5 Differences Of Pedagogy Vs Andragogy In eLearning  The terms "andragogy" and "pedagogy" are of Greek origin, both including the Greek verb "ago", which means "guide", and the Greek words "andras" (man) and "paidi" (child) respectively. Thus: Pedagogy = paidi (child) + ago (guide) Andragogy = andras (man) + ago (guide) You can conclude from the above that pedagogy is a child-focused teaching approach, whereas andragogy an adult-focused teaching approach; or, formally, pedagogy is the art and science of helping kids learn, whereas andragogy is the art and science of helping adults learn. Before 1950, all research was focused on children and there wasn't much evidence about how adults learn. The term "andragogy", although known since 1833 when the German Alexander Kapp used it to refer to a theory of Plato, practically in modern education appears only after the early 1960s, that was used to express the distinct characteristics of adult learners that affect not only their learning motivation, but also their learning ability, compared to those of children. For Instructional Designers knowing these differences is critical, as engaging and motivating adult learners is certainly a challenging art. In this article, I'll share the differences between andragogy and pedagogy, so that you can make sure that you know everything you need in order to create motivational content and structure whether you create eLearning courses for adults or for children. Pedagogy Vs Andragogy: 5 Main Differences Learning behavior. Adult learners are self directed; they have control over their learning experience and they are 100% responsible for their own learning. They are also deeply involved not only in planning, but also in evaluating their learning, as they know what knowledge they want to acquire. On the contrary, young learners are not self-directed; they still depend on their teachers throughout the learning process. Therefore, their teachers should be responsible not only of what will be taught, but also of how it will be taught and evaluated. The role of learners’ experience. Adult learners have clearly more experience than young learners. Their experience becomes the main resource of both their learning and the personal identity they have developed, as the richer and more diverse their experience, the more the diversity they can bring to their own learning. Young learners, on the other hand, present little personal experience by default, and so it is impossible for this experience to serve as a learning resource; it can be only used to build upon. Orientation to learning. What kind of knowledge adult learners are most interested in? Naturally, adult learners seek information that is useful in their personal lives and work environment. This audience demands that their learning is relevant to their real life issues, problems, and tasks, and that their education will boost their performance levels and help them live their lives in a better, and more satisfying way. Young audience’s learning, on the contrary, is subject centered, mearning that the subject determines the sequence according to which the learning content units will be presented and taught. Readiness to learn. Adult learners’ readiness to learn can be triggered by literally anything; a sudden change in their lives, a need for dealing with life tasks and problems more successfully, the desire for self-improvement and self-development, and so on. Adults need to know why to learn something; as soon as they answer this question, they are ready to start. Children, on the other hand, are usually told what to learn; the reason behind their learning is developing their skills to achieve the next level of mastery. Motivation for learning. What motivates adults to find time for their learning in their busy schedule? Mostly intrinsic motivators; self-esteem, self-confidence, desire for better quality of life, curiosity, self-development, and recognition are only a few factors that motivate adult learners to learn. Needless to say, intrinsic incentives are much more powerful than extrinsic ones, and thus adult learners, more often than not, are more satisfied with the learning process, more focused, more persistent, and more eager to apply their knowledge more frequently and successfully than younger learners. On the other hand, children and teenagers are mostly motivated by extrinsic factors, such as getting good grades or other perks, or avoiding the consequences of failure. It is clear that andragogy can be highly motivational, as adult learners are more goal oriented than younger learners; this is why offering them meaningful learning experiences can make a real difference in achieving learning outcomes. Now that you’ve familiarized yourself with the pedagogy vs andragogy debate, you may be interested in learning how to apply the principles of adult learning to your eLearning deliverable. Read the article 9 Tips To Apply Adult Learning Theory to eLearning and find out how to integrate 4 principles of andragogy into your eLearning course for maximum engagement and motivation of your adult audience. This post was first published on eLearning Industry.

Insider Insights Into Localization For Going Global With Training  When I began my career in the languages services industry, it was just after 9/11. Many global companies began to pull back their traditional efforts in marketing their goods and services outside of the US. In order to continue to drive sales with less money invested in translation, printing, and distribution, we began to see more effort put into the localization of websites and other forms of electronic communication tools. Major advances in technology and support helped fuel the fire. Language specific keyboards, workable office programs with multi-language support included, and viable fonts for double-byte and script-based languages brought software, websites, and video games into a huge growth phase. These are what also began to separate a translation company and a language services provider (LSP). New industry buzzwords such as localization, globalization, and internationalization were emerging and becoming a part of our corporate vocabulary. In the beginning those buzzwords were confusing, and over the years they have become even more confusing. Localization, especially, has been blended into a mash of meaning that isn’t necessarily correct. Part of this stems from the LSP industry being confused about what "localization" really means which in turn leads to confused clients. When the term "localization" is used, it can mean 2 very different things depending on the scope of your particular project: 1. Language Or Content Localization.  When we are localizing from a language standpoint, we are taking some sort of content in one language and converting through a translation process to another language. During the course of that process, the information will be translated so the end product will be understood, culturally appropriate, and an accurate reflection of the source. During this process, things like images, color schemes, slang, colloquialisms, and acronyms may need to be addressed. For marketing content, it is likely that trans-creation will be necessary. If audio is involved, selecting the proper narrator is key. Accents vary country-to-country and region-to-region. The goal of language localization is for the final product not to be recognized a translation. Instead, it should be received as if it were developed in that particular language from scratch. 2. Localization Engineering.  When a project that involves some sort of translation, the platform in which that translated content resides may involve localization engineering. As an example, software has its own set of unique challenges from a technical perspective and isn’t something that can be facilitated by a DTP staff member. It takes an experienced localization engineer. When localizing software, a website or a Learning Management System, there are font incompatibilities sometimes inherent in the target language. Diacritical marks, stacking, and text expansion don’t always play nicely with a user-interface. There are character limitations that always come in to play with navigational buttons and tabs, for example. These same issues are not atypical with video games and mobile apps. It can be a disaster if the running scripts are compromised during the language localization process. Something as simple as deleting or adding a comma can be disastrous. A thorough functionality test and linguistic QA must be a component of the localization engineering process! With something like an eLearning course, syncing the new audio with a longer running time even in the common authoring tools can be a challenge when you can’t read Arabic and the course needs to be converted to right-to-left. Also, syncing animations can be a trick when you don’t know the language. Here’s a real life example as to why this could be important to you. I have a client that develops training in Storyline for a large, global company. This developer is great and knows what they need when a project is localized. For this exercise, we’ll refer to their end client as Company A. Company A has a long-standing relationship with a translation company. This relationship is important to Company A; I respect that and so does the developer. So, Local Concept takes these provided translations, records the audio, and then handles the localization engineering to produce the final published course and SCORM package. Now, this is where it gets tricky. Company A’s translation companies cannot work with a Storyline export file. (It’s OK to go ahead and chuckle.) Instead, the developer has to cut-and-paste the English content into a word table for translation. (You can chuckle again - it’s OK.) That translated word table comes to me at Local Concept along with the Storyline source files. We, then, export the English from Storyline (for localization engineering) and cut-and-paste provided translations (language localization) so we have that for the alpha build and can ultimately create a final published course and SCORM package. Is this a lot of unnecessary work and billable man hours? Yes - for both the developer and us. But, it’s also a great example of not only a difference between a translation company and a language services provider, but also the difference between what it means when a LSP says "Yes, I can localize your training course" and when a translation company says the same. So, in a nutshell, localization engineering takes your localized content and makes it work in something outside of a doc or graphic file here there is some necessity of higher level functionality on the user experience side. And, you need to make sure it still works. The bottom line is to make sure you are clear in what you mean by "localization" for your particular project. This will help us -your language services provider- better understand what you want right out of the gate. This information will also help you, as a consumer of language services, ensure you are aligning with the right resource. This post was first published on eLearning Industry.

Learning and Teaching Expo 2015 comprises a large scale exhibition and a series of comprehensive seminars and forum programs on education related topics. Learning and Teaching Expo 2015 is the annual event where educators and educational suppliers gather to discover and discuss the latest developments in educational resources and learning and teaching technology.Now it is time for our past attendees telling you how LTE benefits them in different aspects. Who will visit Learning ans Teaching Expo 2015? Learning and Teaching Expo 2015 is a free-to-attend exhibition and forums covering educational supplies and solutions for all educational institutions in Hong Kong, China and Asia Pacific Region. This includes public and private education sectors, pre-schools, primary / secondary schools, colleges, universities, research centers, training colleges, adult learning centers and special need institutions. Visitors to Learning & Teaching Expo include: Educational Consultants / Administrators Representatives of Government Bodies and Educational Departments Head Teachers / Principals / Heads of Departments Members of Parent Associations Pre-services and In-service Teachers Management of Training Colleges Retailers, Wholesalers, Distributors and Buying Agents University Deans / Professors School Leaders, Owners, Directors, Managers, Charities, Bursars, Purchasing Managers Learning and Teaching Expo 2015 Keynote Presentations In the 2015 Expo, keynote speeches will be delivered by world renowned educators and scholars on hot educational topics, including eLearning, I.T. in Education, 21st Education Development, Curriculum Policy and Leadership, as well as Inclusive Education. Keynote speakers are th following: Dr Daniel Churchill, Associate Professor, Division of Information and Technology Studies, Faculty of Education, The University of Hong Kong Dr Daniel Tiong Hok TAN, Chair, Board of eLearning Forum Asia, Group Chief Learning Officer, Taylor’s Education Group Dr Eva WONG, Director, Centre for Holistic Teaching and Learning Hong Kong Baptist University Dr Kevin CHAN, Research Assistant Professor, Department of Applied Social Sciences, Hong Kong Polytechnic University Dr Ming Ann Lui, Assistant Professor, Department of Education Studies, Hong Kong Baptist University Dr Patcy Yeung, Assistant Professor, Division of Learning, Development and Diversity, Faculty of Education, The University of Hong Kong, Research Director, Centre for Advancement in Inclusive and Special Education, Faculty of Education, The University of Hong Kong Dr Shirleen Chee, Divisional Director, Educational Technology Division, Ministry of Education, Singapore Professor Irwin Kuo Chin KING, Associate Dean (Education), Faculty of Engineering, Professor, Department of Computer Science & Engineering, Director, Rich Media and Big Data Analytics and Application Key Laboratory at the Shenzhen Research Institute (SZRI), The Chinese University of Hong Kong Professor Shirley Alexander, Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Education and Students), University of Technology Sydney, Australia, Chair, Digital Education Advisory Group Committee, Australian Government Professor Siu Cheung KONG, Professor, Department of Mathematics and Information Technology, Director, Centre for Learning, Teaching and Technology, Hong Kong Institute of Education Professor Ting-Chuen PONG, Senior Advisor to the Executive Vice-President & Provost, Director, Center for Engineering Education Innovation, Professor, Computer Science & Engineering, Hong Kong University of Science & Technology Professor Wu-Tien Wu, Emeritus Professor of Special Education, National Taiwan Normal University, Taiwan Learning and Teaching Expo 2015 will take place at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre on December 10-12, 2015. This post was first published on eLearning Industry.

Advantages And Disadvantages Of Synchronous Learning In Corporate Training Synchronous Learning has changed everything in the corporate online training environment. Synchronous interaction eliminates the isolation that asynchronous online training involves, as it promotes collaboration and fosters a sense of community. Especially in the corporate world, where effective team work among distributed workforce is considered of especially high value, synchronous learning can help eLearning professionals develop significantly engaging online training courses. But are there any hidden drawbacks to this practice? In this article, I'll share 10 advantages and disadvantages of synchronous learning in order to help you decide whether you should implement it and integrate it into your corporate online training strategy. 5 Synchronous Learning Advantages It is cost effective. You do want the best for your employees, don’t you? Imagine having the chance to provide them with knowledge from the best experts from around the world for their training, without paying the accommodation and travel expenses that traditional corporate training involves. Your employees can take their online training courses at home or at their offices while connecting not only with the most reputable trainers, but also with their colleagues who live in different cities or even different countries without having to move. The only costs you need to have in mind are those related to the development of the eLearning course, as well as the trainer fees. It is convenient. Taking an online training course without having to be in the same location with the rest of your peers, regardless of their position on the world map, provides a great level of flexibility, especially for large organizations that have a globally distributed workforce. Apart from videoconferencing, your employees are given the opportunity to participate in online discussions from any location, as long as they have an internet connection. As physical barriers of distance are eliminated, your staff may use any device for their online training, from desktop computers to mobile phones and tablets. Provides immediate feedback. Real-time interaction means instant feedback, and instant feedback allows not only your employees to immediately get their questions answered, but also trainers and instructors to immediately recognize difficulties in understanding of the online course material. Rapid feedback has an incredibly important role in eLearning; it enhances knowledge retention by keeping your audience active in the learning process, as a quick response allows your audience to learn from their mistakes and to eliminate the chances of repeating them in the future. It is highly motivating. A synchronous learning environment enhances learning by increasing your corporate audience's motivation levels, as real-time interactions are much more engaging than the isolated environment of asynchronous learning. Using performance goals in real-time activities is a great way to inspire your employees to demonstrate and develop their skills and abilities while competing with each other in engaging team player eLearning games. Real-time activities provide ongoing motivation, as they encourage participation from all employees, even the most reticent ones. Fosters a sense of community. Social interaction and collaboration are the essence of synchronous learning, as your employees have the ability to communicate not only with their trainers and instructors, but also with each other, no matter where they are located. Organizing a series of online group activities encourages team work and cooperation, as online discussions allow your audience to develop their learning community in online forums or in social networks and exchange ideas, questions, and concerns about the eLearning course material. 5 Synchronous Learning Disadvantages It is strictly technology-based. This goes, of course, for online learning in general; however, the truth is there are several large organizations, the employees of which may still lack sufficient computer skills in order to get their training online. This means that these people might struggle to engage in a synchronous online training program. Lack of technical knowledge, poor computer skills, and inability to handle the various technologies involved in synchronous learning may tremendously frustrate and discourage online learners, so high dropout rates might be expected. Demands a high speed internet connection. It is true that synchronous learning requires a good bandwidth, and this could be an issue when online training for distributed workforce is involved. Trying to synchronize several different areas in the world via collaborative learning technologies can be challenging, but different bandwidth capabilities may create serious problems. Local time barriers. Synchronous learning eliminates barriers of distance, but what about barriers of time? Different time zones can create communication challenges, as a synchronous learning course requires from both employees and trainers to be online at the same time. Distributed workforce has conflicting work schedules, and sometimes not even technology is able to facilitate real-time interactions. Requires careful planning. Speaking of conflicting schedules, as a consequence of the above disadvantage comes the challenging planning process that synchronous learning requires. Coordination of schedules is absolutely necessary, but sometimes not possible. To ensure full participation to an asynchronous learning course you need to carefully plan your online meetings; however, different time zones can lead to very limited time frames, which naturally weaken both the training group’s identity and the virtual community’s interpersonal bonds. It is challenging for employees with poor social skills. Studying at one’s own pace creates a sense of isolation, but some of your employees might crave this exact sense. A synchronous learning experience demands active participation and collaboration, and some members of your workforce might not be as social, as open, or as communicative. This is not a wrong thing by default; after all, you don’t need all of your employees to have strong communication skills, only the ones that are expected to work closely with others or to connect with customers. However, in a synchronous learning environment the "quieter" employees may find it challenging to participate in online discussions or online group activities, and learner frustration is never welcome in a successful online training program. Now that you know all the advantages and disadvantages of synchronous learning, you may be interested in knowing more about how you can implement it in combination with asynchronous learning techniques and instructor-led classes. Read the article Tips To Use Blended Learning In Corporate Training and learn about the various blended learning models and how to utilize them in your next blended learning course. This post was first published on eLearning Industry.

MAC-ETL 2015: Multidisciplinary Academic Conference on Education, Teaching and Learning in Prague 2015, Czech Republic International Academic Conference on Education, Teaching and Learning in Prague 2015 is an important  international gathering of scholars, educators and and PhD students. MAC-ETL 2015 will take place in conference facilities located in Prague, the touristic, business and historic center of Czech Republic. MAC-ETL 2015 Topics Education, Teaching and Learning Distance Education Higher Education Effective Teaching Pedagogies Learning Styles and Learning Outcomes Emerging Technologies Educational Management Engineering and Sciences Research Competitive Skills Continuing Education Transferring Disciplines Imaginative Education Language Education Geographical Education Health Education Home Education Science Education Secondary Education Second life Educators Social Studies Education Special Education Learning / Teaching Methodologies and Assessment Assessment Software Tools Global Issues In Education and Research Education, Research and Globalization Barriers to Learning (ethnicity, age, psychosocial factors, ...) Women and Minorities in Science and Technology Indigenous and Diversity Issues Intellectual Property Rights and Plagiarism Pedagogy Teacher Education Cross-disciplinary areas of Education Educational Psychology Education practice trends and issues Indigenous Education Academic Research Projects Research on Technology in Education Research Centres Links between Education and Research Erasmus and Exchange experiences in universities Students and Teaching staff Exchange programmes E-learning Educational Technology Educational Games and Software ICT Education E-Learning Internet technologies Accessibility to Disabled Users Animation, 3D, and Web 3D Applications Mobile Applications and Learning (M-learning) Virtual Learning Environments Videos for Learning and Educational Multimedia Web 2.0, Social Networking and Blogs New Trends and Experiences Wireless Applications Other Areas of Education The Multidisciplinary Academic Conference on Education, Teaching and Learning in Prague 2015, Czech Republic (MAC-ETL 2015) will be held at the CSVTS on December 4-6, 2015. This post was first published on eLearning Industry.

What Does "Compliance" Mean And Why Does It Matter? Let’s take a quick look at a few different meanings of "compliance": Compliance training is courseware created to educate your employees on the laws, regulations, and company policies that apply to their day-to-day job responsibilities. This type of training is very common in banking or healthcare industries. Section 508 Compliance refers to creating content that is accessible to all learners according to the standards set out in Section 508 of the Workforce Rehabilitation Act. SCORM-compliant eLearning is necessary if you are delivering and tracking graded learning content via a Learning Management System, or LMS. Feeling overwhelmed by all these things you have to comply with? Don’t worry—it’s easy to find free resources on compliance training, 508-compliant content, and SCORM-compliant tools. Read on as I break it down for you. Compliance Training  If you’re creating eLearning content for a heavily regulated industry, chances are your learners are required by an outside agency to complete training on certain compliance topics. Compliance training typically covers legal and ethical situations like workplace discrimination and harassment, dealings with competitors, insider trading, protecting trade secrets, record management, bribery and kickbacks, etc. I’ll admit, none of these compliance training topics sound terribly riveting, but when you use a full-featured authoring tool like Lectora® Inspire to create them, you’re able to add in dynamic interactions and turn assessments into games. Take a look at this real-life example: How to Find the Fun in Mandatory Training. Want to create your own fun compliance training? Download a free 30-day trial of Lectora Inspire and get started! Section 508 Compliance  Section 508 of the Workforce Rehabilitation Act is a law that requires federal agencies and their contractors to make their electronic and information technology accessible to those with disabilities, such as visual or hearing impairments. It outlines the minimum acceptable standards, such as "the use of text labels or descriptors for graphics and certain format elements". Industry best practices encourage even those not affiliated with a federal agency to ensure their online training is 508 compliant. Many eLearning authoring tools, like Lectora eLearning software, are built with functions that help you easily create engaging and interactive 508-compliant eLearning courses. These two tutorials are full of great resources for creating 508-compliant content in Lectora: How To Add Closed Captions To Video And Audio In Lectora Accessibility: How To Order Title Objects In Lectora SCORM Compliance  SCORM is a common eLearning standard. You’ve probably heard a bit about SCORM by now. Or maybe you’ve heard about xAPI; the new eLearning standard on the block. Both are ways of tracking learner activity to show progress and understanding. These standards are the link between your eLearning content and your Learning Management System. Take a look at these two articles to get a brief history of these eLearning standards and see where things are going today: eLearning Standards—What They Are and Why They Matter Thursday’s Trending eLearning Topic: xAPI Want to dive in and try creating compliance training and 508- or SCORM-compliant content yourself? Get start right away with a free 30-day trial of Lectora Inspire. This post was first published on eLearning Industry.

Get To Know Your Online Learners: 10 Questions For eLearning Professionals Without knowing what your online learners need, what they expect from the eLearning course, and, most importantly, who they are as individuals, you simply cannot create a personalized eLearning experience. You must learn as much as possible about their background, goals, and preferences to make the eLearning course engaging and truly effective. But how do you get to know your eLearning audience without face-to-face communication? The answer is asking targeted questions that give you the opportunity to research their needs, wants, and expectations. What skills do they currently possess? In order to give your online learners the skills they need to effectively fulfill their job duties or improve their personal lives, you must first identify where their skills stand now. This is the gap that you will have to fill by creating targeted eLearning content for your audience. For example, if they are a bit shaky when it comes to technology skills, then you will need to focus on eLearning activities and exercises that strengthen that specific skill set, such as interactive scenarios and tutorials. What is their preferred learning environment? One of the perks of virtual training is that your online learners can access it anywhere at any time. However, this also means that eLearning professionals must take the learning environment into consideration when designing their eLearning courses. For example, if your learners will be accessing the online course in a busy office or while they are commuting on the train, then they will definitely need to be able to adjust the volume and pause the interactive exercises and videos. This question gives you the opportunity to learn more about where and when your online learners will be participating in the online course, so that you can adjust your eLearning content accordingly. Do they have any negative past eLearning experiences? The simple truth is that not all eLearning experiences are pleasant. If your learners have had a negative experience with eLearning in the past, then that could stand in the way of them actively participating. The same rule applies to the subject matter itself. If they have struggled to master a specific skill or build their topical knowledge base, that could be a roadblock now. To custom tailor the eLearning experience to meet their needs and address their concerns, learn as much as possible about the less-than favorable eLearning experiences that are still fresh in their minds. What do they expect to take away from the eLearning course? Every member of your audience is participating in the eLearning course for one very important reason; they want to learn something. By asking this question, you have the chance to figure out exactly what they want to get out of the eLearning experience, what online activities and exercises they expect, and what information they need to know when they’ve completed the eLearning course in order to improve their personal or professional lives. Do they have the time to actively participate? This question allows you to determine exactly how much time your learners actually have set aside for eLearning, so that you can create an eLearning experience that fits into their schedules. If you create online modules that last half an hour and they only realistically have ten minutes to participate every day, then they probably aren’t likely to log in to the eLearning platform on a regular basis. Keep in mind that most adult learners lead busy lives when designing your eLearning content in order to make it flexible and easily accessible. Are they comfortable with eLearning? Yes, we may be living in a tech-centric age, but there are some learners who still aren’t particularly comfortable with technology. This is why it’s essential to determine just how tech-savvy your audience is, which enables you to integrate interactive online courses that don’t venture too far out of their comfort zone. With that being said, you can also offer them online tutorials and walkthroughs that help them improve their tech skills. Do they use social media? There are certain online learners who practically live on social media sites, while others may not be too familiar with social networking. If you are planning on using any sort of social learning in your eLearning strategy, such as Twitter, blogs, or forums, then you will need to figure out which tools your online learners prefer and access on a regular basis. Then you can personalize their eLearning experience by reaching them on online platforms they already use and are familiar with. Do they view the eLearning course as a learning opportunity? This may seem like a rather vague question, but it can actually give the power to determine if your online learners see the true value of your eLearning course. Have you stressed the real world benefits and applications enough, or do you need to more effectively explain why they should actively participate in the eLearning experience? Remember, it’s all about motivation, and this question allows you to identify whether you are working with unmotivated learners or those who are ready to take on the challenge. What personal obstacles might stand in the way of eLearning? Each and every learner who logs into your eLearning platform has real-life issues or challenges that may prevent them from completing the eLearning course. They may be feeling a great deal of stress at work or have issues at home. The key is, without being too invasive, helping them overcome these issues by offering them a flexible schedule and a variety of different ways to learn, such as eLearning scenarios and text-based stories. Make it easy for them to squeeze eLearning into their lives without putting even more weight on their shoulders. What are their goals and objectives? This is definitely one of the most important questions to ask when conducting audience research. You need to know what their personal and professional goals are so that you can create eLearning content that helps them achieve success. Every eLearning activity, every interactive exercise should include a skill or piece of knowledge that takes them one step closer to reaching the finish line. Ask these 10 all-important questions before you develop your eLearning course to create eLearning experiences that are effective and inspiring. Also, keep in mind that the answers are only useful if you actually take them into consideration during every step of the development process. Looking for ways to appeal to a wider eLearning audience? Read the article 6 Tips To Design eLearning Courses That Appeal To A Wider eLearning Audience to learn about 6 top tips that can help you reach even more online learners, regardless of their physical location or background. This post was first published on eLearning Industry.

The Beginners Guide To Designing And Developing Virtual Classroom Training Whether you have been designing and developing virtual instructor-led training courses for years or are just getting started, designing seamless, effective, and interactive training that appeals to your learners can be challenging. Which virtual classroom tools should you use? What best practices should you follow to ensure success? What common challenges do people typically face and what are the best solutions to overcome them? Where can you go to get help? There are a lot of questions that are probably running through your head before getting started on a new project. If you want to learn more about designing and developing virtual classroom training The eLearning Guild has a great live online course to help you learn the basics. The Design and Development of Virtual Classroom Training Basic course from The eLearning Guild Academy, will walk you through the process of designing an interactive virtual classroom training session. Over four, live online sessions you will learn how virtual classroom tools work, experience the best practices behind incorporating the tools into your courses, and design activities as you work together through a scenario. Participants will develop a sample course with a presentation and supporting materials using easy-to-follow templates, and will have the opportunity to share their course designs for feedback and suggestions. Learn more about this course here. Instructors: This course is taught by eLearning Guild speaker coaches Tammy Olson, Karen Hyder, and Melissa Chambers. Tammy Olson is a speaker coach and session host for The eLearning Guild, and has over 15 years’ experience designing and implementing eLearning solutions for healthcare and educational industries. She also works for OptumHealth. Karen Hyder is a speaker coach and session host for The eLearning Guild and the founder of Kaleidoscope Training and Consulting, where she teaches trainer training programs for virtual classes and coaching online presenters utilizing the trainer competencies of CompTIA’s Certified Technical Trainer (CTT+). Melissa Chambers is a speaker coach and session host for The eLearning Guild, and has over 18 years’ experience in creative media production, project and change management, online instructional design, and eLearning strategy development, and has been designing, producing, and coaching for synchronous online programs since 2002. She also works for MSC Consulting. This post was first published on eLearning Industry.

ICATEIT 2015 is organized Co-jointed by Institute of Information System and Research Center ( IISRC ) and Research and Development Institute , Nakhon Ratchasima Rajabhat University, Thailand 3rd ICATEIT 2015 aims at providing a platform for researchers, engineers, academics, Students and industrial professionals to present their recent research work and to explore future trends in various areas of E-Learning and online education technology . The 3rd ICATEIT 2015 will be a showcase of relevant research that addresses these challenges and opportunities in E-Learning & online education. During the conference, there should be substantial time for presentation and discussion ICATEIT 2015 would cover all the original work in the field of Information Technology and Emerging E-Learning Technologies . This would lead to spread the knowledge and consolidate the recent advances in the respective fields. The 3rd International Conference on Advanced Trends of E-Learning & Information Technology (ICATEIT 2015) is going to be held at the Hotel ChiangMai Phucome in Thailand on December 11-12, 2015 . This post was first published on eLearning Industry.

5 Reasons Mobile Learning Will Transform Your Workplace  Mobile learning is shaping up to be one of those innovations set to make life easier in today’s fast-paced business environment. Most of us are busy people, constantly on the move. And what busy people love is convenience, be it gourmet pasta at home or technology that makes life easier at work. Here are some of the reasons why PulseLearning believe that mobile learning will change your workplace. Increases employee motivation toward training. It’s true that many employees don’t like training. This is partially because most training requires an employee to take time out of an already busy workday to fit it in. Because mobile learning allows employees to complete training when and where they like, it’s likely that their willingness and enthusiasm toward learning will increase. Addresses all learning styles. Mobile learning makes it much easier to be inclusive of all learning styles. Mobile devices make it possible to develop a course that includes reading, learning through video, listening to podcasts, researching on the internet, and collaborating socially. This is also a factor in increasing employee engagement and motivation toward corporate training, and we know that engaged employees are much more likely to be productive. Utilizes downtime… anywhere. The accessibility of mobile learning is arguably its biggest advantage. It allows you to fill pockets of dead time your employees have with productivity. With BYOD, waiting for a long print job, commuting home on the train, or standing in line all become opportunities to fit in a learning bite. In fact, many of us retain information better when it is presented in small chunks, which makes mobile learning an effective strategy for imparting information. Provides social collaboration opportunities. Mobile learning might mean your employees are completing training remotely but they are only a click away from sharing and collaborating with others. When your employees access their training from mobile devices, such as smartphones or iPads, they have their social networking tools at hand. This encourages collaboration with others, and when people get talking about learning, it makes it more memorable. Aligns your training with technology trends. It is predicted that by 2020, the mobile device will be our primary tool for connecting to the internet. It makes good business sense to start preparing for the technology shift away from desktop computing by developing learning that can be used across multiple platforms. HTML5 technology allows one eLearning build to be used on multiple devices, which could save your organization time and money down the track in converting traditional builds. Other articles of interest: How To Motivate Millennials: 7 Tips For eLearning Professionals 5 Reasons Why You Need To Invest In Employee Training This post was first published on eLearning Industry.

Selecting A SaaS Learning Management System  SaaS is indeed a fast-growing force in enterprise software: The IDC forecasts SaaS revenue growth rates at 18% annually, Vs 3% for installed (on-premise) software. Yet, we’ve found that many vendors in the Learning Management System industry offer a SaaS product without being able to provide the accompanying benefits. Read on to discover what to really look for in a SaaS Learning Management System. What Is SaaS? SaaS stands for Software-as-a-Service. It is sometimes called web-based software. Instead of having to install and maintain software on servers that your company maintains, SaaS applications are hosted on the internet, so you don’t have to worry about setting up special hardware or software. Generally, the key benefits of SaaS are: Fast deployment. Since the vendor is taking care of the hosting infrastructure, it saves time for you and your IT department in deploying a new solution. Easy maintenance. A "multi-tenant" architecture means there is a single code base across all clients. This means that all product upgrades, bug fixes, and new features are easily and automatically available to all eligible customers. Technical scalability. Multi-tenant SaaS solutions are generally built on scalable and redundant cloud services, e.g. Amazon Web Services. When properly architected, SaaS applications are much easier to automatically scale up and down based on total network demand. Alarming and monitoring is also possible across the entire customer base. So concepts like downtime, maximum concurrent users, and off-site backups are things of the past. What Is A SaaS Learning Management System? Learning Management System buyers have been slower to adopt SaaS than in other areas of the enterprise. This is due to several factors, including the popularity of open source and home-grown solutions for learning (e.g. Moodle), the long replacement cycle for Learning Management Systems, and concerns about security for HR-related data. Nevertheless, there is now an "intense push toward cloud-based deployments", according to the Brandon Hall Group, particularly for small and medium sized businesses. Almost all LMS vendors now offer a SaaS product. However, is your Learning Management System truly SaaS? We’ve found that the vast majority of SaaS Learning Management System solutions are hosted in the cloud, but not multi-tenant. In other words, the vendor is taking care of the application hosting, but the code base is still unique for each client ("single-tenant"). The benefits of a single-tenant hosted implementation are far more limited than what is expected from a true multi-tenant SaaS solution. Revisiting the possible benefits of a SaaS Learning Management System solution: Deployment. A hosted Learning Management System still saves you the work from setting up your own IT infrastructure, as needed for an installed solution. However, since the application still needs to be custom-deployed, a single-tenant implementation takes much longer to set up than a multi-tenant solution, which can be deployed essentially instantaneously. Maintenance. Since single-tenant applications still have a separate code base, fixes have to be patched onto customer accounts separately, which is time-consuming and costly. That’s why Learning Management Systems often have version numbers in the footer and customers can’t take advantage of a vendor’s new features. Not surprisingly, this also helps vendors upsell at a premium when it comes time for renewals. Scalability. Again, since every customer has a separate code base, it’s very difficult to address technical performance issues or to leverage modern technologies. As a result, many Learning Management Systems charge based on concurrent users, total users, and storage since these models align with a single-tenant cost structure. Conclusion All SaaS is not created equal. While hosted, single-tenant solutions do offload the hassle of maintaining your own infrastructure; they don’t provide the full advantages of what SaaS buyers typically expect. If you’re looking to select a SaaS Learning Management System, be sure to ask about multi-tenant architecture in order to reap the SaaS benefits of fast deployment, easy maintenance, and technical scalability. This post was first published on eLearning Industry.

Nano-Learning Is Fast And Simple. Here Are 6 Ideas To Help You Create Nano-Learning In Under 15 Minutes You are likely under pressure to deliver more learning in less time. Nano-learning is gaining popularity because it lets you create smaller chunks of content. But, what is nano-learning? Generally speaking, nano-learning is: Five to 15 minutes long. Highly targeted; covers a single objective. Self-contained; offers small nuggets of information. Responsive; can be viewed on a range of devices. Easy to find. Multimedia; include text, video, sound, and images. To author a nano-learning object in 15 minutes, look for an eLearning author tool that lets you do the following: Create templates for interactions that you can reuse. Build a "theme" that you can personalize or brand. Is cloud-based so that more than one member of the team can work on it at the same time. Use a pre-built menu so you don’t have to build your own. Gain access to a database of media files that are ready to use (images, graphics, and icons). Publish to an LMS (Learning Management System), LRS (Learning Record Store), and browsers in seconds. Create content that can be viewed immediately on a range of devices. 1. Use pre-built templates.   Pre-built templates give you the confidence that they are tested, bug-free, and ready for you to author your content. Choose a tool that ships with templates. At the very minimum, you will want presentation and question interactions, and even better, some video and sound files. 2. Create reusable themes that have your company branding already built in. Ideally, your eLearning authoring tool will be easy to set up with your company’s branding, look, and feel. Once you’ve got this built, you can reuse the theme over and over again. This means you don’t have to develop the basic structure each time you want to create a new nano-learning object. 3. Use cloud-based authoring tools that are accessible anywhere, anytime. When you work in the cloud, you don’t want to waste time packaging up your project files and sending them to other authors to work on. Cloud tools with collaboration functionality can empower multiple members of your team to work on the same project at the same time. Picture yourself uploading or writing the copy while a graphic artist works on the visuals. Tools -like Elucidat- will automatically synchronize updates to ensure all stakeholders are working on the most recent project update. 4. Leverage a database of rich media (photos, graphics, artwork, icons, etc). Choose a tool that includes free, high-quality media assets. For example, Elucidat’s rich media is specifically created with eLearning in mind. This will save you heaps of time because you won’t have to source your own. If you want more personalized imagery, choose a tool that lets you upload your own images and assets so you can keep them organized and accessible within your projects. 5. Use a tool that enables you to quickly publish, deploy and maintain eLearning. To get your nano-learning out to your learners fast, you need a system that lets you publish and deploy it in minutes. Some tools -like Elucidat- let you push content straight into a Learning Management System that automatically updates the module in seconds. 6. Use a tool that automatically scales to respond to different mobile and tablet screen sizes. You can’t afford to waste time creating learning for devices of different sizes. Choose a tool that automatically scales your content to fit devices of all sizes. For example, Elucidat’s responsive slider automatically scales content so you can see exactly how your learning looks on mobile and tablet devices. Look for a tool that lets you build once, but deploy to multiple devices. Final Thoughts Nano-learning makes it easier for you to handle a greater volume of learning content and get it out to learners fast. New technologies make nano-learning more accessible to learning managers at a wide variety of companies. When you are choosing an eLearning authoring tool, make sure it has these features: Streamlines learning publishing and deploys quickly. Simple to use so non-technical people with no previous experience can author. Automatically scales content so learners can view it on devices of all sizes. Stay on top of the latest eLearning ideas, trends, and technologies by subscribing to the Elucidat weekly newsletter. This post was first published on eLearning Industry.

Gamification In LMS And Specifically In TalentLMS  As any experienced instructor can tell you, setting up your eLearning courses is only half the battle. The other half is, of course, getting your students to pay attention. Unfortunately, attention is a limited resource and we all have myriads of things competing for it (stuff we need to do, email, games, social media, etc.). This means that having a well written course is not enough. What we need is user engagement. Not the kind that involves diamond rings and promises of love; rather the one that makes them pay attention and eagerly consume their course material. In this article we'll examine one of the best techniques that the eLearning industry has developed in order to increase user engagement: Gamification. In other words, making lessons feel less like chores and more like Candy Crush. Or Super Mario, if you're old enough to remember that. The neologism "gamification" means the act of making something (in our case eLearning) more game-like, engaging, and fun, by introducing some elements of play into it. Gamification techniques have been applied to all kind of websites and services, including Facebook, Foursquare, Amazon, and StackOverflow. For example anything involving earning points or "unlocking" extra features (e.g. for participating more heavily in a social site), is an example of gamification in action. When it comes to eLearning gamification, TalentLMS integrates some of the more well-known and battle-tested techniques, such as Points, Badges, Levels, Leaderboards, and Rewards. Let's have a look at what these are, and how TalentLMS implements them. 1. Points.  Points are the most basic form of gamification; the exact equivalent of "keeping score" in a game. You might be wondering why you'd need to use Points for this, since TalentLMS already has Grades, but the two serve different purposes. While grades are meant to measure academic performance, points can be used to encourage user engagement in general (e.g. by being awarded when one completes a course, for each login to the Learning Management System, etc). TalentLMS lets you fully configure the occasions in which points are awarded. Users are informed of the points they receive via a non-intrusive popup message and can check their total tally at anytime in the header. 2. Badges. You can think of Badges as the equivalent of real world medals. In TalentLMS, as in most gamification systems, badges are visual stamps (images) that are awarded to users on certain achievements and are displayed in their header and profile page. The badging system features 8 categories, with each category offering 8 levels of badges, and has been designed to make acquiring badges increasingly difficult as the user progresses (to keep the whole thing interesting). Badges in TalentLMS are compatible with Mozilla’s OpenBadges initiative, and administrators are also given the option customize all of the badge icons and descriptions. 3. Levels. Levels are like ranking up in the army or getting a promotion at work. In TalentLMS all users start at level 1 and progress from there, and getting to a higher level makes more courses available (courses unavailable to a user because of level restrictions are shown with a "Unlocked on level X" label). Again, TalentLMS administrators can configure the minimum level needed for unlocking any particular course, and set the rules for progressing into higher levels. 4. Leaderboards. Leaderboards is just a gamification name for a "high score" list. A TalentLMS leaderboard is basically a webpage that offers a visual depiction of the user's ranking under various metrics (Points, Badges, Certifications, etc.) compared to fellow learners; including the very best ("high scores") and others immediately above and below them. The idea here is to give users a good overview of their position compared to others, so that they get motivated to improve it. 5. Rewards. Last but not least, TalentLMS offers Rewards. Unlike other gamification elements that are mostly symbolic, rewards involve actually, err, rewarding the users for their engagement, e.g. by giving them a discount, some special offer, etc. Currently the TalentLMS rewards system only offers discounts, but there are several ideas for new kinds of rewards floating about. With TalentLMS Gamification Means Business  In this article we had a look at gamification in general, and the gamification options offered by TalentLMS in particular. With its focus on ease of use and intuitiveness, TalentLMS makes adding gamification to your eLearning as easy and transparent as possible, while still maintaining quite a lot of customization options and flexibility under the hood (configurable rules, customizable icons, etc.). Visit http://www.talentlms.com/ to take TalentLMS for a test drive today. This post was first published on eLearning Industry.

Creating A Meaningful And Engaging Compliance Course  In this article, I will outline how we have made compliance courses meaningful to the learners, ensure the learning sticks, and increase the probability of this learning getting applied at work. Why are compliance courses normally boring? Compliance courses primarily revolve around dry concepts such as knowing a set of guidelines or dos and don’ts. Although learners like taking courses that are user-friendly and easy to understand, they do not appreciate the traditional read-through/click-through information and quiz process, devoid of any ingredients to excite them. This impacts learnability and eventually results in lesser or no retention of learning. Is it possible to integrate innovative learning strategies to compliance courses? We have over a decade’s expertise in building compliance courses for various industries (most notably finance, healthcare, and insurance). Creation of immersive learning being our forte, we have infused life in compliance concepts, thereby providing scope for higher learner satisfaction and a better ROI for our customers. We have adopted learning designs that provide an innovative, engaging, and learner-centric learning experience through: Gamification. Partial gamification. Scenarios. Story based narratives. What can be done to instill the spirit of "why comply" in the learners? In this article, I will use a case study to illustrate how we have created an engaging learning experience that leverages the power of scenarios (with variations mapped to suit the compliance mandate). Case Study (Introduction To The Code Of Conduct) Rather than starting with the dos and don’ts of a typical compliance program, we used the creative Instructional Design approach to present the content to help learners realize why they need to comply and hence provide long-term gain to our customers. We worked with our Subject Matter Expert and established the learning outcomes that learners need to achieve for the compliance mandate to be met. How did we catch the learners’ attention? In Introduction to the Code of Conduct, our course focused on: The Code of Conduct and the reasons why it is created. The application of the Code at work. The situations when good conduct may be compromised or at risk. How to choose the right path and avoid putting oneself and the company at risk. How did we make this course more engaging? The language and the examples used in this course are simple and easily understandable by all employees, whether it is a front-desk employee or a Senior Manager. It is applicable to all industries, which means it is a generic Code of Conduct and not specific to any particular industry. It does not cover all of the subjects in a typical Code so that they do not consider that they are now familiar with the Code and there is no need to read the actual document. What was the essence of our learning strategy? Our learning strategy was woven with a greater emphasis on scenarios, examples, exercises, and inline checks in interesting formats. We used scenarios in two formats: Quick check-point after a learning element is completed (recall/understand level cognition). Application of the learning in a real-life situation through "Choose the Right Path" (analyze and be ready to use this learning at work). We helped learners relate to these examples and scenarios and understand how to handle dilemma situations. In addition, we provided tips and best practices and other useful information from domain experts. Our purpose of turning acquisition of knowledge to application of knowledge was served with this apt mix of theory and application. What more can be done to make compliance courses interesting and ensure that the learning gets applied? Providing access on mobile devices (as well as desktops/laptops): The course is designed for mobile compatibility and runs seamlessly on PCs/laptops/tablets. This provides the required flexibility to the learner to access the course on a device of their choice. Use Performance Support Tools (PSTS): In the next article, I will share a few examples on how you can complement or supplement Compliance through innovative value-adds, such as Performance Support Tools (PSTs). These are designed to help learners not just know about but also act in compliance on the job. This is one of our areas of expertise in terms of transforming acquisition of knowledge to application of the same. Innovation and provision of that little "extra" is something we work on constantly. I hope this article was useful in providing pointers to create your own meaningful and engaging compliance course. If you have any queries, do contact me. This post was first published on eLearning Industry.

5 Most Common eLearning Budget-Brakers Let’s be honest, life is full of unexpected expenses. It seems as though the best laid plans tend to go by the wayside, even if you create a solid eLearning budget that is completely realistic. But what if you could get a glimpse into the future and know about those unforeseen eLearning expenses in advance? What if you could actually plan for them before they suddenly pop up? Below you’ll discover 5 eLearning budget-breakers that you may want to keep on your radar, so that they don’t end up catching you off-guard. Being aware of them, in some cases, may even help you to avoid them altogether. Using new eLearning software that are difficult to master. This is one of the primary reasons why it is so essential to find a Learning Management System and an eLearning authoring tool that offer the features you want without sacrificing the functionality you need. If you opt for an eLearning tool that is packed with all the proverbial bells and whistles, including some that you probably won’t even use, then you have to be sure that your eLearning team’s skills and talents are up for the challenge. Otherwise, you may have to devote countless hours and monetary resources to overcoming the steep learning curve. Ideally, you should select eLearning tools that are easy to use, but still offer the creative control your eLearning team needs to create amazing, interactive eLearning courses. Keep in mind that even if the vendor is offering on-site training for the eLearning software as part of the package, you will still have to dedicate part of your eLearning budget to training hours for your eLearning team. It may also set you back in regards to your eLearning development timeline, which can have a domino effect that leads to missed completion dates. Numerous revision rounds. At one point or another, every eLearning professional has dealt with revisions that were more complicated than originally expected. Maybe your client doesn’t like the color scheme or wants more interactivity. Whatever the case may be, numerous revision rounds or revisions that require a significant amount of time can be costly. They can also push you past your deadline, which may put your next eLearning project at risk of being late. It’s a vicious cycle! For this very reason, it’s always a good idea to iron out any issues and clarify expectations in advance. Even before you start the eLearning project you should sit down with your client or audience to figure out what they are looking for and create a list of must-haves for the eLearning course. This can help to avoid, or at least minimize, revision rounds later on. Creating an abundance of sample eLearning courses. Though it’s always wise to create at least one or two samples of the eLearning course in order to cut down on revision rounds at the end of the eLearning project, you should not go overboard. Though samples may not require a great deal of time or money, they add up over time, especially if you choose to create a variety of different examples for your client. Try to limit it to under three samples to show at your next meeting to keep costs down. Make certain that each of the examples center on a different idea or show off your diverse talents. For example, the first sample might have a more modern feel while the second boasts a more colorful, creative design. If your client is not onboard for any of them, then you can go back to the drawing board and create new examples. However, this time around you are better equipped, thanks to the fact that you know what they are looking for and how you can address their needs. Unexpected eLearning course localizations. Localizing your eLearning course for international audiences can be quite expensive, especially if translations or subtitling is involved. However, if you keep eLearning localization in mind right from the start you can greatly reduce the amount you will have to spend further down the road. Unexpected eLearning course localizations are of the common budget-breakers that can be avoided by planning ahead and creating online content that is easy to update or modify. For example, if you avoid images that have location or cultural-specific content and develop a detailed storyboard and script for your eLearning course now, localizing your online course in the future can be quick and cost-efficient. Unnecessary eLearning software features and services. eLearning professionals are always on the lookout for new eLearning tools that can help them create meaningful eLearning courses. However, we generally tend to stick with eLearning tools that work best for our needs, especially ones that we’ve taken the time to master. The issue that arises from this is that we may be paying for features and services that we don’t actually need, or even use. For example, some LMS solutions will charge extra for phone support, but we may be able to get away with just email or FAQ help options. Thus, it’s wise to make sure that you are paying for what you actually need, rather than footing the bill for a variety of extras that are putting you over budget. Keep in mind that these are just a handful of the budget-breakers that eLearning professionals should be aware of. It’s important to not just create a realistic eLearning budget in the beginning, but to keep a close eye on your tally sheet throughout the eLearning design and development process, so that you can stretch every dollar and avoid hidden costs. Now that you know about the eLearning budget pitfalls, take a moment to read the article Tips To Create eLearning Courses On Budget to discover 8 top tips that can help you create an effective budget for your eLearning course. This post was first published on eLearning Industry.

Creative Instructional Design - 7 Learning Strategies You Can Use (Featuring Live Demos) Register today to learn about 7 Creative Instructional Design Strategies and add that key ingredient to your recipe for a better learning experience and an enhanced ROI. While most heads of organizations and heads of Learning and Development departments realize that there is a direct relationship between learnability and ROI on businesses, they often don’t get the desired results on account of a mundane Learning experience. More often than not, the blip occurs right when the foundation is being laid - during the Instructional Design phase. Why do learners find the Learning "boring" in spite of a course getting the basics of Instructional Design right? This is because while Learning strategists may have applied the science of Instructional Design to their course design, they may have compromised on the creative techniques to complement the overall Learning experience. This webinar will help you gain insights on seven creative Instructional Design strategies proposed by Asha Pandey, Chief Learning Strategist, EI Design, who will provide demos to help you: Understand the power of creative instructional design approaches  Learn how exactly you can apply them to create sticky learning experiences  Ascertain the impact that you can create (enhancing performance and creating positive ROI) Through additional demos, the webinar will showcase how you can use: Micro learning Gamified activities Performance support tools in innovative formats to achieve application of learning on the job Click here to register for the webinar. This post was first published on eLearning Industry.

ICET 2015: The 2015 International Conference on Emerging Technologies This year, ICET 2015 is loaded with a variety of Programs which will attract audience not only within the Country but from around the world including academia, industry and government/Non-government organizations. ICET 2015 has Inaugural, Plenary and Technical sessions as well as Breakout sessions for Panel discussion and Poster presentations. The unique feature of ICET 2015 will be the Entrepreneur Expo which is being held for the first time in Pakistan under the auspices of IEEE International Conference on the main theme of emerging technologies. It will be mega event attracting startup companies to showcase their success stories for transforming their innovative research ideas into commercialization and will promote knowledge a transfer culture among the youth. Other programs include Conference gala dinner, excursion trips to reveal the exciting 2500 years old history of Peshawar and Gandhara culture. ICET 2015 Keynote Speakers Dr. Muhammad Ali Imran, Reader in Communications, University of Surrey Dr. Raziq YaqubDirector Technical Training, Niksun Inc. Princeton Dr. Faisal Khan, Co-Founder, Peshawar 2.0 Prof. Dr. Hamed Al-Raweshidy, Director Wireless Networks and Communications Center, Brunel University London Dr. Faqir Zarrar Yousaf, Research Scientist, NEC Labs The 2015 International Conference on Emerging Technologies (ICET 2015) will be held at the Peshawar Garrison Services Club(pakistan) on December 19-20, 2015. This post was first published on eLearning Industry.

Cloud Computing And mLearning: The Next Gen Of Learning  Let us have a look how mLearning and cloud computing are dominating the next generation of eLearning. mLearning  "Mobile is full of exciting technologies, and approaches that can help us transform how we teach, work, and learn. We just need more passionate educators to think bigger, and fit them into our learning." - Geoff Stead With a compound annual growth rate of over eighteen percent for the next five years, it is predicted that the worldwide mLearning market will reach $12.2 billion by 2017. Complete interactive learning experiences delivered to the learners on the devices of their choice empowers them to be more productive and efficient. The benefits of mobile learning completely outweigh the costs. The anytime, anywhere access to the course content and information, right from the smartphone, makes it easy for learners to grasp the information in short chunks as per their convenience. Since the content is presented in small chunks on the mobile, mLearning sees a faster completion of courses and better learner retention. With full-blown multimedia support, mLearning can support various learning styles such a reading, videos, and audio (podcasts). The user-generated content and collaboration fostered by mobile devices make the learning more fascinating. Cloud Computing  The use of cloud computing in eLearning allows the businesses as well as the learners to access the learning applications and courses without the need of any installation on their own devices. Computing becomes a whole lot more efficient with the centralization of data storage, processing, and bandwidth. eLearning delivered via cloud benefits from the lower costs  in a long run. Businesses don’t need to worry about maintenance or upgrades as those are handled by the cloud vendors. Cloud-based learning is a safe option because the software as well as the data reside on remote servers and are protected against security breaches. It also provides the eLearning to keep pace with the latest technology trends. mLearning With Mobile Web Apps: Best Of Both Worlds The individual benefits of mobile learning and cloud are undisputed. Mobile learning delivered through native mobile apps requires the learners to download the app on their phones. The learning creators in this case also need to worry about the constant technological advancements and newer screen sizes. While the native apps offer unique and far richer user experiences, these are very time-consuming and costly to develop and maintain. Therefore, more and more learning creators have started giving more preference to mobile web apps. These apps run from directly from any mobile browser and do not require the learners to download any app on their smartphones. Creation of mobile web learning apps is relatively easy and most of the popular authoring tools allow the same at the click of a button. Since these don’t require any programming development skills, it is easier, less time consuming, and, therefore, relatively cheaper to create such apps. These apps offer extreme compatibility with a wide range of browsers. The apps need to be developed once and can work on multiple devices without any issues. The cost of development and management of web apps is very low as compared to native apps because once developed, such apps can work on multiple operating systems without any issues. It is very easy to host such apps on any mobile compatible portal or Learning Management System. The learners get access to the latest courses without having to do anything specific at their end (like installation of an app etc.). As soon as the course is updated on the server, the learners can see the same. With a stable internet connection, the course viewing experience can match with that of the native app without any issues. The courses can be delivered instantly because there are no intermediate steps of app store approval etc. There are discussions about the security of such courses and the user experience. However, with the use of right tools, technology, and expertise, all such issues can very easily be taken care of. The mobile browsers are rapidly maturing and that is significantly contributing in addressing the concerns about performance and usability. As the trend shows, while companies have become cautious about their spends on IT-related things like software and infrastructure, the spend on mobile devices are continuously increasing. The future no doubt will be ruled by cloud and mobile. Your learning initiatives will need to keep pace with these trends. This post was first published on eLearning Industry.

Private Tutors And Online Tuition: What Do They Think?  In 2015, The Tutor Pages published a groundbreaking report into online tuition in the UK - the first of its kind. Around 400 tutors were asked about all aspects of online tuition: Technology, payment solutions, affordability, the benefits and challenges, and much more. These are some of the results. Enthusiasm For Online Tuition  For a start, tutors without experience of online tuition were asked whether they would consider teaching online in the future. Notwithstanding the self-selection bias (participants had already elected to take a survey on online tuition) these preliminary results were interesting because they revealed differences across subjects. Those tutoring sciences, foreign languages and secondary (high school) level subjects showed the most enthusiasm for the idea. In addition, these tutors were among the most likely to report that they’d had to turn down tutoring work because they don’t yet tutor online. As many as a third of such tutors were turning down work because they didn’t offer online tuition, which suggests significant demand for this type of tutoring. Use Of Technology When it comes to technology, the vast majority of tutors were using simple, well-known technologies in their online tutoring. Over 80% were using Skype, and very few were currently using the bespoke online learning software. As for accepting payments, most tutors kept things very simple as well, with bank transfers and Paypal being almost equally as popular. Attitudes Of Parents Towards Online Tuition We also asked tutors about the attitudes of parents towards online tuition. The top two reasons why parents seem to be choosing online tuition were: It is more convenient than face-to-face tuition. They couldn’t find a suitable tutor in their local area. What was more surprising, however, is that another popular reason was that the family was living abroad and needed to follow a UK curriculum. This finding echoes the emerging market in preparing foreign children to study at British private schools. One expert in this area commented that: "I think that technology has improved enough for parents abroad to have confidence that the quality of tuition online is not affected. The standard of education varies between countries and I sense parents like to have a British tutor to regularly assess whether their child is at the necessary standard before starting their education in Britain." Other tutors, however, had come across resistance from parents, citing it as one of the barriers to online tuition. One respondent stated: "I’ve had a lot of people turn down tuition from me because it's online and not face-to-face. (...) No other reason given, just ‘we’d rather in person’." Main Barriers To Online Tuition Resistance from parents wasn’t the greatest barrier to online tuition identified by tutors. For most tutors, it was the lack of available information about online tuition which presented the greatest barrier. Indeed, there are often misunderstandings about how online tuition works. For example, some people believe that that it is complicated, or that it involves pre-recorded videos or software and not a live human tutor. On the other hand, those who actually try online tutoring -both clients and tutors- are often surprised at how simple it can be. For example, use of Skype and Paypal can be all that’s required for a successful online learning session. Aside from this, the major barriers identified by tutors were mainly associated with the online medium itself. These included: The problem of adequate broadband width and technology. Seeing what the student is doing. Establishing rapport with both the student and parents. The increased levels of concentration required for learning online. Those teaching special needs also had doubts about the benefits of the medium when a child required a multi-sensory approach to learning. The Future For Online Tuition Despite these hurdles, some tutors are clearly strong converts. One tutor commented that they "Think it is the future, definitely", and another noted that "I tutor exclusively online now. It has been the best single improvement I have ever made to my tuition business". The convenience of online tuition is undoubtedly a strong draw for both families and tutors. If the experience of online tutors is anything to go by, as the technology improves and as parents and the public become better informed about this kind of tutoring, demand for online tuition will certainly increase. For more details on tutors responses, read the full report at www.thetutorpages.com/online-tuition. This post was first published on eLearning Industry.

How To Make Time To Finally Create Your Online Course We all need more hours in a day. Time has become the biggest roadblock standing between us and our dreams. Or at least that’s what we keep telling ourselves. I-just-don’t-have-time-for-it. No time for learning a new language, although it would be really nice to massage the tongue with the sounds of French or Italian. No time to research those pension investment options that everyone is talking about. No time for morning jogs or evening pilates classes. No time for crafting that online course you’ve been obsessing about for months. Because you-just-don’t-have-time-for-it. How do I know you’re lying to yourself? Well, you are reading this article, while you could be learning a new language, doing yoga, or mapping out your course. Don’t get me wrong, I’m flattered, but the truth is - you do have time, you just don’t manage it very well. And that we can fix. If you’re still here. 1. Is it something that would be nice to have? Before you set out on this adventure, the most important thing to establish is why you’re doing it. Do you really truly want to create an eLearning course or is it just something that would be nice to have? I’ve been planning to learn to play chess since I read my first Sherlock Holmes story about 15 years ago. Although I still find the game terribly sophisticated, the idea has never made it to my must-haves list (I just continue to dream about it). Image credit to: Dimitra Tzanos If you’re a bit like me and your motivation is built on a house of cards, it’s unlikely you’ll ever get started. Not because it’s extremely difficult to create an online course, just because you don’t want it badly enough. Think about the people who queue for two days to get the new iPhone or people who go to gym every bleedin’ day to flex those muscles like Rocky himself was watching them. That’s motivation. Be more like them. Leave the niceness behind. Say that you really want it and then sweat for it. 2. One BIG goal at a time. I often have a hundred things that I want to do and learn (usually all at the same time). It is not manageable to juggle a bunch of life projects at once, but I still continue to torture myself with the guilty thoughts of wasting my life every time I log onto Netflix. Multitasking is a myth. It robs us off the opportunity to enjoy the process of achieving important milestones as we buzz around ticking to do lists. Having too many goals will drive you to the ground - you’ll start losing energy without getting any results. And that will not help you stay pumped-up for your mission. So pick one big goal that you will concentrate on and plough on. Depending on how skilled you are, it may only take you a few weeks or maybe a month to create an online course. Can you postpone the other dreams while you’re realizing this one? 3. Show that you’re serious. If developing an eLearning course has become your next big project, it’s time to officially commit. Sit down and make a plan of all the project stages: What steps do you have to take to accomplish this goal? Assign time estimates to each stage to calculate a rough final deadline - it will help you to track your progress and stay focused. There’s always that possibility that you’ll just ignore the deadline and the plan altogether (let’s face it, it’s a bit like taking a gym membership), but in that case, we’re back to square one - how badly do you want it? Every stage of your plan should clearly state: a) What needs to be done, b) how you will do it and c) how long it will take you. It’s the only recipe for productive work, so make sure all the ingredients are there. 4. Make it your priority by reducing other commitments. Quick meetings for coffee, online shopping, binge-watching TV series, playing silly games on your phone, catching up with your favorite show, napping or having too much wine at 8pm - these are just a few temptations that will be lurking around, waiting for your moment of weakness. Giving in to your typical indulgences will deter you from the goal. So how can you reduce the unnecessary commitments to the minimum while working on that dream? Well, here are a few simple ideas to try: 1) Tell your friends and family what you’re up to and make them promise to keep the distractions to a minimum; 2) treat yourself with something exciting when you achieve your milestones on time; 3) when you get distracted, write the random ideas down to follow up afterwards - it will help you stay in the moment; 4) visualize a steady decline in future incomes every time you waste time on unplanned tasks. Keep your eyes on the sea, captain! 5.  Block off time. Having time is a luxury. No one has time. But you make time for the things that have a special place in your heart. It’s all a matter of one’s priorities. So if you need to, go as far as blocking off time in your calendar for meetings with yourself or for your creative time. It will also serve as a precautionary measure to make sure you don’t plan any outings with friends on that day because you "forgot you have to work on this thing". iCalendar makes it very hard to fool yourself these days. 6. Keep it simple. If your plan is to put together a course on English grammar that includes 5 video lectures, 3 practical exercises, and 2 interviews in a week, chances are you’ll drop the idea very quickly. It’s just a little too overwhelming. One of the most successful tactics in overcoming the brain’s natural resistance to a huge load of work is to chunk it up. Or keep it simple. If you break your big project into smaller tasks, every time you complete one, you’ll feel like a champion. It’s important to maintain the enthusiasm levels high, so be smart and don’t attempt to outrun yourself. Every great success starts from a step in the right direction. Keep putting one foot in front of the other. Photo Credit: Helena Constela via Compfight cc 7. Stay focused. When working on large-scale projects, people often tend to go through a dark phase that sees their determination quiver. Suddenly, the whole project seems like a hot mess. You will agree that it’s not the most energizing feeling in the world. So it’s important to leave reminders for your future-self why you are doing this: Schedule emails, leave post-it notes on a fridge, or stick a poster on your bedroom wall. Do what works for you, but don’t leave your future-self marinating in self-doubt. Seriously, not cool. 8. The first 30 mins of your day are for you. Planning your day first thing in the morning is the best way to ensure that you don’t over-book or forget anything important. It doesn’t have to be a very detailed, neat plan - sometimes it’s enough to simply ask yourself "what do I need to accomplish today?" and make a mental note of that goal. Think about it as your no-nonsense shopping list: Get things done and get out. 9. Guard your time. If you don’t have a "do not disturb" sign yet, it’s about time to purchase one. You will see that everyone’s after a piece of you… Learn not to pick up calls just because the phone is ringing: Your me-time is just as important and shouldn’t be interrupted. Log out of your social media accounts and mute phone and email notifications when you get ready to do some work. It may not seem like much, but you will soon notice that minimizing distractions helps you maintain a laser-sharp focus and uncluttered mind. That’s just the kind of peace you need to develop something outstanding. Now take a deep breath and make it happen. Download the free help guide and build your money-making online course. This post was first published on eLearning Industry.

Applying Gagné's 9 Events Of Instruction In eLearning Gagné published The Conditions of Learning back in 1965, which suggested that certain mental conditions must be present in order for knowledge absorption and retention to occur. He also introduced the 9 Events of Instruction, based on the internal and external cognitive factors that contribute to learning. The internal factors are the learner’s prior knowledge, while the external factors are outside stimuli, such as the form of instruction. eLearning professionals can use these 9 events of instruction to develop eLearning experiences that stick and offer online learners the opportunity to engage in every step of the instructional process. Create an attention-grabbing introduction. The first, and most important, event is gaining the attention of every learner in your audience. One of the most effective ways to do this is to create a compelling introduction that gets them hooked right from the start. Lead off with a story that pulls at their heart strings, or a question that surprises or shocks them. Even online learners who are distracted or possibly unmotivated to participate cannot resist an intro that creates an emotional connection and gets them thinking about the topic. Inform learner about the objectives of the eLearning course. This means that you must clearly state the goals of the eLearning course. Your learners must know WHY they need to actively participate in the eLearning course before they even access the first online module or activity. Be very clear about the objectives of the eLearning course, and tie it into real-world applications and benefits. If they know that they are going to take something valuable away from the eLearning experience, then they are more likely to engage in the online learning process. Stimulate recall of prior knowledge. Recalling and applying knowledge they have previously acquired gives online learners the chance to commit it to long-term memory, rather than forgetting it a second after they’ve read it.  Before you start each eLearning activity, let your audience know what skills or knowledge they will be applying to the task, as well as how the subject matter is connected to information they already have in their knowledge base. Create goal-centered eLearning content. Each and every eLearning activity, online exercise, and piece of eLearning content should tie in directly to the goals and objectives. In fact, it’s best to group information and concepts together based on the specific goal. For example, an online lesson or module should focus on one core objective, which allows the learner to master that topic before moving onto the next. Provide online guidance. Even the most advanced online learners may need support when it comes to learning new skill sets and absorbing new knowledge. Otherwise, they may become discouraged or frustrated and disengage from the eLearning experience altogether. They must have the coaching they need to develop favorable online learning behaviors, or else they might be committing incorrect information to their long-term memory. Practice makes perfect. Repetition is key to absorbing and retaining new knowledge and skills. Thus, you should include plenty of opportunities for your learners to apply the knowledge they have acquired so far and try out behaviors that can help them in the real world. Offer them branching scenarios and simulations that give them the chance to see where their decisions lead them, as well as the rewards and risks involved that come of their actions. Offer timely feedback. By giving your learners timely and constructive feedback they have the power to improve learning behaviors and identify their weaknesses and strengths. Offer personal feedback, rather than giving general praise or criticism to your entire audience, so that every learner knows which steps they must take in order to reach their goals. Assess early and often. Assessing your learners not only gauges their progress, but also gives you the opportunity to identify weak spots in your eLearning strategy. For example, if a vast majority of your learners are struggling with one particular online module, you may want to reevaluate its online content and activities. eLearning assessments also offer you the ability to identify the knowledge gap, which is what they already know versus what they still need to acquire in order to achieve the learning objectives of the eLearning course. Enhance transfer of knowledge by tying it into real world situations and applications. Your learners must always be aware of how they can apply what they have learned once they step out of the virtual learning environment. As such, you should include real-world scenarios, stories, and other interactive eLearning activities that show them the applications of the information and skills they’ve worked so hard to develop. No matter what the eLearning goals are or who your target audience is, you can use Gagné’s 9 Events of Instruction to create effective and engaging eLearning courses for your learners. The primary objective of any eLearning course is to give your learners the information and skills they need to improve some aspect of their lives, and this strategy can help you to develop a complete eLearning experience that does just that! While Gagné’s 9 Events of Instruction are ideal for a comprehensive eLearning course, there are instances wherein you learners may need immediate knowledge on-the-job. Read the article How to Use The 5 "Moments of Need" Model In Corporate eLearning to discover 5 tips that can help you incorporate the "moment of need" model into your online training strategy, so that you can give your corporate learners the information they need when and where they need it the most. This post was first published on eLearning Industry.

Pay Attention! It’s The First Starting Point Of Learning And Essential To The Formation Of Memory According to an infographic I saw recently from Bersin by Deloitte, "most learners won’t watch videos longer than 4 minutes" because the modern day worker is overwhelmed, easily distracted and impatient". That will come as little surprise to many of you I’m sure, as employees are now accessing information and learning in a far more different way to how they did a few years ago. They are now inundated with different ways to learn, including virtual, mobile, and smartphone, and the traditional classroom-style, all of which beg the question, how much of what people learn do they actually remember afterwards and go on to use again in the long-term? However learning is delivered, people must first pay attention to information if they are ultimately going to remember it. Second, it takes time to bring all the information given to them in a few moments into consciousness. For example, if students are given with too much information at once and are not told which aspects of the information they should pay attention to, they may have difficulty learning any of the information at all. It also appears that scientists are unlocking the secrets of just how we remember and how we can enhance our memory. As such, knowing the science behind how memory is created is extremely important to educators for the whole teaching/learning process. One of the most compelling academic papers I have recently read was Alison Banikowski’s "Strategies to Enhance Memory Based on Brain Research" which has subsequently inspired much of what I feature in this article. Believe it or not, Alison’s paper, which was produced over 16 years ago in 1999, is about how children learn in school and what strategies are best used in this learning situation. Whether it’s in the classroom or in the board room, understanding how the brain saves what it is taught, is the foundation for how we retain what we learn and keep it as a memory. Some of the points Alison raises in her article still resonate for learning today, so it seems all the more important for companies to really take on board the concept of brain-based learning  strategies as they are setting the learning scene for pretty much everyone, from children to working professionals. All trainers, be they in the school classroom, college, or workplace, must ensure that participants participate in learning, expand and grow their existing learning, engage in learning, and ultimately go on to repeat what they have learned. And what enables this to happen? Memory! As Alison Benikowski herself says, no teacher or trainer simply wants to "teach". They want students to "learn". They want learners to be able to organize, store, and retrieve knowledge and skills. And it’s by applying what we know about how the brain receives and remembers information that workplace trainers can focus on the "learning" aspect of the "teaching/learning" process. How Science Helps Us Use Cognitive Learning Strategies To Keep People’s Attention Like any other skill, I think we can all develop our attention for learning through regular practice and training. We’re likely to forget 70% of what we have learned unless we make a special effort to remember it, as information needs to be transferred from our short term memory to our long-term, permanent memory. Unfortunately, people can attend to only a small amount of information at any one time. People often can perform two or three well-learned, automatic tasks at one time (e.g. driving a car and listening to the Sat Nav at the same time). However, because of the limited capacity of human attention, only a small amount of information stored in the sensory register ever moves on to our every day, activity memory. But I do think the limitations of our memory also can be helped by learning styles that take a scientific account of just how the brain functions. I have often referred to the AGES report in previous articles that I have written, as I do think the scientific insights it divulges give Learning and Development decision makers and trainers an important insight into the four key conditions required to enable really effective learning and the creation of lasting memory as a result of that learning: Attention, Generation, Emotion, Spacing. For the purpose of this article, I want to address the "Attention" part of the AGES model and explain why for me, as a learning and training provider, it should always be the key starting point for training programs because it’s where formation of memory starts, and the one around which the other three conditions all play a part to support. For many companies, an updated learning and development process remains long overdue. Brandon Hall Group’s 2014 Learning and Development Benchmarking Study has revealed that more than 50% of companies have revisited their learning strategy less than two times in the last five years. It may seem surprising given the economic situation has improved for many companies in the wake of the recession, but it would seem that for many companies, learning has almost flat lined. The good news is, however, according to the Brandon Hall Group’s Study, that one-third of companies are planning to increase their budget for Learning and Development over the next 12 months, with nearly 50% of these companies currently spending $100 per learner per year. That’s good news to hear, but if you read the AGES report and understand the four parts of the AGES concept, you will appreciate that the secret to making companies’ training work well, is down to the training methods and approaches they choose. They need to really understand how the brain captures and retains information and stores them as memory so "teaching" can really become "learning". As I mentioned right at the beginning of this article, the "modern day worker is overwhelmed, easily distracted, and impatient," and this means Learning and Development departments need to realize people are learning from more varied sources nowadays with one of the most popular being mobile or smartphone learning. Of smartphone users, 91% turn to their devices for ideas while completing a task. Brands like Home Depot and M·A·C are even using mobile video to reach people in these "I-want-to-do" micro-moments! Why is it so popular? Because the way and time in which it’s delivered is more likely to keep our attention, and as such, is more likely to be stored and remembered. This post was first published on eLearning Industry.

Allow Your eLearners To Bloom Help your learners reach their Bloom’s potential through scalable, interactive eLearning. Bloom’s Taxonomy is used widely for classifying the different objectives that educators set for learners. Since Bloom’s lower order cognitive objectives (knowledge, comprehension, and application) are all fairly straightforward to do online, they make up the bulk of current online training tasks. However, it often surprises me how quickly Bloom’s higher order cognitive tasks get overlooked when developing online training. The one exception here is the use of branched scenarios, which are fantastic but can’t be forced into every training topic we need to cover as educators. Bloom’s higher order cognitive skills (analyze, evaluate, and create) are heavily focused on critical thinking. These, in order, ask learners to analyze situations based on their lower order knowledge, select and choose between presented options (listing and ordering with explanations), and propose new solutions or present a critical analysis of situation ideas. Since most higher order tasks require feedback from a teacher, an instructor, or a more knowledgeable other (MKO), this often gets a little tricky (but not impossible!) to facilitate and scale through eLearning. Many learning professionals avoid using eLearning for these higher order tasks due to technological constraints, time or budget constraints, or simply because they just haven’t thought of some of the ways you can use eLearning to achieve the higher order objectives. There are, in fact, a few very effective ways to solve the problem of using eLearning to capture higher order cognitive objectives that we use often with our clients at Learnkit. Reach Full Bloom Through eLearning Solutions to the higher order objective challenge will involve some social participation, comparing against pre-prepared answers then rating confidence, or self-reflection, and doesn’t demand much in terms of instructor time and resources. Here are 4 ways to create impactful, scalable eLearning that will allow your eLearners to bloom: Compare and contrast answers. Users are given a question to answer in long-form. Rather than have someone mark it, they compare their answer against a pre-prepared answer, and then compare and contrast the two. Users rate their confidence afterwards - this reflective activity is useful for engagement and retention. Great for the analyze stage tasks. Case studies. A bit more scaffolded than the option above. Have students read through a case study and then answer a series of questions. If it is a real-life case study then they can even evaluate choices, and once again check against a pre-prepared answer. The longer, step-by-step nature of case studies make them great for the evaluation stage tasks. This is a nice twist on standard branched scenarios that allows learners to stretch their critical thinking muscles. Reflective journals. We all know people love to talk about themselves! Students are asked to personalize the answers to questions based on their own unique experiences and current work situations. These are great once students have progressed to the create stage tasks. Answers can stay personal, or they can choose to share if they want. At this stage, the act of writing and thinking about the questions is enough to help consolidate learning in adults. Small projects submitted to a community. Higher order tasks can be given as small projects to be shared with the learning community upon completion. For example, eLearners may be asked to come up with a new sales plan or to critique a customer service conversation. Once completed and submitted to the community, instructors can rely on a small group of super-users who emerge in most online communities to provide feedback. Fortunately these super-users are often MKOs, which removes the need for an instructor, lets trainers act as moderators, and let’s this type of task become scalable. While these higher order tasks may not give us the raw quantitative data we’re used to seeing when we stick with lower order tasks, there is something to be said for letting our learners flex their muscles and start personalizing their responses and experiences with eLearning. As long as we are providing feedback gates along the way, we should be able to incorporate higher order tasks and let our learners Bloom. This post was first published on eLearning Industry.

Must-Have Google Chrome Apps For eLearning Professionals It’s estimated that more than 1 billion people use Google Chrome and over 92.2% of smartphone owners use at least one Google application. However, despite this web browser’s immense popularity, many eLearning professionals are not taking full advantage of this versatile web browser. There are a variety of Google applications that can make the eLearning design process less stressful and more productive, while enriching the eLearning experience of your learners. Google Docs Quick Create Looking for a quick way to create spreadsheets, docs, and online presentations? Google Docs Quick Create gives you the ability to click on the icon, then select one of the formats in the dropdown menu, whether document, spreadsheet, presentation, drawing, or form. Rather than having to access the Google Drive and search through menus to design new online learning materials, you can start the creation process in a matter of seconds. Class Dojo This Google application replaces traditional reward systems with positive reinforcement and praise. Instructors can offer their learners immediate feedback to modify learning behaviors and encourage them to build necessary skill sets. eLearning professionals are able to specify which behaviors they’d like to reinforce, and the learners earn Dojo points when they utilize a particular skill. Evernote Web Clipper This Googgle Chrome application is ideal for subject matter research and resource sharing. You can add notes to any article or webpage, take screenshots, and even save them as a PDF document in your Evernote account. If you want to share a helpful reference site with your learners in order to deepen their understanding of a subject, just clip a webpage, add your own comments, and then send it to your audience. Test & Improve Your Knowledge If you’re searching for a way to assess learners’ knowledge on a broad range of topics or build their critical thinking skills, then Test & Improve Your Knowledge, also known as "The Quiz Center", may be the ideal Google Chrome application. Every quiz round features a series of questions that must be answered within the 20-second time limit. If the learner answers correctly within the allotted time, they move onto the next round. The multiple-choice questions become more challenging as they progress, and every quiz session covers a diverse range of topics. Strict Workflow Productivity is the key to success for eLearning professionals and online learners, alike. Strict Workflow is a Google Chrome application that keeps you on-track and focused on the task at hand. You simply click on the icon, then start the 25-minute timer. During that time you have to concentrate on your work or learning tasks, before the application gives you a 5-minute break to do whatever you like. If you are having trouble budgeting your time or are easily distracted, then Strict Workflow may be the perfect application for you. World Data Finder There are times when you need additional information about a topic but simply don’t have the time to scour the web for resources. This is when World Data Finder comes into play. This Google Chrome application extension gives you access to graphs, charts, fact, and other relevant pieces of information about the webpage you are currently viewing. For example, if you are reading a news article, you can click on the icon to instantly view line graphs and important pieces of data that offer more insight into story. Kaizena Voice Comments This is one of the most useful tools for eLearning professionals, as it gives you the ability to give immediate audio feedback to your online learners. They can share their online presentations, assessments, or any other learning assignment with you via the Google Drive, and you can leave audio commentary that helps them improve learning behaviors and identify areas of improvement. Just highlight the incorrect response or problem area, then speak into the microphone. LearnBoost If you are looking for an all-in-one tool that can track learner progress, manage eLearning lesson plans, and keep track of attendance, then it doesn’t get much better than LearnBoost for Chrome. This application also gives you the power to generate progress reports, grade assignments, and create an online class calendar. Best of all, there is a LearnBoost support team at-the-ready in case you run into any issues. Highlight Keywords for Google Search With this helpful Google Chrome application you will no longer have to spend precious time perusing a website for pertinent information. When you visit a webpage the application will automatically highlight the keywords you have searched for, which means that you can quickly and conveniently conduct research without having to scan every section of the page. My Study Life Last, but certainly not least, is a planner application that maximizes your time and helps you stay organized. Not only does it have a calendar feature, where you can keep track of deadlines and due dates, but it allows you to store all your tasks right on the Cloud. You can also set and share reminders with eLearning collaborators and learners, as well as store online assessments that you can grade on-the-go. As an added bonus, My Study Life syncs between devices, which gives you access to your schedule and tasks via your mobile phone or tablet. Boost your productivity, streamline your work processes, and give your online learners the best possible eLearning experience by using these Google Chrome Apps for your next eLearning project. Last but not least, as eLearning professionals, we are always looking for tools that help save time when it comes to the organization and maintenance of our eLearning courses. We want to offer our audience the best possible experience, but keeping everything streamlined can be quite a challenge. The good news is that Google Classroom may be just the free learning management system that you’ve been looking for! This post was first published on eLearning Industry.