There are some words that it is not good to use in polite conversation; the F-word and the S-word for example, are generally best avoided. In Learning and Development we also have the G-word, by which I mean "gamification". The unrestrained use of this term tends to provoke strong reactions: "Games? My kids play games. I’m an adult and learning is a serious business." "What can a game teach me? Just tell me what I need to know!" Gamification (like ‘social learning’) is a term I tend to avoid unless the other party uses it first. The reason is that it leads to the common misconception of "So you want to make a game?" Gamification is simply the application of gaming techniques to encourage people to adopt certain behaviours. We don’t have flip-top heads. We can’t absorb large quantities or information. We commit things to memory that have great meaning for us, or that we repeat multiple times. Any approach that encourages a user to repeat and reinforce the right behaviour is a good thing and many game techniques mimic the way we as humans naturally learn - through trial and error; We try something - we get an outcome. We try again, adjusting our approach - we get a different outcome. We repeat and adjust until we achieve the outcome we desire. Here are some examples of how we’ve used concepts from games in our work: Rewarding people for completing their profiles. Recognising their effort or success with a badge. Giving people a sense of progress towards a goal (and no, a progress indicator Page 23 of 231 doesn’t count!). Rewarding the right behaviours or decisions with points. Reducing the score for multiple attempts. Having users indicate their confidence in their answer and this acting as a multiplier to their score. Tasks that must be completed against the clock. Tasks that encourage repetition. Making assessments visual and competitive. Having different outcomes depending on the decisions made. These examples come from many projects but very seldom have we explicitly discussed the idea of games. Game techniques, as with social learning functionality, should be designed in to the solution only where they help the user achieve what they, or you, want them to achieve. On your current project consider the behaviours you would like people to adopt. How big or complicated a change is it for them to make? What might motivate the users to make that change? Are there any techniques from games that might encourage them to do so? The black listing of the G-word may be changing. Recently we’ve been approached a number of organisations who, much to our blushes, confidently and repeatedly use the G-word. This is very refreshing and I hope a change across our industry.

This month we bid a fond farewell to our much cherished and long-running Rapid eLearning Development (ReD) course. Back in mid-2009 the concept of a fictional Ministry of Instructional Design with a secret mission became an itch that I had to scratch. It consumed me and I loved it. Jane Hart, Clive Shepherd and Patrick Dunn all helped to shape ReD in the early stages. It included eccentric characters (a hell-raising brain in a jar and a thespian pirate, amongst others), 3D games in tombs and deserts, collaborative mindmaps, videos, rapid elearning, interactive webinars and more, all accessed from a social network. It was ahead of it’s time and also a heap of work - eight assignments over 12 weeks, if you did everything! Over the years we’ve had hundreds of people from all over the globe pass through the (virtual) doors of the Ministry of ID, many of whom keep in contact. On several occasions people have come up to me at a conference or event who are ReD Alumni.   Screen Shot from the MID Network which hosted the ReD Course   So why did we retire ReD? Technology has moved on and so has my thinking on design. Plus I wanted to develop another open course (or two) in a goal-based learning format. ReD will eventually have two children; Digital Learning Design (DLD) and Digital Learning Production (DLP). In Digital Learning Design I want to cover the strategic design of a learning or performance solution - essentially, what I do when we’re commissioned to undertake a project. My ideas are beginning to crystallise and as I analyse what I do it’s part process and part art. Too much process and you squeeze the creativity out of a solution, too much art and nothing ever gets built. Strike the right balance and you design something exceptional. This is where I want to help people get to. We offer courses for free as a way to get our name out there and to upskill and enthuse the elearning community for the greater good, particularly those who are new to it. We’d much rather create something of genuine use to people rather than spend a load of money on Google ads or exhibitions. However, the trouble with things that are free is that people don’t value them. Subsequently a lot of people sign-up but then don’t complete the course. We’re toying with the idea of charging a small fee, 100% of which would go to a selected charity. That way, participants will be more committed, plus they get to feel good about giving to charity. You can sign up for the Digital Learning Design course by emailing info@learningagesolutions.com

By Tess Robinson, Director, LearningAge Solutions My favourite teacher from my high school days, Mr ‘Geography’ Jones, died recently. I remember his enthusiastic and, at times dramatic teaching style as if it were yesterday. He brought Geography alive for us and his theatrical demonstrations of a glacier powering through a valley have stayed with all of us - we will forever know our terminal from our lateral moraine. I’ve pondered on what made him such a great teacher and after watching a TED talk by self-styled Education Pioneer, Christopher Emdin, recently, have come to the conclusion that it was the magic that he injected into lessons. He employed subtle but effective techniques to keep us awake, listening and most importantly engaged. He made us feel excited about Geography - no mean feat when dealing with a bunch of teenagers. Christopher Emdin argues that educators are not taught to ‘perform’ in a way that will really engage their audience. Instead, he suggests that they should learn from watching hip hop or going to, what he terms, a ‘black church’. The magic for him is all about body language, inflection and participation. It’s certainly true that many of the most memorable performances I have seen have, the ones you could truly call magical, have not been in school or in a training session, but when some of the techniques Christopher mentions are employed in those settings, they can be very powerful and can stay with you for 20 years or more. What has all this got to do with digital learning? Clearly, with digital learning you rarely have a ‘trainer’ or ‘teacher’ standing in front of an audience, unless you are doing something like a webinar, so how can we inject the magic into online learning? It is worth investing in beautiful graphics. As humans we are a superficial bunch and we will automatically make assumptions about content as a result of how it looks. A well designed piece that looks fantastic and resonates well with the audience will automatically be better received. Be playful. There’s nothing wrong with a bit of fun. Fun can be extremely memorable. Mr Jones once delivered a whole lesson on how they were breeding multi-coloured sheep in New Zealand without any of us batting an eyelid. He even had photos and graphics. His (very well made) point was to encourage us to question things, to develop critical thinking and not to take things at face value. Encourage participation. This might be through networks, wikis, peer support or through asking questions or contributing ideas during a webinar. It’s the equivalent to Christopher Emdin’s preacher asking for an ‘Amen’ now and then in terms of waking the audience up. It also has the added benefit of making them feel that their opinions are valued and that they have something worthwhile to contribute. Mix up the learning. For example, have your high impact ‘arm-waving’ scenario-based learning but combine it with the ‘hushed voice’ of resources. Include the WOW factor. Don’t be afraid of being creative with your learning design. As long as you include users from the beginning and make sure you build user testing into your project plan, you can ensure that it will be well received.

by Tess Robinson, Director, LAS These days it’s widely accepted that learners don’t really learn much from just sitting passively in front of a screen. It’s all too easy to switch off whilst you’re supposed to be concentrating on what’s in front of you if you’re not required to be an active participant, I’m certainly guilty of popping off to make a cup of tea or feed the cat in the middle of a webinar. But what if there is a need to just impart information, with compliance issues for example? Is there a place for click-to-continue elearning? Maybe; if you really need to use it, stick to the essential messages and keep it short - let’s face it, no one wants to sit and be lectured at for an hour. Consider using videos and animations and mixing delivery up a bit. This can be more impactful and interesting for the learner than straight text and audio but still needs to be used shrewdly and kept short. Design in repetition and reinforcement of key facts and always keep in mind that most people can hold between one and five pieces of information in their working memory at a time. How many pieces of information are in your module? But what about the nitty gritty that you won’t have time to cover? Well you could create a resources hub or section and provide the detail as documents that learners can access in their own time and at the point of need. We often find it useful to think in terms of a suite of interventions with varying levels of interactivity. You have your short information-giving piece, your resources, your way of practicing what you’re learning through scenarios or goal-based real-world tasks, and a way of keeping that knowledge accessible and fresh, for example through a job aid that can be accessed on a mobile phone to help people put their learning into practice. All this needs to be balanced against the budget that you have available. Looking at what you want people to do, the behaviours that you want to influence and change and the characteristics of your audience - when and how they will access the learning, how technically competent they are etc.. - will help you narrow down the best approach. We’re fans of giving the learner autonomy over their learning through an active learning experience. If they feel more in control, they’ll invest more in it. After all, it’s usually more important that learners know how to put their learning into practice than just ‘knowing stuff’. This blog is now available at www.las-hq.com/blog

By Tess Robinson, Director, LAS Lately I have been spending a lot of time on Webflow, a responsive site builder, redesigning our company website. As the number of devices, platforms and screen sizes grows it’s becoming more important to be able to provide an optimal viewing experience in terms of reading and navigation’ whatever the screen size. Responsive design allows you to build sites which can adapt their layout according to screen size, platform and orientation by using fluid grids, flexible images and media queries and means that you don’t need to develop different sites for every gadget. If you google responsive web design you will get plenty of results talking about how it is not just about adjustable screen sizes and images that automatically resize but that it also represents a whole new way of thinking about design. If you want to get into the nitty gritty, Smashing Magazine has a great blog post on it (Responsive Web Design: What it is and How to Use it). Whilst this is certainly true, it also represents a much deeper shift in the culture of learning. When a client asks us to create a responsive site for them, for example, a job aid or a resources hub, they are not simply asking for a well-designed product that will look nice wherever it is accessed, they are asking us to help them embed learning more thoroughly into workflow and into the everyday life of the organisation. You no longer have to wait for a training course or have to be at your desk to learn, you can do it via your phone or tablet on-the-go. You can undertake your learning on the job, on the train, whilst waiting for your kids to finish at a club, even when in the bath if you so wish (though we’d recommend a waterproof cover for your device!). Although there are limitations in content, responsive design allows you the flexibility to undertake your learning when and how you want to on a number of different devices, by having appropriately formatted content and resources at your fingertips. Thus making it easier and more cost-effective for learning to be continuous, flexible and up-to-date. It’s really interesting to see how the ability to design responsive learning influences learning culture within an organisation; particularly what learning looks like, what its purpose is and how and when it is delivered. We’re firm believers in learning and resources being accessible when and where they’re needed. Responsive design is one great way of doing this. This blog can now be found at www.las-hq.com/blog

by Tess Robinson, Director LAS "The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing." — Albert Einstein Our youngest son (7) is the very definition of curious. Every day is a barrage of questions: "Can anything happen in a nanosecond?" "What would happen if we just breathed carbon dioxide?" "Does the toothpaste come out like that (red, white and blue) because it’s French?" His mind is a constant whirr as he tries to make sense of the world. I love that he is like this; that he makes fantastic and creative connections, and tries seemingly impossible things with no fear of failure (and often proves me wrong by succeeding). Curiosity often gets overlooked in organisational learning but it is being talked about more and more. For example, Julian Stodd’s research on social leadership, gives the first tenet of this new leadership style as to ‘be curious’. He emphasises the importance of not doing something ‘as we have always done it’ but to question and challenge the status quo. But why is curiosity so important in learning? This is why… This article on lifehack.org, sums it up nicely: Curiosity makes your mind active instead of passive It makes your mind observant of new ideas It opens up new worlds and possibilities It brings excitement into your life Wow! It’s really difficult to study curiosity, as it is such an individual phenomenon, so consequently there hasn’t been much research on the subject. However, a recent University of California study sought to discover what happened in the brain when people felt curious and what impact this had on their learning. They asked participants to rate how curious they were to learn the answers to more than 100 trivia questions. During the study MRI scans were carried out to observe what happened in the brain when a participant felt particularly curious about one of the answers. Charan Ranganath, a neuroscientist involved in the research said that curiosity seemed to be piqued when people had some knowledge of a subject but were then faced with a gap in their understanding. He describes curiosity as the drive to fill that gap - ‘like an itch you just have to scratch’. This chimes with George Loewenstein’s earlier research on the Psychology of Curiosity which also identified that curiosity arises from an information gap. The scientists involved in the University of California study found that people are better at learning information they are curious about. Interestingly, curiosity also appears to prepare the brain for learning - once curiosity has been piqued, participants were not only better at learning the information they were curious about, but also at remembering unrelated information that had been presented to them in their ‘curious state’. The MRI scans taken during the study showed that curiosity triggered increased activity in the hippocampus - the region of the brain involved in the creation of memories and that is also related to reward and pleasure. Igniting curiosity releases dopamine and gives us a ‘high’. So curiosity makes learning more effective and also more pleasurable. Sounds fantastic, but how do we weave this into learning interventions? Undoubtedly it’s a tricky thing to do, as people are curious about different things, although there are some basic lessons we can draw on: Expose the knowledge gap and give learners the opportunity to fill it. This might be through a scenario-based pre-test where learners apply their knowledge in a situation and get feedback on the gaps. Use an engaging storyline that unfolds as the learners progress. Include characters leaners can relate to and want to help. Use cliff-hangers at the end of a section to make them want to continue. Use a guided discovery or exploratory format for the learning, so the learners must seek out the answers themselves. Don’t spoon-feed them - treat them like adults. Allow learners to ask questions - of each other, of experts. Create an environment where learners are safe to challenge and be challenged. This might be through social learning systems or networks. Introduce games into your learning. Play naturally builds interest and curiosity and makes learning active, rather than passive. Who doesn’t like to have a bit of fun whilst they’re learning? Include an element of surprise - uncertainty can engender curiosity and give us a thrill as we wait to discover ‘what happens next’. Curiosity and creativity are inextricably linked. If you want your learners to come up with creative solutions to problems build in things that will grab their interest and make them want to know more Curiosity is the brains way of encouraging us to expand our knowledge, understanding and skills - so stay curious and help your learners do the same. This blog is now available at www.las-hq.com/blog

As LAS celebrate 10 years in business I find myself thinking back to what has changed over that time, what hasn’t, and what the future may hold. When I started LearningAge Solutions, it was as a jobbing contractor, working for a number of elearning development houses. Over time I started building content myself and soon needed to hire another developer. Now we have a globe-spanning team of about 20 people, a pretty stellar customer list and a good few awards under our belt. So what’s changed? Learning has gone mobile. Increasingly users and customers expect the content we produce to work cross-device. Flash is dead. Back when we could author in Adobe Flash it was possible to create all kinds of cool interactive content. As long as the user had the Flash player, the content would work. Now HTML5 is the preferred form, however, it’s a step backwards in terms of what we can easily create. Learning has become playful. As the gamers of my generation have moved into positions of influence, more game-like learning experiences are becoming accepted. We even have a new word ‘gamification’ - like it or loathe it; it’s this season’s buzzword (see below). Learning is social. Because of the way we use social networks in our home lives, there is an increasing expectation that learning should be collaborative and social too. The trouble is, often organisations don’t have the best tools in place, or if they do, they’re not being well used. Learning experiences have gotten shorter. Partly in response to mobile learning and partly because of the pace of change; learning interventions are now much more bite-sized, often down to five minutes or less. What’s the same? Our brains and how we form memories. The underlying structure of our brain is the same and it’s still just as hard to get anyone to remember anything. At least now a few more people are aware of this fact. We still love our fads and buzzwords. It was ‘social’ a couple of years ago, it’s ‘gamification’ today. The buzzwords come and go, but our appetite for the ‘next big thing’ that will solve all our problems doesn’t wane. Today for many people the course still is king. These tend to be those who have come from a traditional training background and who struggle to break free from the paradigm of ‘courses’. We still love video. Because of increasing access speeds video is very popular, but then again - it always was - we can just consume it more easily. What’s next? The new Tin Can standards have started to become more widely adopted. This in combination with social learning can start to generate ‘big data’. Once we have a lot of data to play with we can start doing clever things with recommendations, like modifying learning paths and providing performance support. Collective intelligence is the natural step after social learning. Now that more work and more learning is done socially the logical next step is to start harnessing the collective intelligence within organisations for specific business purposes. Innovation or problem-solving for example. Entertainment and then learning will go immersive. The new batch of virtual reality headsets become available very soon. 360-degree camera rigs already exist. You can turn your phone into a VR headset with a bit of folded cardboard and an app. I see immersive films being the next big thing in entertainment and I hope it makes it as far as learning too. Badges will become the new form of certification. With LinkedIn getting on board with Open Badges and huge amounts of content being made available online for little or no cost, badges will become widely accepted as a form of accreditation. One thing that hasn’t changed is that the job is still varied, diverse and challenging and that keeps it interesting. Technology is starting to take account of human behaviour and this enhances communications, ways of working and how we access learning. There is an explosion in tools, technologies and approaches to better working and forward-thinking organisations still need help negotiating and making the best creative use of them. That’s what we plan to spend the next 10 years and beyond doing. The LAS blog is now also available at www.las-hq.com/blog

by Tess Robinson, Director, LAS The latest Towards Maturity benchmark report makes rather depressing reading. Despite being consistently able to show that those organisations who embrace learning technologies perform better, be it through increasing revenue, improving productivity or job performance, the overall situation remains relatively static in terms of budget committed to digital learning or the range of technology used. So how can you convince your organisation that investing digital learning is a good thing? Embed the learning in your wider organisational strategy. What is the business problem you are trying to solve and what effect will this have on your organisation’s mission as a whole? Learning should not take place in a silo, it should be clearly linked to the organisation’s success. Measure the potential impact of the learning - this might be in terms of money saved if you were to do the training face-to-face, performance improvements, strengthening of in-house skills and reduction of reliance on external consultants, increases in sales - choose whatever measures are relevant to your organisation’s strategy as a whole. Don’t allow your organisation to stick to an outdated view of elearning. Make sure you are well-versed in the latest thinking - join a professional association (eLearning Network, ATD etc..), visit industry conferences and exhibitions, subscribe to the blogs of those who are at the fore-front of digital learning thinking, attend webinars (LSG ones are great) or join LinkedIn groups. Learning from each other and sharing best practice is key to moving digital learning on from dull click-next-to-continue stuff to really impactful, engaging interventions. Today’s technology makes digital learning more agile, relevant and immediate than ever before. With huge improvements in mobile technology, job aids can be delivered into your learner’s pockets. Social and collaborative learning is also attracting a lot of interest, if not yet being actually translated much into the work environment. In our private lives we learn socially - through Facebook, YouTube, TripAdvisor etc… If your organisation is reluctant to try these new things - pilot them, produce prototypes - allow them to see and experience the benefits before committing funding. If cost is an issue, often your existing technology can be adapted to accommodate new ways of learning. Always start with what you already have - it may surprise you. Check out award winners’ projects for inspiration and ammunition, they are often profiled online following awards ceremonies. Awards criteria usually stipulate that a project must show considerable impact - this can be in a number of ways, not just financial. If you can go to your organisation with concrete proof of the way digital learning can have a substantially positive effect on overall business performance, that’s a very powerful argument. This blog is now also available at www.las-hq.com/blog

By Tess Robinson, Director, LAS A few weeks ago I attended a fabulous workshop by Sally Spinks from Ideo. If you haven’t heard of them before, they are a design consultancy headquartered in California but with offices throughout the world. They use the design thinking methodology to design products, services, environments, and digital experiences. We have a bit of an organisational crush on them if we’re honest. Here are my top 10 takeaways: Start with the human need - get into your learner’s space, put yourself in their shoes. Don’t just look at what they say and think but also what they do and feel, as these things can be quite different. Look outside - find analogous situations to inspire solutions. If you’re looking to get learners to share, think of situations where sharing happens well, for example a nursery or a group counselling meeting. Approaches from these do not have to be exactly replicated but you may find that there is some concept or methodology that can be translated to your project. Hook into what people are already doing - there may not always be a need to reinvent the wheel, it may be that small adaptations are all that’s needed to produce the desired behaviours. Prototype - this one is really important. Prototype early and at low cost to mitigate risk and to build your business case. Talk to your people as humans. Give people permission to be themselves, rather than corporate robots. You will be rewarded for it. Design not for people but with them. Engage your learners in innovation and they will become supporters. Look for patterns in behaviour or actions that will help you gain insights and spot opportunities. Brainstorming is a great tool but certain rules must apply - defer judgement, encourage wild ideas, build on the ideas of others but always stay focussed on the topic. Celebrate failure. As my husband said to my little boy when he was upset by making a mistake in his homework - ‘if everyone gave up when they failed, we would all still be living in caves’. Don’t be afraid to get things wrong as that is how we progress. Failure should be allowed and even encouraged. Evolution becomes inevitable when you use a design thinking approach. The LAS blog is now available at www.las-hq.com/blog

by Tess Robinson, Director, LAS Our MD recently won an Outstanding Contribution award and was named as one of the Top 10 eLearning Movers and Shakers in the UK for 2016. The award was given partly because of all the voluntary work he has done to support the elearning industry but also because he’s seen as somewhat of a thought-leader in digital learning. Here’s what I have learnt from him: Listen (and hear the things that people don’t say) Getting to the crux of a customer’s business problem often means not taking things at face value. If you’re really going to create digital learning that really makes an impact and measurably improves the performance of the business, you need to be able to accurately define what it is that the customer wants to change. Identifying the business goal is a key tenet of action mapping - a method that is ingrained in most of the learning we produce. Ask the right questions and ask lots of them You can never ask enough questions, particularly at the outset of a project. Really understanding the customer is vital to being able to come up with the right solution. We have a standard list of questions that we always ask and then many, many more that will come up in the course of the research phase. Don’t be afraid to be outlandish Fighting zombies or taking off in rockets to dance with aliens might not be the right learning solutions for everyone, but don’t be afraid to put wild ideas out there. They may not be what you end up with in terms of the solution, but thinking as widely as possible will inevitably lead you to be more creative and help you to find the most memorable solution for your audience. The creative process is collaborative and social - not just an individual thing You can certainly be a creative, ‘ideas’ person as an individual - someone who inspires - but the true power of the creative process comes from the team, including users, customer and other stakeholders as well as the vendor team, and from ensuring that all the elements of a solution fit together and work. Kaspar Tang Vangkilde wrote an interesting theses on the social process of creativity at Hugo Boss, which backs up the idea that creativity is a team effort. Put yourself out there Share stuff, learn from others, bounce ideas off people. Take an active part in the elearning community and aim to really raise the bar - rewarding in so many ways. Make time for mindfulness OK, so it’s a bit of a trendy thing at the moment, but it’s not just a load of ‘hippy crap’. Various studies, including those done by Harvard and University of California, have found that meditation enhances creativity and improves focus. Being in a relaxed state of mind encourages divergent thinking and makes space for those ‘eureka’ moments. Working life can be very hectic. Taking time out to do nothing - just 20 minutes every other day will do - from being bombarded by texts, emails, phone calls, Skype messages and so on has been proved to have real results.

by Tess Robinson, Director, LAS I am trying to teach myself to paint with acrylics at the moment. I have a definite idea in my head of what my paintings should look like, but with no painting experience, they don’t exactly come out like that when translated to canvas. It’s very frustrating! As with many things, I turned to You Tube for help and found the rather wonderful Will Kemp from Will Kemp Art School. His tips have really helped me improve, although I still have a very long way to go before we’ll be hanging any of my creations on the wall. Whilst going through the tutorials, it got me thinking about how some artistic techniques can be equally applied to designing learning in order to help us see creative solutions and formulate a ‘well-composed’ intervention. Will advises that to improve your drawing - a key pre-requisite of painting - you should narrow your eyes and really look at areas of light and shade. You need to temporarily hold off judgement and try not to second guess what you think the thing should look like, as oppose to what it actually looks like. This a great metaphorical technique for the research phase of any digital learning project. In getting to know your audience and accurately assessing the business need, you really need to be able to put your own assumptions and prejudices to one side and really look at the shape of what is there. This suspension of judgement is prevalent in other arts as well and is often seen as vital to the creative process. With David Bowie’s recent death, much has been written about creativity in music. In an interview with Livewire in 2002, Bowie said: ‘I try to put judgement on hold for as long as possible. Then, when I need to listen to something critically, I put myself in a place that has nothing to do with the industrialized process we’re going through, being in a studio and all that. I’ll pretend that I’m on a ship, say, and I’m looking out to sea and there’s a distant fog on the horizon. I will listen to the piece of music from that place and see what it does to me. I use those kind of tricks all the time. It amazes me sometimes that even intelligent people will analyze a situation or make a judgement after only recognizing the standard or traditional structure of a piece. They will then confront the whole thing with a standard reaction and a standard reaction will not allow for deviancies. It’s the kiss of death in creating something’. I read that and thought, wow, we do that. When we design learning we often take time out for a walk, a quick bike ride or a spot of meditation. Removing ourselves from the task in hand, allows fresh ideas to bubble to the fore and helps us to gain other perspectives - not dissimilar to Bowie’s method. In researching creativity in the arts further, to see if there was anything else we, as learning designers, could learn from it, I stumbled across this article on the Guardian website from 2012. They asked a number of artists from a range of disciplines how they find creative inspiration. The one that resonated most for me in terms of its application to learning design was from Sunand Prasad, a renowed architect. He said: Keep asking: "What is really going on here?" - like a detective. Immerse yourself in the worlds of the people who will use and encounter the building or place. Forget the building for a while. Focus totally on what people will be doing in the spaces and places you are designing - next year, in five years, in 20. Ask off-piste questions. What if this library were a garden? If this facade could speak, would it be cooing, swearing, silent, erudite? Gather inquisitive and reflective people around you. The rapid bouncing back and forth of an idea can generate compelling concepts at amazing speed. Once there’s an idea, turn it upside down and take it seriously for a moment - even if it seems silly. We all have a sense of the sublime - use it to test your propositions as rigorously as logic and functionality. If you replace the building references with learning ones, everything above can be equally applied to learning design. It seems that artistic creativity and creativity in terms of learning design are not so far removed. As for me and my painting, well, as Picasso said ‘I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it’. One day, I will have something wall-worthy!    

The limitations of human memory are an eternal conundrum for learning designers - how exactly do you create meaningful learning experiences for learners who have a shorter attention span than a goldfish? Or who are only able to retain 7 items in their short term memory1? Perhaps microlearning is the answer? There are certainly a wide variety of definitions of microlearning. I went to a talk on the subject at a conference recently, where the learning interventions they were discussing were up to an hour long(!) - not quite my definition of micro. So what does microlearning look like in our world? Microlearning is short, bite-sized chunks of learning tightly focussed on essential skills or knowledge. These might be in the form of videos, blogs, games quizzes or even simulations. More often than not, they’ll be delivered to a mobile phone. With 75% of adults in the UK owning a smartphone, the majority of learners have the ability to access learning in their pockets whenever and wherever they need it. So what is it good for?… Performance support Microlearning was made for performance support. We already know that we humans struggle to retain a lot of information - having concise help available at the point of need makes a lot of sense. Breaking larger learning objectives down into manageable chunks The accusation of the learning being reactive, rather than proactive is often levelled at microlearning. In terms of longer-term behaviour change, microlearning can have a role to play. Just because the learning is organised into small chunks doesn’t mean that they cannot serve a larger learning objective. Resources can be tagged and organised into learning tracks which allow the learner to gradually build up skills. Learners can also skip content that they already know. Breaking the learning down in this way makes it more convenient for learners to access it on-the-go at their own convenience. Agility Because microlearning is, by definition small. It’s quick and cost-effective to produce. This enables the business to be very agile in learning delivery and to respond to rapidly changing business environments effectively. Spaced repetition Learners can be sent notifications to go back and repeat chunks of learning. As they’re short and focussed, learners know that this won’t take up much of their time, so may be more willing to access the learning in a spare moment. Gamification Game mechanics can be incorporated very effectively into microlearning, particularly in terms of levelling up, gaining badges, encouraging daily use or competing against other learners. Just like those apps that kids love that tell them to feed their dragons every day to get coins to buy a really cool exclusive dragon, it’s possible to make those chunks fun and addictive. In our experience, at the moment, microlearning is rarely the answer on its own. It tends to be most effective when used in a blend, as a reinforcement or performance support tool, with other more in-depth forms of learning. Every project is different though, and it’s important not to discount it as effective in its own right.  Constant improvements in personal technology mean that increasingly sophisticated learning experiences can be delivered in this way, allowing the line between work and learning to further blur. We haven’t seen the pinnacle of microlearning yet.   1Miller, G. (1956). The magical number seven, plus or minus two: Some limits on our capacity for processing information. The psychological review, 63, 81-97.

At a party recently I had a flash of insight. A number of disparate ideas suddenly aligned in my head with an almost audible ‘clunk’, lubricated by prosecco and stimulating conversation. I was talking to a couple of friends about the sports I’m into and what I enjoy about them: sailing, skiing and mountain biking. In all three of these I’m not competitive. I’m not bothered about going fast or far. I don’t want to be the best. What I do enjoy are the more ‘technical’ aspects of the sports; in sailing I like close-quartered boat handling. In skiing - popping off the side of pistes and threading through the trees. In mountain biking I like the technical trails - the jumps, bumps and berms. In short I like to stretch my abilities take calculated risks. When you do - interesting things happen. Possibilities increase. This made me think about the kinds of learning design projects I most enjoy. These tend to be the ones where we are exploring and pushing boundaries, where we’re trying to solve a problem, looking for a smarter more efficient solution. By definition we are often doing things for the first time; pushing technologies to work in new ways, approaching a problem from a different angle, being innovative in some small way. There is risk here. In trying something new you will almost always fail before you succeed - it’s a natural part of the process. Many organisations want their people to be more innovative - it gives their company the edge over the competition. Innovation is a ‘sexy’ concept and something many people aspire to. However, to be innovative you need to be a risk-taker - to try something and fail, to get up, dust yourself off and try again - and to not feel bad about it. How is failure viewed in your organisation? Think back to the last failure you witnessed or was a part of (gulp); were there high-fives all round, was the failure celebrated for the valuable lessons-gained? Or were those responsible shamed or reprimanded. Or worse, was the failure hidden? I believe failure should be categorised and reacted to accordingly: Failing at something that you really should be able to do standing on your head - OK, yes, that’s bad. Pull your socks up! Failing at something you are trying for the first time - this is a natural part of the learning process. It may be uncomfortable but an important part nonetheless. Failing when trying to design something - this should be celebrated! You should thank the universe or this failure and glean every insight, every lesson that you can. You can bet you’ll remember them. If you appreciate that failure is a vital part of the design process and welcome it, you will start to take risks. You will become more innovative and your designs will improve.

This whitepaper assists you in understanding the pieces involved with the eLearning puzzle, from the basic requirements to the pros and cons of various options. While many larger companies have already transitioned into e-Learning and embrace it as a vital component of their overall training efforts, many mid-size and smaller companies have been waiting on the sidelines observing how the technology, methods, and costs evolve. As with any relatively new industry, things have indeed changed and evolved. Many new products and technologies are available and, in general, the industry has matured. These new options have made e-Learning much more achievable for smaller companies with limited resources and budgets. However, with the new choices come complexity and the need to understand how the pieces all fit together. The purpose of this article is to assist you in understanding what the pieces of the solution are, along with the associated choices that you will have to make. While there are many new possibilities, there are also many potential pitfalls that if not understood, can cause delay, frustration, increased costs, and disappointing results. The key to success is in understanding what the possibilities are and how they map into your needs and requirements. This article is a roadmap of the decisions that you need to make along with the pros and cons of the different options that should be considered. Content versus System To begin with, it is important to realize that any on-line training solution should be divided into two key components. First, there is the content which consists of your lessons, courseware, quizzes etc. Secondly, there is the infrastructure or system that you will use to deliver the content. The system will perform all of the management, tracking, reporting, and administrative functionality. The system that provides this infrastructure is generically called a Learning Management System (LMS) and is a software program or web application that you will either develop or purchase. The key point to make is that these two components, content and system, are separate and should be addressed individually. The SCORM Specification So, we have these two pieces - the instructional content (or "courseware") and the LMS. The key to allowing these two components to be separate is providing a framework for them to work and communicate with each other. An analogy would be a CD and a CD-Player. You can be fairly confident that if you purchase a new audio CD and go home to play it, that it will work regardless of the brand of player that you have. The manufacturers of both the CDs and the CD players developed a common specification that allows for this type of plug and play interoperability. The e-Learning industry has developed several specifications of its own whose goal is to allow courseware to be "plugged" into any LMS so that it can be properly launched and tracked. While there is some history behind the evolution of the specification, it is generally accepted that the prevailing industry standard is the Sharable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM) specification that was developed by the Advanced Distributed Learning (www.adlnet.gov) organization. In laymen’s terms, it is this SCORM standard that allows courseware or Sharable Content Objects (SCOs) of all types to be loaded into any SCORM-compatible LMS. The LMS will be able to launch the SCO and communicate with it, so that things like status and quiz scores are passed from the SCO back to the LMS and recorded as part of the student’s records. The development of the SCORM specification is essentially what has allowed the e-Learning industry to make a clean division between LMS solutions and content/authoring solutions. This development has allowed for and encouraged the many new options with regard to purchasing: Previously developed "off-the-shelf" SCORM content New SCORM compliant content authoring tools SCORM compliant Learning Management Systems Developing your Instructional Content We will first discuss some of the options regarding how you can obtain your instructional content. This involves determining whether or not you can purchase your content or whether you should develop it yourself. If you develop it yourself, there are many issues to consider regarding the necessary skill sets, tools & technology, and outsourcing and teaming with experienced vendors. "Make" versus "Buy" The first determination you will need to make is whether you will purchase your training content or attempt to development it yourself. It is likely that some of your training requirements will be common enough that a market already exists for the content. This enables you to purchase standard "off-the-shelf" products. Doing so will allow you to obtain better quality for a substantially lower cost than that of developing it yourself. So, if you have training needs that you feel are fairly standard such as basic IT skills, accounting skills, sexual harassment prevention training, safety training, or office productivity training, you should perform a search to find out what is already available for purchase. The other advantage to this approach, beyond cost and quality, is time. You can purchase the product and load it into your LMS in a matter of days. Custom development will usually take weeks or months. Options and Strategies for Creating your Own Training Content So, while some of your training needs may be satisfied with off-the-shelf training products, it is probable that not all of them can be. Most companies have training needs that are unique to their company and, therefore, can’t be purchased as pre-packaged products. In this case, you will need to create your own instructional content. The approach you take will largely be dictated by the resources that you have available to you - both in terms of capabilities and availability. Of course, the classic three parameters; quality, cost, and schedule will also play a determining role. Developing the Content In-house There are many books dedicated to the design of engaging and effective on-line training and getting into the details of good design is beyond the scope of this article. Regardless of specific design and instructional approaches, there are many decisions that need to be made as to how you will create custom courseware. If you have available in-house resources with the proper skill set, then you are in a good position to do it internally. This will probably cost less than hiring an outside vendor and may give you more control over the project. However, the skill set to create quality custom training is diverse and may be difficult to obtain. For example you will need a team with the following capabilities: Subject Matter Experts (SME) - the people who are the experts in what needs to be taught Instructional Designers and Technical Writers - are experts in knowing how to convert your SMEs knowledge into quality computer based instruction Graphic and Interface Designers and Production Staff Animation, Video, and Audio Production Staff Multimedia Programmers - that also understand SCORM and your LMS Project Managers - that have experience in developing e-Learning content The other very important topic to discuss with regards to "do-it-yourself" e-Learning development is that there are many good authoring tools now on the market. These tools allow you to rapidly produce content and are much easier to use than what was once available. For example, it used to be that on-line content would be developed using powerful but fairly complex tools such as Adobe Flash. While Flash is still a preferred tool for most professional developers, it is too complex for most non-developers to master. Newer tools may not allow as much creativity and flexibility as Flash, but they are much easier to use and quicker to learn. Additionally, most of these new authoring tools will automatically handle a lot of the behind the scenes programming such as SCORM communication or quiz engine functionality. These tools can range significantly in their cost and capabilities, so it is important to understand what each tool can do and what its strengths and weaknesses are. You will find that, in general, the tools are designed for a very specific type of content and are very limiting beyond the original design intention. For example, some tools are good at creating training for software applications, while others are designed to convert Microsoft PowerPoint presentations into SCORM-compliant training modules. Typically, the more flexible and powerful the tool, the more complex it will be to learn, and likely, the more expensive to purchase. The cost for all the tools may pale in comparison to the potential time and energy they could save. Most of these tools are relatively easy to learn and can be mastered by non-developers in a matter of a few days to a couple of weeks. A word of caution however; while these tools lower the technical barriers and experience necessary to create SCORM-compliant training content, they do not provide any of the other design and production skills necessary in creating quality instructional content. The strength of these tools is typically to enable non-technical staff to rapidly create SCORM content. To create high quality content, there is still a need for skilled designers and production staff. Also, it should be mentioned that highly interactive content typically cannot be created with many of these basic tools. Outsourcing the Development In many cases, it may not be possible to assemble a complete team with only internal resources. The alternative option would then be to outsource the development to a vendor that specializes in e-Learning development. To successfully outsource a project to a vendor takes some special knowledge and skills of its own. These skills are primarily related to project management, the most important of which is the knowledge and skill necessary to prepare a good request for proposal (RFP). Unfortunately, custom training development projects are sometimes hard to define in terms that allow you to get accurate and comparable bids - especially before any of the detailed design work has been performed. It is equivalent to asking a builder to quote on the construction of a house before an architect has created any plans. It can only be done in very general terms and is, therefore, not very accurate. This inaccuracy or vagueness must be avoided in your RFP if you want good competitive bids. One approach: if you do not have the experience to prepare an accurate RFP, hire a consultant or a development vendor specifically to help you prepare the RFP. It can be a situation of "not knowing what you don’t know", and having the help of an experienced developer in preparing the RFP will allow you to avoid scope creep and misunderstood expectations. In working with outside vendors, the other approach to consider is using an experienced developer as a way to augment your internal team. This can be a very effective method for optimizing the use of your internal resources, while bringing in the specialized talent and knowledge that a vendor may have. For example, you may decide to team your internal subject matter experts and some of your experienced training and IT staff with the specialized instructional design skills and production skills that a vendor can provide. Most vendors are very happy to team with you and realize that it is in their best interest to provide you with the best quality in the most cost efficient manner. The vendor often brings a wealth of experience in terms of best practices, as well as their own existing technology which can be used to more efficiently and rapidly create your content. Choosing a Learning Management System There are many LMS solutions on the market, all with a variety of capabilities offered over a surprisingly wide range of costs. While providing different capabilities, most LMS products fundamentally provide the following functions: User Access to the instructional content - students will login and launch the training modules that they have been enrolled in Enrollment Functionality - students need to be enrolled in courses either automatically, through self-enrollment (browsing a course catalog), or individually by a supervisor or administrator Content Configuration - the ability to upload and manage all content and training events. This would include uploading the SCOs into the LMS, establishing Instructor Lead Training events, and creating Course Catalogs and Curriculums Administration and User Management - setting up and managing all user accounts, managing permissions, and group management Tracking and Reporting - the LMS will record all student activity and provide ways to run reports on that activity Miscellaneous - functionality such as creating and granting certificates, e-commerce if you are selling access to your content, content authoring, employee evaluation, gap analysis and curriculum planning are all examples of features and capabilities that many LMS systems can provide. So, how do you find the best system for you? The starting point is identifying your needs. You should prioritize your requirements into the "must have" and "nice to have" categories. You will find that as your list of needs gets larger and larger, the LMS that satisfies all of those requirements likely becomes exponentially more expensive. Additionally, it is not just cost that becomes an issue; the more complex systems will also take much more time to implement and the "user friendliness" of such systems can be seriously compromised. It stands to reason that unnecessary complexity is a bad thing. The key is to get the LMS that truly satisfies your basic needs. Don’t be lured to a system having so many bells and whistles that it ultimately costs a lot of extra money, and ends up being under utilized because of the associated complexities. In sum, there are a variety of approaches one can take to transition into e-Learning for their company; from developing the LMS and content in-house, outsourcing either requirement, or a combined approach. Brandon-Hall has a good review of many LMS products on their website (http://www.brandon-hall.com) which may be a helpful place to start. Otherwise, one key approach to a successful e-Learning implementation is finding an experienced company who can help guide you through the process. For more information on ICS Learning Group or how we can help you develop and integrate your online training program, visit us on the web at http://www.icslearninggroup.com or give us a call: (410) 975-9440.

Omni Intermedia Awards ICS Learning Group Wins Three 2013 Omni Intermedia Awards FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - JUNE, 2013 ICS Learning Group, a leading provider of custom eLearning training solutions, has been awarded three Omni Intermedia Awards for 2013, marking the fifth consecutive win for the company’s Courseware Development team. The Omni Awards endeavor "to recognize outstanding media productions that engage, empower and enlighten." ICS was recognized for the following custom eLearning projects in 2013: "NanoFab Facility Overview and Lab Safety": A course developed for the Center of Nanoscale Science and Technology at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The second 508-compliant course in a three-course series on check-in and safety procedures for a government nanofabrication facility. Using 3D animation, video, and scenario-based evaluations, this web-based course provides an overview of the facility to new users as well as specific safety instruction for the external laboratories. Entry category: Government "Foundations of Effective Leadership": A eLearning course built for community fellowship programs providing participants with leadership knowledge, skills, and strategies to help implement community-based substance abuse prevention initiatives. The course combines a video, interactive strategies, and gamification techniques to maximize knowledge transfer and user engagement. Entry category: Education "Medical Practice Management 101": Even with a limited budget, effective training can be produced. This course integrated a mix of Level 1 and Level 2 components and strategies to teach doctors ways to keep their waiting rooms safe, their patients happy, and insurance rates low. Entry category: Medical The eLearning courses blended a mix of 3D visualizations, interactive scenarios, simulated environments, video, and other graphics and multimedia that are custom designed to meet the required objectives for the specific learner demographic. ICS works with multiple companies to produce custom training courseware in industries including Healthcare and Life Sciences, Business Skills and Compliance training, Technical and IT Training, Manufacturing and Industrial, and Sales and Retail. The semi-annual Omni Intermedia Awards are evaluated for overall excellence in a specific genre. For ICS, the Omni awards are the latest industry recognition for the company’s commitment to provide highly effective eLearning solutions to meet the critical training needs of today’s workforce. For more information about ICS: http://www.icslearninggroup.com Information about the Omni Intermedia Awards program:www.omniawards.com

Brandon Hall Awards ICS Learning Group’s Inquisiq R3 wins 2012 Excellence In Technology Award By Brandon Hall Group For A Fourth Consecutive Year 2012 marks a fourth consecutive win for ICS, as their acclaimed flagship LMS product has won awards and recognition from the Brandon Hall Group since 2009. Inquisiq R3 provides the technology infrastructure for web-based training programs, allowing users to quickly load and deploy SCORM-compliant training content. The LMS is ideal for both corporate training and selling courses online, and is well known for it’s elegant yet easy-to-use feature set, in combination with low price point. Inquisiq R3 is a proven leader in innovative Learning Management Technology, as the system surpassed a record number of one million users in 2012. ICS has a very optimistic outlook for the future and is proud to be recognized by Brandon Hall. "It is our honor to recognize this year’s award winners, who exemplify the commitment to innovation and excellence that drives growth and over‐the-top business results," said Mike Cooke, Chief Executive Officer of Brandon Hall Group, Inc. All entries were evaluated by a panel of veteran, independent senior industry experts, Brandon Hall Group Senior Analysts and executive leadership at The Brandon Hall Group based on several key criteria, including: Product’s breakthrough innovation Unique differentiators Value proposition Measurable results About ICS Learning Group ICS Learning Group, established in 1998, is a leading provider of custom training solutions and the Inquisiq R3 learning management system (LMS). The company, headquartered in Pasadena, Maryland, serves several markets including software, manufacturing, healthcare, financial services, pharmaceutical, and government clients. With an emphasis and expertise in instructional design, ICS Learning Group develops customized software simulation training, corporate communications applications and computer-based training solutions to meet the critical training needs of today’s workforce. (www.icslearninggroup.com) (www.inquisiqr3.com) About Brandon Hall Group Having worked with more than 10,000 clients globally and after 20 years of delivering world-class solutions, Brandon Hall Group is the preeminent research and analyst organization focused on developing research-driven solutions to drive organizational performance for emerging and large organizations.  Brandon Hall Group has an extensive repository of thought leadership, research, data and expertise in Learning and Development, Talent Management, Sales Effectiveness, Marketing Impact, and Executive Management. (www.brandonhall.com) Read the article here The post Inquisiq R3 wins 2012 Excellence in Technology Award appeared first on ICS Learning Group.

Training Industry Awards ICS Learning Group Selected For 2012 Learning Portal Watch List FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - October, 2012 TrainingIndustry.com announced last week that ICS Learning Group was selected for the 2012 Learning Portal Companies Watch List for the second year in a row. The recognition is the latest for the company’s esteemed flagship product, Inquisiq R3 - Learning Management System (LMS). Selection of this year’s Learning Portal Companies Watch List was based on the following criteria: New and innovative service offerings Unique approach to delivering learning solutions Commitment to improving learning through technology Quality of initial clients "This year’s Watch List features some great learning technologies companies that are on the rise… they provide a wide range of learning portal services to their clients that depend on a high level of customization," said Ken Taylor, Chief Operating Officer of Training Industry, Inc. Inquisiq R3 is a proven leader in innovative Learning Management Technology and has won awards and industry recognition consecutively since 2009. The LMS allows users to quickly load and deploy SCORM-compliant online training content to employees or clients while maintaining ease of use, a powerful feature set, and a lower than average price point. The system has become increasingly popular within the training industry over the past year, as it surpassed a record number of one million users on the Installed version. ICS has an optimistic outlook for the future of Inquisiq R3 and is proud to be recognized by TrainingIndustry.com. ICS Learning Group ICS Learning Group, established in 1998, is a leading provider of custom training solutions and the Inquisiq R3 learning Management System. The company, headquartered in Pasadena, Maryland, serves several markets including software, manufacturing, health care, financial services, pharmaceutical, and government clients. With an emphasis and expertise in instructional design, ICS Learning Group develops customized software simulation training, corporate communications applications and computer-based training solutions. http://www.icslearninggroup.com http://www.InquisiqR3.com The post ICS Learning Group Selected For 2012 Learning Portal Watch List appeared first on ICS Learning Group.

Omni Awards ICS Learning Group Wins Two 2012 Omni Intermedia Awards FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - JULY, 2012 ICS Learning Group, a leading provider of eLearning solutions, has been awarded both silver and bronze 2012 Omni Intermedia Awards for exceptional graphics and educational content. The award-winning, interactive ‘Environmental 101’ courseware was developed for a major construction and services firm. ICS was hired by the industry- leading construction giant to develop an eLearning course focused on environmental protection issues for training construction crews and foremen in both their US and Canadian operations. The SCORM-compliant courseware consists of an interactive 3D simulation where learners first gather information and are then tested on knowledge of the Clean Air Act, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, and Clean Water Act - all of which are compliance requirements for employees within the firm. The organization has an extensive relationship with ICS Learning Group in development and maintenance of their eLearning courseware. This industry-leader requires constant and current training on safety and corporate compliance, construction operations and processes, as well as informational projects reinforcing the company’s history and corporate culture. The semi-annual Omni Intermedia Awards are presented to exceptional initiatives in the fields of Film & Video, Animation & Effects, and Website Design. For ICS, the Omni awards are the latest industry recognition for the company’s commitment to provide highly effective eLearning solutions to meet the critical training needs of today’s workforce. ICS Learning Group ICS Learning Group, established in 1998, is a leading provider of custom training solutions and the Inquisiq R3 learning Management System. The company, headquartered in Pasadena, Maryland, serves several markets including software, manufacturing, health care, financial services, pharmaceutical, and government clients. With an emphasis and expertise in instructional design, ICS Learning Group develops customized software simulation training, corporate communications applications and computer-based training solutions.

Brandon Hall Awards Inquisiq R3 Wins Gold Excellence in Technology Award for Third Consecutive Year Pasadena, MD, February, 2012 ICS Learning Group’s Inquisiq R3 - Learning Management System software (LMS), won the coveted Brandon Hall Gold Award for excellence in the "Best Advance in Learning Management Technology" category for 2011. Inquisiq R3 has been established as a proven leader in innovative Learning Management Technology, as the LMS has won Gold Awards consecutively since 2009. Inquisiq R3 was awarded the 2011 Brandon Hall Gold Award based on breakthrough innovation, unique differentiations, value proposition, and measurable results. The LMS allows users to quickly load and deploy SCORM-compliant training content to employees or customers while maintaining ease of use, a powerful feature set, and a lower than average price point. The system has become increasingly popular within the training industry over the past year, and recently reached a record number of one million users on the Installed version. ICS has an optimistic outlook for the future of Inquisiq R3 and is proud to be recognized by Brandon Hall. Mike Cooke, CEO of Brandon Hall Group was quoted as saying, "2011 provided us with a unique viewpoint of how organizations are driving business results and performance improvement through technology. This was the year in which technology providers and their clients have been able to transform the power of mobile, social, talent, learning, sales and marketing technologies, with proven, validated results.  Most impressive to our judges was an underlying theme around collaborative relationships, a deep understanding of client needs and how technology can be leveraged to create opportunities and operating efficiencies for organizations of all sizes.  I am proud to announce these first-rate solution providers as award winners in the most competitive year yet." About Brandon Hall Group Having worked with more than 10,000 clients globally and after 20 years of delivering world-class solutions, Brandon Hall Group is the preeminent research and analyst organization focused on developing research-driven solutions to drive organizational performance for emerging and large organizations.  Brandon Hall Group has an extensive repository of thought leadership, research, data and expertise in Learning and Development, Talent Management, Sales Effectiveness, Marketing Impact, and Executive Management. (www.brandonhall.com) About ICS Learning Group ICS Learning Group, established in 1998, is a leading provider of custom training solutions and eLearning software systems. The company, headquartered in Pasadena, Maryland, serves several markets including software, manufacturing, health care, financial services, pharmaceutical, and government clients. With an emphasis and expertise in instructional design, ICS Learning Group develops customized software simulation training, corporate communications applications and computer-based training solutions to meet the critical training needs of today’s workforce. http://www.icslearninggroup.com http://www.inquisiqr3.com/ The post Inquisiq R3 Wins Gold Excellence in Technology Award for 2011 appeared first on ICS Learning Group.

Brandon Hall Awards ICS Learning Group Recognized for Excellence in Learning Technology FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - June, 2011 ICS Learning Group’s Learning Management System software (LMS), Inquisiq R3, has been awarded the coveted Brandon Hall Gold Award for Technology Excellence in the "Best Advance in Learning Management Technology for Small- and Medium-Sized Businesses", and the "Best Advance in Learning Management Technology for External Training" categories for 2010. This is the second year in a row for winnings, as ICS also won a Gold Award from Brandon Hall in 2009 for the product. Inquisiq R3 provides the technology infrastructure for web-based training programs, allowing users to quickly load and deploy SCORM-compliant content  to employees or customers. The system is thought to be highly rated because of the intuitively designed interface, ease of use, and lower than average price point. The Brandon Hall Excellence in Learning Technology Awards are presented by Brandon Hall Group, a leading research firm in training and development. The Learning Technology Awards program showcases innovations in the products in the marketplace for creating and managing learning, talent, and performance. "These excellent tools and systems are the cutting edge of learning technology," said Tom Werner, chief research officer and director of the Awards program. "They really change for the better how people learn in the workplace." ICS Learning Group ICS Learning Group, established in 1998, is a leading provider of custom training solutions and E-Learning software systems. The company, headquartered in Pasadena, Maryland, serves several markets including software, manufacturing, health care, financial services, pharmaceutical, and government clients. With an emphasis and expertise in instructional design, ICS Learning Group develops customized software simulation training, corporate communications applications and computer-based training solutions to meet the critical training needs of today’s workforce. For more information: http://www.icslearninggroup.com More information about Inquisiq R3: http://www.inquisiqr3.com/ The post ICS Learning Group Wins Gold Brandon Hall Excellence In Learning Technology Awards appeared first on ICS Learning Group.

All types of training have their strengths and weaknesses; the best approach is often dictated by the purpose, need, environment, and overall situation. However, some organizations may have not yet delved into online training due to misconceptions or a simply not being comfortable with the jump into eLearning. Fortunately, since there are several advantages to web-based training, there are also a several reasons why implementing an eLearning initiative - whether fully or phased-in as supportive and hybrid solutions - is a smart move. For example, through eLearning:

First, Articulate continues their excellent product support by releasing yet another software update, this one addressing a plethora of issues - including quiz performance, HTML5 rendering, and AICC/LMS tracking.

One of the most significant issues holding back wide deployment of HTML5-compatible video was the disparity of support between browsers. Back in 2011, we opined on the best approach to deliver video online which, at that time, was using Flash. Oh how things have changed. About a year later, we furthered our thoughts on web-delivered video noting how the HTML5 movement had made solid progress. And so now, again about a year later, we find that with Cisco’s recent contribution of their h.264 codec to the open-source community, Mozilla now has a way to integrate that codec support into their browsers (in a away they are comfortable with). So the overall outcome? All major browsers now support MP4/h.264 video. Huzzah! (?) Finally no more reason for web video to be output to multiple versions (again)…unless you find dogmatic or perceptive reasons to… Otherwise, one MP4/h.264 source file should suffice for all current browsers across all (or at least most) devices. See this page on the JWPlayer (formerly ‘Longtail Video’) website, specifically #2 "Media Formats"). Below is a screenshot of that section, for posterity, as that page is updated regularly by the good folks maintaining that site.

  Going Global? The Importance of Language and Cultural Context in the Development of e-Learning   By James Gipple Download PDF (207KB)   Introduction As a relatively new discipline, e-learning is broadly understood as education through technology. It may have initially been true that the latter of those two principles attracted the majority of attention as the burgeoning industry focused on technological innovations. However, the ability to develop custom, high quality e-learning content is fast becoming the priority and therefore educational innovations must keep up with those of technological importance. Understanding e-learning beyond technology is an essential component of program development. Cultural, psychological, and linguistic nuances are no longer a superfluous "add-on" of e-learning design, rather a necessity in a rapidly globalizing world. Business and industry professionals alike have recognized the need to develop strategies for improving learner enrollments, completion rates, and satisfaction with the latest training delivery methods. These objectives are all measures of quality. A key aspect of quality is relevance and, in turn, a vital component of relevance is the cultural context of a target demographic. Varying degrees of context are the reason that implementation and solutions must evolve. This paper will address four key components of context that are pivotal in effective e-learning development: (1) Language Complexities; (2) Cultural and Social Norms; (3) Cultural Use of Technology; and (4) Cultural Learning Models. In combination with these four principles this paper will include several examples and a comprehensive break down of a sample problem and solution.   Language Complexities Language structures have an immense influence on education and the impact of teaching principals of any kind; however the importance of language is arguably magnified through an instructional medium such as an e-learning platform where face-to-face contact is rare. There exist a number of grammatical problems that arise in cross-language translation such as the misuse of symbols, characters, or definitions. Perhaps more abstract and difficult to identify are those aspects that blur the line between language and culture. Language is not a static entity; rather its meaning is deeply rooted in cultural context. This is a major hurdle that an e-learning design team must overcome. It is not a simple word-for-word translation but a translation of meaning, association and behavior. "A language cannot be entirely stripped of its cultural background without striking its native speakers as strange or disconcerting."[1]   It is essential for the translator to do some research on the lexical content and syntax of the target language along with the ideologies, value systems and ways of life in a given culture. Take for example the expression, "in the red". In western culture this phrase indicates financial woe and is based on traditional bookkeeping practices of using red ink to denote debt or losses on financial statements. This was most likely true because red is associated with warning or danger in western culture. Now imagine one was to translate this phrase into Chinese, where the cultural connotation to the color red is luck.[2] The phrase loses all of its intended meaning.   Cultural and Social Norms A broad understanding of cultural differences and social expectations is necessary in the process of design. Considering these influences allows the learner to develop a quasi-relationship with the content on the basis of relevance and the ability of the subject matter to relate to the individual. This includes an understanding and proper representation of "roles and relationships, cultural expectations of gender, the balance between rules and value, legality concerns, differing concepts of time, effect of enculturation, the influence of the socio-economic status, political instabilities of the learners’ country, and even humor."[3] This list is not meant to be a panacea to cultural design hurdles; instead it represents a potential jumping off point. The intricacy of a culture is limitless and will require detailed attention depending on the subject-matter being taught and the demographic of people involved.   For example, one can delve into the social protocols of Tonga (a small island country in the Asia Pacific), particularly those relating to courtesies involved with greetings, especially those dealing with people of high rank. Through an exploratory research project into cross-cultural delivery of online instruction, administered by researchers at Brigham Young University, it was discovered that in the presence of the royal family no Tongan’s head is allowed to be above that of the royalty’s. This turned out to be an incredibly influential observation in that the Crown Prince of Tonga was interested in participating in the online distance learning initiative. Failure to recognize this unforeseen cultural difference could have easily resulted in dismantling the entire project.[4]   Perhaps not as specific as a cultural expectation directed at a single person (as was the case in Tonga) there are broader social norms that can heavily direct e-learning design. One such observation made by author Steve McCarty in his article, Cultural, disciplinary and temporal contexts of e-learning and English as a foreign language, relates simply to gender roles in education. Take, for example, a health outreach project; one in which it is ideal to match male and female students to role play scenarios and create simulations, an approach that is not uncommon in the US. One can imagine the difficulties of implementing a project designed this way in Saudi Arabia where male teachers cannot even enter a classroom with females.[5]   Cultural Use of Technology The applicability of technology has an incredible amount of variation among different peoples and cultures. First, one must dismiss western assumptions and account for accessibility and dependability of technology infrastructure. While technology development remains an exploding industry, designers may overlook the availability and subsequent affordability of technology. Assuming the audience has the appropriate technology available, a designer must further delve into the cultural use of this technology, exploring the familiarity, intention, and willingness the learner exhibits.   Finnish researcher Teppo Turkki illustrates this point through examining the differences in Internet infrastructure of Finland, South Korea, and Japan. Based on his findings, Koreans tended to see the internet as a platform for games while Fins saw it more as a practical tool.[6] It is also vital to outline the connection between cultural identity and technology. The Japanese tended to use information technology to enter a fantasy world, the anonymity that many Japanese seek in the real world, for example, has its counterpart in the virtual world, where Japanese prefer aliases.[7] There one can live his or her inner feelings much more deeply. Not so in Korea, where people use their real names. And the emotional attachment to IT that Asians show more broadly is not seen in Finland. These cultural insights into the use of technology are immensely important in developing effective content.   Cultural Learning Models Rooted in the expectations and perceived outcomes of e-learning initiatives is the influence of educational models and learning techniques specific to varying cultural contexts. These principles are generally demonstrated through the creation of course material and the process of instruction. "Ideal classroom environment, activities engaged in, assessment types, categorization and structuring of knowledge" all illustrate evolving auspices to developing custom, culturally-relevant teaching material.[8]   Analyzing educational systems of the First Nation or aboriginal peoples of Canada demonstrate this principle perfectly. Respect for elders as well as high levels of spirituality are primary factors involved in native education; so much so that every formal meeting with a band or tribal council begins with a prayer, said by one of the elders at the meeting. Educational content is framed very much in the context of spirituality, something that Western academics are simply not attuned to.[9]   Sample Problem The Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations of the Australian Government is currently developing an extensive outreach initiative under the National Partnership Agreement on Indigenous Economic Participation. This agreement is aimed at improving employment and business opportunities for indigenous people in both the public and private sector. A team of project managers, designers and programmers have been tasked with developing a program aimed at providing indigenous small scale producers with leadership, financial, and business training to strengthen market linkages and increase local employment rates. The training material provided by the Australian Government has proved successful in other low-income areas; however, success rates are markedly lower in high-density indigenous areas. Evaluation and revision reports indicate disinterest, low attendance and limited comprehension among indigenous participants.   Solution This particular example allows us to analyze as well as affirm the importance of each previously discussed component of cultural context. Through this examination, albeit brief, it becomes increasingly clear how vital cultural competence can be and how quickly a project can deteriorate if not given specific cultural attention. The solutions are designed to show the cultural insights that the program team should account for when redesigning the content to reverse the trend and gain positive feedback. While the scenario is artificially created, organizations and legislation are real, as is the information and cultural insights used in the solutions. All are derived from a series of professional and academic case studies.   Let us first explore broader cultural themes and social norms throughout the Australian indigenous demographic. It is vital to look at these cultural factors as the lens through which the audience is viewing the content. If not adjusted correctly and culturally applicable the audience will not fully absorb the information presented. Research shows that the target demographic, in this case indigenous groups plagued by unemployment, often experience a sense of social exclusion in the form of high rates of arrests and police harassment as well as low levels of social capital and civic engagement. From this, a sense of fatalism is cultivated by sustained unemployment.[10] This insight is vital in an approach to combat unemployment and build interest and participation in the community. Understanding the value of respect and how aboriginal notions of respect differ from Western views is also critical. Appropriate ways to dress, talk, and use body language must be integrated into program design when visiting traditional communities.[11] Therefore, this cultural observation allows designers to comprehensively address unemployment and business practices accounting for the importance of social inclusion.   Secondly, a vital component to the success of this project is a very unique language component specific to Aboriginal peoples. That is, there is no written tradition in Australian indigenous culture, the concept of language in this context of literacy and numeracy is hardly defined. Thus, the ‘written language’ is an entirely artificial concept.[12] Overlooking this detail could not only complicate training but render content virtually useless. From this understanding, developers can implement training that is largely visual with a heavy emphasis on spoken dialogue and oral explanation.   The third component specific to this problem is recognition of the culturally constructed learning preferences of Aboriginal peoples. Psychology research of indigenous populations in Australia denotes a strong desire for learning by imitation and observation, and relating on a practical rather than an abstract level.[13] This information indicates that training examples should focus more on a situational or physical context. Explanation of content has a markedly higher chance of success if instructors appeal to the everyday life and emotions of the audience rather than hypothetical or metaphorical examples.   The final category of revision is indigenous use of technology. There is a significant digital divide between the indigenous and non-indigenous populations. Indigenous people are only half as likely as non-indigenous people to use the internet at home. Previous research has demonstrated that there are two key factors in determining ICT use in Australia; income and education level.[14] It comes as no surprise that there is clearly a positive relationship between income and ICT use as well as education and ICT use. This allows one to draw comparisons between the relative low use of IT in indigenous communities and the resulting disparity in income and education. The ability of designers and content managers to recognize: first, indigenous access to computers; and second, the correlation between lack of access and employment opportunities, is vital in engaging the community.   Conclusion In summation, these cultural, social, and language considerations should be an integral part of the choices, design and implementation of any project team. Through this simple example one can infer the effects and possibilities of cultural inclusion into a varying degree of e-learning projects. "While differentiating a fuller range of learning opportunities an approach should go beyond surface meanings and fixed or absolutistic definitions to approach the complete picture of disciplinary, cultural, temporal, and other contexts in which specialized fields and concepts are embedded. In education there is a cultural context in all scenes of instruction making each unique."[15]   [1] Cultural, disciplinary and temporal contexts of e-learning and English as a foreign language [2] Lost in Translation - interacting with other cultures [3] Exploration Research into the Delivery of Online Instruction Cross-Culturally [4] Exploration Research into the Delivery of Online Instruction Cross-Culturally [5] Cultural, disciplinary and temporal contexts of e-learning and English as a foreign language [6] Cultural, disciplinary and temporal contexts of e-learning and English as a foreign language [7] Cultural, disciplinary and temporal contexts of e-learning and English as a foreign language [8] Exploration Research into the Delivery of Online Instruction Cross-Culturally [9] Exploration Research into the Delivery of Online Instruction Cross-Culturally [10] Indigenous Social Inclusion/Exclusion [11] Bridging Cultures: Psychologists Working with Aboriginal Clients [12] Exploration Research into the Delivery of Online Instruction Cross-Culturally [13] Bridging Cultures: Psychologists Working with Aboriginal Clients [14] Australia’s Digital Divide [15] Cultural, disciplinary and temporal contexts of e-learning and English as a foreign language