In the last few years, the idea of adaptive learning has gained more and more interest due to new product developments, the creation of partnerships between elearning software providers and content publishers, and significant investment by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in this area of education and training.

This is likely the future of corporate training and academic education, but we may not all be living in the future quite yet.

Adaptive Learning Definition

You may have heard of adaptive learning, or any of its many synonyms and related concepts – such as adaptive instruction, personalised learning or intelligent tutoring systems. What the term exactly means however is still unclear to many.

The basic premise of adaptive learning is to use technology to improve education and training by providing individualised programmes to students based on data that is gathered both before and throughout the learning process.

The best adaptive learning platforms use some form of data mining to put together education or training content for students that’s optimised for their unique needs. The platform uses data that it continually gathers when a student interacts with any learning content.

Such a platform can determine which learning activities, delivered through what medium and in what sequence, will help improve the student’s learning.

Each student goes through a highly individualised education or training experience, which should provide much better learning results.

Does it Work?

Research on the benefits of adaptive learning is extremely promising. One study by Education Growth Advisors (EGA) showed that since forming a partnership with Knewton (a personalised learning platform provider), pass rates at Arizona State University have gone up by 18 percent and withdrawals from maths courses have reduced by 47 percent.

Merck found that adaptive simulations for mandatory training was 15X faster than instructor-led training, while bringing a 21% improvement in performance scores.

After Smart Sparrow tutorials were used in an engineering course at the University of New South Wales, drop outs decreased by 55 percent.

A number of interesting elearning companies, such as Area9 Lyceum, ETU and Filtered are using tech to create impactful, date-driven learning experiences.

What’s the Catch?

Careful preparation and execution is vital to the success of an adaptive and personalised learning implementation. Learning institutions have to work closely together with platform providers in order to set up a learning environment that achieves the envisioned results.

This mode of learning also only provides limited benefit for entry-level courses, which makes it more difficult to scale.

With new digital learning providers entering the market, AI powering ever faster data processing, and partnerships between platform providers and learning organisations being set up all the time, it looks like adaptive and personalised learning experiences are here to stay and develop.

This addition to the L&D toolkit is well on its way to revolutionising the entire education and training sector, even though there is still a long way to go until it becomes the standard for corporate and academic learning.

If you are working in the education or training industry, now is the time to get involved in adaptive and personalised learning if you want to be ahead of the curve.

Further Reading:

Adaptive learning tech and education – insights from the Google blog on how this technology can save teachers time and provide data around how students learn.

Adaptive Learning advice and resources on the ETU website.

If you would like to find out more about the latest and best in learning technology, please Contact Us here at Learning Light.

The post What is Adaptive Learning? appeared first on Learning Light.

Definition of induction training

Induction training, also known as onboarding or orientation, is the process of introducing new employees to their job, the company, and its culture. The goal of induction training is to provide new employees with the necessary knowledge, skills, and resources to perform their job effectively and become productive members of the team.

The meaning of induction training varies between organisations, as it can include a variety of activities, such as presentations on the company’s history, mission, and values; overviews of the new employee’s role and responsibilities; training on the company’s products, services, and systems; and introductions to colleagues and company policies.

Induction training typically occurs during the first few days or weeks of a new employee’s tenure with a company, and may be conducted in a group or individual setting.

Benefits of induction training for new employees

Induction training is an important aspect of the onboarding process for new employees, as it helps them feel welcomed and supported, and helps them become productive and successful members of the team. Some of the key benefits of induction training for new employees include:

1. Familiarisation with the company and its culture: Induction training provides new employees with an understanding of the company’s history, mission, values, and policies, which helps them feel more connected to the organisation and its culture.
2. Introduction to colleagues and their roles: Induction training helps new employees get to know their colleagues and understand their roles within the company, which can facilitate better communication and collaboration.
3. Essential skills and knowledge: Induction training helps new employees learn the skills and knowledge they need to perform their job effectively. This includes training on the company’s products, services, and systems, as well as health and safety procedures.
4. Support and resources: Induction training can provide new employees with ongoing support and resources as they learn and adjust to their new role, which can increase their confidence and reduce their stress.
5. Signposting further learning and development opportunities within the company. The 2022 LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report found that companies that excel at internal mobility retain employees for nearly 2X the duration of those that don’t perform as well in this area. This demonstrates the benefit of supporting employee development for the employer, as well as the learner.

Overall, induction training is a crucial step in the onboarding process that can help new employees feel supported and prepared to succeed in their new role.

Components of an effective induction training programme

A modern, effective induction training programme will tend to include the following components:

• Overview of the company and its history
• Introduction to the company’s mission, values, and policies
• Overview of the new employee’s role and responsibilities
• Training on the company’s products, services, and systems
• Health and safety training
• Diversity, Equality & Inclusivity (DEI) awareness
• Onboarding and mentorship from a senior employee

Tips for conducting an effective induction training programme

Below are some quick tips on how to create an effective induction training programme. While these may seem obvious for many, these could still be useful as a checklist for L&D managers.

• Customise the training to the specific needs of the new employee
• Use a variety of training methods, such as lectures, demonstrations, and hands-on exercises
• Encourage new employees to ask questions and participate in discussions
• Provide ongoing support and resources for new employees as they continue to learn and adjust to their new role

How to use eLearning for Induction Training

eLearning, or electronic learning is any learning that is conducted through electronic means. It refers to the use of digital technologies to deliver training content and support learning.

eLearning can be a useful tool for delivering induction training, as it allows employees to access training materials and resources at their own pace and from any location with an internet connection. Here are some steps you can follow to use elearning for induction training:

1. First determine the learning objectives and content for the induction training. This will help you decide what elearning resources and activities you need to develop or purchase, rather than starting with the solution and then finding the content to fit within it.
2. Choose an elearning platform or software to host the training materials. There are many options available, such as Learning Management Systems (LMS) and online course creation tools.
3. Create or gather the elearning resources and activities you will use in the training. These might include videos, interactive quizzes, simulations, and readings.
4. Organise the materials into a logical structure and order that makes sense for the learning objectives. You may want to include a mix of self-paced and interactive elements.
5. Test the elearning materials to ensure they are functioning properly and are engaging for the learner.
6. Deploy the elearning materials to the employees who will be participating in the induction training. You may want to consider providing support or assistance during the training, such as through a discussion forum or live virtual training sessions.
7. Evaluate the effectiveness of the elearning induction training by collecting feedback from employees and analysing any data or metrics that are available – often made easy in an LMS through graphical reporting and learning analytics dashboards. Use this information to make improvements to future training programmes.

You can find great examples of induction training with elearning here with case studies from top online learning companies.

Good learning design in line with wider business goals is of course top priority for L&D teams. Content is King still applies after all.

The latest elearning technology can make your life easier though. When used well, tech can help to make training more engaging and immersive. Simulation platforms and an easy to use learning management system can be powerful tools for maximising the effectiveness of your elearning content.

Simulations for Employee Onboarding

Software and process simulations can reduce time to competency and greatly improve training outcomes. Here are some of the best simulation based training solutions on the market for employee onboarding:

Day One Technologies

For over 20 years, Day One have created scenario-based learning and system simulations for induction training and employee development.

UK-based Day One have created elearning for induction training at major UK, European and global brands. Their clients have included the likes of the NHS, TSB, Mercedes Benz and many more.

Alongside a deep understanding of L&D needs based on learning psychology and technical expertise, their simulation training solutions are a key differentiator in the busy elearning market. Global brands like Linde, Lloyds Bank and Roche have benefitted from their innovative approach.

Empower The User (ETU)

US and Ireland based ETU are one of the world’s leaders in immersive learning and simulations.

ETU’s immersive training for employee onboarding has been shown to reduce time to competency by 66%. However, this is speed with no loss of effectiveness – skill acquisition also improves by 14% using their simulations.

No suprise then that many of the world’s best known and most successful companies use ETU simulations for induction training. The likes of Microsoft, Deloitte, IBM and Amazon have benefitted from their onboarding solutions, as well as DEI, corporate leadership and compliance training.

ETU also share their expertise on a guide to immersive learning for corporate training, explaining how and when to use each method.

The Best LMS for Induction Training

There are many Learning Management Systems (LMS) that can be used for induction training, and the ideal one for your organisation will depend on your specific needs and budget. Here are some of the best LMS for induction training that you may want to consider for induction training:

imc Learning Suite

The imc Learning Suite combines the benefits of an LMS with the self-directed personal development tools of a learning experience platform (LXP). It is one of the most comprehensively engineered and configurable elearning solutions we have seen for both online / remote and on the job training.

Check out our imc Learning Suite review or learn more about this powerful, combined LMS and LXP solution on the imc website.

TalentLMS

TalentLMS is a cloud-based LMS that offers a range of features for creating and delivering online courses, including assessments, discussions, and integrations with other tools.

Moodle

Moodle is an open-source LMS that is widely used in education settings. However, it is also among some of the world’s biggest brands as a corporate LMS solution for onboarding and staff development. It offers a range of features for creating and delivering online courses, including interactive elements and integrations with other tools.

Blackboard

Blackboard is a comprehensive LMS that offers a range of features and tools for creating and delivering online courses, including quizzes, assessments, and discussions. The company is one of the biggest elearning companies in the US, but has a global presence.

Canvas

Canvas is an open source LMS from Instructure. It is easy to use and offers a range of features for creating and delivering online courses, including interactive elements, gradebook tracking, and mobile app support.

D2L Brightspace

D2L Brightspace is a feature-rich LMS that offers a range of tools for creating and delivering online courses, including assessments, discussions, and analytics.

LearnUpon

LearnUpon is a comprehensive LMS that offers a range of features for creating and delivering online courses, including assessments, discussions, and integrations with other tools. This is popular as a white label elearning solution as companies can customise the platform throughout to make their learners feel at home. Specialist training companies can also brand it to their own needs.

Docebo

Docebo is a powerful LMS and learning suite that offers a range of features for creating and delivering online courses, including assessments, discussions, and integrations with other tools.

The Docebo LMS is one of the world’s fastest growing and most popular elearning platforms. It’s one of the best solutions when it comes to learning analytics, giving L&D managers the data and insights they need to assess learner performance and improve induction training content.

It is important to carefully evaluate the features and pricing of different LMS options before making a decision, as the right LMS for your organisation will depend on your specific needs and budget.

As well as the feature set, you might want to consider a learning management system that is proven in your industry.

In conclusion

Good induction training for new employees is an essential part of the learning and development process. An effective induction training programme can help new employees feel welcomed and supported, and help them become productive and successful members of the team.

The post Induction Training for New Employees – Definition, Benefits, Tips & eLearning Tools appeared first on Learning Light.

With advances in technology, elearning software, and our understanding of how people learn, we’re seeing a rise in simulation-based training. Businesses can save on the cost of assembling large groups of trainees and reduce risks involved with honing skills for complex tasks on-the-job, while achieving greater control and insights around performance analytics.

A simulation based learning environment offers a safe way for organisations to help their employees can pick up the vital skills needed.

What is Simulation Training?

As the name suggests, simulation training is the creation of a true-to-life learning environment that mirrors real-life work and scenarios. Trainees can put real knowledge and skills into practice not just by reading books on theory or listening to lectures, but through physical, hands-on activity.

This type of training is so effective as it takes into account several of the learning styles preferred by different learners. Not everyone learns visually, or through auditory materials, and simulation-based training also considers the needs of kinesthetic learners who flourish through practical exercises.

Simulation-based training is a highly effective way of transferring key skills to trainees in a cost-effective manner. It provides an optimum way for employers to assess how well their trainees are putting skills into practice, and the decisions they are making in front of simulated real life situations. Learning in a safe and managed environment provides essential hands-on experience that integrates key theoretical concepts with interactive, computer simulated situations.

This immersive style of training, according to the US National Library of Medicine following a review of numerous research studies, provides learning “just like the real thing.” Simulation-based training can be applied across many different fields. In business areas, such as project management and customer service; the medical field, allowing for practical work in life-saving situations; the military and drone piloting, factory workers, commercial drivers, and so on.

Top Simulation-Based Training Companies

1. ETU

Empower The User (ETU) specialises in the creation of immersive simulation training experiences. From their bases in the US and Ireland, they have a global client base of some of the world’s best known brands, including the likes of Microsoft, PwC, Macy’s, Merck and IBM.

As well as enabling the development of custom immersive experiences with their unique Learning Simulation Platform (LSP), they have ready to go training simulations honed over 10 years of experience supporting L&D leaders.

This content covers most of the key areas of focus for modern business training:

• Leadership Behavior
• Compliance & Risk Management
• B2B Sales and Customer Service
• Employee Onboarding
• Digital Transformation
• Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI)

If you are looking to create a custom immersive learning experience, their Simulation Builder not only makes it easy to create training from scratch, but to generate powerful learner analytics and skills insights.

As anyone in Learning & Development knows, what gets measured gets managed, so this data allows your team to laser in on the individuals and groups that need additional coaching and support, as well as identifying top performers.

Learn more about immersive simulation training from ETU and why it’s so effective over on their website.

2. Day One Technologies

The Day One simulation training solutions are created bespoke to the unique needs and environment of each client. This UK elearning and simulation-based training provider can design a flexible system for both the current and future needs of your company. They have a client list including Lloyds Banking Group, TSB and many other well-known brands.

Day One creates simulated systems to match the look and functionality of your company’s programmes. This is especially important so that your trainees acquire skills in an environment that look and feels like the one they will be working with every day. What makes their solution rare, if not unique, is that when your systems and processes evolve, the simulations can evolve with them, reducing the ongoing costs of training content development.

The training process is as “true to life as it gets,” with the company’s trademarked “Dynamic Data” that introduces realistic scenarios and customer-generated details for trainees to work with. Day One Technologies promises “blow-your-mind realism” through systems that are easy to navigate from any desktop, compatible with your existing learning development system.

You can track your learners’ progress and performance, pull up detailed analytics reports and get a complete birdseye view on their progress throughout the simulation. Features of Day One’s solutions include simulation training for retail banks, customer complaints handling through peer to peer role play, telephony training, and inductions.

Day One enabled Linde Healthcare to move to online training in the use of their innovative therapy solutions during the Covid-19 pandemic. They created medtech elearning courses and simulations for healthcare practitioners to learn the safe and effective use of new medical devices.

For Roche, they created a bespoke solution for onboarding employees with new hardware, and with new in-house CRM software.

Day One work directly with end-user clients, but also offer white-label solutions for training companies and other elearning companies who want to add additional complex functionalities to their offering.

The Day One elearning solutions are excellent and their team are true leaders in their field – demonstrated by their client results, reviews / feedback and repeat custom. They provide a concierge service bespoke to your needs, meaning clients don’t have to go through a their own learning curve of getting to grips with the technology involved before delivery the training. Highly recommended.

3. Assima

Assima is software training technology that allows you to create customisable, simulation-based software training and supporting materials quickly and easily. This award-winning simulation-based training provider is a company on the up, boasting high-level training, recording and editing functionality. One of the quickest ways of getting your team up to speed, Assima claims to accelerate creation by saving all records, mouse clicks, movements, and entries into one source file.

Particularly effective for technology providers, programmers will love the ease of the source file that enables them to make modifications for as many as eight different outputs. In layman terms, that means eight different types of simulated situations, including interactive training sessions, live help, preview simulations, and a test simulation file.

For companies, this gives them maximum control over their training materials and practices. They can create their own instructional material to use for classroom-based training, improving user performance and business efficiency, while keeping down costs.

4. InfoPro Learning

As one of the world’s leading providers of simulation-based training, InfoPro Learning provides talent solutions for large organizations, easing inductions and training for new recruits. A highly respected global elearning solution, InfoPro Learning has racked up a string of awards and great reviews over its 20 years in business, providing blended learning, performance improvement elearning strategies, and cutting-edge simulation-based learning solutions. Their main focus is on building the training capacity of all types of businesses across industry verticals, so that companies may be more agile and get their new employees up to speed fast.

Their solutions offer lifelike and real-world environments where learners can become competent and confident in their jobs. InfoPro Learning is designed for a wealth of business areas, including medicine, aviation, and manufacturing. This is particularly useful for employees in hands-on professions where the stakes are high. Not just resolving client issues over the phone, InfoPro provides simulated conditions for emergency and remote field workers.

Controlled simulation-based training reduces risk as the learning environments are safe, while new recruits can master the skills needed in a real life situation.

In roles within the physical world, this can improve the safety of surgery, drone management, bomb dismantling, mine work and more, which can all be managed through 3D virtual representations of the work environment. As virtual and augmented reality begin to become more commonplace, companies can now train their employees to hit the ground running before placing them in unnecessary danger.

Within the fields of business, software and customer services, learners can master technical or soft skills without the fear that a mistake could lead to dire customer care or commercial consequences.

For these reasons, and as technology gives educators and trainers an ever improving toolkit, training simulations are seeing continued growth in popularity.

The post Simulation Training – Definition, Learning Benefits & Top Companies appeared first on Learning Light.

For an industry whose primary role is to help people understand things, the eLearning industry is ironically non-transparent.

There’s a lot of jargon and sales talk thrown around, so the goal of this article is to cut through the noise and help you make an informed decision.

But before we start laying everything out, let’s take a step back…

Only pack the essentials

Make time to behave like a kid/therapist

You’re probably wondering ‘what?!?’  Let me explain… Both kids and therapists want to know the truth of things – challenging your reasons for something, digging deeper until you have to face a fundamental (and occasionally painful) truth underneath. How do they do this? – They simply ask  WHY. And they don’t stop until they hit bedrock (or you send them to bed).

It can be hard work but the reality is that it ends up being much better to build from that essential solid foundation, if you take the time to reach it.

The exact same thing should be applied to choosing a training solution – Challenge what you think you want and do a quick check to find out what you actually need. It will always pay off in the long run and avoid you making assumptions as well as wasting budget.

The key is drilling down to the essential business need underneath, because if training doesn’t satisfy a business need, then it is fundamentally useless.

Like Alanis Morrisette famously sang – “It’s like 10,000 spoons when all you need is a knife” – except it’s not ironic… it’s just a waste of resources.

So ask yourself:

1. What is the essential business need behind this training? If you don’t know the business need behind the training, find the person who does and ask them. For example – your company has merged with another company and all the new staff and customers need to be onboarded as quickly as possible into the existing company to minimise resource costs.

2. What are the minimum essential actions you need your learners to do to meet this need identified in question 1? For example – the essential thing is your new staff need to be able to transition new customers onto the main database to keep money flowing in.

3. What is the minimum essential knowledge that your learners need to carry out these actions from Question 2? For example – Your staff needs to know how to transfer account details and set up new direct debits.

Now it’s your turn, give it a try.

1 – Take a piece of paper or a whiteboard and, starting at the top, write your business need.

2 – Then write the various essential actions required underneath it in columns.The easiest way to identify them is to ask yourself:

‘What is critical to do, and in what order, or we can’t meet the business need?’

3 – Finally list the essential knowledge for each action in order. Ask yourself:

 ‘What is critical to know, otherwise we can’t perform this action?’

Armed with this map you should now have a clear idea of what essential knowledge your learners need in service of your business need.

This also makes it much easier to talk to a content provider when you are scoping out a project as you’ll already have done a lot of the work when it comes to setting your goal.

Good – Fast – Cheap

Below is a very popular venn diagram that sums up the fundamental relationship between three key attributes which apply to any project. It’s referenced universally across every industry and it’s designed to illustrate that you can only ever have two of the three attributes:

• Good and Fast but at a higher cost.

OR

• Fast and Cheap but with a compromise on quality.

OR

• Cheap and Good but with a longer delivery time.

The common argument is that the sweet spot in the centre with all three is unachievable, so as a customer you should –  “Just stop asking for it because it doesn’t exist!”

But this is a simplification used to end an argument. ‘Good’ is completely subjective and in this case very non specific. We need to dig deeper like a kid/therapist again… What is ‘good’?

Good means it satisfies a business need. Surely?

In which case it’s not so black and white any more. As long as you have defined your business goal, you can explore the greys of ‘good enough’ and get a healthy balance.

Don’t be perfect. Be good enough. The Pareto Principle or 80/20 rule

The basic idea is 80% of effects come from 20% of causes.

So in theory if you can ensure that you focus your 20% of resources correctly, you can get your 80% of results you need. You reach your ‘good enough’ and you can be much more cost-effective instead of using 80% more resources stretching to reach that last 20% to ‘perfect’.

In this context, if you have defined your business needs you can weigh up what your 80% is. What is ‘good enough’ to fulfil the business needs? Staying cost-effective is all about focusing on your ‘good enough’.

For example:

You could provide onboarding for your new team members with VR – they get to explore the office and meet the team and interact with them. Sounds great! But If you can get them onboarded to a ‘good enough’ level with just a 2D interactive office map showing important locations, coupled with a personalised bio of each team member, then why waste those extra resources.

The same goes for the content itself as much as the delivery method. If you can onboard them to a ‘good enough’ level with only 20% of the content, do it. They can always pick up the rest once they are up and running.

The 80/20 rule can be applied to everything and is all about asking, ‘is this critical?’ If not, lose it.

Now we are looking at everything with an ‘is this critical?’ eye, we can dive into the different types of training:

Off the shelf content

Premade eLearning that is cheaper and faster to deliver. The compromise is there are limits to the level of customisation of the content. The trick is making sure it is ‘good enough’ and that all your learning goals are met.

Advantages

• Is generally cheaper as it’s already built
• Readily available content for faster delivery – pick and mix modules.

Disadvantages

• Limited customisation of content both in regards to content and style/branding.

Custom content

If you can’t find off the shelf content that meets your needs then bespoke content can give you greater levels of customisation. The compromise is that delivery duration and costs can be greater as you are paying with time for the added control. The trick is making sure it is ‘good enough’ and that all your learning needs are met in the most cost effective way possible.

Advantages

• Simpler to edit and update
• Can be aligned exactly with your learning needs
• Can be aligned exactly with your Business culture

Disadvantages

• Takes more time to produce so is generally more expensive
• Takes more time to produce so takes longer to deliver

Let the message dictate the medium

As a rule of thumb, the best way to get the most impact from your training is to choose the medium that most effectively and efficiently trains your learners on what to do. For example, if you want learners to be able to use a piece of desktop software, present them with an interactive interface to practise navigation rather than writing lengthy copy about it.

On the flip side, if all it takes is a well designed infographic to meet your learning goal then use it. The focus should always be on the best value medium for delivering learning in service of the business need. Which leads us to…

Blend the best of both worlds

Custom or off the shelf content aren’t mutually exclusive though. Courses can cover a wide range of topics so mixing mediums can be a great option to give you greater flexibility and the best value for money.

You can save resources when off the shelf is good enough for some topics and spend resources when other topics require greater levels of control with custom content.

Advantages

• Optimised use of resources is better value for money.
• Greater control to edit and update where it matters.
• Can be aligned exactly with your learning needs where it matters.
• Can be aligned exactly with your business culture where it matters.

Disadvantages

• You need to have defined your business needs beforehand or it won’t be effective.

So with the right strategy, a blended approach can hit that sweet spot in the middle and give you the best value for your budget.

Other things to consider

Scenario-based learning is practising

If most corporate training is designed to enable a person to perform on a given task or in specific situations, it raises the question, ‘if you can’t think of a scenario in which you can use it, should it even be taught?’ As humans, we learn from a very early age by practising and mimicking.

The parts of our brains that are stimulated by carrying out a task are also stimulated by watching and mimicking the very same task. This is why the best way to learn is to get as close to the real scenario as possible. It’s a natural and very effective way to learn. So when considering your training ask yourself, ‘what would I use this for?’ If you can’t think of anything, maybe lose it.

Engagement is the result of a good user experience.

Engagement is a buzzword thrown around like a silver bullet, but in reality, it is a byproduct of a good user experience. It doesn’t matter how many bells and whistles you put on something – if it doesn’t teach them what they need, or wastes their time, or is awkward to use, learners will disengage and look elsewhere.

Just think how many people go look things up on YouTube or Google. It’s because there is no barrier to access what they need.

It should be treated as a product and always focus on the critical path – if you keep adding blades to razors like Wilkinson Sword and Gillette do, sooner or later users will realise they don’t need it, while someone else will come along with no nonsense Dollar Shave Club.

Accountability through data

eLearning should be measured just like every other aspect of business. Look at Netflix – it makes every decision based on its metrics, embracing the scientific method.

Teaching is often seen as an art so the idea of measuring it is somehow cold and inhuman. But the reality is data is the only way you can add accountability, eliminate assumptions and prove results.

Science and art aren’t mutually exclusive – use both If you want your content and business to evolve. Holding your eLearning accountable for the results it promises is key, just like in any other area of business.

And it’s done by adding SMART goals at the start, data tracking throughout, and reviewing stages upon completion. This helps you not only measure success but evolve in an informed way going forward. At the end of the day, what would it cost you if your eLearning achieved nothing?

Review projects at both ends – choose what is worth measuring at the start and then benchmark it. This way, you can refer back to it at various milestones after the solution is up and running and get a good sense of the overall success of the piece. If it hasn’t been measured it’s easy to make assumptions.

Good design is reductive

Don’t feel all content has to be the same level of complexity either. Don’t be scared to ask, ‘can this piece be simplified and still be effective?’

For example, with onboarding, once learners are familiar with the bigger picture and company culture, sometimes all it takes is an easy-to-find screenshot to solve their issue when the time comes.

At the end of the day, time is everyone’s most valuable resource, make the most of it.

If you’re looking at the pros and cons of custom content vs off the shelf elearning courses, we hope you found this article useful!

Written & Designed by Brendan Cox

Co-Founder of Blend Interactive Content

Visit Blend here at https://Blend.training

Connect via Brendan Cox’s Linkedin profile here.

The post Custom Content vs Off the Shelf eLearning Courses appeared first on Learning Light.

A solid process for learning and skills development is critical within education and training so that learners can be supported to go on to apply their knowledge at a practical level.

But the goal of a solid, repeatable process has tended to be a problem for teachers / trainers to articulate and share. Bloom’s Taxonomy aims to solve this problem by helping teachers and trainers to guide learners in a structured manner so that knowledge sticks and is applicable outside the classroom.

What is Bloom’s Taxonomy?

Originally published in 1956 based on principles developed by Benjamin Bloom, the hierarchical system known as Bloom’s Taxonomy classifies key elements of knowledge development and retention into 6 distinct categories: Knowledge, Comprehension, Application, Analysis, Synthesis, and Evaluation.  The primary goal of Bloom’s Taxonomy is to encourage a higher-order understanding among learners.

For example, if you prepare a training programme for intellectual property laws, or fire safety procedures, what are the most critical aspects of the training, without which the learner could not then work in a real-life environment in a satisfactory manner?

Cognitive learning is divided according to the complexity and richness of the training material, and as you move up the hieracrchy, the level of complexity also increases. This framework helps instructors identify, classify, and outline what learners are expected to learn.

How Bloom’s Taxonomy principals can improve training quality and learning outcomes

Use of Bloom’s Taxonomy encourages learners to have better control over the thought process that guides internalisation of information and concepts.

If applied thoughtfully, it can help create better-focused courses based on the different levels of cognitive demand on learners and can also help design an effective evaluation system.

Bloom’s Taxonomy for the Cognitive Domain (original version)

So, using the 6 levels within Bloom’s framework, educators and trainers may find it easier to design effective programmes for their learners. Below, we’ll discuss the 6 levels in detail with some practical applications.

1. Knowledge

This is the first stage of the concept of Bloom’s Taxonomy, which mainly talks about the information you are looking to disseminate to learners. Although identifying the required knowledge is not difficult, you need to follow structured steps to deliver information to learners effectively.

Think of how you can take advantage of textual content, animation, videos, graphics or the latest learning technologies like VR training experiences to deliver the knowledge.  And in order to ensure they are grasping the knowledge, ask a few short questions to get an idea of whether they have absorbed the concept.

2. Comprehension

At this level, you have to check whether learners understood the information imparted within a particular learning objective of the training.  This can be tested in a variety of ways by asking probing questions.

3. Application

This phase requires information to be put into action using simulations, tests, scenarios, and role-playing games to increase the interaction level in the class. Real-life scenarios can be developed and learners should be asked to apply the knowledge they have acquired to solve them.

At the end of this stage, a learner should be able to apply knowledge outside of the classroom environment. For example, they can be asked to calculate the family budget after learning a maths formula, complete an administrative task within a software simulation, or apply a legal clause to a specific litigation scenario.

Practical Application:  Decide on a course of legal action when asked to deal with a possible copyright infringement by another company.

4. Analysis

At this stage, a topic is broken into different components from a variety of angles in order to see how the “whole ” is created from the sum of its parts. Why is this important? Often people miss the big picture and the overall objective as they fail to recognise the commonalities between different areas of knowledge that could help them to deal with future questions and scenarios.

Thorough analysis helps to build connections between the facts.

Breaking information into key components helps with building understanding of structure and relationships, rather than facts and components in isolation.

Practical Application: When creating a scenario of a cybersecurity breach, learners can be asked to suggest a course of action after weighing up the pros, cons and possible outcomes of a range of possible decisions.

5. Synthesis

This involves putting together different components to form a new whole using a unique combination or by putting together new schemes for classifying information. The emphasis in this stage is on the formulation of new patterns and structures.

6. Evaluate

During the evaluation stage, learners are expected to justify a particular decision, and defend, judge or argue based on the understanding or knowledge they have acquired so far in the training.

Bloom’s Taxonomy attaches a lot of importance to this stage.

Practical Application:  Learners could be assigned a task to create a risk-mitigation plan in investment strategy, articulating the reasons and pre-empting potential concerns about suggested actions within the plan.

Bloom’s Taxonomy Revised, 2001

In a modern version of Bloom’s Taxonomy revised and published by Anderson and Krathwohl in 2001, the levels were reordered and renamed following further educational psychology research to:

• Remember
• Understand
• Apply
• Analyse
• Evaluate
• Create (replacing Synthesis).

Final Thoughts

No learning model is perfect and a common complaint of this methodology is that in the real world, the learning process does not work in such a linear or hierarchical manner as suggested in Bloom’s Taxonomy.

However, using a structure like the 6 levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy could help many teachers and trainers to create and articulate repeatable programmes for effective education and training.

Sources:

https://learningcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/higher-order-thinking/

https://tips.uark.edu/using-blooms-taxonomy/

https://www.eoas.ubc.ca/research/cwsei/resources/Blooms-verbs-stems.htm

The post Bloom’s Taxonomy of Learning: Principles for Knowledge Development and Retention appeared first on Learning Light.

However, there is a real danger that corporate L&D is going to miss the most massive and impactful transformations of this learning technology.

Virtual Difficulties

Virtual Reality is not a new phenomenon, at Learning Light we bought our first headset in 2006, and since then we have seen VR mature to become a proven technology.

This was not always the case, and when we first looked at VR it was a technology still mired by issues such as around latency, and the less than perfect performance of the headsets tended to make learners feel nauseous.

Looking at these issues, coupled with the expense of procuring and developing learning on a new technology, it is not difficult to see why L&D steered clear of VR.

Recently Investors such as Facebook, Microsoft, Samsung and Sony have all launched hardware products that now make the promise of an effective and accessible virtual reality.

At Learning Light we have been trying Virtual Reality learning products developed by eLearning Studios and the effect is stunning. The queue to try this product out at Learning Technologies in 2016 was also amazing.

It is difficult not to be impressed by Virtual Reality, and it is quite amazing in its engagement and reality.

Virtual Improvements

It is fair to say that L&D does not do a great deal of Research & Development. Many L&D professionals, while interested in the latest learning technologies, have been cautious about adopting serious games, immersive learning, and augmented and virtual reality for some time, believing that it will be a hard sell to the decision makers in their organisation. This was true at one time, but in our opinion it is now an out of date view. Here is why:

• The hardware now works and works well, and a competitive market amongst the vendors will drive down prices and increase innovation.
• Elearning developers such as elearning Studios are now skilled in building out Virtual Reality learning materials and they are without doubt very impressive indeed. The development environments such as Unity are well proven by the video games industry.
• Virtual Reality based learning can now be tracked courtesy of Tin Can, or xAPI, and actual learning and performance metrics are captured during the virtual reality course. The VR course on public speaking built by eLearning Studios is a superb example of measuring and evaluating a learner’s performance metrics in this VR environment. This really will take on the individual’s performance improvement and become of great value to skills coaches in a way not yet fully appreciated.

The ability to track to the LRS and LMS provided by the xAPI protocol effectively overcomes one the key reservations as learning statements can now be generated within the VR experience. eLearning Studios working with xAPI experts Rustici (now part of the LTGs group) have done the work.

Studies into the effectiveness, or “Learning Affordance” of Virtual Reality have been conducted since 1998. The Educational Value of an Information-Rich Virtual Environment (Bowman et al 1998), from the 3D interaction Group at Virginia Tech, stated the following:

“Learning in the environment where it will be applied greatly increases retention rates and engagement.”

In 2004, Clark Aldrich published Six Criteria of an Educational Simulation.

“Whilst we acknowledge that a simulation is only a representation of real-life, there are features that can enhance real-life experience.

For example, a simulation can provide authentic and relevant scenarios, make use of pressure situation that tap users’ emotions and force them to act, they provide a sense of unrestricted options and they can be replayed.”  – Aldrich (2004). 

From other Business Sectors to Learning

The use of VR for business will go mainstream, with many applications across a wide range of industry sectors, as well as becoming the mainstay of video gaming. Its usage will be for all manner of interactions from entertainment, product design, sales and marketing (from retail to buying a home), as well as leisure pursuits and experiences, to skills and training. In fact Goldman Sachs has created 9 use cases to support their contention that the VR and AR markets are set for significant growth. Naturally,  the field of learning is one of those use cases.

Goldman Sachs predicted in January 2016 that Virtual Reality, along with Augmented Reality, will overhaul TV by 2025, and the market will look like this:

The VR market will generate between $80 to $110 billion dollars compared to TVs $99 billion in 10 years’ time. The education VR market is forecast by Goldman Sachs as worth $0.7 billion. 

The hardware / software split is about 56% to 44% according to this forecast and a whole new developer community is about to emerge with Facebook having signed up 200,000 developers to create games for Oculus Rift.

Goldman Sachs see the market as 75% VR to 25% AR and a steady 5- 10% annual fall in prices over the decade, principally in hardware costs.

A recent study noted by the Serious Games Institute predicts that the VR market will be worth (globally) $33.9bn by 2022 with a CAGR of 57.84% between 2016 and 2022.

What will this mean for learning and development?

Learning Light has long looked at the video games market and anticipated the breakout of serious games or immersive learning into mainstream L & D and there is now considerable interest and momentum in the market for these. Helen Routledge’s book “Why Games are Good for Business” (2016) makes compelling reading and a thoroughly credible case for using games in the workplace to train individuals, beyond the simple reward mechanisms of gamification.

Games will play a huge part in the future development of Virtual Reality, and it appears that Facebook and Sony will drive this market forward whilst other vendors will seek to address different segments of the market. There will be learning games built for use in Virtual Reality environments, but the opportunity is so much wider.

eLearning Studios have built a library of virtual reality courses to illustrate the potential of the technology in a range of circumstances including fire safety, a truly vertigo-inducing mobile phone mast maintenance course, and an intriguing course on improving presentational skills and public speaking. Their next course in development is stress management.

The Uses of VR in Learning

So where does VR go in the world of L&D?

We believe 3 specific segments for VR will quickly emerge quite quickly in the L&D/skills space:

• A premium compliance offer for high risk environments using a mix of bespoke and off-the-shelf VR courses
• A significant market in leadership development and communication skills again using a mixture of bespoke and off-the-shelf VR
• High-end bespoke developments in sophisticated skills requirements.

In compliance, VR can certainly add a reality beyond video and turn a passive learning experience into an active one. Compliance is still a major driver for elearning, and there is no doubt that developers have made considerable progress in updating these materials to drive engagement, but VR has the capacity and capability to transform how compliance led elearning is delivered.

In this compliance market segment we see a premium compliance sector emerging for critical tasks in high risk environments quite quickly, especially where evidence of learning is required beyond just a post course assessment.

With the availability of off-the-shelf VR learning experiences we will see this market grow rapidly.

The potential for VR to enter and enhance or disrupt the coaching and personal development training market is huge. If we use Bersin’s training spend allocation by programme figures compliance/mandatory learning is 15-20% of the organisations total expenditure, where management development, interpersonal skills, selling and service represents over 55% of the corporate expenditure (the rest of the expenditure being IT, and professional and specific courses). The US Business Coaching market is valued in excess of $11 billion.

This has been the hardest market for the elearning industry to crack, but it is at least double in size to the compliance market, and one in our view that VR is highly suited to.

The feedback and freedom to fail cannot be overemphasised and the attraction of such a learning environment that is Visual, Kinaesthetic and Auditory will prove very compelling for talent development programmes including communications and presentations, selling skills and more.

The VR experience is compelling in delivering real and immediate feedback that is hugely relevant and will be of immense benefit to the learner. For this reason it will be hugely disruptive in a market that is still largely face to face orientated.

We anticipate strong uptake in this market in the next 12-24 months as the benefits of this type of learning become increasingly obvious and the VR hardware becomes available at more attractive price points.

We expect off-the-shelf materials to emerge and these will be complemented by very specific bespoke VR courses.

We expect high value bespoke courses to emerge in several areas.

Selling skills is one as it is well known in many organisations that the sales teams enjoy the largest training budgets and the impact of the training can be measured and learning analytics integrations between LMS –LRS and CRM will quickly emerge to fully leverage the potential of VR based training.

Healthcare training using simulations is not new, but typically the simulation suites and mannequins have been located in purpose-built facilities causing locational issues as well as capacity and scheduling issues. VR solves many of these problems.

Other complex and high risk activities are obvious settings for this type of engaging learning, where each action of each process or procedure can be analysed and evaluated and individuals equipped for experiences that may not be frequently experienced.

Virtual Reality will not replace more traditional forms of elearning; we foresee video based elearning and interactive elearning growing, but VR will rapidly accelerate in usage in premium compliance, where it will play a growing role.

Virtual Reality in eLearning

Virtual Reality will drive the market for technology enhanced learning in softer skills and significantly disrupt the business coaching market, an area where more traditional e-learning modalities have made slower progress. This will soon emerge as a fast growing segment and in the UK alone will become a multi-million pound market eating into the face to face management sector with a 15 to 20% penetration in the next 3 years being quite realistic.

High quality bespoke VR developments for mission critical learning will also emerge. It is more difficult to value, but projects could be very sizable indeed with medical simulations and defence simulations already on the cards.

Virtual Reality could represent up to one third of the value of the present e-learning market in the UK, as much as £270 – £320 million if development capacity can meet demand by 2025.

So, as we began by saying, this development of VR is not new or experimental, it is now ready for mainstreaming and transitioning to become the chosen learning genre for many industries across premium compliance, coaching and soft skills as well as the more obvious high end mission critical training in high risk environments.

The impact of missing this will be to leave training behind and the loss of credibility and relevance of L&D to the learner and the modern organisation will be considerable. VR has been coming for 10 years and it has arrived as a mature and stable technology with defined and researched affordances while retaining the ability to dazzle learners. Now is the chance for L&D to introduce that WOW factor into the organisation.

Post last updated in May 2018. 

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Interested in our expert advice on using the latest technologies to transform learning and development in your company?

Email Me

David Patterson

Lead eLearning Consultant

About David

Our lead elearning consultant David Patterson is an expert in training technologies such as learning management systems, and in elearning best practices.

He has helped many public and private sector organisations across the UK, Europe and worldwide to create and deliver engaging, effective elearning.

David is joint author of several research papers including the highly acclaimed Learning Light reports on the UK elearning market.

The post Virtual Reality Meets Learning & Development appeared first on Learning Light.

The 70 20 10 learning and development model is a very interesting topic and has been much discussed over recent years. While it dates from the 1960s and the work of Morgan McCall, it was subsequently updated by Lombardo and Eichinger in their 1996 book The Career Architect Development Planner.

In more recent years it has been Charles Jennings who has provided significant thought leadership and very successful delivery of the 70 20 10 training approach.

Indeed in 2007 Charles delivered a Webinar on behalf of Learning Light – asking “Has your learning strategy got muscles?” Today Charles is considered a thought leader on 70 20 10 learning  along with the increasingly influential Cindy Pascale of Vado Inc.

On their excellent guide to online learning and training terminology, Day One Technologies explain that 70 20 10 is simply that: “70% of learning is experiential (sometimes known as ‘on-the-job training’), 20% is through others (peer to peer or social learning) and 10% is from formal coursework and training“.

Cindy Pascale has also published the excellent white paper 70 20 10 Guide Providing Structure to the 70, which is an excellent read.

Pursuing our interest in 70 20 10 training and responding to requests for learning approaches to support it, the Learning Light team found some excellent elearning led materials that support 70 20 10 learning from leading US based vendor and exponents of this model – Vado Inc.

This Learning Content is unique in addressing 70 20 10 because:

1. Short bite sized learning content
Some call it granular, others call it chunked. They mean the same thing—learners want short learning courses. Study after study shows that taking in information in small bite sized chunks leads to increased learner retention. The market has been recognizing this trend of shorter and shorter learning courses, and providers have shortened elearning courses from 4 hours to 1 hour to 30 minutes. Our learning content takes this trend to the next step to meet the demands of learners.

2. Development happens on the job
Research shows that 70 – 80% of learning happens on the job. Our learning courses leverage the natural way people learn. The combination of short instructional videos followed by downloadable step by step on-the-job Implementation Guides helps the learner put into practice the instruction they just completed. Since development happens on the job and Vado’s courses come with a step by step Implementation Guide, organizational leaders have confidence that the transition from training to implementation on-the-job will happen.

3. Self paced, learner focused
Because our content is delivered in bite sized modules, learners have “just the right amount of information” when they want it. Additionally, learners have choices.  First, they can choose what to develop and then can choose from 5 courses for each development area.

4. Optimized for the mobile learner
Mobile means two things:  technology and the learner experience. Our learning content is optimized for both meanings. From a technology standpoint, our content is viewable from all hand held devices. From a learner experience perspective, small bite sized videos fit the mobile learners’ requirement of not having to watch long videos on their hand held device.

If you are looking for an enterprise licence for elearning courses, or if you’re looking to showcase your own training content, feel free to get in touch with us here at Learning Light to discuss your needs.

Email Me

David Patterson

Lead eLearning Consultant

About David

Our lead elearning consultant David Patterson is an expert in training technologies such as learning management systems, and in elearning best practices.

He has helped many public and private sector organisations across the UK, Europe and worldwide to create and deliver engaging, effective elearning.

David is joint author of several research papers including the highly acclaimed Learning Light reports on the UK elearning market.

The post 70 20 10 Learning appeared first on Learning Light.

A Learning Light consultancy approach….showing you how to succeed with elearning 

This approach was first developed in 2007 for Learning Light, and we have found it has worked very well indeed with our clients. Increasingly we use this approach to blend not just classroom learning and elearning, but blend smartphone, desktop and tablets -the new blend or mix.

A channel strategy represents a set of decisions an organisation makes to access and provide services to customers. In addition to the support channel strategies can provide to organisations coping with the erosion of the traditional sources of competitive advantage, they are important because organisations are continually looking at their strategies in order to increase their returns and cost efficiency.

From  a  blended  learning  perspective,  a  systematic  approach  to  developing  various channels is a way of identifying end-to-end service components, and cost, as well as offering a vehicle for analysing behaviour and learning patterns.

In this article we provide some key insights for creating a channel strategy for blended learning and the challenges of matching theory to practice. At the end of this article we briefly explore some of the specific drivers for a large conservation group in the UK to create a channel strategy for blended learning.

Why a Channel Strategy for Blended Learning?

To target the growing diversity in the workplace, organisations are looking at new training models that connect and integrate a variety of tools to meet training needs.  These new models are often referred to as blended learning models. ‘Getting the blend of training right’ often means focussing on optimising the outcomes of learning objectives by applying the ‘right’ technologies to the ‘right’ learning style to the ‘right’ group of people at the ‘right’ time
(Singh 2007).

If we look at the make up of the new learner they are mostly people who are competitive, place a lot of value on experiences, want flexible schedules, are open-minded and collaborative, embrace technology, and value speed, efficiency and relevancy.

So in response, organisations are finding that they need a blended approach to learning to ensure that learning programs:

• Provide a clear message.
• Engage learners in working experience they can relate to.
• Occur in smaller chunks of time.
• Be available rapidly and as near the concept of ‘on demand’ as possible.
• Provide a sense of community.
• Use technology.
• Include a variety of activities and interactions that move at a fairly rapid pace with instant feedback and rewards.

While the challenges of making blended learning work will pose the questions “how do we go about a blended program?” and “How do we design, develop and connect the components of learning?”, a channel strategy looks at the challenge of identifying the end- to-end service components – and cost – as well as providing a vehicle through which organisations can analyse behaviour and learning patterns.

Channel strategies are becoming increasingly important because at the same time as learning is becoming more complex in organisations, these same organisations are looking towards their strategies to increase returns and cost efficiency of expenditure. In addition, channel strategies can be used to help organisations address the challenge of change to the traditional sources of competitive advantage; to innovate and adopt more quickly than competitors.

The Basics of a Channel Strategy

Any strategy has two key elements: channels and services.  Channels are the means organisations use to deliver services and to receive input from customers. These channels are often the post, telephone, face-to-face, and online tools.

Channels  focus on internal processes of a business.

Services are the interactions that take place between the service provider and the user, e.g. enquiries, requests for information, after care and – internally- training.

An approach to creating a channel strategy must therefore take into account the broader issues of service delivery in an organisation and how this is undertaken.

What You Need to Consider

While all organisations will have their own unique situations and challenges, a few common principles apply to developing a channel strategy for blended learning. Before building the strategy, you should establish some form organisational foundations.

Establishing Firm Foundations

1. Start with your customers and their needs – in this case, your learners.  Identify your target group and outline the related objectives.  Determine how the training objectives are related to the overall business objectives.   This step is crucial in guiding the choices about how much should be invested in this particular customer group.

2. Consider multi-channels.  Online learning is not really enough.  Recognise that benefits are maximised when channels are working together in concert.

3. Consider your full profile of your target audience.  Take into account how they best receive training and how they best retain in.  For instance, you may have a new generation of learners who do not learn well in classroom settings. The best learning environment  for  them  may  be  on-the-job  training  or  ‘stretch  assignments’  that combine both formal and informal learning.

The role of different channels at each stage needs to be recognised in order to make choices about investment in both time and money.  Previously, much of an organisation’s investment was in hardware and machines.   Now organisations are investing more in people and skills, and giving employees access to opportunities that can provide timely and relevant training for the next new product, service change, shift in business objectives or changes in policy.

Addressing Organisational and Culture Issues

Once you have established common principles and thought about your target audience of learners, you should start to address some key organisational and cultural issues such as:

• The need for a team with a shared vision.  Ensure you can get the whole or main parts of the organisation behind the change.
• The service delivery. This must be organised around those whom it seeks to engage. Delivery must be viewed as end to end processes.
• Efficiency and effectiveness should decide the function and design.
• Flexibility and sustainability must be accepted as essential
• Decision making should be made as close to the learner (be they internal or external) as possible.

Creating a Framework

After the foundation, dedicate sufficient time on creating a channel framework.   The framework must be flexible and sustainable, and it should adhere to four basic rules:

• Know who you are trying to reach, how they think and behave, and what matters to them.
• Establish what type of contact they need to have with each other.
• Analyse the current channels of service (or training or learning) they use.
• Gather cost-to-service data on the current channels.

Creating a channel strategy for a very diverse group of people can be challenging.  You must have a good perspective on your customer(s) as different people. Use different channels and channel combinations for different purposes and in different circumstances, and  regardless of how many channels you develop and how well you evaluate them, you must learn and innovate continuously; monitor and review regularly.

Cost, Reach, Expertise, Visibility

With the foundation and framework established, other factors to consider when creating a channel strategy for blended learning are:

• Cost. What are your cost goals and tolerances? How much can you afford to train, support, and to provide incentives for your channels?
• Reach. What regions or market segments do you need access to? Do you want to reach different customers?
• Expertise. Do you need a channel that can provide a specific level of product or service expertise?
• Visibility. How well known is the channel? What is its reputation?

Employer and Employee Perspectives

Organisations must seek to empower employees because individuals are the ultimate source of competitive advantage.  Blended learning accessed via a clear delivery channel can help employees be active participants in the learning and collaboration process. However, a common problem with channel strategies is that the concept and practice are not translated into widespread practical application.

In terms of blended learning, an organisation may be trying to adopt a tighter strategy for how to apply a shift in focus to the learning and business outcome, but for employees, blended learning is about getting the work done, when and where a need emerges, at a time and place of their choosing.

Blended learning can therefore take many forms.  It might involve structured or casual interactions with instructors, peers, coaches, mentors and supervisors.  It happens in classrooms, at home and in the field.   It might involve time spent independently with reading materials, online modules. There maybe a group assignment or conversation with peers.

Technology can be a central part of blended learning as it can facilitate inexpensive collaboration and information sharing. It can also help to capture the various forms of learning taking place but the whole ethos of blended learning is in customisation, integration, purpose and flexibility. This makes it difficult to fully utilise ‘theory’. Many tools used in the blended learning approach place more power in the employees’ hands which in turn allows users to control the relevancy of content.

The  most  important  dimension  of  blended  learning  and  any  channel  strategy  is  to effectively combine work and learning.  The genuine success of learning is found where work and learning are inseparable and where learning is embedded in business processes – such as hiring and sales.

Case Study: A Large Conservation Organisation in the UK

A large conservation organisation in the U.K. decided to create blended learning solutions for their training programs. Some of the benefits of incorporating blended learning related to scale, speed, complexity and cost. This organisation was looking for ways of exploiting more technology in order to decrease the amount of classroom training it was delivering.

In the first instance, it looked to supplement their current programs with elearning activities in order to extend the learning process and to better integrate it with the work environment. Variables such as time, cost and content stability formed a key part of discussions and decisions. It then had a solid foundation for a channel strategy and to look at training needs across  the  organisation.  From  a  framework  perspective,  the  organisation  wanted employees to be able to: progress at their own pace, repeat parts of the programme as required, participate in communities of practice, and to enjoy interactions and guidance from peers.  Finally, it wanted to bring learning, information and support to its employees’ specific locations.

With the experience and of developing channel strategies for blended learning, this organisation can invest confidently in a thorough redesign of the learning programmes in order to maximise business impact.

If you would like to find out more please Contact Us.

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This is our expert approach how our  team can work with you to create the right learning eco-system and make the right choices when it comes to Informal Learning, Social Learning, Second Screen Learning, Bring Your Own Device and Choose Your Own Learning, all challenges being encountered by many organisations.
The Learnscape is a wonderful way of conceptualizing an informal learning environment, and as such can form the basis of developing an organisations social learning and informal learning strategy.

We first came across the term “Learnscapes” in Jay Cross’s work Informal Learning, (2007), an excellent work on a vital topic, into which Jay outlines the concept of the Learnscape.

So what is meant by a Learnscape – this is the problem, it in some ways has no boundaries or fixed formats, it is, as Jay puts it a “Learning Eco-System.” It is a node based organism made up of content and context and may or may not involve any or many of the following: “community of practises, story telling, simulation, dynamic learning portals, social network analysis, expertise location, presence awareness, workflow integration, search technology, help desks, spontaneity, personal knowledge management, mobile learning and co-creation!”

However much of what is seen and predicted can be quite alien  to many organisations, who are perhaps considering how to put such innovative models into practise. However, the issue we come across in our work with L&D professionals is how do I express what I am seeking to achieve, and where on earth (or otherwise) do I begin?

To us the Learnscape model is infact the coming together of elearning, Information systems and Knowledge management. We would argue that this is the alignment or collision where the “Learnscape” is going to be created.

This collision zone is not new, in our view, elearning has in many ways sat at a collision point between HR, L&D, ICT and Business Organisational change and development requirements, and this is why it is so difficult in many organisations to progress with an elearning project.

Our approach to creating the “Learnscape” leans heavily toward information systems planning and we are indeed indebted to the work of Xavier Gilbert for providing a framework where an organisation can explore its learning culture and environment seek to evolve a learning eco-system that aligns to its needs and requirements.

The Learning Light approach to creating the “Learnscape” looks at understanding how an organisation goes about “information gathering”, and the openness of the organisation toward information. We would then seek to understand how the information is “Conceptualized” – how the information is synthesised and is used to enrich the organisation.

The “Action Learning” – the effort and activities required to translate what has been gathered, synthesized and put into results.

The final stage – the key element that in many ways will lead to the completion of the Learning Organisation is the “Reflection and Renewal” – indeed what went well and what didn’t, on an ongoing basis.

To complete the study, we would look across the organisation at its Leadership, Culture, Processes and infrastructure with a “deep dive” approach understanding how such issues as: how information is exchanged, how flexible is the organisations perspective, what is the level of action orientation and what is the state of organisational learning, – just four of the 20 or so themes the Learnscape Model explores.

However much of what is seen and predicted can be quite alien  to many organisations, who are perhaps considering how to put such innovative models into practice. However, the issue we come across in our work with L&D professionals is how do I express what I am seeking to achieve, and where on earth (or otherwise) do I begin?

To us the Learnscape model is in fact the coming together of elearning, Information systems and Knowledge management. We would argue that this is the alignment or collision where the “Learnscape” is going to be created.

This collision zone is not new, in our view, elearning has in many ways sat at a collision point between HR, L&D, ICT and Business Organisational change and development requirements, and this is why it is so difficult in many organisations to progress with an elearning project.

Our approach to creating the “Learnscape” leans heavily toward information systems planning and we are indeed indebted to the work of Xavier Gilbert for providing a framework where an organisation can explore its learning culture and environment seek to evolve a learning eco-system that aligns to its needs and requirements.

The Learning Light approach to creating the “Learnscape” looks at understanding how an organisation goes about “information gathering”, and the openness of the organisation toward information. We would then seek to understand how the information is “Conceptualized” – how the information is synthesised and is used to enrich the organisation.

The “Action Learning” – the effort and activities required to translate what has been gathered, synthesized and put into results.

The final stage – the key element that in many ways will lead to the completion of the Learning Organisation is the “Reflection and Renewal” – indeed what went well and what didn’t, on an ongoing basis.

To complete the study, we would look across the organisation, at its Leadership, Culture, Processes and infrastructure with a “deep dive” approach understanding how such issues as: how information is exchanged, how flexible is the organisations perspective, what is the level of action orientation and what is the state of organisational learning, – just four of the 20 or so themes the Learnscape Model explores.

If you would like to find out more please Contact Us at Learning Light.

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