Delivering Effective E-learning Solutions to Optimize Sales Training Delivery

Many sales organizations have traditionally trained their employees within a classroom setting. Learners could glean best practices and learn new lessons from trainer, share ideas with their peers and interact face-to-face. But, training sales teams in a classroom has many drawbacks such as high infrastructural costs, less learner engagement and more. 

Due to the geographically spread salesforce, e-learning is adopted as an effective approach to deliver training for sales personnel at their own pace of time and convenience. While employee interaction can be better addressed in classrooms, e-learning solutions are imparted for sales employees to boost their skills and overall workplace performance. Undoubtedly, online learning is a great way to reinforce learning as it can be delivered across personalized mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets, even on the go. 

With modernization, sales companies have centralized the scope of training at the workplace, thereby making e-learning to take the first place. Several use cases where various types of e-learning solutions are provided for sales training are outlined as follows:

• Game-based learning approach has been widely adopted by a majority of sales organizations. When salesforce can access online courses in the form of short games, they feel motivated to complete the game and gain expertise on an entire range of products and services. As a result, it results in better employee engagement, knowledge retention and improved business sales. 

• Sales employees fail to engage and retain what they learn during a lengthy classroom-based training session. Consequently, they fail to effectively sell the products to their customers, leading to poor sales. Therefore, Augmented Reality-based mobile-learning apps are designed to showcase various product features and benefits through interactive visuals and audios, and less of text. 

• Online training programs for sales can be customized as per the learner’s job role, their location and need. In addition, e-learning programs also support performance tracking and reporting, thereby allowing organizations to analyze how their employees are performing. 

Effective sales training solutions help to enhance employee’s skills and boost organizational performance through better profitability and workplace productivity. Highly engaging online sales courses can result in an increase in activity levels, sales volumes and product orders. E-learning solutions are delivered to benefit sales personnel looking for improving their selling skills and building new skill sets. These prepare the workforce to attain sales success by gaining knowledge expertise, confidence and seeking the necessary skills to succeed. Sales workforce training is another cost-effective way to improve the overall business uptake and employee performance. If delivered effectively, online sales training can be repaid many times over.

Gaining a Competitive Edge Using Modern LMS for Extended Enterprise

With the advent of internet technologies, organizations have set a major difference in the way they impart training to engage and retain the modern workforce. Extended enterprise learning, aims at training non-employees and impact their behavioral changes.

Organizations work to tailor the existing LMSs for specific audience needs as well as, an in-house development team to cater to the bespoke business requirements. The extended enterprise is more than technology, which requires an organization to provide e-courses beyond internal workforce, through external distribution channels. 

With ever-increasing business expectations, the scope of using extended LMS for workplace learning leads to better employee productivity, knowledge retention and greater impact on the bottom line. As the extended network of employees, work from varied locations, it becomes imperative to use an external e-learning platform which is mobile-supported, flexible and easy to access. Extended enterprise learning appears in varied forms as discussed below:

• Dealer workforce training

Automotive companies know how to address the challenges of training their extended dealer network. Therefore, ensuring consistency of training across the contingent personnel is critical for the delivery of an incredible customer service. Today, robust online learning platforms are integrated with Dealer Management Systems (DMSs) to provide training- anytime and anywhere. A significant data is utilized from DMS so that dealer employees, can trigger the LMS for an effective content delivery.

• Workforce compliance training

Industries such as transportation, oil & gas and retail, need to timely update their workforce on regulatory compliances. An extended LMS is efficient enough in delivering mobile-based compliance training to the workers and contractors based at diverse locations.

• Partner channel training

Several companies in the manufacturing, telecom and other sectors comprise of independent partners that resell their products and services on a global scale. So, it is crucial to certify the extended workforce on the entire product range and deliver just-in-time performance support. This ensures an overall improvement in organizational sales, business productivity and customer satisfaction. 

Modern organizations leverage opportunities to train their extended enterprise in an effective way. Using an extended LMS, they aim to engage, motivate and retain learners, thereby combining the business and training outcomes into one measurable program. While e-learning began as an internal workforce training program, organizations have now realized the need to provide online courses beyond and outside their four walls. So, when extended employee training begins with strategic decision-making via a powerful distribution network, the outcomes can leave a great impact on an organization’s overall reach, brand value and growth.

Themes, Badges & Scores in Gamified E-learning- Motivate, Recognize & Evaluate Individual Performances at the Workplace

In today’s digital scenario, gamified e-learning is not merely converting things from the real world into games, but also applying them to real-world situations. It is a proven tool that helps increase interaction with organizational workforce for a longer span of time. For instance, badges and rewards are given to employees on achieving a certain level, providing recognition at the workplace for their improved skills, knowledge and expertise. Due to lack of learner participation and collaboration, a number of L&D teams are incorporating games to make learning full of fun and engagement.

Gamified learning can be adopted for both classroom-based and online training sessions. Although instructor-led training provides ample opportunities for direct interaction and effective exchange of new ideas, employees do not feel encouraged to attend them. So, the fun element is introduced in the form of mini games, engaging videos or short quizzes for an effective training experience. Different kinds of gaming elements that are included during a corporate training are:

▶ Setting a specific objective for learners to reach the next level. This helps to motivate learners to win the game and effectively apply what they have learned. So, games in e-learning prove to be engaging enough for the modern workforce, with a sole aim to boost their knowledge retention and workplace competency.

▶ In a classroom setting, two views- one for the instructor and other for the learner can also be set to automate the entire training process. A team leaderboard, a progress bar and a specific challenge, boost the overall collaboration between the instructor and the learners.

▶ Different themes can also be introduced to maintain the same level of excitement until the end. For instance, if the learner chooses a theme named as Forest or Island, some action needs to be performed like searching a hidden object to save the Princess or going through a crime scene to find the criminal.

▶ Static and random themes are used to boost an individual's capability to win the game. This helps to monitor the group of participants who reach the milestone first, earn badges or scores and reach to the next level.

▶ Some sense of motivation and recognition is built by rewarding employees with badges and scores on successful completion of a certain level.

▶ When players give the correct answer, they are immediately rewarded with badges to showcase their achievement and motivate them to play and learn more. 

▶ Individual achievement reflects the performance matrix of learners who participated in the game. It is quite popular among varied industry verticals because of their inclusion in the latest game-based sessions to deliver effective learning.

Today, e-learning is undergoing unexpected changes followed by the profound advances in technology and evolving learning needs. Most of the organizations are skeptical about the viability of gamified learning to motivate and engage their new-generation workforce. Gamification has served to be a great tool for innovation, improve learners’ workplace skills, boost their collaboration with the peers and retention level.

Essential Tips to Transform PowerPoint Presentations into Effective E-learning Courses Using Rapid Authoring Tools

Today, most of the e-learning developers use rapid authoring tools to create and deliver effective training courses for diversified audiences. With ever-evolving business requirements, the delivery of authoring solutions in an interactive manner continues to evolve. Authoring tools not only help to transform the textual content, but also boost learner interaction with the courses. Attractive images, interactive videos and audios make the content media-rich, and hence improves the overall learning uptake.

PowerPoint presentations can be easily transformed into interactive e-courses using authoring tools. As authoring tools are easier to access, Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) can create content on their own, thereby reducing the development time and costs. Essential tips to be followed while converting a PPT presentation into an e-course are outlined here:

• Different slides in a PPT are chunked as separate modules within an e-course. This ensures the development of an e-course in a logical and structured way.
  
• While converting a PPT to an e-course, it is important to ensure that both are different in formats. An e-course is created with five or less number of chapters. For detailed information, different kinds of short and crisp courses are created to boost learner engagement and knowledge retention levels.
  
• The ‘Notes’ section in a PPT is reflected as- external links or optional exercises. By providing extra details, learners can access courses in detail or skip to the basics, as per their pertinent requirements.
  
• Rapid authoring tools can pick up graphics from the presentation and place them as per their assigned position on each slide. Animations and other interactivities are included to make the content more interactive and understandable.
  
• To improve the overall effectiveness, tests can also be included along with the course. A wide range of tests can be created including multiple-choice, true-false, text or numeric fill in the blank or even drag-drop picture images. 

With the support of authoring tools, interactive elements are embedded with online content to deliver an uniform e-learning experience. One of the essential benefits of using rapid authoring tools is that they save time and effort to develop-courses. Custom e-learning solutions are provided across mobile devices to impart training at your own pace. Authoring tools help to develop courses that are easy to download and access, even when there is no internet connection. With the increasing use of rapid authoring tools with increasing features, it is becoming an optimal way to create innovative courses which cater to the personalized needs of a globally diversified workforce.

Adopting AR & VR in E-Learning to Develop a More Capable, Engaged & Smarter Workforce of Tomorrow

Today, modern Learning Management Systems (LMSs) provides a plethora of opportunities for enterprises to foster the talent on which they have invested time and money. In the realm of using latest technologies, Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) have completely revolutionized the corporate training environment. As per the Dell Future Workforce Global Study, approximately 66% of the global workforce is willing to adopt AR/VR technology and tools as a trainingtool.

Paving Towards a More Competent and Engaging Workforce

Today, workforce collaboration and engagement is crucial for attaining organizational success. As per the study by Gallup, 87% of the globally dispersed employees are disengaged from their training programs. In addition, employee engagement also encourages effective communication across the enterprise- collecting their feedback and exploring individual talent. VR/AR based e-learning solution perfectly fits into these efforts. For instance, VR/AR headsets provide a variety of tools such as videos, visual data and more to perform different activities. AR is widely used by manufacturing companies to train their staff on critical processes, complicated machinery installed at the factory floor and more by providing animated instructions on the physical gear. Given below is the graph that depicts the market size of AR and VR in the future. As per the statistics, the AR and VR market is expected to reach 20.9.2 million US dollars by the year 2022.

Figure 1: Forecast AR and VR Market Size

Source: https://www.statista.com/statistics/591181/global-augmented-virtual-reality-market-size/

From the above data, the picture is quite clear that the AR/VR market potential iswide across different industry domains. Taking great initiatives to leverage both these technologies through LMSs, organizations can ensure seeking lucrative business opportunities in the e-learning industry.

Unlike virtual reality, where the learner is transformed into another environment, AR uses interactive digital elements to enhance real-world conditions. Advanced technology uses a camera and display, such as smartphones and tablets or wearable technology like Google Glass to display graphical information in real time. Augmented reality embraces shorter learning curves, efficient workforce and flexible workplace environment, thereby delivering a uniform experience. Thus, the future of VR and AR is very bright and their emerging use for corporate training point to a workforce that is smarter, mobile and more productive than ever before.

Suggested  for the Reading: 

http://www.workforcetransformation.com/workforcestudy/assets/report/Dell-future-workfoce-study_GLOBAL.pdf

https://news.gallup.com/opinion/gallup/191765/organizations-going-above-beyond-engage-employees.aspx

Catering to the Bespoke Learning Needs by Delivering Optimize Content via Interactive Mobile Apps

In today’s connectivity-enabled generation, mobility is the fact of life. An increasing number of organizations seek for mobile solutions to attain long-term success and embrace digital business on a priority.

By imparting effective mobile learning solutions, organizations are able to increase their revenues and customer expectation. As per Forbes, organizations that adopt mobile-based learning strategy drive customer loyalty, employee engagement and stay ahead of the curve. Also, businesses that use mobile apps for workforce training are able to boost employee satisfaction and workplace productivity. [Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/allbusiness/2014/11/17/heres-why-your-business-needs-its-own-mobile-app/#4db20ade327f]. 

The adoption of innovative mobile technologies is expected to go higher as infrastructure and mobile devices are getting more cost-effective and smarter. Consequently, it has encouraged organizations to deliver micro content, which is easy to access and quick to digest. This approach provides learners with lucrative opportunities to learn at their own pace, anytime and anywhere. Today, companies have started reshaping their training strategies to facilitate mobile learning on a wider scale. New-age learners are increasingly using customized mobile apps to meet their pertinent training needs.

When it comes to mobile learning, the process of development depends on varied factors such as targeted audiences, purpose, training budget and more. If organizations want to build a significant mobile presence, then an intelligent mobile app serves the purpose. For instance, it is not possible to integrate a mobile website with native hardware features of smart mobile devices. To access the GPS or Camera feature, a product can be best delivered as an app. Modern apps can deliver the best user experience through different scenarios. Consider an example, engaging games, data manipulation through calculations, charts or reports can be achieved easily through mobile Apps. While mobile web is going better with specific functions like SMS, GPS, click-to-call and others, using the mobile camera or processing power of training module is most efficiently utilized through an App. One of the key considerations when developing an App is to ensure that you are driving improved ROIs.

The bottom line is that mobile learning holds the potential to impart learning at your own pace of time and convenience. Mobile technologies make learning available on a broader scale in comparison to the traditional training approach. Need for accessible information will evolve as the use of mobile devices and continued access become more integrated into modern learners’ lives. Optimizing the delivery of training content via robust mobile apps on personalized devices is becoming a crucial part of the overall learning & development process.

The Effectiveness of Business Simulations for Workforce Competency- Visually-appealing, Interactive & Boost Organizational Productivity

Modern learners are tech-savvy and exposed to a lot of experiential stimuli- via the Internet. This is the reason they seek for an experience, which is more than what traditional learning has to offer. Simulations are the effective learning tools that have been used by organizations for many years. This aids to replicate real-life situations in a virtual environment with the same challenges and characteristics. For corporate training, simulation-based learning has become one of the most effective ways of imparting knowledge in a virtual environment. As a result, simulations have proven helpful for the learners to apply knowledge in the risk-free virtual environment and learn from their mistakes to perform better at the workplace.

Simulations help to serve various functions including technical simulation, software-based simulations or simulating virtual worlds that train by recreating workplace scenarios. Business simulations are also one of the kinds that are gaining immense popularity in creating highly engaging training courses for geographically spread audiences. There are numerous benefits that can be derived from training, based on business simulations:

• Visually-appealing: Business simulations including multimedia rich elements, leave a strong visual impact on the learner. 2D and 3D elements are also incorporated with e-courses to deliver an immersive experience with real people.

• Better interaction: Simulations offer an interesting and highly engaging alternative to boring classroom training sessions. Different course modules can be broken down into short modules & scenarios to boost learner’s interest. This leads to improve the overall learner collaboration and retention through quizzes, games and puzzles.
  
• No ‘wrong’ answer: Business simulations are built to showcase multiple scenarios to the learner. Learners choose the learning path as per their customized learning needs and preferences. They may take different turns on a single scenario, choose various routes and then reach the same conclusion. As a result, simulations help to mimic real life when there may not be just one right route for learners to reach their destination. Varied learning paths in different scenarios help learners, develop their skills and boost the overall workplace competency.
  
• Practice makes perfect: Simulations provide learners the perfect place to attain and practice skills before applying them at work. Practice sessions ensure that the learner is given enough opportunities to try out new skills, make mistakes and learn from them.

So, business simulations help the learners, learn at their own pace of time and location. Mistakes are not risky within an immersive environment and the learners are given multiple choices to correct their mistakes and improve their performance. This is an effective mode of boosting learners’ confidence and helps them move past their insecurities. In today’s competitive world, simulation-based training can easily reach out to modern workforce, spread across diverse geographic locations, thereby proving to be a sustainable solution for the future of learning. 

How Does E-Learning Make Software Systems Training More Scalable, Effective & Consistent?

In today’s tech-savvy world, the implementation of a new software system for the modern workforce can leave a positive impact on the overall business development. So, it is significant to impart software systems training for the employees every time they use a new software or when new features are incorporated into the existing software. Majority of the organizations adopt effective training methods for IT systems training so that, employees are updated with new features and anew workflow.

Investing in interactive e-learning methods is the most beneficial way to make the software systems training more effective. Several reasons for using e-learning to train the IT staff on the new software are discussed as follows:

► More consistency

Trainers follow a different approach while training different audiences on the new software systems. They might also make errors due to some personal reasons or different circumstances at the workplace. E-learning helps to deliver a consistent and reliable workforce training all the time. Organizations can use the same e-courses for different learners and at different times, irrespective of their varied locations. As a result, training gets more personalized and consistent.

► Easy to update

With the release of latest versions of software, it becomes crucial for the organizations to train their workforce on the same. So, software training programs are accordingly aligned for the employees to keep them updated with features and benefits of the new version. Online courses can be modified with ease and can be delivered again with the added functionalities.

► More scalable

It is quite often that employees resist the use of a new software as they find it difficult to use and understand. The use of a software at the workplace is very crucial as it requires huge investments when employees are asked to attend training sessions and experts are involved to conduct the same. To address this problem, e-learning proves to be effective as it is self-paced, enabling the learners to access e-courses anytime and anywhere. As a result, organizations are able to provide software training to the target audiences, whenever and wherever it is needed.

► Better ROI

Organizations invest huge amounts on new software purchases, latest release or software systems training. E-learning ensures the increased return on investments as employees can attain better knowledge towards using the software at its best. Online learning aids in executing the new or updated software, allowing the right people to get the right training and at the right time.

Undoubtedly, e-learning has proven to be one of the successful ways to impart optimum quality, reliable and uniform IT staff training on the new software systems. The ease-to-access online courses anytime and anywhere have enabled the modern workforce to attend such training programs without affecting their daily work schedule.

Knowing The Reasons Why E-Learning Content Localization Is Significant For The Manufacturing Industry

The evolution of technologies is gearing up the manufacturing industry and with an increasing number of employment opportunities, workforce training & development has become more important. A majority of the employees working in this sector are spread across diverse locations, it is crucial to understand the need for e-learning content localization. Accurate translation of content language not only improves product quality and customer service, but also trains the global workforce in an effective manner.

For the workforce in the manufacturing sector, it is essential to conduct training sessions in multiple languages, as per the customized learning styles and preferences of individuals. Training employees across the globe is a tedious task to do. In order to mitigate training costs, save time and streamline training material, manufacturers are shifting to e-learning technology to cater to pertinent training needs. Let us explore several reasons why e-learning content localization is important:

• Adapt easily 

For the manufacturing companies, it is crucial to train their workforce so that they can adapt quickly as per the changing workplace conditions and sudden rise in demands. So, when there is an instant need to train the workforce, e-learning makes it easier and more effective. Workplace training can be managed easily, enabling employees to learn at their own pace of time and location. When content is localized into the learners’ desired language, the process to update, share and understand relevant information becomes easier, thereby affecting the bottom line.

• Save money

Training the employees in the manufacturing sector can be expensive, particularly for a globally spread workforce. E-learning is a remarkable way to reduce the training costs and travel expenses. Creating quality content and then localizing it in the desired languages in accordance to different learners’ needs, is comparatively a better approach than creating multiple courses, hiring instructors and then sending them to multiple locations.

• Boost retention 

Employees working in this sector learn in different ways and from different locations, which is why content localization is important. When courses developed in different languages include several interactive elements, it helps to engage more learners and improve their knowledge retention when content is available in their native language. Also, when the content is optimized and localized for the manufacturing workforce spread across diverse demographics, learning becomes more personalized, thereby improving the overall employee satisfaction and retention levels.

In today’s digital scenario, training the workforce in the manufacturing domain has become very critical. It involves the delivery of training programs for employees of different countries and languages. Therefore, localization of e-learning content proves to be an effective approach towards improving and simplifying the ever-changing industry needs.

Steps To Drive An Effective Gamified E-Learning Campaign In The Modern Workplace Environment

Today's new-age learners are surrounded by the latest technologies and games which add fun to the overall learning experience. The world of fantasy is interactive in a way that the real world is not. So, embedding gaming elements such as badges and points to the non-gaming context results in improved engagement, motivation and retention. These are the factors that have resulted in the evolution of the e-learning gamification approach in the workplace. 

When the workforce is asked to improve their skills, learn change management process or work harder, then organizations boost their engagement with campaigns. For instance, keeping employees updated on the new product launch. At that time, marketing and other teams can organize a campaign to familiarize the sales team with the new product. The teams can adopt a gamified learning approach, use simulations, engaging videos or more to captivate maximum attention and drive social interest. In such scenarios, gamification helps to accelerate engagement levels and workforce performance, thereby improving the overall learning uptake. There are a few steps which are followed during the gamified e-learning campaign, which are as follows:

1. Identify the business goals

Every e-learning campaign addresses a specific business goal which needs to be focused. For instance, running a change process, adopting a new process, introduction of new products, meeting the business target, improving workplace performance and more. 

2. Address the challenges

It is important to first identify the target audience and accordingly shape the challenges. Sometimes, it happens that organizations address the challenges which in real-life are only significant for top-level employees. So, to avoid this issue, audiences are divided into groups based on their diverse challenges.

3. Choose the appropriate gaming element

At this step, it is important to choose the relevant gaming elements that boost learner motivation and participation. Apart from scores and badges, other game mechanics such as avatars and narratives can also be used for a fun-filled and engaging learning experience.

4. Give continuous feedbacks

Gamified e-learning solutions also include real-time feedback systems to assess and depict individual performances. Learners can access leaderboards and benchmarks to monitor how well they are doing and what measures they should take to achieve the desired goals.

5. Reward & recognize

Throughout the campaign, it is important to recognize learners and celebrate their victories wins by rewarding certificates, points and badges. Participants are also appreciated for their active collaboration and improved learning efficiency.

When effectively implemented, a gamified e-learning campaign can improve the bottom line, while keeping the learners engaged and motivated. Discussed above are the five significant steps that help to build such campaigns for addressing learning and performance goals of modern organizations.

Trends Changing The Blended Learning Landscape In The Digital Era

With digitization, an increasing number of organizations are implementing blended learning programs for the new-age workforce. Blended learning is an instructional approach that leverages the latest technologies to provide a personalized learning experience, giving the workforce full control over their pace and path of learning. There is a shift in placing the learners at the mainstream of corporate training process, supported by effective blended learning approaches.

The technological advancement and refinements in employee-centered blended learning have the same objective: to prepare the modern workforce to gain success in an evolving and globalized world driven by information technology. Today, it is important to realize the potential of technology and incorporate it into classrooms as well as e-learning activities. Few trends that drive the success of blended learning at the workplace are discussed as follows:

● Learner-centric training experience

As organizations and trainers understand the need to provide employees with the desired skills and knowledge in today’s competitive world, the learner-centric approach is gaining significance. This approach deviates from traditional classroom instruction and focuses more on improving learners’ engagement and collaboration with peers as well as the organization. Instead of providing live instruction, trainers prefer delivering blended learning as per the customized needs of individuals, with the support of robust technology. The main aim behind the learner-centered approach is to create an environment where learners can actively participate and engage during the entire learning program.

● Drive higher-order thinking skills

It is crucial for the workforce to establish an in-depth understanding of overall training content and enhance their knowledge level. Blended learning aids learners in improving their higher-order thinking skills by allowing them to effectively apply, evaluate and remember what they learn. Consequently, it bridges the gap between learning and organizational goals, resulting in increased organizational productivity and employee efficiency.

● Benefits for both trainers and learners 

Blended learning allows experts to train the remote workforce, anytime and from anywhere without any hassle. It provides an opportunity to deliver training beyond the classrooms, with increased chances to share trainer-created content through online platforms. Blended learning also benefits the learners by allowing them to undergo training at their own pace, engage more and gain an experience which is personalized to their learning needs.

Today, organizations have realized that blended learning is not only cost-effective and time-saving, but also provides a more natural and effective way to learn at the workplace. Businesses that are at the forefronts of modern learning experiences want to have more efficient employees, be more agile to technological changes and be more successful in meeting their goals. As more people join the global workforce, blended learning serves the perfect combination of creating engaging e-courses and using robust technologies to impart engaging learning experiences. With digitization, organizations are moving beyond the traditional boundaries of conventional classrooms by augmenting the latest advances in workplace learning and development to drive optimum results.

Suggested Further Reading: https://www.onvia.com/sites/default/files/pdf/wp_blended_learning_innovations.pdf

Driving Value For Your Business Through Enterprise Learning Management Systems

As e-learning becomes more essential to organizations’ learning and development strategies, so does deploying a Learning Management System (LMS). With innovative technologies and improved practices, e-learning plays a major role in organizational success. Using an LMS is a great way to engage employees, manage courses, generate reports and track how well learning caters to diverse training goals.

How LMS Improves Workplace Training Strategies?

When a business transforms its training strategy from a classroom-based approach to online learning integration, there are ample benefits that impact the decision-making process:

• Fewer travel costs, with online workplace learning.
• Effective, flexible and adaptable learning solutions encompassing e-learning contracts that organizations manage.
• Increased time to market, customized training needs of sales personnel, customer service and business partners along with multiple language support.
• Data collected to provide learner assessments more effectively and accurately.
• Impact self-paced learning to boost workplace performance, thereby ensuring that training is aligned to diverse training needs.

As per the survey, businesses that have implemented an LMS stands at approx. 80%, while less than 20% did not use any LMS. [Source:https://cdn-web.learnupon.net/blog-downloads/whitepaper-trends-challenges-and-rewards.original.pdf] In the figure given below, the first quarter indicates that around 81.95% of respondents currently use an online learning platform, while around 18.05% do not use it.

Figure 1: Percentage of Respondents that Use an LMS

Getting Huge Returns from Online Training

It is important for organizations to ensure that their LMS is delivering huge returns on investment (ROI) as they want. When developing a training strategy for your employees, it is crucial to consider how your training will be imparted. For a survey, workplace training was divided into three use cases that organizations, mainly administered respondents how effectively they use LMSs. The choices are outlined here:

• Design and manage e-learning content and delivery Manage
• instructional-led classroom training approach
• Deliver a blended learning approach (combination of online and classroom-based learning).

The survey shows that e-learning is the top choice for majority of organizations, followed by the blended learning approach. It provides a key insight into how well the business is shifting away from the boring and less effective classroom-based approach.

Figure 2: Different Types of Trainings that Organizations Deliver

[Source: https://cdn-web.learnupon.net/blog-downloads/whitepaper-trends-challenges-and-rewards.original.pdf]

Choosing the right type of LMS requires dedicated time and effort from the organizations to develop an effective e-learning strategy. By catering to the pertinent learning needs, LMS serves as a complete learning environment that supports enriched learning experiences for individuals and groups.

Increasing Scope Of Online LMS At Workplace - Is Traditional Learning A Thing Of The Past?

Gone are the days when classroom-based training was imparted and it is the time to adopt e-learning approach that perfectly aligns with the pertinent needs of all. The traditional training approach is time-consuming, less interactive and inefficient, not appropriate to the needs of all. So, traditional learning is dead and the use of robust online Learning Management Systems (LMSs) is rising with changing demands of the new-age workforce.

As per Ebbenhaus’ Forgetting Curve, learners retain only 10% of information after one week of training. The only way to recover what they forgot is by delivering continuous learning sessions at regular intervals. It is not just grabbing knowledge at once, but putting time and effort to learn during the entire process. Consequently, it helps to seek the maximum return on investment through continuous learning experience, without wasting your budgets on obsolete training strategies.

Changing Learning Behavior to Meet Future Organizational Goals

In today’s modern scenario, the pace at which knowledge is transferred is evolving with the change in learning behavioral patterns. Bloom’s Taxonomy model makes it possible to address this challenge and track the entire learning journey from beginning to the end. At the initial stage, trainers impart knowledge and learners revise what they have learned. Moving forward to the next stage, learners face more challenges including understanding of the context, seeking knowledge and applying it to real-life situations.

Apart from handling changed learning behaviors, organizations need to revive their online learning strategy. They build a solution which allows modern employees to learn at their own pace, without any hassle of going anywhere. Outlined below are some of the crucial elements responsible for aligning with future learning needs of organizational workforce:

·         Provide chunked content

In today’s digital age, learners find it easy to access short and crisp course modules rather than a boring, long-duration course. For this, LMS is responsively designed so that courses are compatible with personalized mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. This allows the mobile device users to access courses as per their convenience of time and place.

·         Incorporate gaming elements

To make learning more fun and exciting, different kinds of gaming elements in the form of badges, scores and points are included with e-learning. Learners are motivated to participate as teams, earn points for the right answer and get rewards on successful completion of a training program. As a result, it improves learner engagement and retention levels, leading to improved learning efficiency and workplace productivity.

·         Incorporate social learning experience

For learning to be utmost effective, it is significant to embed the social factor and drive an informal learning experience at workplace. People learn from each other and share new ideas, so it is important to drive social collaboration which acts as a bridge between learning and behavior.

With technological advancement and use of efficient LMSs, more number of organizations are shifting from old training methods towards engaging online learning solutions, thereby changing the face of workplace training and attaining organizational success.

Getting A Better Insight Of 70:20:10 Code To Deliver Effective E-Learning Solutions

In today’s modern scenario, learning has become a continuous process which can be supported by effective models. The fact that people apply what they learn has been translated into the 70:20:10 model, where 70 implies learning by doing to boost performance, 20 indicates learning in groups to improve knowledge sharing and 10 implies learning by engaging in formal learning solutions to gain enough expertise to work more efficiently. The 70:20:10 model has become the basis for successful organizational strategies in diverse industry domains. Certainly, it creates a framework for thinking beyond the classroom-based approach, along with focusing on the spectrum- formal learning, social culture and workplace.

All About the 70:20:10 Code

The 70:20:10 model is not only about numbers and ratios, but also adopting innovative ways to create effective e-courses and boost workplace performance. Some of the crucial aspects how this code can be deciphered are outlined here:

▶ Focus shift from learning to performance

The 70:20:10 model clearly signifies that not only learning, but achieving the desired business objectives should also be a priority for the organizations. Today, formal workplace training is not an end, but an optimum way of helping employees perform better, learn more effectively and develop themselves. Therefore, workplace learning is a by-product of improved performance, smarter learning, increased learning efficiency and so on.

▶ Emerging role of HR and L&D

Most of the HR and L&D professionals follow the 70:20:10 code without changing the nature of e-learning solutions they offer. In addition, some of the 70:20:10 experts provide revised versions of formal training, that takes place in the form of challenges and outcomes at workplace. It becomes a significant part of 70:20:10 approach

▶ Service update with the 70 and 20

The 70:20:10 concept allows learning & development as well as Human Resources to provide more than the 10. Extending the service to include the 70 and 20 helps to build a great collaboration between an organization’s core activities. It is all about employees working with their peers to attain the desired training outcomes and improve overall workplace productivity. Through this model, new-age employees communicate with each other and explore new opportunities to efficiently apply what they learn at the workplace.

We all know that learning is more effective when done at regular intervals. Modern workforce boosts their knowledge and skills through effective communication, practice and reflection. The 70:20:10 model is a holistic model which focuses on how the new-age employees learn at workplace, enabling them to perform better at workplace when compared with the classroom environment.

Unleashing The Topmost Instructional Design Theories For An Engaging Learning Experience

When we reflect on the delivery of e-learning programs to replace the traditions of instructor-led trainings, it also helps to assess the significance of theories based on design and implementation of online learning environments. These theories help to understand how human minds absorb, apply and retain specific information. Due to lack of engagement in a traditional learning design, organizations apply e-learning instructional design model based on Cognitive Theory. This model was aimed to deliver high-order learning experience by improving creative thinking ability. With the fact that difficulty of high-order learning requires more efforts from learners, it is essential for trainers to motivate learners during the experiment.

By adopting the best instructional design theories and models, organizations ensure to deliver engaging online learning experiences. Discussed below are some of the popular instructional design theories that can be embedded with your e-learning courses in the future:

1. Sociocultural Learning Theory

Based on three crucial elements including language, learning culture and proximal development, this theory has been widely accepted across diverse domains. It depicts the significance of workplace culture for the development of new-age employees. For instance, employees within an organization can influence other employees’ thinking ability on a specific topic and how they apply it to real-life situations at workplace.

2. The ADDIE Model

The ADDIE (Analyze, Design, Develop, Implement and Evaluate) model aids instructional designers to handle different kinds of e-learning projects with ease. It also helps them to focus on personalized learning needs and business objectives to achieve the desired training outcomes.

3. Situated Cognition Theory

Utilizing the Situated Cognition theory, learners can apply what they learn during the entire training program. It also helps learners leverage the opportunity to improve their knowledge competency through discussions and problem-solving.

4. Individualized Instruction

An Individualized Instruction model focuses on training individuals as per their customized learning needs. If employees learn and grasp easily, they can continue through training. But, if they do not connect well with the course, then this theory helps them to access training courses at their own pace of time and place. This theory also focuses on the following areas:

◈ Written course materials are preferred over presentations.
◈ Learners are asked to learn as per their convenience of time and location, providing them with an opportunity to work on their strengths and weaknesses.
◈ Educators help learners by adding highly interactive element to the learning experience.

5. SAM Model

By utilizing this model instructional designers can include interactivities at different levels within e-courses. First is the Preparation level, where information is gathered from different sources and then the Iterative Design phase where the design is created and further reviewed.

No matter which instructional design model you choose, it should cater to the personalized needs of diversified audiences. The primary objective is to address diverse customer’s expectations and then accordingly apply instructional design theories to drive the best training outcomes.

Top Mobile App Learning Trends That Will Transform The Face of E-Learning

In today’s modern scenario, organizations have realized that the use of varied mobile learning apps is not an optional investment, but a necessity. Mobile learning is the latest trend adopted by organizations to cater to customized learning needs and improve sales. The ever-evolving mobile app market is dominated by social media, gaming, lifestyle and other apps.

Large enterprises such as healthcare, retail, banks, automobiles and others use mobile applications for product branding, marketing and customer engagement.  Even small companies are adopting mobile learning and designing apps that are tailored to varied learning requirements. Some of the latest mobile app development trends that determine the efficiency of learning are outlined as follows:

1. Internet of Things (IoT)

The idea behind smart classes, smart health, automotive sector and smart retail is growing with time. From healthcare to smart office settings, IoT apps have gradually become mainstream in the year 2017. With increasing demand for connected things, innovative apps are required for smart devices to meet diversified learning needs.

2. Accelerating Mobile Pages (AMP)

With introduction to AMP, loading pages using smart devices is also accelerated. It allows quick and easy loading of pages on your personalized mobile devices, with reduced bounce rates and higher page ranking and visitor frequency.

3. Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality Apps

In the year 2017, AR and VR have gone beyond gaming and entertainment, driving huge business growth. The market of both these technologies has transformed diverse sectors including retail, healthcare, automobile and others.

4. Cloud-based Apps

Today, most of the organizations prefer designing cloud-based mobile apps, leading to easier access of data without affecting internal phone memory. As per research done by Cisco VNI Global Forecast, cloud apps are expected to drive mobile data traffic to 90% by 2019. [Source: https://crysberry.com/blog/mobile-app-development-trends-2018]. Companies were always concerned about protecting their data, which can now be protected by the cloud.

5. Machine Learning & Chatbots

Conversational interfaces and chatting with online shoppers are highly profitable for businesses. At workplace, bots are used to handle information overload, ease information access and lighten load of repetitive tasks.

6. Lazy Loading 

Lazy loading is the upcoming trend which is expected to drive the future of mobile app learning. There are few images that take much time to load, preventing the learner to access the complete course. As the page loading time increases, the bounce rate grows and the conversation rates decrease. Therefore, this technology is adopted which enables loading of images only when their turn on that page comes.

Certainly, mobile app learning and development is at the cusp in the year 2018. So, it is essential to adopt these latest trends to allow learners access training at their own pace of time and location.

Moving A Way Ahead Through Customized Blended Learning Solutions

The potential of blended learning has redefined in ample ways. It is no more confined to the combination of classroom instruction with e-learning to create a training module. The delivery method took preference in this style of learning, with a prime focus to distribute learning to employees working from diverse locations. Digitization has improved the scope to impart custom e-learning solutions by paving the way for microlearning, gamification and other emerging trends.

Blended Learning: Going Beyond Traditional Training Instruction

A question may arise to your mind: is the technology-aided learning spell an end of classroom-based training? The answer is, no it is not. An effective blended learning program can redefine the way classroom training is provided, making it more engaging. Let us imagine a typical classroom environment:

• The instructor uses sources such as documentations and presentations to explain different concepts.
• The learners are motivated to ask queries once the presentation is complete.
• Handouts of the entire sessions are given to the learners.

Now imagine this scenario-

• TThe trainer shares a calendar with the learners and asks them to complete pre-assessments.
• TThe trainer notifies learners to undergo few courses which will help them to boost their knowledge level, before undergoing a face-to-face session.
• TA highly interactive presentation is prepared based on pre-assessment results, embedding links to engaging games and video nuggets.
• TAssessments during instructor-led session will help the trainer analyze an individual’s performances.
• TFurther, assignments can be completed online, when the learners are back to their workplace.

In the above two scenarios, training is same, but the approach is different.  With the support of technology-oriented blended learning solutions, organizations ensure that learning becomes a measurable outcome.

Social Learning- An Essential Pie for Blended Learning

As training is becoming more learner-centric with the use of innovative tools, it is crucial for an organization to redefine its learning and development strategy. With an introduction to social learning for corporate training, it is crucial to understand its benefits for an optimal learning experience. The conventional approach does not support social learning, thereby unable to embrace an informal learning experience. However, an engaging blended learning program when combined with social learning components leaves a better impact. Different ways in which social media elements can be incorporated with blended learning are discussed here:

• Introducing social media components within classrooms as well as online sessions so that learners are aware of what others are saying. Embedding links to videos and blogs within the courses aid learners get an in-depth insight on the topic.
• Social media acts as an ideal platform to share new ideas and spin off discussions, thereby fostering a continuous learning environment.
• Through social media, learners gain access to a variety of sources including webinars, case studies and more.

Without any shadow of doubt, it is the time for organizations to redesign their e-learning strategies. With employees becoming a crucial aspect for the training process, trainers have found it effective to implement customized e-learning programs that boost employee growth and performance.

Statistics That Will Impact The Future Use Of Learning Management Systems At Workplace

Today, the optimum use of LMSs at workplace has become a significant aspect to impart training, serving as a digital hub for both learners and trainers. New-age learners expect a more customized and discoverable learning environment that ensures the experiences which are more effective and engaging. An LMS allows learners to undergo training at their own pace, with the flexibility to choose when the learning should take place.

Statistics Affecting LMS Market 2018

E-learning delivered through modern LMSs has become a necessity for most of the organizations. Let us discuss the following statistics that will have a major impact on both LMS market and e-learning organizations in the year 2018:

• Modern learners will choose gamified courses

An enterprise LMS's robust content creation tools helps to embed different gaming elements to an e-course. Games entice millions of learners from all over by leveraging motivation as well as engagement. Latest trends towards gamified learning helps reducing the complexity of a well-structured game to its simplest components including scores, badges and leaderboards. Games improve collaboration among the peers and encourage them to participate more and boost their knowledge competence. 

• LMS market will rise

It is expected that the LMS market will rise by 23.17% in the year 2018 [Source: eLearning Stastics]. The LMS market needs to monitor training course accessibility, management of different ourses, create reports, feedback analysis, thereby contributing the highest to revenue generation of the market. 

• Video will generate more traffic

Presently, video-based learning is taking center stage and it has transformed from 'costly, nice-to-have' to the 'new normal' over the past few years. As per CGS Enterprise Learning Survey, video is considered as the most essential change to e-learning strategies [Source: https://act.cgsinc.com/Learning-2017Q1-TrendsPromo_LP-Q12017-Trends.html]. In 2017, video became a significant platform to deliver personalized content over mobile devices and social media platforms. Driven by changing employee demands, customer engagement and cost-reduction, video has shifted front and center for L&D organizations. 

• More investment into L&D

As per Forbes, organizations are expected to invest more money into online learning and development in 2018 [Source: Forbes 2018 Trends]. This will help them to bridge  skills gap, improve their performance and boost the overall business growth. 

2018 is expected to become a promising year for the LMS market across the globe, thereby transforming the entire online learning landscape. By using an LMS, it is possible to deliver customized courses as per the desired needs of all.

Why Is Investing In The New-Age LMS An Optimum Choice?

With digitization, the scope of Learning Management Systems is emerging at a fast pace. Gone are the days when LMS was merely recognized as a platform for learners and educators to exchange relevant information. In addition, several organizations are understanding the significance of continuous training and development, leading to enhanced business growth and planning to invest in new-age LMS. As modern enterprises grow in size, their workforce seek for more lucrative learning & development opportunities. With an increasing need to engage maximum workforce and leverage plethora of growth opportunities amongst the employee base, enterprises are evolving their online learning platforms to cater to the customized learning needs.

Training a workforce spread across diverse demographics presents a daunting challenge in different aspects such as tracking, coordinating and delivering a cohesive learning experience. In today’s digital era, the key to the successful training strategy is theadoption of LMS which can impart dynamic learning experience through improved knowledge sharing and interaction. For organizations planning to implement effective learning solutions, there are several key factors to consider while choosing the right platform:

• Employee Satisfaction

Employee collaboration and problem-solving are one of the efficient methods adopted by modern organizations. Employees have the privilege to access courses at their own convenience of time and location. Supervisors can later modify courses with evolving trends and customer needs, leading to more engaging workforce and continuous learning experience.

•  Data Analytics

One of the primary benefits of analytics in e-learning is that it provides an insight on how a learner will perform during the training program. If you determine that e-courses are not helping learners to meet their goals, then you can use resources as a valuable investment to improve overall learning experience.

• Bite-sized Learning

Learners in today’s age want to access bite-sized content as it is easier to understand and retain. With increasing scope of mobile learning, the new-age learners are accessing courses more over smartphones and tablets. Micro content can be in the form of video nuggets and short infographics which are more engaging than boring text-heavy courses.

Learning is designed with the thought of delivering optimum training outcomes which add real value to the business. Organizations today are adopting new technologies to transform their changing training needs into solutions that will support them today and in the future. As digital technology has become a vital component of virtually every workplace training strategy, the use of new-age LMS is becoming a crucial aspect to impart personalized and engaging e-learning solutions.

Embed Effective E-Commerce Strategies With Online Training

In today’s digital era, organizations from different sectors have started adopting latest technologies to effectively train their workforce. The fast pace of technological innovation imparts new opportunities, thereby reshaping the social context of learning at workplace. Digital learning is an emerging trend adopted for modern learners who are spread across different locations. With an ease to access online courses via Learning Management Systems (LMSs), employees can learn at their own pace, anytime and anywhere. The availability of courses as per your tailored needs leads to higher employee engagement and retention over traditional classroom approach. 

Today, e-commerce domain is growing exponentially led by the increasing use of personalized mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones. The need for e-commerce to deliver effective e-learning solutions is increasing as more organizations are:

● Shifting from tedious face-to-face classroom sessions to online learning platforms.

● Blending the conventional training approach with e-learning.

● Have an e-learning component to deliver personalized experiences, for learners, trainers as well as organizations. 

The need to deliver customized courses for a large number of employees over a common learning platform is increasing. In such cases, a robust e-commerce system is linked to online LMS to facilitate learning and boost workplace productivity. In today’s modern scenario, training process can be simplified through successful online payments and learners can be enrolled automatically. This results in numerous benefits:

● No manual process is required for organizations to deliver training at workplace. It is completely automated so that once the payment is successful, learners can immediately access courses of their choice. 

● Learners can use ‘Single Sign-On’ option from the e-commerce system into the LMS. This helps to mitigate the chances of providing password details as it is not essential to issue login credentials to every individual. 

● Different courses can be combined to buy a single product, either to cater to learning needs of different sectors or offer discounts to encourage access to non-mandatory courses. 

● Data analysis reports can be generated through e-commerce systems to assess individual’s performance. 

In the realm of adopting e-commerce strategies, it is important to focus on investment made on the time and resources required for training. Good customer support is crucial for the success of online content delivery. Today, e-learning via web provides optimum social interaction, proving to be an ideal platform to share new ideas, engage more and improve performance. Learners are provided with multiple learning paths depending on their customized needs so that they can attain the competitive edge in the ever-evolving market conditions.