Elearning and the LMS

Stepping back nine or ten years ago, most companies in any field looked up to a learning management system to resolve any particular business problems they had. And it was, at that time, a right business decision. LMS was the type of system which the trainers, trainees and technicians can rely on as it could be said that it was a can do it all machine when it came to work training. Internal organizations would flow nicely after the way the LMS changed the training programs of the company.


corporate learning solutions

The strategies used by most LMS are logical and reasonable ones however there was a rather huge amount of costs at hand whenever the strategy was called for. The plan always entailed a solid corporate commitment of resources, energy, costs and time which only a handful of organizations can successfully hold on to the strategy. The problem could be solved but the weight of it would take its toll later on the company asset which was used.

Most of the companies who couldn’t uphold the system anymore would resolve to manual training or any other form except the one which would use the learning management system. This turned out to be an ace card for those companies who can afford it. However, it was only a matter of time for some since upgrades were rather demanding.

So, when did companies started using elearning more than the conventional learning system? The truth was that no one arrangement can solve it so a series of lectures, lessons and trainings both individually and by group were done online. Interactivity also became a trend so as to employ fewer trainers. Business organizations started to change and evolve internally eventually developing its talents more and more until the changes reach its core operations. When there were enough workers with specific talents, it was time to expand.

When this trend became almost conventional, small businesses also thought that the LMS was just part of a solution and not the solution itself. Thus, the employment of various techniques in training became more diverse and creative than ever before.

At the beginning, elearning software solutions were especially designed and created for learning institutions like schools and colleges. Throughout the years, educators have observed the evolution of students which gave rise to different and more complex needs. It was necessary for them to come up with a solution that keeps up with this change by combining learning and technology.


learning management system

Elearning is an ideal innovation, and educators were spot-on with the mash up of lessons with technology. Students, who are now stifled by a traditional classroom set up, and all its restrictions and limitations, are drawn to this new method which features a more customized, convenient, and easier learning experience. The increasingly more engaging courses appeal across generations and learning styles, making it the favorable option for acquiring new knowledge and skills.

Corporate training and your usual learning in school is not all that different, if you think about it. In a way, you simply take an academically prepared person into a work setting and enhance the knowledge and skills he or she already possesses. The development of a company’s workforce is a vital component of a successful business operations strategy because employees comprise the whole corporation. Each person should be an asset so as to provide the company with a stable base to take on the challenges and problems of their respective industries.

Old training methods were also done in a classroom setting, complete with lecturer, notes—the works. However, educational institutions aren’t the only ones equipping themselves for the more competitive market of today. Corporations have to join the bandwagon if they too want to succeed nowadays. This is why it is inevitable that various corporations have taken an interest in elearning software solutions. The more efficient, cost-effective and convenient learning delivery method contributes to improved business operations and more well-prepared employees.

How to Ensure a Successful Elearning Online Webinars?

Webinars that I’ve attended have increasingly been enjoyable and highly educational. I think the difference is in the techniques employed by the speaker as well as the technology they use. I’ve set out to outline the factors that contribute to a well rounded elearning online webinar experience.

Technology
The most annoying thing about a webinar is when you can’t even log in. Technical difficulties are not uncommon but when the webinar is live and you can’t get in, you’re bound to miss the first part.

These webinars are mostly offered for free. In most cases they are promoting a product or are short versions of the paid web seminars. In these events, technical issues can be forgiven but when webinars are paid, there is high level of expectations to be met.


elearning development

One technology used in a webinar is a screencast. This is a helpful tool especially if the webinar is for introducing new software or a class on how to use a certain application. The speaker also uses a webcam sparingly to connect with the audience online.

Content
For content, there is really no significant difference in content for webinars and the traditional seminars. Generally, using screencasting, you can upload slides you’d normally use in a usual seminar.

Like the traditional seminar, the one thing you must do is to always engage the audience. Experts say that an hour on the webinar is all the audience can take so you might want to break down your webinar into parts to prevent the audience from being bored or distracted.

Style
The webinar’s success is ultimately up to you. Every speaker is different in terms of style. One thing, I would say is keep your audience engaged by giving variety. In asking questions for example, why not take a poll? Be sparse with this as the audience might get bored. Adding live video might be tricky as not all the audience have fast internet connection. It might break their feed or worse, cause their computer to hang.

Elearning online webinar experiences can be quite fun as well as educational. It just depends on the speaker’s strategy and style.

Enhance Skills and Career and Retain Employment with Elearning Training Solutions

The IT industry can be very competitive especially since technology continues to advance and evolve. This means that professionals must continuously brush-up their existing skills and acquire new ones with regards to the new updates or software versions released in the market. Moreover, there is increased pressure to retain employment especially since the economic situation has been forcing corporations to lay off massive numbers of employees. An IT professional’s best chance of keeping his or her job is to avoid being outdated. It is a great idea to make use of elearning training solutions and take online elearning courses to enhance skills and other capabilities.

The flexible schedules of learning modules and the inexpensive elearning training solutions make these online computer based learning experiences extremely popular amongst the corporate training community. However, the most important benefit of elearning is the fact that learning can be customized according to individual needs, level and pacing. In addition to that, learners are solely responsible for their learning experience which increases their sense of responsibility. These electronic learning courses are designed and created by expert professionals. The courses prepared via assessment mechanisms and offered to users through various means such as online books, videos and so on.

IT professionals can further their education, enhance their careers and increase the likelihood of retaining their jobs by using elearning training solutions and benefiting from online courses. The high quality content, assessment tools and exams in combination with features of efficiency, convenience and ease make electronic learning a welcome alternative to training and learning. It is definitely the ideal option for those who wish to go further up the career ladder without having to sacrifice time and effort in the process. For today’s turbulent economic climate, it is imperative that people take the initiative to do everything that they can to stay employed to weather the tougher financial times.

Elearning – Path Towards the Future

We are seeing a lot of new developments nowadays regarding elearning. Several studies and forecasts all foresee that the electronic learning industry has nowhere to go but up. There are of course, two kinds, two aspects to this type of learning methodology.

First, there is technology-enhanced learning for academic purposes. This is an alternative to the usual classroom environment that each and every one of us born in these past generations is accustomed to. This is helpful to many students who lack the financial resources to afford traditional schooling that may also be too far from where they live. Virtual learning for academic purposes is usually for post graduate courses. However, there are now many online academies sprouting up that are focused on high school courses.

The second kind of learning pedagogy is for corporate development and training. Electronic learning is a great, cheap solution for companies for many reasons and situations. Elearning to train or orient employees on certain things can easily be distributed among all the staff and employees even if the company is split into many different far flung geographical headquarters. It is also a cheaper alternative to have a content expert share his or her knowledge through an online course as opposed to having the employee attend a seminar or be a permanent trainer for the company. Business predictions see virtual learning conquering new markets in Asia after five years. Currently the new method of learning is already doing well in the United States and is developing and expanding in the European countries.

There are still issues regarding the acceptance of elearning. Some people still feel that it is not as adequate as the traditional classroom type of learning. Some companies do not credit electronic learning courses in the resume of prospective employee applicants. However, the phenomenal practicality of virtual learning cannot be dismissed by any smart person or businessman especially in this time of global economic recession.

Do Former Teachers Make Good Elearning Instructional Designers?

rickie fowler

As a successful instructional designer for elearning solutions (or at least I think I am successful enough since I’ve already made a steady and fruitful living out of this career), this question has been asked of me many, many times before. This is of course because I was a former teacher myself. I loved teaching even before I went full time. But of course, teaching was not as lucrative as I would have hoped.

I got into instructional design completely by accident or completely by a twist of fate. It was back when I got a freelance teaching gig at a business seminar that got me some connections which referred me to freelance instructional design gigs. I was successful at it and I found it to be very lucrative, so I went full time.

So what are the characteristics of a former school teacher that is applicable to an instructional designer? Everything. Instructional design for elearning solutions is basically just creating a program course that will help teach a lesson or a field. Therefore, the rules that determine whether the training or teaching method is effective or not are the same and applicable to both. This is why a lot of instructional designers started out as teachers. But of course, this is not an iron clad law. However, it is a trend.

There are some skills for instructional design however that you can’t learn as a teacher. Translating the teaching method into software frames for example is quite a challenge on its own. However, learning that while being unfamiliar with the software itself makes it nearly impossible. Hence, one thing that a teacher must have in order to be able to cross into an electronic learning career is familiarity and adequate or relative mastery of the software tools for e learning design.