In today's Internet-driven world, more and more knowledge workers prefer to have a say in how the company facilitates their learning. With so much of the world's workforce connected to Social Media, that's where most workers are turning to informally seek their knowledge. In this article, I will cover informal learning and how Social Media tools can be used in learning. I will also cover the points that need to be considered to ensure effective learning through Social Media tools. This is the age of the "knowledge worker" - there's no question about it! Companies, both big and small, invest vastly in delivering workers the knowledge they require to do their jobs successfully. The more knowledge a worker assimilates, and the quicker he/she absorbs it, the more competitive and profitable will he/she become for the company. Informal Learning - Not a New Concept While companies spend a huge part of their personnel development budget on "formal" learning, such as training … [Read more...] about Social Media Tools – Taking Informal Learning To New Heights
ELearning Development- The Agile Way!
Since the word "eLearning" was first used at a Computer Based Training (CBT) systems seminar back in 1999, a number of structured design methodologies (ADDIE, SAM) have been used to develop eLearning content. As far as methodologies go, you will be hard-pressed to find two eLearning project managers (PMs) who agree upon which methodology is "right" and which is "wrong". The fact is that many of those "iterative" models, where content is developed using a cycle of repeated processes, have proved immensely resilient over the years in projects that produced high-quality content. However, now, there is a new kid in town. "Agile" (has been around for several years!), and eLearning sponsors and PM's are taking notice of it! What Is Agile eLearning development? To really understand what Agile eLearning development is all about, let's have a brief primer of what an existing iterative model - ADDIE - does. Developed in 1975, at the Florida State University primarily for IT project … [Read more...] about ELearning Development- The Agile Way!
How to Design Effective Training Courses Through Facebook Live: Challenges, benefits and opportunities
Everyone knows that eLearning is very popular today – mainly because it enables learners to access training content when and where they want it. However, live-streaming training events are becoming increasingly popular, and Facebook Live is one of the most ubiquitous platforms for live training delivery available today. In this article, I’ll show you how you can get started with live-streaming. Why use Facebook Live? If you’ve ever hosted a meeting using conferencing tools, like Skype, you’ll know how things can quickly get out of hand once you exceed 15 to 20 participants. And if you exceed 25 participants, Skype is no longer a FREE option! Even if you had under 25 participants registered for your training/meeting, you’d have to send out Skype log-in credentials for them to join in- but what if you didn’t know who will come? Other video conferencing platforms, such as Adobe Connect, will charge you based on the number of participants. As a small organization, that could put … [Read more...] about How to Design Effective Training Courses Through Facebook Live: Challenges, benefits and opportunities
Agile ELearning Development: How to create awesome eLearning courses using the Agile methodology.
What is Agile eLearning development? Instructional Designers always look for the most efficient and productive ways to create courses. However, oftentimes, there is not enough time or resources to create the dream eLearning course. Nowadays, a lot of instructional designers and eLearning specialists turn to the Agile Methodology to help them design and develop their training courses. While recently there has been a lot of buzz about Agile, it hasn’t always been that way. In fact, not too long ago, instructional designers used ADDIE, the linear and traditional approach to designing training. However, as time went on, training professionals came to the realization that they needed a more flexible approach to help them stay on schedule, deliver on budget, and bring concrete outcomes. This is where the Agile methodology comes into play. Agile eLearning development means creating eLearning content in short iterations and delivering something meaningful that stakeholders can clearly see … [Read more...] about Agile ELearning Development: How to create awesome eLearning courses using the Agile methodology.
Level 4 Training Evaluation
Prudence dictates that investment decisions for any new project, whether it is commercial or non-profit in nature, must be predicated upon a solid business case of value delivery. While some social programs might be justified even though there might not be a monetary value to them, most initiatives in the business world are tied to demonstrable value, either in productivity or monetary terms. Corporate training initiatives fall within that category. Level 4 Training Evaluation - The key to measuring training value Deceptively impossible Achieving "real" results is the ultimate objective of any company's training initiatives. Organizations typically won't invest in a training program unless management is convinced that the proposed training will lead to specific benefits. The challenge that most corporate trainers face however is: How does one measure "real" organizational impact as a result of training? And the answer is: Through a Kirkpatrick Level 4 Evaluation. And when Level 4 … [Read more...] about Level 4 Training Evaluation
5 Unique Ways to Supercharge Your ELearning Courses
Learners today have so many competing priorities, that it makes the task of instructional designers even more challenging. Not only do course designers need to ensure they have top-quality content to share with their learners, but they must do everything possible to make sure that content is appropriately received and “consumed”. Here are five unique ways that you can adopt to supercharge your eLearning courses. Breakaway from text Although we all learn differently, pictorial mnemonic-based training is a far more effective way to foster learning than traditional text-based approaches. That’s because our brains are hard-wired for (biased towards!) learning through pictures and images. One of the points that illustrates this was made by 40-year veteran author, educator, and corporate trainer Sharon L. Brown in her powerful book Using Brain Science to Make Training Stick. Brown makes the point that “Images trump words!”. By using pictures and images in your eLearning … [Read more...] about 5 Unique Ways to Supercharge Your ELearning Courses