Effectiveness of Simulations for Optimum Patient Care & Healthcare Workforce Training

In today’s modern world, learning in the healthcare sector has come a long way from a traditional instructor-led approach towards e-learning. There has been a vast scope of simulations for healthcare workforce training with introduction to better medicines and changing medical procedures. It is essential to provide training which is engaging enough for the doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other healthcare professionals. An innovation of simulation-based learning has enhanced the adoption of clinical skills through effective practice instead of apprentice style of training at the workplace.

Using Simulations to Meet Diverse Healthcare Training Requirements

The role of simulations in the industry has increased to a certain level with improved patient safety and technological innovations. Different healthcare companies leverage the benefits of personalized learning to offer ample opportunities for their workforce to learn and perform better. Various challenges faced by this industry while training the surgeons and other professionals include:

• A traditional classroom approach is not interactive enough to align with individual training needs, involving huge investments in training time and infrastructural costs.

• Skeletal of human anatomy is used in the classrooms to train the surgeons, thereby leading to lack the use of visual aids and practical know-how.

• There is less accuracy in technical details as critical medical surgeries follow life-saving procedures.

So, the healthcare sector uses simulations to train the surgeons and clinicians effectively, thereby mitigating the overall risk to the patients’ lives. Therefore, highly effective mobile-enabled training content is delivered to enhance the overall learning uptake.  Simulations help to replace the actual scenario and replicate the significant aspects of the real world into an immersive environment. Few innovative e-learning solutions that help to meet diverse healthcare training needs are outlined here:

• Healthcare professionals do not have enough time to attend a live classroom session. Therefore, learners undergo training across their personalized mobile devices to seek information at their fingertips. As a result, this helps to boost their engagement level, knowledge retention and overall learning efficiency.

• Interactive videos are embedded with e-courses to provide better understanding of critical medical procedures within a simulated environment. Delivery of short content bytes allows the learners to retain for long and perform better.

In addition to this, for patients and caregivers, who are at the other end of the spectrum in the healthcare industry, e-learning has a lot to offer. With increasing concerns on patient care and effective workforce training, simulations have proved an essential tool to reinforce learning at the workplace.

Utilizing Mobile Learning Apps in Retail Sector: Is Your Workforce Trained & Efficient?

Today, mobile applications are everywhere and in every sector. Also, millennials are using more smartphones and tablets which have become a significant part of their lives. If you want to stay connected and updated in this tech-savvy world, it is crucial to adopt the latest mobile trends. The retail industry is one of the prominent sectors which involves complex processes to manage products and services. With increasing mobile learning app development, retail industry is changing the whole scenario of training its sales personnel. It has become possible to effectively manage and communicate with customers spread across diverse demographics, thereby affecting the bottom line.

Retail industry has emerged as one of the dynamically improving sectors in the global marketplace. According to Forbes, 2018 has proved to be the year of innovation and integration, providing a better customer service experience. [Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/walterloeb/2017/12/29/retail-trends-for-2018/#6864da374eca]. When it comes to training at the workplace, retail organizations face different challenges such as huge employee turnover, seasonal employees, globally dispersed audiences, changing customer expectation and much more. Some of the incredible benefits of mobile learning apps for retail workforce training are discussed as follows:

Better marketing strategy

Undoubtedly, product marketing has become an easier task for the retail employees with the deployment of personalized mobile learning apps. The seamless integration of different mobile apps with social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, etc. provide flexible ways of marketing new products and improving the brand presence on a global scale.

Optimal customer engagement 

The major issue with the retail sector is to build customer engagement and loyalty. Therefore, companies design game-based mobile apps to cater to the customized learning needs of sales employees. Rewards and badges included in the training program, motivates the workforce to access more courses, retain knowledge for long and perform better.

Effective onboarding program

An engaging employee onboarding program helps to boost the overall workplace productivity. Several retail companies are leveraging mobile apps to train new hires about the company’s policies, industry-specific compliances and more. Mobile-based induction programs can be created to boost the overall accessibility of training courses for the employees – who can utilize their time learning even on the go.

A robust mobile learning app helps the retail industry train their modern workforce in a well-structured way. The ever-changing training needs in this sector are associated with compliance training, sales training, managing custom training programs, onboarding and others. So, no matter which domain it is- general merchandise, food, apparels, convenience and more, every retail company focuses on meeting customer demands by adopting an effective mobile-driven learning approach.

Emerging Need to Deploy an LMS within Classroom Setting to Deliver Compliance Training in the Airline Industry

In today’s competitive environment, with increasing number of travelers and regulatory pressures, the airline industry seeks for robust e-learning solutions to train their workforce. A shift from the traditional classroom setting to modern e-learning experience helps improving the overall excellence from flight operations to passenger experience. 

The demand for robust Learning Management Systems (LMSs) to cater to the bespoke workplace training needs is dynamically increasing. Different kinds of training on airport facilities, employee hygiene, compliance, soft skills, global safety measures and others are imparted to achieve varied organizational goals.

Training Challenges & Solutions for the Airline Industry

The two major factors responsible for the transformation of the entire training landscape in this sector includes- the need to meet the regulatory compliances, to update the workforce with updated policies and boost the overall learning experience for the employees in different job roles. While delivering classroom-based training sessions, organizations face a plethora of challenges as discussed below:

• Even today, there are many organizations which prefer delivering content through classroom mode. But, to improve the accessibility of training courses and enable self-paced learning, there is a need to adopt alternate training methods.

• With regulatory changes in the compliances, there is a need to adopt an effective training strategy to update the workforce at regular intervals.

• Another challenge includes the non-existence of a centralized learning platform which helps to upskill the workforce and meet the pertinent needs of all.
• Training the staff in and around the airport authority, on which security measures to be adopted and tracking whosoever attend the training is also a significant challenge.

In response to the above discussed challenges, organizations prefer delivering effective e-learning solutions within the classroom training environment. A plethora of approaches followed by the airline industry includes the following:

• Deployment of modern LMSs for a large number of workforce, within the airport authority helps to ease the access to online courses, anytime and anywhere. The online learning platforms can be seamlessly integrated with existing Human Resource Systems, thereby ensuring an effective training delivery and Single Sign-on Access.

• Training material is created and delivered in the form of engaging scenarios to showcase real-time workplace situations, thereby improving the overall level of understanding for the personnel. In addition, Flash Card interactivity is also used to boost their overall learner engagement and knowledge retention levels.

• Apart from these, certifications based on course completion are also provided, which helps the aviation staff to learn better, access more courses, become more competent and improve the overall ROIs.

Today, airline companies prefer delivering blended learning solutions which optimizes the overall employee efficiency and workplace productivity. For learning to be more effective and engaging, companies in the aviation sector are radically thinking about new ways of training their new-age workforce. Consequently, the scope of using LMSs to deliver online courses within a classroom has also improved, thereby improving the overall employee efficiency and organizational growth. 

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

With technological innovation, the scope of AR and VR have enabled new ways of innovation and communication. Modern learners can indulge in an environment which does not exist in the real world but replicates real-life scenarios. In addition, information and engagement are added to the actual environment, making it richer by doing so.

Today, modern Learning Management Systems (LMSs) provide 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 training tool.

Paving Towards a More Competent and Engaging Workforce

Today, workforce collaboration and engagement is crucial to attain 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 AR/VR market potential is wide 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. 

Reference blog: https://elearning-tips.blogspot.com/2018/11/adopting-ar-vr-in-e-learning-to-develop.html 

Seeking Optimal Training Value Using an Efficient Extended LMS for Partners, Suppliers, Customers and More

Today, modern organizations strive to utilize innovative technologies to impart training that educates and inspires its people. But, training initiatives have to often go beyond the confines of the organization to deliver a uniform training experience. Training the extended enterprise is targeted at dealers, consumers, partners, suppliers and franchises. E-learning outside the organization acts as a significant tool to help organizations boost their business growth and workforce competency. 

Organizations investing in an extended LMS leverage the best use of the latest technologies as an asset which can be shared with the globally spread audiences. Discussed below are a few ways to ensure that an e-learning platform for the extended workforce is highly effective:

• With digitization, maximum people are familiar with using smartphones and tablets to access customized e-courses. With multi-device content delivery, training is imparted across multiple devices, even on the go. In addition, as the new-age learners are adept to their personalized mobile devices, training is aligned as per their learning styles and preferences.

• When extended personnel do not have enough time to undergo a training session, the extended LMS helps to send automated messages to the learners’ mobile phones, once the user registers on the system. A text message is sent every time training is assigned so that learners can access the relevant e-courses as per their own convenience of time and place.

• Extended learning portals are also integrated with Dealer Management Systems (DMS) which helps to deliver training without any implementation issues. Also, extended LMS uses data from the DMS where statistics based on sales triggers the LMS to notify the learners on which e-courses to access, on what topics and  how to improve knowledge to perform better.

• Different types of training courses are uploaded on an LMS for extended enterprise in accordance to different job roles. Consequently, it helps to ensure the delivery of uniform learning experience, making an optimal use of knowledge and applying it to real-life situations.
  
• Extended enterprise learning boosts the overall participation and satisfaction level of the contingent workforce who collaborate better and engage more. They are able to apprise themselves on latest product range as well as schemes for their respective clients, thereby improving the workspace productivity and sales proficiency.ex

One of the most important benefits of using an LMS for the extended workforce is that organizations are able to manage an external workforce in a better and effective way. They are able to ascertain the number of trained manpower at all times – helping them achieve the set targets. It becomes easier to align the training efforts as per personalized needs of the external workforce, thereby rewarding good performers with good incentives and creating re-enforcements for those who could not perform well.

The Role of Challenges, Rewards & Feedbacks in Improving Overall Workplace Efficiency Through a Gamified E-Learning Program

In today’s digital era, e-learning developers are seeking for ways to engage and retain the workforce in a training activity. There are several ways of engaging learners within a classroom setting. But, with the widespread adoption of technology-oriented learning, there is an evident need to find ways of effective e-learning. Game-based learning is one such approach in which varied gaming elements are incorporated with training courses to boost learner participation and retention. Game mechanics can be applied in the form of badges, points and rewards, the opportunity of self-expression or even competition among the peers. Consequently, it helps learners attain organizational goals through continuous learning, goal orientation, improving persistence and workforce collaboration.

Successful Implementation of Gamification in E-Learning

It is a good idea to use existing games that have been developed to teach the content. There are numerous off-the-shelf games available, both commercial and educational. Games are created, keeping in mind the learning needs of a modern workforce- who mostly leverage newer technologies and is open to exploring more. These can be created from serious learning as well. For example, quizzes on different topics can be built- where the learner can be challenged to engage more.

The prime factor that makes game-based learning fun is learner motivation. Outlined below are few elements that make game-based learning, more engaging and effective:

• Engagement- A game involves ample ways to attain each goal that makes the game interesting. Games impart optimal interactivity that involves learners in the subject matter through puzzles and assessments, thereby boosting their participation and retention levels.

• Rewards- Another important feature is giving instant rewards as a certification of achievement. For instance, participants can earn points, scores and badges on successful completion of a quiz or reaching the next level. Consequently, learners are encouraged to undergo training and improve their learning uptake.

• Challenges & goals- Games bring challenging situations for the learners, participating as individuals or teams. The challenge is built by setting specific training objectives that align with the skill level of the learner. Games engage players to overcome varied challenges by means of their own intrinsic motivation. Learners have no other requirement to address these challenges beyond their motivation to analyze their skills.

• Feedback- During the game-based learning approach, players receive instant feedback on their overall progress. It allows the learners to work on their improvement areas, analyze the results of their action and assess a different approach to improve the training outcomes.

It is not the habit, but the correct behavior of the learner that boosts overall workplace efficiency. Rewards, points and badges earned through games make learning more fun, entertaining and compelling. The feeling of winning or losing during a gamified e-learning program, develops a desire amongst the learners to engage, retain and perform better at the workplace.

Gaining a Competitive Edge by Using Enterprise LMS for Extended Workforce Training

Several organizations consider their internal employees as the biggest asset, but now the external workforce is also providing effective marketplace opportunities. The business world has never been competitive and modern organizations are in constant struggle to stay ahead of the curve. Over the last few years, organizations have transformed the way they use Learning Management Systems (LMSs) to train their extended workforce. Earlier, they were meant to fulfill an instant need, but then training external employees, partners, suppliers and customers became an essential component of corporate strategy. This shift has provided businesses to achieve agility in the learning environment and access talented pool of professionals.

Features of an Extended Enterprise LMS

In today’s digital era, organizations deploy an extended LMS by using an efficient Sales Performance Enablement system for suppliers, franchisees, customers, employees and partners. Conceptualized with the focus to cater to specific learning needs, the Sales Performance Support & Enablement tool aids to empower the external network to perform better. Some of the incredible features of the extended learning platform are outlined here:

• Delivery of varied LMS solutions after integrating with Dealer Management Software (DMS) to improve the overall knowledge retention and workforce productivity. Consequently, it helps to boost the overall learning uptake of the extended personnel, without any additional implementation glitches.

• Sales employees use data from the DMS to automate the entire learning process. That data triggers the extended LMS to provide relevant data to the learner. As a result, it helps the external employees to learn more, retain for long and perform better.

• Video player feature is also supported by extended LMSs which allows the delivery of content as short nuggets, which are easier to access and quick to digest. For learners who are mostly on the go, it is convenient for them to access short bursts of information at their fingertips.

• LMS solutions for contingent workforce are also available as mobile apps for both Android and iOS. With thousands of downloads, content delivery across personalized mobile devices support easy navigation, responsive design, offline assessments, scrollable feature and more.

Depending upon the needs and functionality of the LMS, customizations are performed to ensure that the system performs as per the needs of learners as well as organizations. Investment in e-learning technology helps the organizations to take training to new learners, thereby generating improved ROIs and increasing the brand presence beyond the reach. Learning for extended enterprise signifies that an organization is ready to provide training courses beyond internal training and member, via extended distribution channels. Training the extended employee network is a daunting task, but using the right LMS, it is possible to increase profits, mitigate costs and improve the overall business growth.

How to Create Effective E-Learning Content with Rapid E-Learning Development?

Learning & Development is a continuous process in the corporate training environment, considering the immense pressure due to the latest developments across diverse industries. This explains the increasing demand for e-learning at the workplace. Rapid authoring is the preferred route for e-learning development to save costs, time and effort, while catering to the customized needs of diversified audiences. To effectively utilize the existing training material, PowerPoint presentations are created for an engaging learning experience- with very less effort with the help of rapid authoring tools.

Today, rapid e-learning development method is widely adopted by organizations to cater to the customized needs of all. Apart from converting the content with ease, various types of rapid authoring tools help to build interactivity into e-courses. Interactive images, audios and engaging videos can also be added to the training material to leave a highly impactful learning experience. Outlined below are the essential tips for turning a PPT presentation into an e-course:

• As the training course is not the same as a presentation, an e-course is created with 5 or less number of modules. For detailed course, multiple courses are developed to promote optimum learner engagement and retention. Short courses are less time to consume, easier to digest and improve the overall learner efficiency.

• For web-based training courses, it is important to ensure that the pages are of any size. So, two or more slides can be included on one page to reduce the overall course length.

• With the support of rapid authoring tools, graphics are chosen from the presentation and can be placed as per their allocated position on each slide.

• The ‘notes’ section of the PPT slide can be used to provide external links, detailed instructions and other exercises. By giving these extra details, the learner as the choice to approach the subject in detail or skip through the basics- as per need.

• For an effective learning experience, it is necessary to include regular tests during the program. A plethora of tests or assessments can be created in the form of true-false, multiple choice, fill in the blank or even drag-drop images.

Rapid Authoring Tools like Adobe Presenter and Presenter 09 can be used to convert PowerPoint Presentations into effective training courses. Most e-learning developers have a keen interest in the field of rapid e-learning and using the existing content, the process of developing engaging training courses can definitely be more efficient. Rapid authoring development ensures the uniform flow of relevant content, without spending huge amounts of time and money.

Shaping The Future Of Workplace Training By Using Augmented Reality For Enterprise Learning Management Systems

In today’s time, businesses and consumers are everyday, shifting closer to the digital era with their relationships transforming into a digital zone. With technological advancements, enterprise Learning Management Systems (LMSs) are implemented by modern organizations to leave a huge impact on the bottom line. From desktop computers to personalized mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets, technology has greatly altered the way we communicate and engage. Augmented Reality (AR) has reached a point where, a modern organization can use it as a powerful tool to scale up business processes, workflows and overall learning uptake. Successful adoption of AR via an LMS has come a long way in the past few years, particularly as  global economy has grappled and the need to improve workplace efficiency and knowledge retention have increased.

Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality are significantly disrupting  real life, by providing an immersive learning experience with an innovative way of collaborating and working. The learning experience can be personalized as per the diverse learning needs in a fully immersive environment free of real-world obstacles. Today, AR is also considered as the next frontier of experience, considering its huge potential. It has redefined the way we do businesses and communicate well to foster workplace relationships.

How Can AR Transform the Way We Interact & Collaborate?

With the growth in the AR market, there is a wide array of industries that are deploying online learning platforms to support this technology in their training strategies. For organizations aiming to attain growth, employee training is essential and gaining significance with time. The hands-on style that AR offers to the modern workforce drives the overall learning experience. This results in reduced human errors, thereby leading to saving training time and resources by enabling employees to learn more effectively. As per a research, implementation of AR using enterprise LMSs reduce the overall time by 50%, with a boost in employee engagement by 50%. [Source: https://www.scnsoft.com/blog/augmented-reality-training]. AR leaves a huge impact on the way learners communicate and learn. Some of the instances are showcased below:

·        ● Effective storytelling-When learners become an essential part of the story or a scenario, the storytelling approach becomes more influential and empathetic. For instance, when new employees are taken to an augmented environment during an onboarding program, organizations use their LMSs to create an augmented environment and train the employees in a storytelling way which includes topics like company’s policies, achievements and goals in a storytelling manner.

·        ● Social interactions- Learners can virtually meet, communicate and share ideas as if they are virtually present in the same location. The modern LMS also provides the functionality to enable employees, collaborate with each other in an effective manner. This not only saves the overall learning time, but also improves the learners’ proficiency and their overall participation in an e-learning program.

Today, organizations have shifted their business strategies and customer experiences by leveraging innovative technologies and gearing up to deliver the augmented reality platforms via an effective LMS. Undoubtedly, AR at the workplace helps to boost the entirecustomer journey, build a strong engagement level, understand diverse customer behaviors and deliver personalized learning experiences.

Essential Features That Make Cloud-based LMS Best Fit For Corporate Training

Training the workforce spread across different demographics poses a big challenge in varied aspects such as coordinating, tracking and managing a comprehensive learning experience. Today, majority of the corporate training is imparted with the help of online Learning Management Systems (LMSs). Traditional learning platforms were deployed to effectively disseminate training content with less flexibility given to the instructors. So, the key to attaining organizational success in today’s digital age is the adoption of a modern LMS which can deliver a dynamic learning experience via knowledge sharing and collaboration.

Today, workplace learning has become more personalized and continuous, thereby allowing the employees to access information at the point of need. To make training more convenient and effective, cloud-based LMSs are used so that there is no need to incur additional hardware costs, to develop a robust e-learning platform. Cloud-based LMSs can automate the entire L&D process from content development and course registration to certifications and more. Outlined below are some of the notable advantages of deploying a cloud-based LMS:

• Cloud-based LMSs act as a centralized learning platform where all kinds of training materials, curriculum, assessments and certificates are stored in a single location. A centralized repository easily manages the evaluation and modification of different kinds of content.
  
• A simple and easy to use interface, saves a lot of time of the users. Searching capabilities within the cloud LMS, enables learners to access the relevant information whenever and wherever they need it.
  
• Cloud LMSs also enable the learners to gain a personalized experience within the learning environment. They have a custom UI which can be different in terms of color or theme. Trainers or managers can assign different groups in the cloud as per the customized needs of every learner.
  
• These LMSs are mobile-supported and can be implemented across multiple mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones. As a result, learners can undergo training even on the go and at their own pace of time and location.
  
• When the LMS is deployed on the cloud, data can also be increased as per the evolving needs of the modern learners. There are no extra costs involved and organizations are free to upload as much e-courses as needed.
  
• Cloud LMS also supports extended enterprise feature which helps the organizations to allocate a different LMS to their external workforce. It helps to manage e-courses at different centers as well as the selected ones based on diverse demographics.

Based on diverse business needs, the implementation of an LMS in a cloud provides a huge transformation in the way modern learners get the flexibility to effectively learn and interact with the system.

Combining Mobile Learning & Microlearning Approaches - The Need is Evident

Today, Learning & Development (L&D) departments have realized the potential of personalized learning through mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. The current e-learning strategy is providing the new-age workforce an edge with the flexibility to access online courses at their own pace. The demand for short and crisp content is rising and mobile learning has made it more convenient for the organizations to provide training on the go.

Mobile Learning & Microlearning- Their Key Benefits

Before, you look at the combined benefits of microlearning and mobile learning: let us outline their individual benefits. Talking about mobile learning first, it allows the learners to access online courses anytime and from anywhere. There are different kinds of mobile learning apps, which help learners to download the course and access it later when offline. Few benefits of mobile learning are outlined here:

• It supports multi-device support, which means that the same course can be accessed on multiple devices, from desktops and laptops to tablets and smartphones.

• It proves as an effective e-learning approach to cater to the diverse corporate training needs including onboarding program, compliance training, soft skills and more.

On the other hand, microlearning is the process of delivering content in the form of short learning nuggets. The trend is fueled by the learners who want to consume bite-sized information on the go. Few benefits of microlearning are outlined here:

• Short content chunks are created to cater to specific learning needs.
• They are shorter in length (between 2-7 minutes).

Why to Choose the Combination of Microlearning & Mobile Learning?

With the broader adoption of mobile learning, microlearning also serves the following benefits:

• Formal training - A learning path can be created by combining shorter bites of content. Considering the short attention spans, learners tend to access more courses on their mobile devices, without any hassle of going anywhere.

• Performance Support Tools (PSTs) - These help to optimize the effectiveness of formal training through just-in-time aid. PSTs help enterprises to boost their performance and leave a strong impact on the entire business.

With technological advancement, organizations are adopting the blend of mobile learning and microlearning to offer a highly engaging experience. The prime reason behind this is that content nuggets can be easily accessed on the go. Several other benefits of this combination are highlighted as follows:

• Delivery of continuous learning experience rather than providing discrete forms.
• Organizations can offer personalized learning experience as per the varied needs of diversified audiences. Some learners grasp quickly, while others may take time, so this enables them to choose the time and place to undergo training. 
• This also increases the number of visitors coming to the learning platform, as they can review the same courses time and again. 
• Short nuggets in the form of videos, audios and images are easier to digest, thereby helping to improve learner engagement and retention levels.

Certainly, the rising scope of mobile learning and microlearning has overcome traditional training challenges such as engagement, flexibility, real-time accessibility and retention. With this combination, organizations can witness more engaged employees with the rise in business growth and overall workplace productivity.

Following Effective Practices To Deliver On-demand Training Using Modern LMS

With an ever-evolving need to impact online workplace learning, organizations are banking on modern Learning Management Systems (LMSs) to cater to the needs of diverse audiences. LMS serves as a one-stop solution for organizations to deliver the right type of content to the right learner and at the right time. Today, employees want to access courses that are aligned to their personalized learning styles and preferences. This ensures delivery of on-demand training to impart e-learning solutions in real time.

To deliver on-demand training experience is easier with the use of next-generation LMSs, keeping in mind the demands of diverse workforce. Using the right blend of tools and technologies, the quality of the overall training program can be improved. Outlined below are some of the key practices that are followed to enhance the overall experience of on-demand training:

1. Give assistance whenever required

It is important to focus on the changing needs of learners and address their day-to-day workplace challenges. Instead of asking employees to get away from their desks and attend training, the online learning platforms help them to access courses at their point of need and at their own pace.

2. Boost learner collaboration

When employees undergo training, they face ample challenges related to their organizational roles and responsibilities. So, it becomes crucial to connect them with industry experts who share valuable ideas, providing an opportunity for learners to improve their performance and overall business productivity.

3. Adopt an effective strategy

Traditional methods of training fail to address moments of need, affecting the overall employee engagement, business growth, long-term productivity and retention. Before organizing an on-demand training session, it is essential to plan an effective e-learning strategy. With an optimum use of online resources, focus can be shifted towards the improvement of long-term career plans of the workforce, so that they can continue to progress. Creating digital resources in modern LMS allows learners to access courses anywhere, saving their valuable time, because of the ease to update content as per the requirement.

4. Give feedback

To improve the overall effectiveness of an on-demand training program, it is essential to ask for timely feedbacks from learners which may include:

• Did online resources address their workplace challenges?

• Were the courses relevant as per their need?

So, it is important for organizations to strive for innovative ways that ensure delivery of impactful on-demand training at workplace. Following the above mentioned tips and using a robust LMS, organizations can certainly move on the right track towards transforming their on-demand training programs.

Exploring The Most Effective Uses Of Gamification In A Modern Learning Environment

Today, majority of e-learning and development professionals across the globe look for innovative methods to engage and retain maximum learners. For this, gamification serves as an optimal solution, thereby helping to boost learner interaction, desire to compete with others and goal achievement. So, e-learning gamification is defined as the use of game mechanics in a non-gaming context to motivate employees learn and engage more in the overall learning process.

How Has Gamification Reshaped Learning at Workplace?

Improved learner retention is the key factor driving the effectiveness of gamification in e-learning. When learners remember the information they access, apply it to real-world scenarios and then return to learn more, it leads to successful training outcomes. This is the ultimate achievement for modern organizations seeking for more benefits of gamified learning approach. Apart from learner engagement and behavioral development, another essential benefit of games is the need to capitalize its ability to transform the entire learning process. For this, serious games are embedded with e-courses along with the combination of narrations, challenges, scores, levels, achievements and other elements.

With digitization, serious games in e-learning have become the latest buzz and considered as the latest trend which is going mobile. Some of the effective uses of gamification include boosting learner engagement, developing a sense of achievement, monitoring progress and more. Games help to deliver an intuitive e-learning experience. For instance, dividing courses into levels is a great way to show employee progress, enabling learners to start from the basics and then get more complex with better understanding of the concept.

E-learning gamification is one of the most crucial aspects for long-term business strategy. It is the application of game mechanics such as motivation and recognition to cater to varied learning needs. For instance, a gamified solution can be designed for an insurance company where the business challenge is customer retention and the goal is to address desired behavioral change such as not putting customers on hold, good listening, stop call transferring and so on. For this, employees can be divided into teams, and participants can earn points or rewards on every successful resolution over the call. The company can then update individual team scores on the leaderboard so that employees can assess their own performance.

If gamification is considered as a set of tactics or strategies of learning, its most effective uses will be those that bring a positive change while catering to the pertinent learning needs within a modern training environment.

How Does Extended Enterprise Workforce Fosters Organizational Success?

In today’s modern scenario, an effective strategy to train extended employees aid organizations to meet ever-evolving learning needs. Several organizations consider their internal employees as the biggest asset, but now extended workforce is also providing efficient marketplace opportunities. To effectively manage and train the external network of employees, businesses are using robust Learning Management Systems (LMSs) to boost interaction of all workforce types. Enterprises are going beyond the confines of enterprise to include anew network of vendors, suppliers, customers, partners and other non-traditional workers.

Over the last few years, organizations have changed the way they use online learning platforms to train their extended enterprise. Earlier, they were meant to fulfill an instant need, but then contingent workforce became an essential component for corporate strategy. This shift has provided businesses to achieve agility in the learning environment and access highly skilled talent of professionals. By utilizing the external workforce, organizations can change the blend of skills and expertise available to them, thereby helping them to adapt with changing learner preferences.

Leveraging the Benefits of Extended Workforce

It is crucial for organizations to ensure that extended personnel are as efficient and engaged as the permanent workforce. For this, they need to focus on the following parameters:

• Boost communication 

Engagement within internal as well as contingent workforce aid project-based workers gain better access to resources to work within the organization. This communication can be done virtually, through social media platforms or other robust tools that help build strong collaboration.

• Become talent broker 

Sometimes, organizations and their HR departments become their own talent brokers, tracking the data available to better facilitate mapping between employees and custom tasks. Collection of data based on competency metrics, trainings and certifications can help organizations choose the right talent for specific projects, bridge skill gaps and take informed decisions.

• Adopt talent management

To attract and retain more talent, organizations have started to provide robust support for extended employees. For instance, by providing orientation training they can work more efficiently in their job roles. Also, it is significant to grab career improvement opportunities, providing external employees with the scope to improve skills and performance at workplace.

Earlier, work was arranged in hierarchies as per diverse job roles. In the coming time, it will be featured by dynamic teams who will include both internal as well as external employees. Bringing together the best talent from diverse locations, will certainly help organizations  achieve the desired business outcomes. Facilitating the use of LMS for extended enterprise will aid enterprises gain a plethora of benefits and stay ahead in the competition.

Improved Mobile Access To Cater To Learning Needs Of Multigenerational Workforce

Today, major driving forces behind technological changes are the Millennials looking for different ways to connect and deliver innovation using social media and mobile learning tools. Modern workplace comprises of five generations including Baby Boomers working with Millennials, Generation X supporting Traditionalists and Generation Z filling the positions of organizational workforce. Every generation has its own learning style & preference, based on their varied learning methods and workplace culture.

Why Choose Mobile Learning for Multigenerational Workforce?

The key factor that millennials consider in a new job is e-learning at workplace. Instead of seeking training on workplace efficiency, flexibility and culture, what millennials want is to analyze whether they made an optimum employer choice or not. As work-cycles evolve, skill competency and workforce development becomes a priority. Today, majority of the organizations are investing in effective e-learning solutions to help them dominate in the world of continuous learning to engage and retain millennials. A few reasons why mobile learning is effective for multigenerational employees include the following:

● Number of smartphone users is on the rise

Today, everyone owns a smartphone and many people even have access to multiple mobile devices. So, accessing e-learning courses across devices that you already own is a financially efficient approach. It aids learners to experience an added value of responsibility as training is simply in their hands, which they do at their own pace of time and location.

● Availability of mobile apps

The mobile app revolution has left a tremendous impact on small as well as large enterprises by reducing costs and improving efficiency of overall learning processes. For instance, if a small business wants to host trainings, then mobile access can be an optimal choice. Mobile learning is significant when it comes to remote workforce training, which allows trainers to convey information with just few swipes on a smartphone.

● Personalization

Undoubtedly, mobile learning caters to the customized needs of individual learners and organizations. Some of the major benefits include:

► Better engagement of learners with the content.

► Facilitates the process of chunking content into short and crisp bites.

► Supports knowledge reinforcement to support continuous learning.

The above discussed elements of mobile learning allow a multigenerational workforce to learn at their own pace for an experience tailored to their custom needs. Whether the existing workforce comprises of Baby Boomers, Millennials or others, it is important to deliver innovative mobile learning services for all. Certainly, the use of mobile apps for multigenerational workforce training is the key to organizational success, because it is cost-effective, reliable and tailored to individual learning needs.

Extending Learning Management System For Increased Productivity And Excellence

Most organizations try to arrange instructor-led training sessions for their external partners on a regular basis, this approach often falters on many levels. Instructor-led trainings can be arranged sporadically, as per the availability of trainers, learners as well as required resources like classrooms and other equipment. This leads to large gap in the skill as well as knowledge competency among the external partners. 

The trainings do not have a uniform efficacy as most organizations employ external trainers to do the job. With varying expertise, the efficacy of the trainer led session also varies. Moreover, there is no real measure of training efficacy to understand how much the learners have understood and the areas which need special attention. The learning content itself is also not updated reducing the relevance of training. Together, all these factors result in a high attrition rate and low morale among the external partners – a cause for concern for the organization.

Here is how an external learning management system can create increased sales and show better results through continuous training:

• Whether to deliver sales presentations or create as well as submit reports, the external partners are adept at using hand-held tablets. The extended learning solution has to be accessible to them on their hand-held tablets. Being multi-device compatible, the extended LMS can be customized and made available to the learners for all their learning needs.

• The extended learning program should start with an initial online test and gap analysis, where the competency of the learner was gauged. Accordingly, a learning plan can be created as per the profile of the learner with suitable courses assigned for online learning as well as classroom sessions. The learners can view allocated courses available to him or her as per the learners’ role in the organization. Thus learning is customized as per individual need. This helps learner gain relevant knowledge, something that can be used instantly on the course of work.
  
• The cycle of continuous learning should be suitably strengthened by periodic assessments - both online as well as offline. This provides a suitable push for learning and encouraged learners to aspire for better scores and come up as winners. In addition, certificates can also be issued for chosen courses. This provides a sense of achievement for the learners. The certificates can be made time-sensitive to assure that there is perceivable knowledge retention and learners have the opportunity to refresh as well as revise from time to time.

• The extended LMS should be able to track a variety of data and create logical as well as relevant reports that can provide a lot of pertinent information on the effectiveness of the training initiative. The reports should churn out as per the requirement of the administrator – as per chosen criteria of department, region, area, job title, dealers and so on.

With extended LMS, the external workforce is able to learn better techniques and skills, increase work satisfaction and provided better sales figures as well.

Reference: ExtendedLearning Networks can be supported by E-Learning – An Effective Case

Boosting Your E-Learning Experience Through Interactive Video Games

Most of the learning and development organizations leverage the benefits of integrating latest technologies into modern learning environment. From serious games and mobile learning to simulations, the best corporate training practices are more likely to leave a strong digital impact.

There are several new methods that blend hands-on participation of learners with traditional instruction. So, enterprises should open their minds and adopt the latest supplement to training so that they can provide learners with a better approach. As per the research conducted by Ambient Insight, revenues generated through game-based learning reached $2.6 billion in 2016. The global five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for game-based learning products is 20.2% and revenues will double to $8.1 billion by the year 2022. [Source: http://seriousplayconf.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Metaari_2017-2022_Global_Game-based_Learning_Market_Executive_Overview.pdf]

How are Video Games Effective?

People of all ages love the concept of introducing gaming elements with e-learning.  Incorporation of video games into workplace learning has proven to be an optimum choice,  because of the following reasons:

Video games help modern learners to understand the concept from a different view point. Through videos, learners put themselves into a situation, which imparts more meaning than simply accessing text-heavy courses.

Understanding a particular situation through videos offers a better sense of response when it happens in real-life.

It improves learner collaboration as different learners participate as a team during the gamified learning process, thereby reaching to a comprehensive solution.

As long as gamified learning solutions are designed to cater to customized needs of new-age learners, video games can allow the learner to take ownership of learning. Serious games are meant to result in measurable changes in workforce performance and behavior. These are used in diverse industry domains, including healthcare, military, aviation, construction and more. Through video games, learners ensure to apply what they learn within a safe and simulated environment. Consider an example, healthcare experts practice medical procedure using a serious game before it happens at the workplace.

Introduction of video games to digital workplace learning is no more a new concept. Modern workforce prefers learning via playing fun-filled and engaging games rather than boring text-based training sessions. So, it is of no surprise when most of the organizations adopt game-based learning strategies to reinforce skills and talent development. Truly, serious video games in e-learning provide an insight that organizations can leverage to assess workplace performance and identify behavioral patterns that may happen in real-world scenarios. Supervisors and managers attain better understanding of an individual’s capabilities, identifying their skills gaps and measuring performances. Today, many organizations are integrating video games in e-learning to tap into the knowledge and proficiency of an entire organization and even beyond. 

Extended Workforce: A Crucial Aspect For Organizational Success

To compete in the future, enterprises will need to push their workforce beyond the confines of the organizational wall to involve the extended enterprise: a wide network of outsourcing partners, vendors, contractors, suppliers and others. By optimizing the potential of permanent employees as well as extended workforce, enterprises gain incredible benefits including agility, high productivity and access to esteemed clientele. This also aids organizations provide their existing employees with a highly dynamic and mobile workforce that caters to the ever-evolving business challenges.

The extended workers are expanding at a fast pace and becoming an essential aspect for organizations’ competitive success. Today, contingent workforce holds competent skills to deliver optimum workplace performance and reinforce engagement during the entire learning process. They choose this type of work because of the working flexibility, chance to work on diverse projects and the opportunity to boost skills more efficiently than permanent employees.

Impact of Extended Workforce on Business

For the past few years, enterprises have transformed the way they tap into the extended personnel. Earlier, they needed them as a tactical response to sudden needs, but then they considered them as a key component of effective corporate strategy. This shift has allowed enterprises to leverage the twin benefits of highly proficient talent and gain agility in a turbulent business environment. Consider an example, to gain a competitive edge, time to market can certainly make a difference between failure and success. By seeking help from people at the moment of need without time-consuming training, organizations can outshine their products or services on a global platform. Also, they can adjust to changing demands, scaling up and down efficiently to fulfill those demands in different parts of the world. With the help of extended workforce, enterprises can blend the desired skills, thereby adapting to the changing learning styles and preferences.

In addition, extended enterprise also helps to foster innovation- a key aspect for any growth-oriented business strategy. Bringing in talent from external sources can help organizations open to new ideas and strategies. With digitization, most of the companies are customizing their talent practices to meet the ever-evolving needs of their modern workforce. For instance, they tailor talent management strategies to contingent workforce performance, diverse demographics or any other criteria. One of the greatest advantages of extended workforce learning is that organizations understand and manage their external workforce in a better way. Organizations can ascertain that the external workforce has the capability to create attainable targets and then achieve them as well. 

Choose Beyond The LMS And Unleash Your E-Learning Content

The idea to adopt e-learning as an effective corporate training strategy is not new. The transformation from information delivery to just-in-time learning began to take place within few schools. Later, organizations started using e-learning to train their workforce, followed by the deployment of robust Learning Management Systems to cater to customized training needs. By leveraging investments in modern technologies, enterprises are taking e-learning to the next level- generating more revenues and going beyond traditional reach. This concept is known as extended enterprise that showcase the relation between external and internal employees, with some sense of competitiveness.

The extended enterprise uses the most valuable content, seeks support of distribution technology and adopts a focused marketing strategy to extend the organizational reach, revenue and success.

• ·     Reach- It imparts an opportunity for organizations to reach an extensive network of learners.

• ·   Revenue- E-learning extended enterprise helps to generate maximum revenues by reselling the courses beyond existing learners.

• ·        Success- Organizations build a strong network to share its mission and values, thereby boosting its reputation in the market and chances to attain success.

Building a Successful Extended Enterprise

The term extended enterprise in e-learning signifies that the organization can deliver custom e-learning courses through external distribution channels. These channels can comprise of partners, distributors, resellers, affiliates and more. An LMS for extended enterprise requires more than robust technology to boost the business growth:

• ·       Identify the distribution channel

Mostly, digital learning programs begin as a member-focused internal training sessions, with the potential to access courses for non-member learners as well. A proficient channel expert can identify this network of potential learners. Once done, organizations can reach out to them through partners or other resellers that would benefit them.

• ·         Develop an adoption model

The initial step is to develop a business model to incentivize external partners. For distributors, they design optimum quality course which can be delivered at the moment of need. The second step is to market the course, by leveraging existing materials such as collaterals, web content and emails to make their investment time shorter.

• ·         Embed technology to make it easy

Technology for the extended workforce should also support distribution, helping the enterprise flawlessly move courses through distributors and partners. Sophisticated analytic and reporting tools enable organizations to track course delivery in real time.

So, when the extended enterprise takes a strategic decision, develops an effective adoption model and implement new technology, the results can significantly improve and leave a tremendous impact on an organization’s growth and productivity.