35% have managed to get to Kirkpatrick Level 3 with only 15% reaching Level 4. Tata Interactive Systems’ Webinar on "learning effectiveness evaluation" highlights key challenges facing organizations Learning & Development professionals across geographies responded overwhelmingly to the challenges in learning effectiveness evaluation during a poll conducted by Tata Interactive Systems (TIS), as part of its interactive Webinar on "Practical approaches towards learning effectiveness evaluation". The attendees belonging to the Learning & Development functions were polled on several parameters ranging from ‘how they evaluate learning effectiveness’ to ‘how effective they are’ and ‘what tools are used to measure effectiveness’.  Tata Interactive Systems’ Webinar presented by Poushali Chatterjee, Principal Learning Designer & Delivery Head, Kolkata Centre, TIS, mainly focused on the challenges facing L&D, learning effectiveness models as well as creating an evaluation plan. She emphasized the need to create an evaluation plan as part of the learning activities rather than a separate one. "Having evaluation measures in place acts as a leading indicator as it is an in-process measure and enables you to take pre-emptive actions to improve your chances of achieving your Learning & Development objectives," said Poushali. "A lag indicator, however, is when you are measuring the effectiveness when the process is over and you are measuring in retrospect. Hence, it is always important for training departments to align their objectives with the organization’s goals and then with the department’s / individual’s objectives." The polls conducted during the webinar threw up some interesting perspectives. TIS polled attendees responded on key challenges while measuring learning effectiveness. The result revealed that lack of knowledge about evaluation mechanisms (61%) was a primary concern, besides citing lack of time (33%) as another reason for not measuring learning effectiveness. This seems to turn the tables on the popular assumption that measuring learning effectiveness is by itself a tough ask - maybe learning professionals also need to increase their knowledge of evaluation mechanisms and start applying them. In yet another poll, a sizeable majority of the attendees believed that training evaluation data would help improve employee as well as an organization’s performance. They were also of the opinion that training could become a partner to business rather than being just a vendor. The poll further included questions regarding ‘organization’s readiness to conduct evaluation at different Levels’. The poll results indicated that ‘50% of L&D departments have never tried to conduct learning effectiveness evaluation beyond Kirkpatrick Level 2’, while 35% have managed to get to Level 3, with only 15% reaching Level 4. Therefore, while most attendees agreed that evaluation helps increase the business value of training, most training departments are not going beyond Level 2 evaluation. This could well be due to the lack of knowledge about evaluation mechanisms cited in the key challenges poll. This tied in well with the objective of the webinar, where Poushali explained how to build an evaluation plan and the kind of mechanisms that can be used. Responding to questions from the attendees, Poushali went on to explain how to address some specific challenges, like frequent attrition and whether quantity and quality are both equally important when it comes to evaluation. Click here to learn more and access the archived video of "Learning Effectiveness Evaluation" Webinar conducted by Tata Interactive Systems.  

67% attendees have never experienced simulation-based learning during their (university) education 50% concede that their training team had no experience in simulations  As part of our "Ask the Experts" series of Webinars, Tata Interactive Systems (TIS) - the only truly global provider of bespoke digital learning solutions - recently held a session on ‘Business Gaming Solutions’. The Webinar mainly focused on the differences in learning styles in the UK & Germany. It brought forth several pre-conceived notions in terms of the awareness metrics, user engagement and pricing structure of business gaming simulations. However, the use of business gaming in corporate establishments across the globe is gaining momentum, as it allows one to learn by making decisions & mistakes… in a completely risk-free environment. Even today, there exists a deep rooted culture of creating strategy games in Germany. Also, the use of business games is well-recognized in this part of the world because the structure of education encourages practical application methods. Besides, more than 50% of all Institutes of Higher Education are Universities of Applied Sciences (FH) which are oriented towards teaching application-based professionals skills. Close on the heels of this discussion, a poll was conducted to gauge ‘the attendees’ experience with simulation-based learning during their (university) education’. And, the poll results declared that almost 2/3rd of the audience had not experienced a business game. In fact, in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, there is an institutional mechanism to support these simulations. On the other hand, SAGSET founded in the UK in 1970 is almost defunct today; while SAGSAGA and ISAGA are thriving in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Also, according to statistics, learning retention can be as high as 75% in cases where business games are included as part of the curriculum, as compared to 5% in a lecture, 20% through audio visual and 50% through a discussion group. Further, business games also offer a holistic, comprehensive and risk-free decision making environment for a corporate house. TIS polled attendees to understand the obstacles when it comes to introducing business simulations in corporate houses. Almost 80% revealed that they perceived the tool to be too expensive, while 50% conceded that their training team had no experience in simulations. The Webinar also brought forth the fact that business games can be used in multiple application areas such as e.g. Onboarding, Assessment, Employer Branding, Sales Effectiveness, Leadership and Change Management Initiatives as well as Strategy Development. This is because they are flexible, scalable and can be custom-fit to be used on-site as well as off-site (e.g. on tablets and smartphones). These business simulations are so rich in content that the participants can take up decision-making roles of their units to compete as teams against other units in a simulated environment. While proceeding through different modules, teams need to plan, strategize and decide, taking into account several variables that influence the operating environment. Click here to access the archived video of "Business Gaming Solutions" Webinar.  - Dominik Maier, Principal Consultant, TIS, Germany, who presented the Webinar

Tata Interactive Systems (TIS), a global provider of learning solutions, has for the fifth consecutive year, been named in the ‘Top 20 Training Outsourcing Companies’ list by TrainingIndustry.com. This initiative is part of TrainingIndustry.com’s mission to continually monitor the global training marketplace for the best providers of training services and technologies. "We are delighted to be recognized among the top 20 training outsourcing companies for the fifth year in a row," says Kshitij Nerurkar, Chief Operating Officer, TIS. "Designed to meet the needs of every sector, globally, Tata Interactive Systems’ solutions enable organizations to achieve their key initiatives with engaging learning solutions. These key initiatives are often multi-faceted and include examples like enterprise-wide process transformation, global leadership intervention for future managers or, driving a new customer philosophy in sales and marketing. At times, we also help organizations optimize their L&D resources. Also, while most of the outsourced learning solutions are meant to deliver flexibility and cost savings, they miss the mark on effectiveness… and this is where we come in," cites Kshitij. He further adds, "Stemming from 25 years of history in training design, we systematically devise learning frameworks to advise L&D functions and help them measure the success of these initiatives. We also provide content solutions using a combination of product formats like MOOCs-based intervention for leadership training or a tablet-based serious game for sales readiness or a competitive multi-player simulation for risk assessment." The selection of this year's "Top 20" list was based on the following criteria: industry visibility, innovation and impact, capability to deliver multiple types of training services, company size and growth potential, strength of clients and geographic reach. "The Top 20 Training Outsourcing companies leverage their broad expertise to provide quality training BPO services for their clients," said Doug Harward, Chief Executive Officer, Training Industry, Inc. "We continue to see deals touching all process capability areas, with average deal size remaining low." "This year’s Top 20 Companies offer an extensive range of training services and partnerships to support deals covering all regions globally," said Ken Taylor, Chief Operating Officer, Training Industry, Inc. "The companies showed continued growth in keys areas like program delivery and custom content development."

Can MOOCs be the trigger to fully engage Senior Execs in continuous self-development? In his speech on my company, Tata Interactive Systems, annual party earlier this year, my CEO, Sanjaya Sharma, when talking about current exciting times and the fast changing landscape of the end-tech world with the entry of the likes of wearable technology et al, went on to share his experience with one of the latest phenomena in the education world - MOOCs. He reflected on the past couple of decades by stating "… there was a time when I thought of something I wanted to know more about, I ‘go ogled’ … and now I ‘MOOC’." I promptly nodded my head in agreement. The MOOC is no longer only an acronym; it is already a verb. After a sort of longish journey through a plethora of debates and debacles in the higher end world, MOOCs are now propping up in the corporate world. Will they work? Well, it has taken some time to realize that those very characteristics that are unique to a MOOC (their massiveness, openness, connectedness, and their online format) and are not (yet?) working as intended in the academic world could actually find application in the real world. The corporate world has a large population to train or up-skill; there is almost always a dearth of facilitators; taking time out for training has always been a constraint; and most importantly, there has always been a desire to foster peer-to-peer coaching and learning amongst the corporate learners. So, why not? With this background, I decided to go back to my white paper on Instructional Design for MOOCs and pondered over whether the same design philosophy that I had chalked out for MOOCs in the higher end world could also work for the corporate learners. Meanwhile, Joanna Kori, who has joined us as a Learning Consultant in the UK read my white paper and came back with some constructive feedback, which, in turn, started a series of debates and discussions on the topic. With choices between two extremes—a purely behaviorist approach that moods (the more popular variety of MOOCs offered by companies such as Courser, eddy et al) tend to follow and the very chaotic and disorganized approach of a cook (connectivity MOOCs pioneered by well-known researcher and theorist George Siemens and his colleagues Stephen Downs and Dave Cormier), both of us agreed on a middle path, albeit slightly tilted toward the connectivity model. At this point, Sahana Chattopadhyay, my colleague and another experienced ID, joined our discussions, bringing in her vast social media experience gained during her prior tenure as an L&D Consultant and Community Manager. Charged with extremely valuable inputs from both these ladies, I was finally able to come up with a model -the Fish Tank model - for a corporate MOOC.   On 6th March 2014, Tata Interactive Systems called for a Webinar to present this model to the outside world including our corporate clients. Interesting comments and questions poured in from the audience, confirming the need to start designing custom MOOCs for corporates. To know more about how our Corporate MOOC model can be used to engage senior executives in continuous self-development, access the recording of our Webinar at http://youtu.be/ZfsB-7js958   -       Preeti Jasnani, Principal Learning Designer - Education, Tata Interactive Systems

In order for India to truly hold its own on the global stage, there is a need to improve the quality of education imparted to children from under-privileged backgrounds, and also to improve their ability to communicate in English. India’s problem is not just unemployment - but also un-employability of a vast majority of the people of our country who are unable to communicate proficiently in English.80% of students attend state run schools where English is not the primary medium of education. A larger supply of confident, English speaking workforce would improve income levels and buying power for faster economic growth of our country. To reduce this shortcoming, Tata Interactive Systems (TIS) along with Bombay Community Public Trust (BCPT), NGO Muktangan and Learning Space Foundation have collaborated to provide high-quality standardized interactive English teaching aids based on the government prescribed curriculum to help children in state-run and private vernacular medium schools overcome the English barrier and become employable, with a program called ‘e-teach’.   DVDs were created by TIS for teaching students from Std. 1- 4.The DVDs are closely aligned with the government prescribed curriculum and presents the concept from textbook in an interesting manner. Although, there is a significant effort involved in the development and distribution, these DVDs are being distributed free of cost in municipal and village schools. These DVDs provide teachers a powerful teaching-aid and enable children’s to learn easily and in a fun way. Each of the 4 members of the collaboration has a specific role to play in this initiative: Tata Interactive Systems (TIS) is responsible for creating the instructional approach, graphics, integrating and testing the DVDs. Muktangan is responsible for guiding the teaching methodology used in DVDs and providing a platform for user-testing, Bombay Community Public Trust (BCPT) is responsible for fund raising, administration & accounting and project coordination.  Learning Space Foundation is responsible disseminating the e-teach methodology in the rural areas in Maharashtra. This project won the eMaharashtra 2012 Awards for the best multimedia content for K12. For detailed information on this initiative, please refer: http://www.afternoondc.in/epaper/EpaperPost.aspx?id=107161

Measuring Learning Effectiveness is considered difficult, time consuming, and difficult to implement. At best, most organizations would conduct assessments and create a pass-fail report. How then, in these times of cost cutting, does a CLO show the business that training is an important contributor to performance improvement? TIS’ white paper, Mapping ID to Performance Needs highlights some of the Models that can be deployed to evaluate learning effectiveness and measure the ROI. Further, there is tremendous work being done around the globe by the Kirkpatricks and independent learning designers, using an updated Kirkpatrick Model, elements of the Jack Philips model, and a host of other methods.  The contemporary learning manager is also conscious about customer satisfaction as they gear up to run their learning department like a business on its own. Traditional evaluation approaches tend to over-survey the learners and sometimes, their managers too. To avoid such overload, the preferred approach is to make the evaluation a part of the activities for the training program itself instead of being designed as independent surveys. Other methods include Brinkerhoff’s Success Case Method (SCM) which shifts the focus from evaluation of "training" to an evaluation of how effectively the organization uses training. The overarching purpose of the SCM is to dig out and build understanding about the many factors that keep training from being more successful. Then, it serves as a vehicle to teach the key stakeholders in the organization what needs to be done to increase the training success rates and consistently improve rates of return for training investments. Then there’s Roger Kaufman’s 5 level model, modeled after Kirkpatrick's four level evaluation method. This model applies five levels and is designed to evaluate a program from the trainee's perspective. It also assesses the possible impact of a training program on the client and society. A Kirkpatrick Example: Building a Chain of Evidence A lot of frustration and cynicism around the Kirkpatrick model has been caused by the perceived difficulty in evaluating at the higher levels. While evaluating Level 1 (Reaction) and Level 2 (Learning) is fairly simple, Level 3 (Behavior) and Level 4 (Results) pose several challenges, chief of them being the ability to connect training performance with actual business results. As most learning professionals know, whether learning is transferred to the job and then to business results is not determined only by the quality of learning. There are organizational drivers that can also impact performance, positively and negatively and there could be external influencers which drive results. While both of these are valid concerns, Don Kirkpatrick proposes linking all the levels of evaluation to accommodate the variables mentioned above. He talks about ‘evidence’ vs ‘proof’ of learning effectiveness. His recommendation is to build a chain of evidence from Level 1 to Level 4, which shows that right from learner satisfaction to business result, there has been similar impact, either positive or negative. The hypothesis is: while results at any one level could be skewed by factors other than training, the entire chain cannot be influenced by such factors. From Learning to Performance It’s a dynamic world where training, like everything else, must mirror the demands of the time. The result—a call for a change in focus from learning to performance. In fact, learning design has been evolving continuously to meet changing needs of business and the workers. In conclusion, a combination of appropriate ID approaches along with an evaluation framework to measure effectiveness can help establish the value L&D provides to business. In line with this, TIS has developed its Learning Evaluation Framework, Evaluate, Analyze, Revisit (EAR).  This framework offers process flows, tools, templates, and score cards to implement learning effectiveness evaluation for all 4 levels of Kirkpatrick and the 5th Level of ROI proposed by Jack Philips. Poushali Chatterjee is Principal Learning Designer & Delivery Head, Kolkata Centre, at Tata Interactive Systems.                

Moving from learning to performance is no easy task—either for individuals or for organizations. Formal learning can no longer enable a worker to perform in this age of complex work where best practices are not a constant. The call is thus to give the power to the people—to choose content, to learn, and to perform. Adaptive Learning Systems (ALS) are facilitating that by providing learners with an ecosystem in which they can explore the world of formal, informal, and social learning, select content of choice and create their own learning path. The business case for investing in an ALS to personalize learning experiences will be the strongest if it is possible to leverage existing assets and minimize the initial cost. The case should also circle back to the possibility of empowerment and motivation. And like the proverbial pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, there are dollar benefits from investing in a system that allows personalization of learning and performance improvement. These outcomes are likely to have a positive impact on business results. Variations of a pure ALS, though, are gaining in popularity. While many may not have all of the features of an ALS, they score on their ability to create a personal environment for learning. They offer a framework for applying models like Pervasive Learning, 70:20:10, Evidence-based Learning, and even some aspects of the adaptive learning methodology. For more on how organizations are leveraging the power of Personal Learning Environments to support performance, see TIS’ white paper "Mapping ID to Performance Needs". - Sarbani Mukherjee, Principal Learning Designer - Accounts North America, Tata Interactive Systems

The Indian Animation Masters Summit by Toonz Animation turned to be a huge crowd puller with a large number of people thronging the venue to listen to the masters of the Indian animation industry. Manisha Mohan, Head of Design and Animation at Tata Interactive Systems (TIS), shared her vision and experience on how animation can be taken beyond entertainment. She discussed how animation can be used for different industry sectors such as Education, Healthcare, Defense, Travel and Logistics. Her experience in creating interactive tools for children with learning disabilities was also shared and discussed upon. Dhimant Vyas, Senior Consultant - Animation Design from TIS and the man behind the title animation of Amir Khan starrer Taare Zameen Par was also a Master presenting at the summit. He discussed about his wide experience in Claymation. While speaking on the topic of "Magic with Motion", he highlighted the painstaking effort that’s put into building every frame. Read the full press release at http://www.animationxpress.com/index.php/latest-news/indian-animation-masters-summit-by-toonz-animation-concludes-successfully

The learning world has been talking about social and informal learning for close to a decade now. Jay Cross popularized the concept in his book, Informal Learning: Rediscovering the Natural Pathways That Inspire Innovation and Performance, defining it thus: "Informal learning is the unofficial, unscheduled, impromptu way people learn to do their jobs. Formal learning is like riding a bus: the driver decides where the bus is going; the passengers are along for the ride. Informal learning is like riding a bike: the rider chooses the destination, the speed, and the route." Organizations have moved from skepticism regarding social learning to realizing that it is a much-needed component in the learning ecosystem. The days when formal training alone worked are over. Training worked when work was predictable, processes could be pre-defined, and best practices could be handed down - via ILT or elearning - depending on the organization in question. With the advent of globalization, ubiquitous technology, mobile devices and a myriad other ripple effects of technology, the world of work has suddenly been hit by a whirlwind of change. Simple, process-driven work that defined the industrial era is giving way to complicated and complex work where exceptions are the norm. Employees and organizations alike are at a loss. It is clear that something more than formal, top down training is definitely required to enable employees remain efficient and be able to acquire the knowledge and skills required. Thus, organizations are taking a second look at informal and social learning today. Micro-learning, micro-content, Learning Flows, and mlearning are some of the current and upcoming trends in the world of learning and development. They all have a common denominator—they require very little "at-a-stretch" time commitment from learners/users. And learning design - driven by these principles - lend itself to informal and social learning as well. Wikipedia describes micro-learning thus: Micro-learning can also be understood as a process of subsequent, "short" learning activities, i.e. learning through interaction with micro-content objects in small timeframes. ~ Wiki Some of the key characteristics of micro-learning are given in the diagram below:   These qualities make small capsules of learning - tweets, responses to forum discussions, short podcasts, learning nuggets, and so on - eminently suitable in the context of social and informal learning. Imagine an employee posting a question on a discussion forum on an enterprise collaboration platform. S/he could receive a response in any one or more of the following forms - a direct post, a short video, a podcast, a link to an external resource, or be directed to an expert on the said topic. A collaboration platform that facilitates such interaction promotes social and informal learning within an organization. However, it is important to remember that a platform doesn’t necessarily bring about the desired change. To foster a culture of sharing and collaboration, it is important that L&D dons the hat of community managers and facilitators enabling content curation and aggregation and connecting learners to relevant content, to each other, and to experts. But what’s wrong with good old formal training, you may ask. Nothing really! Formal learning will still be required but it can no longer meet the needs of the workforce. As the juggernaut of change continues to hit the global work environment, exceptions and complex problems are becoming the norm. It is no longer feasible or possible to design training programs in advance for challenges one doesn’t know is coming their way. All of these are pointing to a shift that is in motion—a shift from long courses with a defined structure and curriculum that trained users on good and best practices based on the past. The "Era of Courses" reflected an age where work was stable, experience of the past could be encapsulated and translated into courses that future workers could take and be successful in their work and performance. Businesses grew and became mega-businesses. Accumulated experiences counted. The future reflected the past. And economy of scale was the order of the day. Learning "at the speed of need" is of paramount importance today. And enabling social and informal learning at the workplace is one way to meet this need. Providing a platform for globally dispersed employees to quickly access a learning byte, share an insight, post a query, or upload a document ensures that just-in-time learning is happening. It also brings learning into the workflow. And fosters a culture of sharing and collaboration thus also ensuring that the organization’s tacit knowledge is being captured. Today, workers need bursts and nuggets of learning a.k.a. performance support. Lengthier, knowledge-driven courses will still exist but will become optional and can be taken at the workers’ discretion. Individuals will take those courses where they see personal and professional benefits—but they may not be driven by the organization where they work. This is directly evident in the MOOC phenomenon as seen on Coursera or EdX. Learning design will have to increasingly revolve around micro-learning concepts that are device, time and location agnostic. While micro-learning can be viewed as a support to more formal and longer courses, this equation may change. Workers used to Googling to solve their queries and problems are likely to bring that same paradigm to learning. They may well expect a collection of micro-modules to be available which they will dip into as and when needed. Each worker will chart out their own path through these micro-modules based on their role, performance need and prior experience and knowledge. However, the big question is: How will corporates take advantage of these trends and phenomenon that have organically grown out the changing technology landscape. And, what will be the role of learning designers in this new landscape—curators & aggregators, facilitators & collaborators, connectors & change agents? -          Sahana Chattopadhyay, Consultant - Instructional Design, Tata Interactive Systems  

Tata Interactive Systems has for the fourth consecutive year, been named in the ‘Top 20 Content Development Companies’ list by TrainingIndustry.com. This initiative is part of TrainingIndustry.com’s mission to continually monitor the global training marketplace for the best providers of training services and technologies. The selection of this year's "Top 20" list was based on the following criteria: industry visibility, innovation and impact, capability to deliver multiple types of training services, company size and growth potential, depth & breadth of subject matter expertise, strength of clients and geographic reach. "We continue to raise the bar on our content and learning solutions and are pleased to be listed among the top 20 content development companies," says Kshitij Nerurkar, Chief Operating Officer, TIS. "This is attributed to TIS’ 500+multi-disciplinary specialists, who create and develop innovative custom content that addresses the learning and development needs of organizations globally. Today, there are several developers who use tools to produce rapid content and offer it at a low cost. However, only a handful combine the advantage of cost and pace with engaging design. We have been able to consistently differentiate on all the three factors owing to our investments in product formats such as SimBLs® and TOPSIM® for simulations, GamBLs® for serious games, story-based learning, learning nuggets and many others to deliver a highly effective learning experience," adds Kshitij.  

A global provider of learning solutions, Tata Interactive Systems (TIS) and KnowledgeAdvisors, Inc, a CEB company, signed a teaming agreement recently to co-market products and services in the North American and Indian region. By combining TIS’ expertise in design, development, consulting & delivery with KnowledgeAdvisors' extensive learning benchmarks and analytics platform, both entities are uniquely positioned to help organizations optimize the impact of L&D investments on corporate performance. TIS will distribute the KnowledgeAdvisors product ‘Metrics that Matter®’ as part of a larger learning analytics solutions to clients in India. Metrics that Matter® is an on-demand software and a web-based Human Capital analytics tool that streamlines the data collection and reporting elements of measurement for all human capital processes - recruitment, engagement, talent, performance, learning and leadership. Further, it combines data from multiple enterprise systems (including LMS) with information collected through evaluations and assessments to paint a complete picture of learning and business performance. Gajanan Kasbekar, Sr. Vice President, Tata Interactive Systems, says, "TIS has a strong reputation for offering customized learning solutions. Moreover, our ability to design and deliver quality products consistently is complemented by the maturity of our business processes and systems. In this new strategic partnership, we will leverage on our expertise and experience in L&D consulting services." "TIS has extensive experience in the learning consulting space; our consultants advise many organizations on learning strategy, competency analysis, training needs assessment, as well as L&D process design. As a founding sponsor for other initiatives like center for talent reporting, TIS has also invested effort & funds in the area of Learning Evaluation and measurement. This alliance with KnowledgeAdvisors takes us to the next level of learning analytics, business impact measurement and eventually help set up governance processes and business offices for clients," adds Gajanan. Jeffrey Berk, Sr. Vice President, Operations at KnowledgeAdvisors, avers, "KnowledgeAdvisors helps organizations that utilize learning & development drive business outcomes by applying the analytic rigor they need to achieve their goals." He adds, "Our Metrics that Matter platform with more than one billion comparative benchmarks, coupled with robust reporting and deep science around learning measurement methodology, allows companies to realize substantial returns on their strategic investments in development and training." The partnership with KnowledgeAdvisors’ represents part of TIS’ track record of offering effective learning solutions that enable key organizational initiatives. Further, this interactive knowledge sharing with KnowledgeAdvisors, is expected to accelerate TIS’ pursuit to further advance its offerings in the learning space.

Are you looking at creating learning experiences that are more organic, fluid and fun? Well, that’s exactly what Tin Can API (also known as the Experience API or xAPI) ensures. The API or Application Programming Interface has the potential to free the design of learning from constraints of technology, context and a silo-mentality. Tin Can enabled eLearning can converge diverse approaches, devices and contexts to deliver transformative learning experiences - both for the learner and the sponsor of learning. Also, Tin Can has the ability to track learning anywhere… not only formal face-to-face learning but also informal and social learning. Hence, designers can cherry pick the best quality resources wherever available. They can also effectively blend online and offline interventions to create and assemble learning experiences that are more personal, interconnected and diverse. Hence, the course design can move from Open Learning Resources, Academia, Peer-to-Peer learning, one-on-one interactions with a colleague, to work portfolios, community projects or collaborations in MOOC hangouts. With Tin Can, designers can use open content resources and other high quality, free online resources to create courses and instruct learners. Educators and designers can use open content initiatives, creative commons, Udacity, Coursera,  EdX, Wikieducator and multiple other resources to put together content for their courses. This will give the learners access to a variety of learning resources and formats while in turn bringing down the costs of content creation in custom learning courses.  Essentially, Tin Can API is a Web-based learning technology that allows learning content and systems to communicate with each other. Subsequently, it records & tracks all types of learning experiences, and the results are stored securely in a Learning Record Store (LRS). The LRS, which is a repository, records them and shares them with other LRSs or LMSs as the case maybe. In short, the API has the potential to transform learning design. However, this will require not just new technologies but also a new mindset. Learning professionals and the industry will need to work collaboratively to help evolve this technology. Learning designers too can take the lead by designing and creating solutions that exploit the potential of this new technology for the benefit of the learner. To know more about Tin Can API, please refer our White Paper.  

The award was conferred for Best Practices in Distance Learning Programming under the sub-category of Online Technology in Higher Education. TIS transformed the learning experience for aspiring nurses through e-Learning tutorials, games and simulations Tata Interactive Systems (TIS), a global provider of learning solutions, announced that its Associate Degree in Nursing program developed for Excelsior College School of Nursing has won a Silver award.  The award was conferred at the United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA) 2014 International Awards for Best Practices in Distance Learning Programming under the sub-category of Online Technology in Higher Education. Excelsior College embarked on a strategic initiative to create 8 innovative and compelling courses for the Associate Degree Program in Nursing. The solution was aimed at transforming the learning experience of students as well as the student-teacher relationship so that the teacher facilitates learning more effectively through the use of various components. "While it is too early to accurately evaluate the overall performance of our newly online students, as compared to those studying independently, we do know those now enrolled are completing at rates of 90%, or better.  They are also persisting from course to course at rates above 80%. We are tremendously pleased by these numbers and feel certain that much of the credit belongs to the highly engaging design of these offerings," avers John F. Ebersole, President of Excelsior College. TIS leveraged its experience in instructional design to develop a solution using a different and unique instructional strategy, which included: StoBLs®: A story-based instructional approach GamBLs®: A game-based instructional approach Simulations: Putting the students in simulated and immersive situations and prompting them to make decisions Interactive tutorials: Simplifying concepts and engaging students in the learning process. The tutorials include cases and scenarios that unfold as the teaching progresses and relate concepts to real life. The USDLA Awards have been created to acknowledge major accomplishments in distance learning and to highlight those distance learning instructors, programs, and professionals who have achieved and demonstrated extraordinary results through the use of online, videoconferencing, satellite and blended learning delivery technologies. "A key aspect of the solution developed for Excelsior College was the fact that the program includes self-paced e-Learning tutorials, games and simulations, quizzes, projects and assignments, and textbook readings. We offered the most effective, appealing and cost-effective solution, as our team of Instructional Designers are adept at analyzing the instructional problem, the task, learning needs and learning environment," says Bryan Kantor, Vice President, Global Education at Tata Interactive Systems. TIS was also recognized with a Gold award for Associate Degree program in Nursing - Excelsior College under the Best Custom Content Category at the Brandon Hall Excellence Awards 2013.

Technology is transforming education at lightning speed. Mobile devices have ushered in a BYOD (bring your own device) culture in many schools and workplaces. These technologies are now commonplace and used to enhance the teachers’ teaching experience as well as the students’ learning experience. The time may soon come when essential devices like smartphones and tablets may only be flashes in the pan when we look at the new wave of wearables and how it will impact and change the way we learn. Wearable technology, wearable devices, tech togs, or fashion electronics are clothing and accessories that incorporate computer and advanced electronic technologies. Further, the development of Google Glass, Apple’s rumored iWatch and the acquisition of virtual reality headset Oculus Rift by Facebook are the opening shots in the battle for a wearable tech future. In fact, devices like Google Glass can significantly improve how students interact with video tutorials and follow instructor demonstrations. This technology could be adopted to distance learning model as well as a traditional classroom setting. Wearable technology could also extend the mobility of learning. For instance, it could connect learners to each other as well as those facilitating this learning. This could serve as another collaborative learning tool that can be integrated into the learning process at many levels. In the field of learning and development, wearables can be leveraged for personal assist and virtual gaming. Wearable technology is hence the new wave that educators are exploring. After all, from tracking students’ progress to providing a new way for learners to interact with data, environment, and one another, wearable technologies bring forth many practical applications in education and training. To know more, read our White Paper on Wearables in Learning.

"Tell me, and I'll forget. Show me, and I may remember. Involve me, and I'll understand." - Chinese proverb. Play, artistic creation, creativity, and evolutionary human development have been closely allied since eons. In fact, games have always been a part of history. There was no division between play and work as there was no concept of work - the art of hunting & gathering relied upon opportunity presenting itself, intercepting the prey, working collaboratively to search for food, were all engaging activities. The behaviors associated with these activities have laid the foundation for exploration, intuition, improvisation, and eventually adaptation. And today, the corporate world recognizes the importance of well-designed games that helps achieve specific learning goals. At Tata Interactive Systems, our instructional design methodology is built around the concept of Play, Practice, Perfect. We encourage higher engagement through Play, higher skills and higher retention through practice, and higher efficiency through Perfection. Our approach to Game Based Learning involves designing games with business rules/needs at the core, with a game layer that governs the game, players’ actions, the game’s reaction, and the final outcome. The result is a workforce of highly motivated learners who engage with and practice applying problem-solving skills. Moreover, the plethora of gaming applications that we can put into the marketplace today is infinite. From the service sectors to industrial and manufacturing spaces, the opportunity for employees to learn concepts, rules, regulations, best practices & train on all things relevant to their firms, is tremendous. And with smartphones and tablet penetration increasing across global markets, the opportunity to reach and connect with people is immense. This allows institutions like ours to remain attuned and poised to exploit lucrative opportunities in the market whenever they present themselves. Read Play at Work to know what is effective in game-based learning and why does it work?

With the rise of social & informal learning, as well as ubiquitous mobile devices (tablets, phablets, smartphones and everything in between), micro-learning as a concept and practice has taken off. In fact, clients who would earlier ask for eLearning solutions, today specify the type of eLearning solution that meet their requirements. A typical requirement statement could sound like this: "We want short capsules of learning or learning nuggets that will run on all devices.  Our employees are busy and want to learn on the go." In short, micro-learning is the need of the hour. In this post, I have looked at micro-learning from the point of view of efficacy as well as applicability. So, here are some questions that we as learning experience designers, need to ask: What is micro-learning? When and where does it work well? What kind of learning will micro-learning not support effectively? What characteristics define micro-learning? "Microlearning deals with relatively small learning units and short-term learning activities. Generally, the term 'microlearning' refers to micro-perspectives in the context of learning, education and training. More frequently, the term is used in the domain of E-learning and related fields in the sense of a new paradigmatic perspective on learning processes in mediated environments on micro levels." ~Wikipedia "Microlearning … in a wider sense is a term that can be used to describe the way more and more people are actually doing informal learning and gaining knowledge in Microcontent and Micromedia/Multitasking environments (see Microcosmos), especially those that become increasingly based on Web 2.0 and Wireless Web technologies. In this wider sense the borders between Microlearning and the complementary concept of Microknowledge are blurring." ~Wikipedia Typically, micro-learning or learning bytes or learning capsules work well as a component of informal learning where the learner pulls what they need to solve an immediate problem. Recently, I downloaded a couple of apps from the Amazon Appstore - one of these being on the British Museum. Whenever I want to know about a specific section or artifact or an era, I can go to the app and to that precise section and read up. It’s quite well designed with the sections appropriately segmented and can be a good companion during a walk around the museum. These bytes could be classified as micro-learning satisfying the criteria of short, accessible nuggets available at the point-of-need. Micro-learning is effective when the nature of the learning required has some or all of the following characteristics: When the learning required are bytes of facts, episodes, etc., as illustrated in the museum app example above When it covers parts of a process or steps to be followed When the learning problem is simple or complicated but not too complex (complex learning is interconnected, and often, experience-based and non-transferable) When the learning happens in a collaborative environment like a discussion forum or a social media platform Where there is scope for anytime, anywhere access facilitated by technology Micro-learning makes up an important component of one’s PLE (Personal Learning Environment) - be it tweets from the Twitter feed, blog posts & articles, or the latest You Tube video and TED Talk. These essentially comprise nuggets and bytes of content in various forms, which the learner pulls from the environment and then strings together to make sense and build a cohesive picture. So, should micro-learning exist in a tangible form like a module, document or video? I don’t think so. One of the most powerful forms of micro-learning could be feedback on the job. We often forget the power of a quick 5 minute input as a form of learning. Besides, there is more to micro-learning than meets the eye. Human beings have always engaged in micro-learning or bursts of learning to acquire skills, solve challenges and lead life on a day-to-day basis. Technology is an enabler that enhances this form of learning by amplifying what we share, facilitating connection and allowing access to experts who may be in another time zone altogether. Thus, micro-learning enabled by technology can be a powerful workplace learning strategy. -          Sahana Chattopadhyay, Consultant - Instructional Design, Tata Interactive Systems

The current decade has started to witness a fast changing landscape in technological innovations, some of which have brought about sweeping changes in everyday activities. If you look at a typical day in the life of a tech-savvy individual (either a college-going student or a working professional), you will find them operating in ways you’d not imagined a few years ago. Now come on, did you foresee people around you move about carrying a computer chip in their eyeglasses or wrist watches? At least two of my techie colleagues are seen donning the Google Glass in office these days, and I know of at least one friend—a fitness fanatic—working out with all these fancy wearable gadgets and checking in his progress on Facebook.   To take stock of the changes—small and big—that have stealthily crept in and comfortably fitted into our everyday life, let’s meet with Susan, a sales executive from a multinational corporation.     So, what does a typical day in her life look like? Let’s sneak a peek …     A Day in the Life of Susan   Looks familiar, doesn’t it? Like any other digitally savvy individual, Susan’s daily routine is strongly influenced by elements of the social and mobile worlds. Then, a crucial question that comes to my mind as a learning designer is why should her learning environment be any different? Why can’t Susan’s learning use these very elements and mimic her real life?   Picture this …   Merging of Personal and Learning Spaces   Wouldn’t the merging of her personal and learning spaces result in an enhanced experience?   Accept it—the 21st century modern learners are clearly very different from what we’ve seen in the past. Their life is largely influenced by the Social, Cloud, and Mobile worlds. Add "Analytics" to this list and you get what is now a popular and fairly impactful acronym—SMAC—in the IT services world.   SMAC is influencing this digital generation so much that they now have shorter attention spans and, therefore, end up demanding information in smaller bites, albeit very fast and preferably on the go. When these new-age learners look for learning, they go to Google, YouTube, TED talks, Khan Academy, and, for the last couple of years, MOOCs! Increasingly, these learners want their learning experiences to match the pace and style of their life.   So, how best can learning design address the needs of the SMAC learner?  To know more about our thoughts around designing for the SMAC learner, read the full article at http://www.tatainteractive.com/thought-leadership.html

Learn how leading companies are giving their leadership performance a boost using business simulations  Tata Interactive Systems’ (TIS) management and leadership simulation experts will host a free webinar on leadership development simulations. To be held on Tuesday, October 28, 2014, attendees of this session will learn how to engage their learners with multiplayer facilitated business simulations. "A comprehensive coverage of the complexities of successfully running a business in a simple and impactful manner, through a highly engaging user interface sets TOPSIM apart from other business simulations in the market," says Saurabh Mittal, Managing Director, Tata Interactive Systems GmbH. "Through a TOPSIM® Business Simulation, TIS creates the context for participants to apply strategic and operational skills to effectively manage an enterprise in a sustainable manner. Through this, the participants experience and learn the impact of their decisions across business units and develop a holistic understanding of a business." Saurabh will present this webinar along with Dr. Antoinette Roberts, Commercial Enabling Manager, PepsiCo SA Snacks. TIS had earlier tailor made a business acumen program for Pepsico Simba revolving around the TOPSIM Simulation. The workshop included activities on specific topics viz. Supply chain management, Innovation, and Strategy alignment. During the Webinar on ‘Simulations for Leadership Development’, attendees will learn how to: Drive strategic thinking among their workforce Balance strategic long-term thinking vs short-term objectives Enhance best-practice decision making in leadership development This session is part of the Tata Interactive Learning Forum online webinar series that shares valuable eLearning tips, trends and strategies with the eLearning community. The Webinar live sessions take place from 10:00 - 11:00 am EDT. For session details and free registration, visit www.tatainteractive.com/webinars.html

Tata Interactive Systems (TIS) will host a free webinar on Talent Development and Reporting Principles (TDRp). To be held on Thursday, November 20, 2014, attendees of this session could learn how to improve the measurement of your learning and run it like a business. TDRp is one of the most significant recent developments in the Learning and Development space. The effort was launched in October 2010 KnowledgeAdvisors and Qualcomm.  They brought together thought leaders and prominent practitioners to oversee the development of guiding principles, standard measures, statements, and reports.  The Center for Talent Reporting (CTR) was formed in October 2012 to develop and promote the adoption of reporting standards for human capital that meet the needs of senior executives, talent management leaders, program managers, and other stakeholders. The webinar on TDRp, led by David Vance, Executive Director, CTR and author of The Business of Learning will offer an insight into to TDRp framework and how it can help you plan, measure, and manage to deliver business impact using a standard, yet flexible, approach. During the course of the webinar, Dr. Shwetaleena Bidyadhar, Principal Learning Designer, TIS and Gajanan Kasbekar, Senior Vice President, TIS will discuss how TDRp principles can be effectively implemented in an organization. During the webinar on ‘TDRp’, attendees will learn: The types of data that should be collected and the measures should be defined What CLOs, CEOs and other senior leaders want to see and how should it be presented The important role learning plays in achieving organizational goals  This session is part of the Tata Interactive Learning Forum online webinar series that shares valuable eLearning tips, trends and strategies with the eLearning community. The Webinar live sessions take place from 10:00 - 11:00 am EDT. For session details and free registration, visit www.tatainteractive.com/webinars.html

Following on from our Webinar last week, Multiplayer Business Simulations is creating a context within which participants can take decisions, gather the impact & consequences of their decisions and thereby learn from it. While the emphasis has been on applying knowledge and skills, these simulations take learners through the pace of business planning, strategizing, and decision-making thereby enabling their transformation into better leaders and managers. TIS’ webinar touched upon the issues and challenges that TOPSIM business simulations can address, the key areas that these simulations can be used and the mode of implementation. The webinar specifically provided insight into how TOPSIM simulation has been implemented in a large organization like PepsiCo. Saurabh Mittal, MD, TIS GmbH and Dr Antoinette Roberts, Commercial Enabling Manager, PepsiCo SA Snacks discussed the kinds of support required to implement such simulations as well as the likely barriers to implementation. So, what are Multiplayer Business Simulations? A management simulation is like a flight simulator for managers. It's not as complex as an actual aircraft flight, but it provides a fairly accurate idea of how an actual flight will go. It’s also a bit like learning a significant skill in a risk-free environment. During the course of the Webinar, a poll was conducted, which revealed that only 50% of the attendees had exposure to multiplayer business simulations. So essentially, corporate houses are also understanding the value of simulations for training. TIS' workshop-based training simulations product TOPSIM® models complex socio-economic/behavioral systems ranging in size from a startup company to a large corporation or even the macroeconomics of a country. Simulations are being applied to ensure the success of multiple corporate initiatives like Employer Branding, Onboarding, developing Leadership pipeline, etc. The simulation software also offers functional variables such as interest rates, input costs, inflation, demand and supply variables, and various other inputs that drive the simulation's complex math model.  Thus, participants in the simulation: Manage a (virtual) company - they make typical business decisions in a realistic environment. Learn principles of business administration - how to use information in decision-making, and how to handle risk and uncertainty. Experience decision-making processes within a team while managing time constraints. TOPSIM® is also being used in more than 400 universities across the globe for undergraduate as well as master’s studies. Simulations developed for PepsiCo Simba Speaking about PepsiCo’s experience with simulations, Dr Roberts said that Simba’s objective was to shift the focus for managers from transactional to strategic. Further they wanted their branch managers to gain key managerial skills with emphasis on Business Acumen and Leadership skills, enable them to understand the interdependencies between various departments and act holistically. As a team-based competitive simulation, TOPSIM® requires that players show the ability to make strategic decisions as a team. As it simulates the whole business environment, it gives participants a bird's eye view of business management and competitive dynamics. TIS custom-designed a business acumen program revolving around the TOPSIM® simulation with activities on specific topics like supply chain management, innovation and strategy alignment. The program also involved mentors from Simba to monitor the business transformation projects as a post-workshop activity. Post training, the groups participated in a business transformation project. The teams identified short term and long term implementation plans. Towards the end of the Webinar, another poll revealed that almost 81 per cent of the attendees are considering using business simulations in their organizations. In short, the world is looking for impactful, effective and sustainable Learning.

In a recent survey by the Corporate Executive Board (2013), 56% of managers felt that employee performance would not change or would improve if L&D were eliminated completely. Research suggests that as much as 90% of training resources are spent on the design, development, and delivery of training events that yield 15% on-the-job application (Brinkerhoff, 2006). With this as the backdrop, Tata Interactive Systems recently hosted a Webinar on Talent Development and Reporting Principles (TDRp) that offered valuable tips on how to improve the measurement of your learning and run it like a business. Presented by David Vance, Executive Director, Center for Talent Reporting; Gajanan Kasbekar, Senior Vice President, TIS and Dr. Shwetaleena Bidyadhar, Principal Learning Designer at TIS, focused on: What does TDRp mean for the learning professional What constitutes the TDRp Approach, Measures & Reporting How you can begin your TDRp journey… The webinar discussed how TDRp can help practitioners plan, measure, and manage to deliver business impact using a standard, yet flexible, approach. More specifically, application of TDRp will enable you to more effectively and efficiently impact the bottom line results. In particular, TDRp will help align learning to these key strategic goals and establish the expected impact of L&D initiatives on business outcomes. It also helps identify, report, and manage the most important effectiveness and efficiency measures for our key initiatives, besides helping manage key initiatives through the year to deliver planned results. The Target Audience for TDRp mainly includes Talent leaders and managers - all those responsible for programs, people, and budgets. It is also about proactive discussions with senior talent leaders (SVP of HR, CLO, Head of Talent Acquisition, heads of other talent processes (leadership development, capability management), senior organizational leaders (CEO, CFO, EVPs, SVPs, governing boards). In short, it is about the process of managing the business. After successfully implementing TDRp, L&D should employ three types of measures using industry standard definitions, although the choice of measures will depend on our goals and will be decided upon at a later time. The three types of measures are outcomes, effectiveness, and efficiency. However, any measure to be managed has to have a plan. Hence, it is imperative that enterprise-wide effectiveness and efficiency measures should be set by the department head. Further, plan for outcome and program-specific effectiveness and efficiency measures should be set by sponsor, program manager and department head. So, in short, TDRp answers your questions about what data should be collected, how the measures are defined, how the data should be organized, and how it should be reported. The three statements that incorporate the recommended measures, and the three management reports that draw from the statements were also discussed during the webinar. The TDR principles apply to profit, nonprofit, and government organizations, and are a collective, open-source effort (no copyright) by L&D professionals to provide much needed structure to data gathering, organization, and reporting. To know more about TDRp and the process of managing learning as a business, view our recording at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEoc8MDbR30&feature=youtu.be

Tata Interactive Systems (TIS) recently hosted an interactive session ‘Conversations with Elliott Masie’, in association with its partner, Juniserv ME. Learning personalization, mobile learning, collaborative learning and wearables & digital technologies were some of the topics that Elliott Masie, chair of the Learning CONSORTIUM, addressed. The event focused on innovations that will provide more scalable, personalized and learner-driven content solutions for the workplace. Reflecting on the challenges facing professionals today as well as the future of learning, Masie discussed why it is imperative for organizations to embrace a wide variety of new learning technologies, approaches and methods. "It was an honor to dialogue with a diverse group of learning and business leaders at the ‘Conversations with Masie’ event in Dubai. Learning is and will be a major tool to support the growth and development of the United Arab Emirates - and can play a significant role in the ramp up to Expo 2020," Masie cited. Masie is recognized as a futurist, analyst, researcher and organizer on the critical topics of workforce learning. He heads The MASIE Center, a Saratoga Springs, NY a think tank focused on how organizations can support learning and knowledge within the workforce. He also leads the Learning CONSORTIUM, a coalition of 240 global organizations cooperating on the evolution of learning strategies, including CNN, Wal-Mart, American Express, Farmers Insurance, Emirates Airline, Starbucks, General Electric and Fidelity Investments. The session that was held in Dubai brought together professionals to explore the future of workplace learning. Those who engaged in the conversation included learning professionals from General Civil Aviation Authority, Etihad Airlines, Du, ADCB, Saudi Skills Standards, Mercer, Panasonic, Emaar Hospitality, GEMS Education, Dubai Airports, Emirates Aluminum and the Landmark Group.

Celebrates 25 Years of Excellence in Learning & Development  Wins 3 Brandon Hall Excellence awards: 1 silver and 2 bronze for Mobile Learning as well as best use of Games and Simulations for Learning Wins Silver at USDLA Awards 2014 for Best Practices in Distance Learning Programming under the sub-category of Online Technology in Higher Education. Figures among the Top 20 Learning Outsourcing Companies, Top 20 Content Development Companies and Top 20 Gamification Companies Tata Interactive Systems (TIS), a global provider of learning solutions, today released a list of some of its most important accomplishments in the year 2014. TIS reached significant milestones in the areas of content development and gamification, made a host of significant achievements through its work in Mobile Learning, and offered improved learning solutions through the use of games and simulations. "This year we partnered with many organizations to advise them on learning strategy and alignment. Besides consulting services this year saw us engaged in developing new formats in simulations and gaming as well as augmented reality," says Kshitij Nerurkar, COO, TIS. "TIS has always been the pioneer to develop new product formats such as - serious games, learning nuggets, etc. We expect augmented reality and multiplayer  games to come up strongly in the next few years," he adds. TIS’ 2014 list highlights accomplishments in operations, international partnerships to support innovative learning solutions, in addition to custom learning & training course development and delivery. The year also witnessed TIS celebrating 25 years of offering innovative learning solutions. The company introduced innovative learning solutions like Marketing Communication modules targeted towards brand management and customer service. It also developed portals, SharePoint applications and custom Learning Management System (LMS). Quite recently, TIS in association with its partner, Juniserv ME hosted an interactive session in the Middle East with Elliott Masie, chair of the Learning CONSORTIUM that focused on innovations that will provide more scalable, personalized and learner-driven content solutions for the workplace. In terms of awards and accolades, TIS’ Associate Degree in Nursing program developed for Excelsior College won Silver at USDLA Awards 2014; the award was conferred for Best Practices in Distance Learning Programming under the sub-category of Online Technology in Higher Education. TIS transformed the learning experience for aspiring nurses through e-Learning tutorials, games and simulations. The company also won three awards from the Brandon Hall Group in the Mobile learning as well as Games & Simulations for learning category. This is the sixth consecutive year that TIS has won the prestigious Brandon Hall Awards. Besides, TIS was recognized among the Top 20 Training Outsourcing companies, Top 20 Content Development Companies and Top 20 Gamification Companies. The company also organized a series of ‘Ask the Expert’ Webinars in 2014. These interactive sessions from the instructional design community focused on 2D/3D Animation, Learning Consulting, Learning Portals, Business Gaming Simulations, eLearning & Blended Learning and Serious Games, among others. Commenting on the expected trends in the near future, Kshitij avers, "Web 2.0, Social Communities and learning will converge, thereby assisting in providing high quality learning. This is in addition to games as a format, which is expected to gain more importance and DIY Learning which will push learning on the mobile platform." According to him, wearables in Learning is another new wave that is gaining grounds. "From tracking a learner’s progress to providing a new way for learners to interact with data, their environment, and one another, wearable technologies have many practical applications in learning and development. Miniaturization of content is definitely another trend.  As far as mobile learning is concerned, up till the last year, there were early adopters but by and large customers thought about this being an addition to traditional desktop based learning. In 2014, the outlook changed considerably. Customers are willing to accept content which is not in flash, built in smaller chunks, primarily ready for mobile devices and accessible readily through Safari," states Kshitij.

Cloud computing has been around for a long time. However, it became a topic of interest only in the last decade, and is now an accepted part of the technology landscape in most organizations. In recent times, the proliferation of cloud has had its advantages. However, it has also led to some risks that can cause a lot of difficulties to the users. The primary risk that has cropped up is that of security breach. Several cloud providers have been forced to give data to governmental bodies as well, and this has intensified the fear among users as well as companies about the usage of cloud. To mitigate this risk, several companies across the world are looking at the option of using Hybrid clouds. Hybrid clouds is a mixture of both private as well as public clouds where the providers could be multiple and companies create the hybrid cloud based on the need of each application or service they want to host. Hybrid clouds are best when companies need to keep part of their data close to themselves and really guarded, while some of the data can reside in a public environment. Though hybrid cloud has strength, the biggest downside is that the spectrum of technology landscape gets fragmented. Hence, there is a need for more resources in terms of maintaining this hybrid cloud landscape. The best situations to use hybrid clouds are when you want to tailor your offerings to different geographies, and not only provide SaaS option to your customer but also give them the freedom of putting their own private cloud. Hybrid is becoming a choice now for most companies, while ensuring that both data and applications don’t have the same approach. To know more, read our Article on Public Clouds and why they are a hot topic of discussion Deepak Venkateshan is Principal Solutions Architect - Mobile & Tablet Apps. (COE), COE - Mobile/ Tablet Apps, Tata Interactive System