market are more challenging to prepare for.  Dramatic changes and disruptive technologies are some of the harder business influences to predict.Is earlier better in these cases? Should you create and offer your learning as soon as possible to be best prepared for the change?A knee jerk reaction to this type of change can be a bad idea.  Your elearning course runs the risk of being obsolete before being of benefit.In this case, it can be better to address the skills you need to meet a challenge, rather than the specific challenge itself.  Training your managers to handle the changes and pass this on to employees could pay off.Learner-focused driversPreboardingWhen do your employees need to know the information for their first day?  Before they arrive.Preboarding or preinduction starts the orientation process before day one of the new job.  Top performing companies use this strategy to reduce the time to competency for new starters.Giving employees a head start with preboarding can lead to significant cost savings. Reducing time to productivity for new staff avoids many hidden costs.You should also consider extending your induction elearning course beyond a month to get the most out of the process.  Spreading out an induction course makes it easier to naturally lead a learner into more online training. Social learning The 70:20:10 principle:70% of learning working on tasks and problems, 20% from feedback and examples and 10% from formal training. Your employees are already engaged in social collaboration. Observing this helps you identify the remaining 10% that requires formal training.Making sure you’re not controlling the social interactions is important.  It allows employees to discover the areas that need the extra work for themselves.An engaged L&D team will keep track of informal learning and identify areas which can be supplemented with a formal elearning course.On demand elearningYour employees are using their phones to access the internet more than desktop computers. It’s a global trend and one that isn’t slowing down, especially in the workplace.Towards Maturity has just published a new report In Focus: Learning and Performance on the Move. It’s a wakeup call for organisations who aren’t already making their learning available on all devices.The report reveals that out of the companies surveyed:87% see "accessing support at the point of need" as a driver for mobile learning, but only 11% achieve it32% think a small screen size is not suitable for their digital training contentWhen asking the learners themselves, 74% responded that they use their mobile to access resources for work.  Thinking about making your content suitable for both mobile and desktop is important.You can make sure it’s accessible for everyone at any time by using multi-device technology like Adapt.  It helps create one course that works equally well on desktop and mobile devices.Let’s recap the key points:When should you launch an elearning course?Once business goals are definedTo launch a campaignWhen a learning need matches an innovative solutionBefore new regulations come into effectTo prepare for changing marketsHow can you make the course accessible when it’s needed?Offer induction before new starters arriveOffer courses that complement natural social learningMake elearning courses that work on all devicesUsing an elearning course rather than face-to-face training can help your employees benefit from all these techniques.The post When to offer your employees an elearning course appeared first on Sponge UK.

Explore the infographic and find out the most effective ways to introduce a learning game to your L&D programme.You can use games in many of the traditional training areas but they come into their own when combined with elearning technology to track and assess their effectiveness.Follow three learners through the game map to see how you can appeal to a variety of employees with different types of learning games.The statisticsLet’s dive a little deeper into the statistics from the Infographic and what they mean for your business.88% of learners rate "knowledge sharing within your team" as very important or essentialThe Centre for Learning & Performance Technologies questioned over 5,000 people worldwide for their Learning in the Workplace Survey.At the top of the list of most important factors for learners is collaboration with other members of the team. Games are a natural way to encourage employees to work together.Competitive games don’t have to mean one on one matches. Letting colleagues work together in teams allows them to share knowledge and skills in a friendly, competitive atmosphere.64% of learners find accessing learning from a mobile device essential or very usefulNow that mobile devices are the most popular way to access the internet, it’s essential that you provide a way to access training on the go.A digital learning game is no different, and should be available to all users whether they’re on a desktop, laptop, tablet or phone.Luckily, there are tools based on modern web standards that allow one game to be played on many devices.HTML5 tools like Phaser for games and Adapt for elearning courses make developing this type of game possible.63% of learners say a lack of time for self-study stops them using elearningEven the most engaging game shouldn’t take employees away from work for too long.Towards Maturity’s Learners Voice report gives you an insight into how employees really see elearning. Many of them simply don’t have the time for self-study available for a drawn out game experience.You can build in timed elements to make sure learner don’t linger too long and make quicker decisions. Let us know if you’re using gamification or games in your L&D programme in our Twitter poll: Are you currently using gamification or games in your learning approach?#gameweek— Sponge elearning (@Sponge_UK) April 11, 2016  Practical tips for learning gamesGet some actionable advice on your next game-based online training project with our resources.Games page and showreelRough guide to games downloadGames demo areaFollow the #gameweek hashtagThere will be more insights into using games in your elearning throughout the rest of #gameweek.The post Infographic: Use this map to navigate your way to better learning games appeared first on Sponge UK.

Don’t follow the crowd. Assess whether elearning games are right for you. Before implementing gamified learning, step back and evaluate what will work best for your learning challenge. (Car) key to success In 1981, my Dad bought a Ford Capri.The neighbours had one first. It was new, exciting and fun.  He loved it.However, the Capri had tiny rear buckets seats, unsuitable for a growing family. Dad ended up trading it in for a spacious Ford Cortina estate. Likewise, elearning games are new, exciting and fun. Your competitors may be using them to drive productivity, improve performance and enhance workforce skills. Games and gamification can help transform digital learning into a richer experience and offer an opportunity to engage with your learners more effectively. But elearning games have to be right for your organisation, your learners and what you are trying to achieve. The key to success is working out when elearning games will suit your learning needs and business objectives. Tips for success Gamified learning can deliver results. Early research by Dr Rick Blunt revealed how students who learned using games had significantly higher average results that those that did not. McDonald’s Japan cuts its new-hire training time in half using a learning game. Southern Health NHS Trust is experiencing improved retention rates after the introduction of gamified elearning. The benefits are worth pursuing and there are things you can do to increase your chances of success.  Understand the difference You need to appreciate how games for learning work. They diverge from ‘traditional’ elearning and instructional design in a number of key ways.Understanding the differences will help you judge whether elearning games will fit into your learning approach. When to use games Games are best for training topics that deal with real risks and real consequences . Focus on areas that matter most to your learners such as their safety, job and finances. Games can teach the skills and behaviours your employees need in the modern workplace. Identifying the best option What is the difference between gamification, elearning games and game simulations? How do you pinpoint which approach will suit your needs and budget?Leading gamification expert, Professor Karl M. Kapp splits gamification into two parts. He says structural gamification is adding game elements where the content stays the same. While content gamification is altering the content itself to make it more game-like.In addition, there are self-contained learning games, or serious games. For a more immersive experience, there are game simulations. Given this range, it can be helpful to think of gamified learning as a spectrum. Pitfalls to avoid Some common mistakes can undermine the success of your elearning games. Being aware of these top three problem areas will help you avoid the pitfalls. Unclear goals This is the number one error. Elearning project manager, Valary Oleinik sets out the importance of instructional goals in If You Don’t Have Game, Don’t Gamify . She says: "The first step, before even deciding whether to incorporate gamification into your solution, is to determine what problem you are trying to solve. What is your goal? Until you can answer that question, in the immortal words of the Monopoly Board, "Do Not Pass Go" or collect anything."  If your elearning game doesn’t address your learning challenge, then all you have is a game. It may be fun and engaging. People may want to play it but it will just be a game. Lack of balance Challenge is a key part of any gamified learning experience and has an important part to play within the learning process. Getting the balance right can be difficult, particularly if you are working with a wide range of employees.If an elearning game is too easy learners will get bored and feel patronised by the experience. If it is too hard, they will become disillusioned and demotivated.The perfect state is ‘game flow’, which is the balance between the skill level of the player and the difficulty of the game challenge.You can read more in this article by Sean Baron for Gamasutra .   Poor measurement In one sense, games are great at measuring. Players will usually get a score at the end. You can monitor these scores and collect and use a leaderboard to compare achievement between individuals and teams.But how can you measure the impact of the game in relation to the learning goal? Did the gamified learning help change a behaviour or speed up productivity?Putting an objective measure in place will help. For example, if a game is aimed at helping call handlers improve their performance, you can actually measure call response times. Serious games expert, Pamela Kato has some useful tips on measuring impact .   Games checklist Games and gamification are just one option in your elearning toolbox. They may be the best way to tackle your particularly challenge, they may not be.Here are 10 questions to ask before you go ahead with an elearning game or gamified course: What is the challenge? What are you trying to change? Who is the audience? What are the key messages? What are the consequences of making a wrong decision? Where will the game play take place? What will be the reward for the best decision? Do games fit with your organisation’s culture? Will learners be using mobile devices? How will you measure the impact of the game? Do you have more tips on how to be successful with elearning games? What pitfalls have you encountered? Share your experience on Twitter with @Sponge_UK using the hashtag #gameweek Author: Lidia Pearce, Elearning industry writer. Sponge UKThe post How to be successful with elearning games (and avoid the pitfalls) appeared first on Sponge UK.

An interview with leading gamification consultant Pete Jenkins. "I live and breathe gamification and apply it to anywhere it can be useful," says gamification consultant, Pete Jenkins. As the Chair of GamFed, the international body for gamification, Jenkins is playing a leading role in fostering best practice in the use of gamification in business. He lectures in gamification at the University of Brighton and runs his own gamification business, Gamification+. In this special interview for #gameweek, Jenkins discusses how L&D can make a case for gamification, where it fits into 70-20-10 and how different generations respond to gamification. Do you think businesses and organisations have accepted gamification as a learning technique? The short answer is, yes. The businesses I come across have heard about it and are even implementing some sort of gamification in learning. Gamification and learning return more than 1.5 million results in Google. That is a lot of people paying a lot of attention to the subject. I think businesses have generally accepted gamification as a learning technique. They can see that increased engagement in their learning is going to help it be more effective. I do find businesses tend to think of gamification as a game or simulation and are still  unsure about what gamification actually is. But I think that is fine because it always starts the right sort of conversations. Look at the work of Marigo Raftopoulos from the Strategic Innovation Lab in Australia. She has done research on over two hundred corporate case studies of gamification. One of the interesting things that came out of her study was that corporates see gamification as including serious games, simulations and playful experiences. Personally, I think gamification is simply about learning everything we can from what makes games engaging.  So right now I'm looking at how we can learn from the massive success of eSports and translate that across into learning. What barriers are there to the adoption of gamification in learning? There are certainly some barriers but I don't think the word itself is a barrier, which it used to be. A lot of people have tried it now but sometimes there are poor results from their previous attempts. Maybe they have chosen the wrong approach to the content. Perhaps they have gamified the platform when maybe they should have been doing gamification of the content. So we have to overcome bad experiences from previous attempts. Another barrier is not doing enough to understand the player types or the key motivators of your target audience. You can spend effort on the least relevant game mechanics or not including enough game mechanics to make it relevant and enjoyable for everyone. If you don’t do all that it can make it much harder to create a successful project. What areas are seeing the biggest impact from gamification? Anything involving engaging and motivating people. But seriously, I'm beginning to see it have a strong impact in projects aiming to engender culture change across an organisation. Such as when the only way to win a game built for the project is to play it using the new cultural motifs. There is a great game, that's very topical at the moment following the Panama Papers scandal. It typifies how you can use a game to highlight culture change and how you can make decisions under the new culture. It's called the Stairway to Tax Heaven.  I'm obviously not designed to be a tax cheat. I had to play the game loads of times before I won and 'offshored my wealth successfully'. I’ve also noticed a big impact in short learning engagement, such as adding gamification around new product launches, to kick-off sales events or around cross-selling.  I like the statistics from a competitive quiz app in Spain called retaME. More than 35,000 people have used the game, answering more than 8 million questions. Generally, the game only lasts for five days because this type of engagement works best over short periods. The average knowledge increase for players is 30 percent. Interestingly, 80% of players end up playing outside of work hours with the most common playtime between 11pm and midnight. Now that really shows how fun and engaging this type of gamification can be if people are playing in their own time. How can L&D prove the link between gamified initiatives, learning outcomes and business results? Obviously, the easiest way to do this is to track your key metrics before and after the gamification is implemented. It sounds simple enough but most projects I see don’t track the metrics before the introduction of gamification and after it has been in place for a period of time. They get very excited about the gamification and just launch into it which means it’s really difficult to do the comparison. Three years ago, I came across an example for Yapi Kredi Bank, one of the biggest banks in Turkey. They wanted to train their counter staff in the products they should be selling.  After getting the employees to play it over a number of weeks, cross-selling went up by 12 percent across the bank. They also saved thousands of hours on in-person training so they made great cost savings. Video: Pete’s top tip for gaining business buy-in for a gamification project Do the different workplace generations respond differently to gamification? It’s a really interesting question. The answer is that gamification works on everybody but people are interested in different games. Some research recently discovered that the older generation tends to enjoy strategy games while the younger generation enjoys action games, such as first person shooters. However, the study revealed that younger people also like strategy games. If you put your effort into creating a strategy game then you are going to be able to please all the generations. I think the appeal of strategy games is that they not only give you time to think but you can also apply your experience to them. So as you get older, a strategy game can actually become more interesting. I’ve also done some research on Generation Z, using my own university students. An interesting and consistent finding across all the students I have interviewed is that while technology is important to them it is also making them more socially awkward and anxious.  For Generation Z, I think we need to be designing more in-person social interaction game or events as well as the online stuff. If the workplace becomes increasingly gamified will gamification lose its value? I don’t think gamification will lose its value but instead every element of our work and jobs will get more and more engaging. I think it’s going to be great. The caveat would be that poorly executed gamification is going to be less effective and you’re probably going to ignore it if the other systems that you’re using are more engaging. So if you have something really important to get across, and everything else is gamified, you’re going to have to put more effort and attention into it. At the moment, I think it is really easy to make a great impact using gamification but it is going to get more competitive really quickly.  If they are well-designed, more trivial elements of gamification such as feedback, badges and levels can be highly effective. If you don’t believe me, play Cookie Clicker for a short time (although you will end up playing it for longer.) You can see an analysis of the game on our blog. It’s very engaging even without the higher motivations of meaning, purpose and autonomy. Where does gamification fit into 70-20-10 learning? To my mind, too much energy and resources are going into the formal training versions of elearning. The 70-20-10 model for L&D illustrates some of my thinking behind this when it says that: 70% of workplace learning and development happens from ‘on-the-job’ experience. 20% of workplace learning happens from feedback and by watching others. 10% of workplace learning happens through formal training (classroom events, elearning, downloadable resources) and reading Are we being truly effective if we are putting more than 10% of our resources into elearning?  We should be looking at gamifying the actual job roles and on the job training. For the 20, that is where I am looking at what we can learn from eSports. For the 70, I am looking at applying game mechanics to the job in ways that give you a safe place to fail. Video: Pete on where gamification fits into the 70 percent of the 70-20-10 learning model Are learning designers being taught how to use gamification effectively? It depends who they are learning from.  If they are listening to people like Karl Kapp, Andrzej Marczewski or Yu-kai Chou they are going to be doing the right things. Perhaps, they could look at some style-driven approaches. I likeMichael Wu’s data-driven approach or Gabe Zichermann’s engineering-driven approach, which is all about trying stuff out and seeing what works in order to replicate successful results every time. As long as they are looking at human-centred design and what’s going to motivate people to be engaged and learn, I think learning designers will be on the right lines. They also need to look at the research going on about how to apply gamification practically. For example, the EU-funded Beaconing Project run by Coventry University’s Disruptive Media Learning Lab. You need to stay open-minded to all the results and research. We’re going to be getting better and better at gamification and your learning will need to stand out from all the other gamified aspects of the workplace. To find out more about Pete Jenkins and connect with him visit gamificationplus.uk The post Why you’ll have to work harder at gamification in the future appeared first on Sponge UK.

A curated list of games and gamification experts that offer practical tips for your L&D needs.Introducing new learning methods can involve an overwhelming amount of information. A Google search for gamification in business has more than 1,340,000 results.So who can you look to for relevant resources on game-based learning?We’ve highlighted 10 figures from the games and gamification world and given you the information you need to pick one or two that are relevant to you.Take a look at a representative article or book that they’ve written, watch a video or catch up on their social feeds.Once you find your personal games guru, you’ll be a few levels closer to launching your next games- based digital learning course.Karl KappProfessor Karl M. Kapp is synonymous with games and gamification in elearning.  The author of two popular gamification books he also lectures at Bloomberg University on the subject.His real world experience of games in digital learning means his work is relevant to your L&D needs.He is accessible and active on social media. Just this week, he’s taken part in the #ozlearn Twitter chat and our own #gameweek Hangout, as well as recently publishing results of a study in a LinkedIn slidedeck.Follow for: A focus on games and gamification in digital learningRead: The Gamification of Learning and Instruction Fieldbook: Ideas into PracticeWatch: Life lessons… from video games: Karl Kapp at TedxNavesinkEngage: @kkappMonica CornettiShe’s the host of long running podcast Gamification Talk Radio.  Monica Cornetti consults and speaks on gamification in business.We’d recommend reading or listening to Monica’s content to get a broader view of gamification techniques.Follow for: An overview of gamification in businessRead: Totally Awesome Training Activity Guide Book: How to Put Gamification to Work for YouListen: Gamification Talk Radio - a weekly podcast featuring guests from the L&D industry talking about gamification.Engage: @monicacornettiPete JenkinsHe is Chair of GamFed (the International Gamification Confederation) and owner of Gamification+ Ltd.  Pete Jenkins offers insights into gamification in business.  He also lectures at the University of Brighton on gamification topics.The research and examples highlighted in Pete’s work are helpful for getting a wider perspective on practices around the world.  His sites and social profiles are a good option if you want a diverse source of case studies on gamification.Follow for: A wide range of gamification concepts with fresh examplesRead: Why you’ll have to work harder at gamification in the futureWatch: Gamification for Business - how and where it works bestEngage: @petejenkinsJason ButlerMost of the people on this list started out in the L&D or business and moved towards games and gamification.  Jason comes from the opposite angle.He was an independent game developer for many years before moving into elearning .  He’s now Games Evangelist at Sponge UK and a leading figure in creating multi-device elearning games. If you’re a game designer who wants to break into the elearning field, there’s a lot to learn from Jason’s experience.Follow for: A game designer’s approach to effective elearningRead: The role of games in digital learningWatch: Why so serious? Developing games for elearning, slides available for download.Engage: @oldmanvegasMarigo RaftopoulosBridging the gap between academia and enterprise with peer reviewed research into gamification in business, Marigo Raftopoulos is an important figure in learning games.When you want research backed facts that relate to your business challenges, Marigo’s website and social feeds are a good place to look.Follow for: Academic gamification research applied to enterpriseRead: Enterprise gamification infographicWatch: Marigo Raftopoulos on Game Has Changed: Cutting through complexity to engage employees & customersEngage: @marigoGabe ZichermannA popular speaker at many gamification themed events, Gabe Zichermann has an entertaining style of explaining how game mechanics work in non-game contexts.If you’d like an introduction to gamification that uses every day brands and names as examples Gabe’s talks are a great place to start.His talks are backed up by three books on gamification and you can currently sign up for early access to the new version of Gamification by Design through the website.Follow for: Customer-focused gamification trendsRead: Gamification by Design: Implementing Game Mechanics in Web and Mobile AppsWatch: Gabe Zichermann at TNW Conference Europe 2015 - Building an industry, not just a companyEngage: @gzichermYu-Kai ChouHe is best known for his gamification framework Octalysis.  Yu-Kai Chou offers a different  perspective on gamification, focusing on how it can be used to improve many different areas of life.If you want examples of positive uses of gamification and a user-friendly framework for achieving the same results yourself, try Yu-Kai’s work.Follow for: Practical framework for positive gamification outcomesRead: Actionable Gamification: Beyond Points, Badges, and LeaderboardsWatch: Gamification to improve our world: Yu-kai Chou at TEDxLausanneEngage: @yukaichouJane McGonigalShe has two New York Times bestselling books and a host of appearances on popular talk shows and conferences.  Jane McGonigal is one of the world’s highest profile games developers.Her approach is not focused on learning games, but will give you an insight into how game-thinking can be applied to any area of life, including training.For L&D professionals, she offers a figurehead for the application of games to business, something that could play a role in getting buy in from management.Follow for: The high profile face of game scienceRead: SuperBetter: A Revolutionary Approach to Getting Stronger, Happier, Braver and More Resilient-Powered by the Science of GamesWatch: SXSWedu Keynote - How to Think (and Learn) Like a FuturistEngage: @avantgameRichard DaveyHe is the developer behind the popular HTML5 game framework Phaser.  Richard Davey is an interesting person to follow for digital learning developers that want to add games to their multi-device courses.HTML5 is a modern web standard that’s used by all popular web browsers on desktop and mobile devices. If you want one elearning game that works on many devices then Phaser is worth investigating.Richard often tweets examples of games built using Phaser that can serve as inspiration for new learning games.Follow for: Multi device games news and examplesRead: Meet Richard Davey, creator of PhaserWatch: Let’s Make a Game With PhaserEngage: @photonstormAndrzej MarczewskiWhen you’re thinking of introducing something totally new to your L&D strategy you need a good grounding in the basics.  Andrzej’s blog and YouTube channel offer this for games and gamification.Andrzej’s blog on the difference between games and gamification is a great primer on the subject.He has also authored books and created frameworks that help you apply your new found knowledge to meet your business challenges.Follow for: Straightforward explanations of fundamental game and gamification principlesRead: Even Ninja Monkeys Like to Play: Gamification, Game Thinking and Motivational DesignWatch: Gamification: Intrinsic Motivation & Extrinsic RewardsEngage: @daverageWho is your personal gamification guru? Is there anyone you go to for inspiration on games in learning that we have missed out?  Let us know using the hashtag #gameweekThe post Find your personal gamification guru appeared first on Sponge UK.

Take a glimpse into the future of elearning gamification with insights from some of the leading experts in the field.  Following the second annual #gameweek, we anticipate which gamification trends will continue and which will change over the next year.The wave is building With the amount of coverage on gamification and games, you would think our workplaces are flooded with gamified learning programmes. The #gameweek Twitter poll suggests otherwise.Research from the Association for Talent Development (ATD) supports the idea that there is still a long way to go. ATD found that only 25% of organisations currently use gamification in learning, and 20% use serious games.Gamification expert, Professor Karl M. Kapp said: "One good thing about the statistics is that there is a lot of room for opportunity. It is a little difficult sometimes to take the plunge.  You may have a conservative corporate culture, face challenges in development or struggle to know what to gamify. So, there is a lot of hesitation about exactly how to get started." Learning Game Designer, Jason Butler thinks many L&D teams are still testing the water. "People are thinking about it, taking those first tentative steps or experimenting with gamification. But I think there’s definitely an appetite for it, and I would expect the percentage of usage to increase over the next 12 to 18 months."Serious games are going mobileMobile is the fastest growing market for games in the UK, up 21.2% from 2014 to 2015.Compared to the console hardware market, which saw a drop of close to 25% in the same period, mobile is increasingly seen as a way for everyone to enjoy video games.The learning game industry will need to reflect this development by making games work on a variety of devices. With modern web technology, it’s possible to not only build an elearning course that works on mobile, but to integrate fully featured games into it too.Jason Butler talks about using a mobile first design philosophy for learning games. "You can make it more instant, people understand it and it’s more tactile, immersive and engaging," said Butler. "There’s a huge thirst to be able to take your learning away with you in your pocket."L&D departments are already asking for this kind of functionality for their Learning Management Systems (LMSs), elearning courses and their serious games.We predict that more L&D teams will be getting the most out of their elearning games by going for a responsive, multi-device approach.Gamification grows, L&D needs to stand outPete Jenkins, leading gamification consultant has a bright view for gamification in the business as a whole. This could mean a bigger challenge for L&D teams introducing gamified learning.If the gamification market grows as predicted by Business Insider , it’s going to become a commonplace to see points, badges and leader boards wherever you go.On one hand, this trend will mean more familiarity with the different aspects of games and gamifications. Stakeholders are more likely to have been exposed to positive gamification experiences.If getting buy in from your managers becomes easier, getting your learners on board might be harder than ever.When gamification makes its way into more aspects of work life, your learning games will need to stand out more to offer the same boost in engagement.Elearning games will become more ambitious and have a broader scope than before.Elearning strategy games will widen appealOne of the concerns for L&D departments is making sure game content is inclusive for all learners.The 45-74 year old age group makes up 27% of UK gamers according to an Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) report. In their report Avoiding the demographic crunch: Labour supply and the ageing workforce the CIPD highlight that currently over 30% of the workforce are over 50.Introducing elearning games to a wide age range takes some careful planning. Research by Quantic Foundry shows that strategy style games are the most universally appealing across age groups.Senior Manager for Learning Solutions at Yorkshire Building Society (YBS) Group Emma Barrow has identified something she calls the ‘grandparent effect’. When older employees are dismissive about a learning game it helps to relate it to a situation they are familiar with.Emma describes talking to learners who are not initially receptive. "At Christmas you all sit around and play Monopoly or Scrabble, that’s a game, let’s think about it differently," she urges.An elearning game doesn’t have to be a jumping, flashing, action-packed experience. Strategy games that tap into the same skills you use when playing Scrabble can introduce new skills to learners just as effectively.This kind of experience uses game thinking and gets the same benefits that other types of games give without explicitly being called a game.During a Learning and Skills Group (LSG) webinar, Louise Pasterfield gave this advice: "Using different language can help - set it up as a ‘challenge’ or that you’re going to discover something about yourself, there are ways you can word it so that it doesn’t come off as a game".Your next elearning game might not look like a game at all. Some of the overtly gamified elements will take a back seat and deeper, more strategic games will start to become more popular for L&D teams with a wider target age range.More games will be measuredTracking the results of any elearning course is important. Many of the gamification experts we’ve spoken to have pointed out that elearning games are often not tracked as well as they could be.Karl Kapp says: "The nice thing about game-based learning is that we can track everything. How long it took a learner to answer a question, how many points they’ve earned, and by tying the points to learning outcomes, we know if they’ve got it or not."The potential is there to record all the interactions that make up an elearning game. Using this data you can see where the game is working well and which areas you could improve upon.Combined with more traditional feedback from learners who have played the game it gives you a complete picture of the training experience.When we asked leading figures in the industry about the big issues for elearning in 2016 there was a lot of talk on learner focus. Laura Overton from Towards Maturity said: "The staff in our organisations are consumers of technology. They are also consumers of learning but they don’t necessarily know it and I think we need to get in tune with our staff."Your L&D strategy will continue to be led by learners and more emphasis will be put on measuring success of courses. We predict games and gamification will lead the way in tracking interactions and discovering more effective ways to engage learners.We’re already looking forward to #gameweek 2017 when we can check back in on our predictions.  If you have any experiences of gamified learning you’d like to share, please get in touch on Twitter @Sponge_UKThe post 5 predictions about gamification in learning appeared first on Sponge UK.

Get inspired for your next elearning game with excerpts from interviews and talks with a range of experts from the world of elearning games. This episode follows up on #gameweek, our annual focus on games and gamification in digital learning. We hear from a range of experts and elearning creators on how to use game based learning to promote engagement and get results from your learners. As an introduction Sponge UK’s Louise Pasterfield, talking in a webinar for the Learning and Skills Group , explains where games can be most useful in digital learning. 00:20 - Louise Pasterfield on when elearning games are most appropriate There are many ways to create games or add gamified elements to an online training course, and one of the most common is using an elearning authoring tool. Articulate’s Tom Kuhlman spoke to us in 2015 about some of the pitfalls of using game elements within an elearning tool. 01:43 - Tom Kuhlman on adding gamification features to elearning authoring tools We caught up more recently with Sponge UK’s learning game designer Jason Butler when we were talking about Adapt , a software framework that makes it easier to create one course that can be accessed on many different devices. He gives us the low down on whether a game can be integrated with an Adapt course. 02:42 - Jason Butler on building games with Adapt So you’ve got different options for building the games themselves, but how do you go about tackling the design process if you haven’t taken on an elearning game before? Louise Pasterfield takes us through the differences between traditional elearning design and creating a game experience. 06:28 - Louise Pasterfield on the difference between traditional elearning and games design  Gamification consultant Pete Jenkins spoke to us last week and brought up some interesting examples of how gamification is getting real results. We asked him how L&D can prove the link between gamified initiatives, learning outcomes and business results. 08:00 - Pete Jenkins on proving gamification works To wrap up the special #gameweek podcats Professor Karl Kapp, author, consultant and guest on our gameweek hangout has some advice on how to evaluate how well games are working for your learners. 09:51 - Karl Kapp on measuring the success of games and what you can do to make sure you get the best out of your feedback Ways to listen to the Sponge UK elearning podcast The full interview is available to listen to using the player above, you can stream the audio directly to your computer or mobile device. Download the mp3 file using this direct link: SpongeUKPodcastEpisode005-Gameweek.mp3 (12:28, 4.3MB) Subscribe to the Sponge UK elearning podcast to get the latest episodes automatically. Subscribe in iTunes Subscribe using the RSS feed Join us in two weeks for the next episode of the Sponge UK elearning podcast. The post Elearning games - Sponge UK Elearning Podcast appeared first on Sponge UK.

NEWS: Story Contracting, one of the fastest growing infrastructure companies in the UK has launched its first elearning induction programme for new employees.The company, based in Carlisle, has a workforce of 480 and provides construction, plant and rail solutions across the North of England and Scotland. Award-winning elearning provider, Sponge UK created the new elearning module which is being rolled out to new starters and existing employees.It is the first time the company has used online learning as part of its induction training.Head of HR at Story, Claire McClean said: "Our induction elearning reflects our company values and culture, and our new colleagues have felt part of the Story family from day one after going through the module. This was exactly what we wanted. We were delighted to work with award-winning elearning specialist Sponge UK on the project." The 20-minute elearning module introduces Story employees to the company’s vision and core behaviours and provides an overview of its people and structure.It begins with a video message from the charismatic owner and Chief Executive of the company, Fred Story and features video clips of employees talking about life at the company.Louise Pasterfield, Managing Director, Sponge UK, said:"Video plays a critical role in this elearning module, helping to inspire new and existing employees at Story Contracting to have pride in their company. Using footage of real life colleagues across the business and a personal message from the boss helps to create a sense of belonging. Music helps to engage learners’ emotions, and the course ends with a smile, as there are some charming video outtakes to finish. "The new induction elearning module is supported with face-to-face sessions and ongoing mentoring for new employees throughout their first six months with the company.Story Contracting also has its own purpose-built training facilities and in-house training programme to help its employees develop their skills, knowledge and expertise.Sponge UK is one of the nation’s leading custom-made elearning companies and is the current gold winner of Outstanding Learning Organisation of the Year (Elearning Awards).The post STORY unveils new chapter in induction elearning appeared first on Sponge UK.

NEWS: Learning leaders will be talking about the action L&D professionals can take to improve business impact during a series of interviews at the CIPD Learning and Development Show (L&D) 2016.Elearning provider, Sponge UK is hosting the sessions in support of the #MakeItHappen campaign organised by research and benchmarking organisation, Towards Maturity.The campaign is aimed at providing practical insights and resources to help L&D professionals focus on one area of action that will help them deliver impact in 2016.Some of the UK’s leading L&D professionals and thought leaders will be sharing their insights on how to turn aspiration into action during the show.Sponge UK is a Towards Maturity Ambassador and works with the independent organisation to promote research, change and good practice across the industry.Louise Pasterfield, Managing Director of Sponge UK, said: "The Make It Happen campaign is all about taking small steps towards a much bigger goal. We thought it would be helpful to hear from some of the people supporting the drive for change. We will be asking them to share some ideas and tips on positive action during this year’s CIPD L&D Show. We hope it will help inspire people to respond to the challenges facing our industry."The CIPD Learning and Development Conference and Exhibition takes place on May 11 and 12 at Olympia, London and brings together learning professionals, experts, practitioners and suppliers.The #MakeItHappen interviews will take place at Sponge UK’s stand 409 in the main exhibition hall and will be shared on social media during and after the event.The guests are:Day One (May 11) Teresa Rose, E.ONPaul Morgan, Telefonica UKJane Hart, Centre for Learning & Performance Technologies Day Two (May 12) Andy Lancaster, CIPDDr Itiel Dror, University College LondonLaura Overton, Towards MaturityA schedule of interview times will be published during the show via @Sponge_UK on Twitter.Towards Maturity will also be launching the 2016 Benchmark Study at the CIPD L&D Show. It is Europe’s largest, most comprehensive independent study of corporate learning. The post Learning leaders share insights on change at CIPD L&D Show appeared first on Sponge UK.

If there was a simple way you could help learners retain more information over long periods of time would you use it? One of the earliest pieces of research into memory and learning identified a technique called spaced practice. It significantly improves the recall of information and it could be the key to achieving better long-term results from your training. What is spaced practice? Hermann Ebbinghaus , a pioneering memory researcher was the first person to document what he called "the forgetting curve" in his 1885 paper Über das Gedächtnis, translated as "On Memory". He observed that the rate of forgetting is highest immediately after learning happens. After only a day, two thirds of the information learned is gone.The original experiments that Ebbinghaus performed were based on remembering nonsense syllables. However, it also works with basic skills like typing as well as remembering facts and processes.By revisiting the learning, you bring the level of recall back to the top of the graph and the rate of forgetting reduces after each visit.The key finding was that if you space the practice of the learning out at longer and longer intervals, the curve eventually flattens out and knowledge is retained more effectively.Further reading: Will Thalheimer offers practical advice (pdf) for introducing the spacing effect to workplace learning Robert Bjork explains the benefits of the practice in this YouTube video This article by Daniel T. Willingham is an accessible and practical discussion of the benefits and potential limitations of the spacing effect in practice. How can it help me?As an L&D professional, you want your learners to retain information because it’s valuable and because they can build on it in the future when developing advanced skills.It’s not going to be a silver bullet that fixes issues or turns around poor performance on its own. The best way to see a real impact from spaced practice is to make small tweaks to your course design and implementation.Any area where skills are going to be used over the long-term will benefit from better knowledge retention. Skills development and sales & product knowledge training are two areas that lend themselves well to spaced practice.You could introduce the technique to induction and training on company culture in order to better reinforce a message.It’s also useful in training for real events that happen rarely but where knowledge retention is key. First aid or fire safety both require specific knowledge that is rarely used in everyday life.Spaced practice will help learners absorb this type of knowledge and have it ready when it’s needed most. How can I put spaced practice into action?Make your training stick by putting the spacing effect to work with these practical steps: Find the key facts and processes Break the key facts down into individual sections Schedule reviews of the small sections Include reviews of key sections in subsequent courses Some of these tasks will already be part of your learning design process. You may already have the building blocks of a good spaced practice approach. An example of a spaced practice for elearningWe’ll show you one way you can put the process into action. We’re going to take a fire safety compliance course and give your learners the benefit of spacing effect. Find the key facts and processes and break them down You identify the following areas that are critical to fire safety training: The fire triangle Precautions to take Fire alarms Evacuation procedure Types of fire Types of fire extinguisher Then you dive deeper into one of the key parts of the course: Types of fire extinguisher. Water Dry powder Foam CO2 You design a series of learning interactions to teach learners when to use each extinguisher. They range from simple multiple-choice questions, to infographics, to learning games featuring the different extinguisher types.You then repeat the process for all the key areas. Schedule reviews of the small sections Now you have the fundamental pieces of training, you can design a learning schedule that incorporates spaced practice. You send out an email to learners who need the fire safety training. Your Learning Management System (LMS) can track when they access and complete the course for the first time.An automated email is sent to each learner 24 hours after they complete the training. A link is provided to a short learning course that reviews the key information from the course.48 hours after the learner has completed their review a new link is sent with another short review of the fire extinguisher types.A week after the initial training, invite learners by email to join a discussion on types of fire extinguishers in the organisations internal chat system. Include reviews of key sections in subsequent courses One month after the training, a new course launches as part of the health and safety programme. Before the course begins, there is a review of the fire safety training including the types of extinguisher and a short assessment.After tracking the assessment, any knowledge gaps are identified and the process can be repeated with the learning interactions adjusted appropriately.That’s one way of using an LMS infrastructure to get the benefit from the spacing effect. Can I apply it to my existing learning?Yes, as long as you have the relevant information available in the right sort of format. Updating your courses to include elements of the spacing effect is also possible.We’ve done some research into learners who use our Launch&Learn LMS and how long they leave between visits. Interval between visits Same day 1 day 2 days 7 days 8-14 days 121-364 days % of learners 70% 20% 10% 3% 11% 11% Around 70% of people return to their courses twice in a day, 20% return the next day, and 10% after 2 days. This drops off until the second week when 11% of people return, falling again until we group together everyone returning after 121 days up to a year which represents 11%.These figures might not be representative of your own employees patterns, but you could do a similar analysis to see how they’re returning to courses using your own LMS.Many learners are already returning at suitably spaced intervals. Tracking of completion and assessment is also already taking place in most LMS’s.With some minor tweaks to your approach, it’s possible to benefit from the spacing effect.There have been entire papers written on why the spaced practice theory hasn’t been put into practice, but there’s no clear reason. The future of elearning is going to offer many more opportunities to get real benefits from learning theories using new technology. Spaced practice will come into its own when automation becomes easy, and that point is getting very close.More and more adaptive learning and personalisation is becoming possible. Mobile devices are more capable and widely used than ever before. Learners are able and willing to access online learning any time. Now is the time to start taking advantage of the possibilities that technology introduces, rather than using the technology for its own sake. The post Spaced practice: The 130 year-old trick for making training memorable appeared first on Sponge UK.

You need to understand how employees learn to improve your performance.It’s one of the four priorities Towards Maturity identifies as part of its #MakeItHappen campaign."Listen and learn how colleagues do their job and how they learn and design for that. That’s what 86% of Top Deck organisations do (versus 30% on average)." By concentrating your efforts on one area that is really getting results for top performing businesses, you can give your own performance a significant boost.Everyone can benefit from taking a closer look at the people who are taking their training.We’re going to offer you practical advice for focusing on how you can better serve your learners and #MakeItHappen.Find out about your learnersHow can you find out how your employees learn best and use that knowledge when you’re designing learning for them?An online survey can be a good way to collect feedback from a lot of learners, but interviews and feedback sessions give a deeper insight.You could use the questions from The Learner Voice survey from Towards Maturity as a starting point.  Comparing your results to the report will give you an insight into how your company fits into the bigger picture.Measuring results is an important part of the feedback process.  You can track learner performance inside the course through a Learning Management System (LMS).Comparing training assessment results to a relevant performance indicator for the business can reveal how effective the learning is.With data on effectiveness and feedback from learners, you can identify the areas to work on that will have the biggest effect.We go into more detail on getting feedback from your learners in our blog post Getting feedback and monitoring results in elearning.With an insight into how your employees learn you’re now able to start applying what you’ve discovered.Universal trendsTo get an idea of the challenges that all learners are facing you can look to surveys like The Learner Voice from Towards Maturity.These trends are common across all age groups, job roles and sectors. They make a good starting point for looking at improving your own training.Collaboration is most valuable - 91% of learners say team collaboration is either essential or very useful for learning what they need for their jobTime is limited - 3 in 5 learners struggle to find time for learningRelevance is critical - 2 in 5 learners can’t find what they need or think that current offerings are not relevant to needThese issues affect a wide range of learners across many sectors and professions.If you dig deeper into the report, there are some counter intuitive results. Both managers and new starters are most likely to access digital training on their way to or from work.Would you have put managers and new starters together when designing your course? It highlights the fact that learners differ and some patterns might not hold true for your business.How to apply learner feedbackUsing the universal trends as examples, here’s how you can start using ideas from inside and outside elearning to improve results.Collaboration is most valuableSocial learning is more than a buzzword, it’s already happening at your organisation. Your employees are likely to find learning from colleagues one of the most important parts of doing their job.You can learn more about starting your social learning journey with these resources:An introduction to social learning3 questions to ask before starting social learningA well bee hived workplace webinar recordingThe best companies know where their learners are already using social learning and support it where they can.Time is limitedYou’re competing with a lot of other tasks for your employees’ time.  In order to get them to take your training you need to make sure it’s more engaging than the alternatives.Demonstrating the specific benefits to them is critical to making them see the value of digital training.One obvious way to reduce time pressure for training is to offer shorter courses. We look at the benefits of breaking down subjects in our post The benefits of micro learning.By splitting the course down into distinct subjects, you allow relevant sections to be accessed individually and repeated at the time of need more easily.Allowing your learners to complete training at their own pace has worked well for many businesses. Giving experienced employees the chance to move quickly through topics they are familiar with whilst not rushing new starters makes sense.Giving learners access to further courses after completing their role specific tasks can also help identify talent.For more tips on making sure your employees have the time to take your training, read our blog post How to find time for elearning.Relevance is critical Your learners need to have relevant training. If they’re not being shown something that can offer them real benefits in their work they’re not interested and won’t perform well.Save yourself and your learner’s time by letting them find the best training for their needs.Not everyone is going to find the same things relevant to their role. This is something that will come out of the research you do before starting the elearning design process.When asked about which social network they used for learning, the learner voice respondents overwhelmingly favoured YouTube.Graphs from the Towards Maturity Learner Voice reportWhy? With over 300 hours of video being added every minute, the information they are seeking is likely to be there. More importantly, they’re able to find it easily and quickly.Once you’ve found a video, you know within a few seconds whether it’s going to be useful for you.When you find a video that is useful it is easy to find more like it. You can subscribe to the creator of the video, watch the next video in the series or choose from a list of suggested videos with one click.All of these options are available through one account on desktop, mobile or even your TV.Think about how your elearning catalogue could be accessed like this.Anyone whose first thought is to head to YouTube for an instructional video will benefit from a searchable index of courses tailored for them on your Learning Management System (LMS).You can create playlists, suggest another course or section, or make a channel for videos that are relevant to a certain role. Any way you can make it easier to find the content that’s needed will help.Alternatively you can go where the learners are.If your staff are using YouTube then put your training on YouTube.  It doesn’t have to be a full course, just the sections that are most relevant to those learners.Norfolk County Council used this technique to make training videos on lifting and handling available to their employees when they needed them.Custom elearning - the ultimate personalisationOne thing we can take from huge content aggregators like YouTube is the move towards creating their own content. With their knowledge of their audience and existing content, they are in a good position to offer engaging entertainment.Even with a huge catalogue of user or studio-generated content at their disposal there is still a need to cater to their customers with custom programming.Services like YouTube, Amazon Video and Netflix have all started to offer original programming. It’s this tailored content that many people see as the future of streaming video.These are the steps taken by good bespoke elearning providers when they create digital learning. They analyse the existing content and the audience to ensure the digital learning is the best possible match.With bespoke elearning you’re getting a targeted, relevant course for the employees that need it most.The post Your learners are telling you how to improve, are you listening? appeared first on Sponge UK.

Julian Stodd is an author, speaker and popular blogger who accompanies his insights into social learning and theory with thoughtful illustrations. His blog has gained a large following thanks to the accessible way he introduces concepts through everyday events. We’d recommend subscribing to the frequently updated blog at julianstodd.wordpress.com. You can also follow Julian on Twitter at @julianstodd and find out more about Julian’s consulting at seasaltlearning.com. The questions and their times are provided so you can skip back and forth to learn more on a specific subject: 00:45 - What does learning in the Social Age look and feel like for the people at the sharp end, that is the learners? 01:54 - What’s the role of L&D in supporting social learning? 03:27 - What’s the single most important thing you can do to support social learning in your own organisation? 04:44 - Where do organisations go wrong with social learning? 06:10 - What is the role of technology in social learning? 09:07 - Where does curation fit into social learning? Ways to listen to the Sponge UK elearning podcast The full interview is available to listen to using the player above, you can stream the audio directly to your computer or mobile device. Download the mp3 file using this direct link: SpongeUKPodcastEpisode006-JulianStodd.mp3 (11:31, 3.9MB) Subscribe to the Sponge UK elearning podcast to get the latest episodes automatically. Subscribe in iTunes Subscribe using the RSS feed Join us in two weeks for the next episode of the Sponge UK elearning podcast.The post Julian Stodd - Sponge UK Elearning Podcast appeared first on Sponge UK.

NEWS: An expert industry panel will discuss how to equip L&D for the future during a special online event this month.Laura Overton, founder and CEO of Towards Maturity, Simon Poole-Anderson, Global Learning Technologies Consultant with optical and hearing business, Specsavers and Louise Pasterfield, Managing Director of elearning provider, Sponge UK will be taking part in the Google Hangout on Thursday, May 19 from 12.30-13.30pm (BST).The Hangout follows the launch of the 2016 Towards Maturity Benchmark Study, which aims to provide L&D professionals with the evidence they need to modernise learning to meet the challenges of a changing workforce.The topics covered by the panel will include how the role of L&D is evolving, ideas for transforming learning, tips for taking action and the role of benchmarking in improving performance.Louise Pasterfield, Sponge UK, said:"There are huge demands on L&D teams and they have incredibly high aspirations about what they want to achieve. Adopting new ideas and strategies, as well as making the best use of technology, can help deliver the impact organisations are seeking. With the CIPD L&D Show providing inspiration and this year’s Benchmark Study being launched, it is a good moment to focus on the future. I’m hoping the Hangout will generate some useful discussion and practical ideas for action." People are invited to ask the panel questions or join the discussion on Twitter using the hashtag #SpongeHangout.Simon Poole-Anderson, Specsavers, said:"L&D needs to further harness the products and devices we engage with outside of work. Aligning aspirations of corporate learning to the quality of our digital experiences outside is key to raising the bar. Research-based initiatives, such as the Towards Maturity Benchmarking provides L&D with robust rationale to inform new strategies for effectively developing our people."The Google Hangout, Equipping L&D for the Future is available via Google+ https://plus.google.com/events/ceutaanntk82o8ms3ikg2mcdg2g or YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiVKM5SZZxA.The event has been organised by Sponge UK, the incumbent winner of Outstanding Learning Organisation of the Year (Elearning Awards) and a Towards Maturity Ambassador.The post Expert panel joins debate on future for L&D appeared first on Sponge UK.

The future of the Learning and Development industry was the hop topic at this year’s CIPD L&D Show at Olympia London.People from across the industry joined the discussion on how to keep pace with the changing world of work. We interviewed seven leading figures at the event about ways to achieve change, as part of Towards Maturity’s #MakeItHappen campaign. The initiative is about focusing on one key area of action in 2016. "L&D could become extinct" Teresa Rose, Product Expert in Digital Learning for the energy company, E.On kicked off the discussion by defining modern learners and how we need to respond to their changing needs: "Everyone starts with a solution without understanding what the problem is"Paul Morgan from Telefonica UK (O2) helps you understand the skills L&D professionals need to improve their learners’ experience. "For too many people the mindset is that learning equals training" Leading learning expert, Jane Hart from the Centre for Learning and Performance Technologies explains why L&D needs to be aware that learning is happening all the time in many different ways. "Become a modern learner yourself" Andy Lancaster, Head of Learning and Development Content at the CIPD talks about the shift in L&D and how, as learning professionals, we need to change the way we learn. "Mistakes are the greatest learning opportunity to utilise" Dr Itiel Dror from University College London talks about using cognitive neuroscience can help to maximise learning. He runs through the basics of using a cognitive-informed approach and explains why failure is so important in learning. "Look at how learners learn in their personal lives" Mike Booth, Learning Technologies Manager at Vodafone shares his tips on how to better understand learners and design learning experiences to meet their needs. "Change only happens when we take action" Laura Overton, founder and CEO of Towards Maturity concluded the #MakeItHappen interviews at the CIPD L&D Show 2016. She explains how the Towards Maturity Benchmark can help you identify the change that is right for you. To hear more #MakeItHappen interviews visit our YouTube channel. You can join the #MakeIHappen campaign and analyse your learning approach as part of a free benchmark study at www.towardsmaturity.org The post 7 video insights from the CIPD L&D Show appeared first on Sponge UK.

Chuck Lorenz is an elearning developer who contributes to the Adapt learning project. We spoke to him to find out why it’s one of the most talked about new elearning authoring technologies. If you’re not familiar with Adapt it’s a set of free, open source tools that allow anyone to create responsive elearning content. It means you can create one course that can be accessed on any type of device with a modern web browser whether you have programming experience or not. You can find lots more information and examples of projects built in Adapt at adaptlearning.org. Chuck has recently been given a place in the Adapt steering group so we thought it would be a good time to catch up with him to get the perspective of an independent contributor. "I like beautiful things, I like to help people, I like education, I like technology and that all fits together with Adapt" Hopefully this podcast will inspire you to check out how Adapt could work for you and how you might be able to contribute to the project yourself in the future. The questions and their times are provided so you can skip back and forth to learn more on a specific subject: 01:08 - As someone based in the US how do you find working on a project with many team members based in the UK? 01:53 - What’s your background in developing digital learning? 02:34 - How did you first hear about Adapt? 03:25 - When did you first encounter Adapt? 03:38 - Are there any alternative open source authoring tools out there? 03:56 - Do you see the demand for responsive learning content increasing in the future? 05:52 - What was the first thing that struck you about the Adapt project? 07:12 - Where have you contributed the most to the Adapt project? 08:38 - Do you have any advice for developers who want to contribute to the Adapt project? 11:00 - Can you explain what accessibility means in terms of the Adapt project? 12:26 - Is there anything in particular that you’re looking forward to in the Adapt project? Ways to listen to the Sponge UK elearning podcast The full interview is available to listen to using the player above, you can stream the audio directly to your computer or mobile device. Download the mp3 file using this direct link: SpongeUKPodcastEpisode007-ChuckLorenz.mp3 (13:59, 4.8MB) Subscribe to the Sponge UK elearning podcast to get the latest episodes automatically. Subscribe in iTunes Subscribe using the RSS feed Join us in two weeks for the next episode of the Sponge UK elearning podcast.The post Chuck Lorenz on Adapt - Sponge UK Elearning Podcast appeared first on Sponge UK.

Learning management systems (LMS) are evolving.  It’s time to rethink how they can work for you.Your LMS is how your learners interact with your learning. It’s the best chance you have to get them interested, measure their progress and engage with them in their personal development.Let’s look at some of the ways you can shift your perspective on your LMS and see how it can benefit your employees.Spend time on your LMSOn average it takes over 6 months for a company to choose and deploy an LMS. This setup period is just the start of administering the platform.Don’t panic though, once you know what you need, a modern cloud-based LMS can be set up quickly and easily.Administering a modern LMS is as easy as using any other web application, like Evernote or Google Docs. Taking the time to learn the features allows you to build a more useful platform for your learners.It won’t be effective if you take it for granted, but you’ll get great results if you invest time and effort into learning how it works.The more you put into the LMS the more your learners will get out. Many of your everyday tasks can be automated or made much easier by the LMS, leaving you more time to focus on your learners.Automate the right thingsThere are some tasks that are best handled by the system. Automate what you can, but don’t forget the human touch.Crunching numbers for reports is something that can be set up and forgotten. Once your reports are generated, it’s important to relate them back to individual learners and courses.Check in personally with learners who are highlighted as performing above or below expectations. This follow-up can be part of the normal review process of a company.Reminders for refresher courses can be sent out automatically at intervals depending on when a learner has completed a course. Useful for keeping employees up to date on compliance training.Giving learners access to different courses based on completion of others is possible in most LMSs but you should consider opening up what you have for all employees.Popular language learning application DuoLingo does this well by allowing you to take a test to open sections of courses that would normally have to be completed linearly.Once the courses are open you can revisit them anytime and review your knowledge, perfect for ‘just in time learning’ and taking advantage of spaced practice.By allowing automatic access to advanced courses some retailers have been able to help identify talented employees who seek out the extra knowledge outside their current role.Give your learners what they’re used toUser experience (UX) will have a big impact on how your LMS is used. Before you commit to an LMS you should make sure it’s suitable for your audience or can be customised appropriately for your needs.One of Jakob Nielsen’s 10 principles for user interface design is consistency.  Make your LMS work in a familiar way to your learners by following conventions set by the websites they use most.Alexa is a ranking website that tracks traffic to any popular website. They publish a list of the most visited websites on the web. This is a good place to start to see how your learners use the sites they visit most.Google.comYouTube.comFacebookcomBaidu.comYahoo.comOf the top 5 visited websites in the world, two are search engines and three are social platforms or portals.Why do people visit these sites so much? To find the information they need and to see what’s new in their circle of contacts.It’s no surprise that LMSs are evolving into a combination of these types of websites.  People need to be able to find training that’s relevant to them when they need it.Think of your LMS as a window to a shop that contains all the content that a learner could need to do their job better. Picking out the items that will bring your employees in through the door is a very important part of the process.Your elearning courses are a part of that content, but they’re not necessarily the main part. Study the front pages of popular websites and you’ll find prominent search boxes, the latest highlights and personalised content.Introduce these elements to your LMS to make sure your learners see what they expect from a useful online platform. No one wants to have to learn how a system works to get the most out of it, so make it easier for everyone by making it work in a familiar way.Host more than digital learningA modern LMS should be a hub for your learners - the first places they look for information on improving their skills and knowledge.There’s one thing all huge websites have in common - they don’t leave the most important curation choices down to a machine.Even with the advances in artificial intelligence and algorithm-based tools like chatbots, there’s a need for manual updates by a skilled person.Take a cue from Facebook’s trending news team. They work to make sure the most relevant stories are pushed to the most visible part of the site.Make sure there’s fresh content for your learners to see when they log in to the LMS. Think about how a marketing approach could help, getting eyeballs onto the page is one of the biggest tasks you have.Research from Towards Maturity shows that employees use sites like YouTube to find training materials.Why not integrate YouTube links into the LMS?Ask for suggestions or submissions from other learners who have taken the training or have relevant experience. They could even create their own video content and upload it to your LMS.Your LMS is competing with all these sites and more to get your learners’ attention. The more useful you can make it, the more likely they are to return to it again and again when they want to develop their skills.Get socialWe know that learners value advice and help from colleagues above any other form of on the job training. You can help to make that happen by integrating social elements into your LMS.One of the popular ways to encourage learning from colleagues is based on the theory of communities of practice. Etienne Wenger describes communities of practice as "groups of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly."And the perfect place for a community to grow is within your LMS. One of the easiest ways to get learners talking about your courses is to integrate existing platforms that they’re using.Your LMS can be the place this community is based. Create a forum within the LMS itself or integrate an existing communication platform like Slack or Yammer and you have a ready-made community.Pull in the latest posts from the forum or relevant chat groups to the front page of your LMS to bring attention to how people are using these services.Karen O’Leonard spells it out in The changing social learning landscape - Why you need a social LMS by Bersin:"By implementing a social LMS, social learning can be carried out right alongside core learning strategies."For more tips on introducing social learning to your L&D strategy listen to our podcast interview with expert, Julian Stodd.Your LMS should be the delivery tool for all your digital training. Spend time making sure there’s a clear route to the learning content that employees need.A great LMS requires time and effort to get right. Every day more content appears that is useful to your learners, so make sure you’re providing them access to the best content you can.The post 5 ways to make your LMS work for you appeared first on Sponge UK.

Having an understanding of research and evidence is essential for effective learning design.Cognitive science (often called brain science) is an exciting field of study that covers many disciplines.More and more L&D professionals are using this scientific-based research to inform their thinking but it can be hard to stay on top of new theories.We’ve curated a list of ten ‘brain science experts’ for learning, including neuroscientists, psychologists and learning leaders who reference research-backed techniques.Whether you’re starting out with brain science or updating your current list of ‘go-to’ gurus, this list has something for everyone.Dr Itiel DrorSenior Cognitive Neuroscience Researcher at University College London, Dr Itiel Dror’s research has featured in The Economist and the journal, Nature.He’s also presented at major learning events, offering an insight into the practical applications of cognitive neuroscience research.Follow for: Practical applications of cognitive theories for L&D.Read: Training Induces Cognitive BiasWatch: Itiel Dror - Learning and The Mind : Learning Technologies 2013Engage: cci-hq.com/contactNigel Paine20 years in L&D gives Nigel Paine the experience to apply the lessons of neuroscience to learning and development in a practical way.His 2014 book, The Learning Challenge includes a section on neuroscience and learning which addresses many recent studies and how they relate to L&D.Follow for: An L&D perspective on cognitive neuroscience.Read: The Learning ChallengeWatch: Nigel Paine at eLearnz 2015Engage: @ebaseProfessor Uta FrithYou may recognise Professor Uta Frith from BBC Horizon shows about autism and OCD. She also writes about general research into neuroscience in education.Follow for: Insights from a pioneering researcher into the way the brain works.Read: Implications of Recent Developments in Neuroscience for Research on Teaching and LearningWatch: Understanding unconscious biasEngage: @utafrithK. Anders EricssonOne of the foremost researchers on expertise, K. Anders Ericsson is Professor of Psychology at Florida State University.For over 20 years, he’s been publishing on memory and skills learning, and his research has inspired bestsellers like Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers.He’s recently released his own book which includes explanations of the research and tips on how to stand out at work.Follow for: Diving deeper into expertise and performance.Read: Peak: Secrets from the New Science of ExpertiseListen: Freakonomics podcast: How to Become Great at Just About AnythingJohn MedinaA bestselling author and brain scientist who explains why "we don’t know how the brain works".He has a great ability to cut through myths and present the real, peer-reviewed, research that could make a difference to how you approach learning.Follow for: A broad overview of brain science, backed up with research.Read: Brain rulesWatch: How does the brain work?Engage: @BrainRulesBooksJulie DirksenAuthor of the must-read for book Design For How People Learn, Julie Dirksen often references brain science in her writing and speaking.If you’re a learning designer who wants tips on incorporating learning research into your courses, this is a great place to start.Follow for: Accessible tips for learning designers based on scientific research into learning.Read: Design for how people learn - second editionWatch: Julie Dirksen: Designing for how people learnEngage: @usablelearningDaniel PinkSometimes we want someone to take scientific research and wrap it in an accessible package. That’s what Daniel Pink’s book Drive did for research on motivation in the workplace.Daniel Pink keeps up with social media and regularly makes new resources available on his website.Even if you’ve already read the book, be sure to check out his latest content too.Follow for: Popular books based on relevant research.Read: Drive - The Surprising Truth About What Motivates UsWatch: RSA ANIMATE: Drive: The surprising truth about what motivates usEngage: @DanielPinkDaniel WillinghamProfessor of Psychology at the University of Virginia, Daniel Willingham has written several books that L&D will find inspirational.Daniel’s books are mostly education- based, highlighting how teachers and parents can improve children’s learning performance. L&D teams who deal with adult learners can also learn a lot from his work.Follow for: Readable books which highlight relevant brain science.Read: When educational neuroscience works! The case of reading disabilityWatch: Is Teaching an Art or a Science?Engage: @DTWillinghamAdele DiamondThings like creativity, flexibility and thinking ‘outside the box’ are Adele Diamond’s speciality.Much of her work is focused on learning in children but there are many aspects that can be applied to elearning at work.Follow for: A different perspective on how children and adults can improve the building blocks of learning and development.Read: Conclusions about interventions, programs, and approaches for improving executive functions that appear justified and those that, despite much hype, do notWatch: TEDx - Turning some ideas on their headEngage: @DrAdeleDiamondTom StaffordWhen not lecturing in psychology and cognitive science at the University of Sheffield, Tom Stafford is a contributing author on the popular Mindhacks blog. His writing also appears on the BBC website and in The Guardian.He has a very accessible writing style and often covers areas which will be useful for L&D teams  who want to apply neuroscience.Follow for: An accessible overview of brain science with focus on learning and memory.Read: The science of learning: five classic studiesListen:  Why how you practice affects how good you’ll getEngage: @tomstaffordWe’d love to know if you find this list useful and who you turn to for quality information and expertise on brain science topics. If there is anyone you think we should include on the list, let us know via @Sponge_UK on Twitter.The post Brain science for learning: 10 experts to follow appeared first on Sponge UK.

David Wilson is the CEO of Fosway Group, an independent researcher into Human Resources and learning in business.With 20 years of research behind him, David Wilson has a unique perspective on how technology can be used to help learners in business.Listen to hear about the trends that have been revealed over the years of Fosway Group research and where L&D teams can improve the way they work with technology.You can follow David on Twitter at @dwil23 and find out more about the work that The Fosway Group does on fosway.com.The questions and their times are provided so you can skip back and forth to learn more on a specific subject: 00:37 - What’s your background and approach to elearning? 01:11 - Tell us about The Fosway Group and the research that you carry out? 04:20 - Is there a gap between what people say they’re doing or what they aspire to do and what they’re doing in practice? 07:22 - What are the recurring trends and new things that you’re seeing in your research? 11:03 - What are the encouraging signs coming out of your research? 15:28 - How do you think things are going to evolve over the next few years? Ways to listen to the Sponge UK elearning podcastThe full interview is available to listen to using the player above, you can stream the audio directly to your computer or mobile device.Download the mp3 file using this direct link: SpongeUKPodcastEpisode008-DavidWilson.mp3 (18:58, 6.5MB)Subscribe to the Sponge UK elearning podcast to get the latest episodes automatically. Subscribe in iTunes Subscribe using the RSS feed Join us in two weeks for the next episode of the Sponge UK elearning podcast.The post David Wilson CEO of Fosway Group - Sponge UK elearning podcast appeared first on Sponge UK.

NEWS: The benefits of combining technology, games and face-to-face training to enhance business simulations will be explored at the Learning Technologies 2016 Summer Forum.Multi-award winning learning provider, Sponge UK will be presenting a free seminar at the exhibition based on its work with pharmaceutical company, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK).The session will offer ideas for giving ‘traditional’ business simulations a new twist by using a blended approach that reinforces learning and helps employees develop their skills in a realistic environment.Seminar host, Kate Nicholls, Head of Innovation at Sponge UK, said:"Simulations can be particularly effective in boosting learning retention because they allow people to practice in a safe environment, but they must deliver an authentic experience that rings true with your employees. This seminar will look at ways to exploit immersive environments by combining tech, game mechanics and the best of face-to-face. Plus, we’ll reveal how GSK is achieving success with a simulation that helps its employees understand the bigger picture of running a global business."During the seminar, exhibition attendees will learn about:The value of simulationsWhen simulations can be effectiveHow to create an authentic scenarioHow to build in game elementsHow to facilitate technology-enabled simulationsTips for project successFeedback from the GSK exampleLearning Technologies Summer Forum takes place at Olympia, London on Tuesday, June 14. The session, called Realism without risk: Using business simulations to boost performance, takes place in Theatre 2 from 12.45-13.15pm. The Summer Forum is free to attend by registration for L&D professionals in a current L&D role and involved in any aspect of organisational learning and learning technology.Sponge UK is a gold winner of Elearning Development Company of the Year and Outstanding Learning Organisation of the Year at The Elearning Awards, now known as The Learning Technologies Awards. The company is exhibiting at the Summer Forum at Stand 11.The post New twist on business simulations at LT Summer Forum appeared first on Sponge UK.

What should you do when employees want to develop their skills but they can’t find the training they need?61% of L&D leaders do not have a clear communications policy, according to a Towards Maturity report on consumer learners. It’s no surprise that 40% of learners say they can’t find training that’s relevant to them.If you’ve spent time developing and curating content that is perfect for your learners, you need a plan to make sure they can find it.We’re going to explore some key tactics that will get your training noticed.Plan a campaignA campaign is a series of coordinated actions through different channels that promote your training. Taking your time to plan your approach is crucial to getting the best result.We’re going to offer some general tips on creating an effective campaign and finish by giving you an Elearning Communications Plan Template so you can develop your own plan.Download the Elearning Communications Plan TemplateA communications plan gives you the blueprint for all the marketing actions you’re going to take. Using our template you can identify the best way to get your digital training course out to the people who need it.When you’re filling in your own plan read about some of the other companies who have used the campaign approach successfully to market their online training.Identify your audienceThe audience for your campaign isn’t just the learner who will be taking the training. In many cases you will want to target the line managers of the learners as one of the key stakeholders."81% of all staff say that manager support is essential/very useful for learning what they need for their job" - Towards MaturityThe more compelling you can make the message, the more chance there is of it being passed on.Think about how the training is going to benefit the person you’re targeting.Store managers at a frozen food business were able to identify talented staff who were likely to want to pursue a long term career by analysing their performance in an induction course.  Providing managers with the information they need to better develop their team is a benefit which isn’t obvious unless it’s highlighted by L&D.By explaining the benefits for the line managers, as well as the learners who they interact with, you increase the impact of your message.With different audiences you need to take different approaches, so it’s important to set out your messages and channels for each audience.Make it consistentYour business probably has a brand style guide, a document that tells your marketing and design teams how to portray your brand to your audience.What you might not have is a training style guide, explaining how the brands values should be communicated to your own learners.The two documents may be closely related visually, but the tone of voice and language used when training internal staff will be different to content aimed at potential clients or customers.Creating a style guide for your learning and the campaign around it will help keep your message consistent. Making sure the same style is carried through your training content and your communications around it means learners are familiar with the course before they take it.When Mothercare wanted to introduce a new range of compliance modules they incorporated the illustrative style of the content into print posters. The posters were placed where employees would see them and acted as an introduction to the theme and style of the courses.Create a micro siteAnything you can do to make it easier for a learner to access the training will help. Put yourself in their shoes and think about the user experience they go through when finding and taking a course.Is there anything you can do to improve this process for your learners?Micro sites offer a great way to drive people to your content without bogging them down in a wider Learning Management System (LMS).The Tesco Learning Leap micro site helped drive 4000 learners to complete compliance training in 6 weeks.Whenever you need learners to complete a specific piece of training consider a micro site. When built into a wider campaign to ensure learners can find and access the site, it’s a valuable tool for L&D teams.Use a variety of channelsThe best marketing campaigns include user-generated content to inform and add value to the original message.Getting your learners involved with the campaign could be as simple as making it easy for them to share their own results or opinion on the training with colleagues.You could include a forum or social space inside your own LMS and encourage learners to take part in a discussion about the training there. The Launch&Learn LMS has a forum add-on that can act as a social hub for your employees.Alternatively, L&D can use existing social platforms like YouTube or LinkedIn to help complement the training and drive more learners to it.If you get in front of your employees on the channels they are already using you can present them with a shortcut to the course content.If you can identify influential colleagues who already use these platforms, you can include them in the design of the campaign to make sure it’s appealing to learners on that channel.Make it easy for everyoneSome people are going to miss your campaign, however much you try.  Remote working, annual leave, sabbaticals, they can all mean that employees miss your promotional efforts.There are also learners who will want to take the training in their own time, at their own pace. On demand has become a part of consuming content be it television, movies, music or training.Whatever methods you use to promote your digital training make sure it’s available when the learner wants to take it, wherever they are.Using a multi-device approach helps, but ensuring it can be found on your learning platform is just as important. Some systems allow you to add metadata to your course or highlight it to learners within the platform in other ways.Investigate the options available in your LMS for making the training stand out for people who haven’t been exposed to your campaign.Always remember that everyone is different and one approach will never work perfectly for everyone. Finding the best compromise of appealing to a wide audience and a personalised approach is one of the hardest aspects of marketing your elearning.Your six tips for marketing your elearning project are:Plan a campaignIdentify your audienceMake it consistentCreate a micro siteUse a variety of channelsMake it easy for everyonePut the theory into practice with our downloadable communications plan, an easy to use tool for planning how to market your digital training.Download the Elearning Communications Plan TemplateThe post Reach more learners - 6 ideas for marketing your training appeared first on Sponge UK.

A new report is giving fresh insight into workplace learning in the retail sector. You may find it challenges your assumptions about training in retail. We’ve picked out some key facts that shed light on what’s working for retailers and what’s not. Towards Maturity’s Sector Benchmark Report, Embracing Change in Retail Businesses looks at the learning practices of 40 retail organisations. More than half are multi-nationals. The study examines their tactics and approaches to Learning and Development (L&D). The report reveals how retailers are doing compared to the average performance in other sectors. Retailers are also benchmarked against the organisations achieving the best results. They are the Top Deck. No retail business makes it into this upper 10% of consistently high-performers. Why is that? We’ll be looking at what’s holding retail back and where the sector is making encouraging strides in performance. Investment in skills When was the last time your training budget went up? Financial pressure is a way of life for most learning professionals. Some of you won’t have seen resources increase for several years. But the Towards Maturity report shows a different story in the retail sector. Forty-seven percent of retail businesses have increased their budget in the last two years. The same number plan to make a further increase in the next two years. This compares with just 38% across all sectors. Almost 80% of businesses are using budgets to increase technology-enabled learning. Learning teams are also growing more rapidly in retail than in any other sector.Retailers are expanding their learning teams twice as fast as the top performing organisations. This is mainly in content development and instructional design. Retailers offer a wide and impressive range of skills training. The sector is on a par with the Top Deck in offering induction and leadership training.Retailers lead the board in providing customer handling and Health and Safety training. The level of commitment and investment in training by retailers is encouraging. It bodes well for the future of the sector. But the report warns that retailers need to use their resources innovatively to achieve the benefits they seek. Developing Millennials Millennials are important to retailers, not just as customers but as employees. A study by PayScale shows that the most common job for Millennials in the USA is retail work. This group (aged between 19 and 30) is five times more likely to be working in retail than any other. The report reveals that retailers want to focus on Millennials in their learning strategy. Sixty-five percent of retail businesses said ‘strengthening training appeal for Millennials’ is a key driver of their L&D strategy. This compares to an average of 56% across sectors. Most retailers recognise the importance of mobile for Millennials. So it’s no surprise that 87% want to allow their learners to use their own devices for learning. Only 31% of retailers are achieving this goal but that’s still above average. Retail is moving in the right direction in trying to change strategy to meet the needs of a target audience. MOBILE MILLENNIALS:Find out how sports clothing retailer, Sports Direct is using mobile in its induction programme. Bottom line impact In a competitive sector like retail, delivering value and bottom line impact is fundamental. The Towards Maturity report offers some encouraging data in this area. "Technology-enabled learning is making a significant contribution to the business bottom line where measures can be attributed to specific learning interventions." Retail is performing above average in some Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). The sector stands out compared to others in the following: Improvement in ability to change procedures and projectsStaff satisfaction and engagementTime to competenceBut there are also some areas of concern. Only 9% of retailers are achieving business cost reductions from learning activities. Just 2% are seeing a drop in staff turnover. Completion rates Many organisations are now using technology in compliance. Did you know that retailers are leading the way in moving Health and Safety training online? The sector exceeds any other, with 71% offering e-enabled Health and Safety skills. Most retailers are also offering industry-specific mandatory training online. But retailers are reporting lower than average completion rates. The gap is more than 10% compared to other sectors. Employees in retail either see little value in improving their skills or lack the motivation and encouragement to do so, says the report. COMPLIANCE CAMPAIGN:Find out how Tesco used a campaign approach to help 4,000 learners complete compliance training in just four weeks. Learner choice Retailers are offering a wide choice of training topics but poor flexibility. Learners can get support on a wide range of skills - more so than any other industry. But the options on how, when and where staff can access training are limited. Retailers need to do more to make learning convenient for workers. They are lagging behind in giving learners clear information about opportunities. Employees in other sectors are twice as likely to have an appraisal discussion about their development. Incredibly, no L&D professionals in retail think their learners have the skills to manage their own learning. Are retail businesses out of touch with their learners? Social learning It’s a mixed picture for retail when it comes to social learning. There’s clearly thought and investment going into supporting social and informal learning. Over 50% are using in-house social media platforms to support learning. Forty percent are using externals sites like YouTube and Twitter. Thirty-two percent of L&D managers in retail said they influence their organisation’s social media policy - that outperforms the Top Deck. But is there resistance to social learning in some retail organisations? Only 4% of senior managers are encouraging it, according to the report. Just 15% of retailers understand how learners are using social media to share ideas outside of L&D. SOCIAL AGE: Find out more about social learning in the modern workplace in this podcast with award-winning social learning expert, Julian Stodd. In summary, we’ve highlighting six findings in the Toward Maturity report. They all reveal some interesting data on the state of workplace learning in the retail sector: Investment in skillsDeveloping MillennialsBottom line impactCompletion ratesLearner choiceSocial learning There’s plenty more in the study to help shed light on the learning challenges in the retail sector.Visit www.towardsmaturity.org to download the full report. To review, compare and improve your own learning strategy, join the Towards Maturity Benchmark Study, which is free until July 15, 2016. The post What are retailers getting right (and wrong) in workplace learning? appeared first on Sponge UK.

Will 2016 be the year that MOOCs replace LMSs? https://t.co/iPQHwpc6qX