Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Learning Management System - A New Step Towards the Training Methodology

Learning management system is the perfect blend of conventional and modern training methods. User friendly navigation, precise content and the choice of a number of catalogs are some of the basic advantages of LMS. Apart from online assignments, surveys and flexibility in operations are a few of the other benefits associated with the e-learning management systems. These courses are self-propagated that does not require assistance from any moderator. The needs of every industry vary, and so does its content requirement. E-learning service providers develop specific content that caters to the learning requirements of employees working in a particular organization. This integrated online learning platform is scalable and its architecture is flexible. As per the changing scenario, the content of the module is constantly updated and modified.
Learning management system is available in different languages so that a large number of audiences can be benefited from it. The voice-over artists, rapid authoring tools and text experts help in developing world-class training content for the employees. Future of new tools like cloud computing, which is presently at the development stage, looks quite bright. One of the most important things that a client and the service provider needs to look after is that the training sessions are time-bound. Tools like Rapid Authoring are not only time saving and cost effective, but are capable of utilizing the existing resources as well. Thus, e-learning management systems have revolutionized the routine training process into a more effective and result-oriented activity with greater output.
Whether it is big or small, most of the organizations find it difficult to implement the e-learning programs due to cost, unfamiliarity with the process and maintenance of the software. Therefore, companies can opt for e-learning outsourcing, which is a best solution to the above mentioned problems. Various e-learning service providers have a dedicated center for content off shoring. First of all, the off-shoring companies analyze the requirement of the client's company and then develop an instructional strategy and storyboard. After analyzing the storyboard, the plan is reviewed and then sent for production after getting approved. Later, user acceptance is checked that is followed by support management and change management.
Shortlisting the vendors is another important thing associated with the e-learning outsourcing. The clients must inquire about the domain expertise, quality certifications, human resource and accolades won by the vendor they are planning to outsource their work. Customer testimonials, work reviews and case studies also play an important part in the selection of the vendors.

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

5 Benefits of Using Online Class Registration


With rapid advancements in technology, the learning and development industry is also simultaneously being exposed to technological up-gradations in their systems.. A key component of the technology driven progression is the way in which student admissions and enrollments are executed. With the introduction of the online class registration system, the traditional enrollment processes are history. Many schools, colleges, universities and institutes are adopting this platform to streamline their work flow processes.
This software has a multiple benefits that are mentioned below-
· Absolutely free and offers customized forms for registration-
This software does not require any installation. It is Cloud-based, and hence the registration pages can be designed and published in less than 20 minutes. Most systems have readymade templates than can be used. Add graphics and the organization logo to maintain parity with your organization's website. The students are able to view the form online and can register via the internet. The service is 24x7 and can be accessed from any part of the world. Edits can be made on the registration form even after it has been submitted.
· Cost effective and saves time-
As it requires no installation charges the cost can be greatly minimized. Manual registrations require employing external personnel along with a mountain of paperwork. Converting the manual system to the online interface significantly reduces man hours and gives the administrative jobs the structure that it demands. Now the students can be save from the long queues when registration for a class.
· Multiple payment options-
Multiple ways of making the payments online are available with this service. Students can use their credit cards, PayPal and wire transfers to transfer course fees instantly. The attendees can also deposit the money in the organization's merchant account directly. Organizations also do not require additional resources to collect payments and maintain accounts for the same. This makes payment possible without any inconvenience.
· Offers badges and calendar tool -
Educational institutions can take of help of the various name badge templates; a tool that comes embedded with the system. These customized badges can be mailed to each individual student. The software also provides interesting features like the calendar tool, where the institute can add up or delete information related to the class schedule. The student can view the calendar and can register for the particular course accordingly. This is a mutually beneficial tool as both institute and the student find it to their advantage.
· Conduct a detailed survey-
A survey or the reporting tool comes in handy when the organization need to file a report based on the performance of each student. The performance levels and individual student status participating in the course can be viewed via these add-on tools and any loopholes can be conveniently analyzed. They can generate reports in multiple formats and can accordingly conduct a survey to get the required feedback.

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

E-Learning Solutions - Their Reach and Scope


Learning and education are the part and parcel of the corporate life. The only thing that keeps the organization ahead of its competitors is prompt information access. With the evolution of the learning management solutions, the information is not only delivered at a fast pace, but its reach has also widened. Effective e-learning tools like audio-visuals, pod casts and graphics have made 'learning' more impactful.
The technology is developing at a fast pace; therefore, the future of smart phones and tablets certainly looks bright. The mobile learning space has attracted a lot of individuals, which is evident from a survey showing that more than 28 percent of the smart phone users access internet from their cell phones. Flexibility is one of the major advantages associated with the mobile phones. Moreover, remote workers can also access the information and can be simultaneously trained with the in-house workers. E-learning solutions have thus proven to be a boon for the new-age organizations.
Mobiles and tablets with their easy access to internet have made the training process more interactive and collaborative. With gamification of the content and inclusion of the social media, the training process has become more fun-filled and the results are also fruitful. New e-learning trends which would involve cloud computing would cater to the problems of manageability and maintenance of the data base. Due to mobile learning platform, newer methods of the user engagement are being developed which means users will be exposed to the new age learning tools. The learning management solutions have thus solved the major problem of the scalability, flexibility, access to the content and prompt information delivery.
Some of the major e-learning companies have an offshore development center. Small organizations or the firms which do not have enough capital to spend on the training of the employees can outsource their e-learning requirements to an offshore development company. By outsourcing their requirements, organizations can save 20-40 percent of the total cost spent in training process. Outsourcing content to an off shoring company does not mean any compromise with the quality of the content.
The off shoring companies have a team of specialized professionals including instructional designers, content developers and Subject Matter Experts (SMEs). These professionals thoroughly check the design before the final delivery of the content. Along with developing the industry specific content, they also manage and update the same timely. The organizations can therefore lay all their focus on attaining their business objective on time.

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

The Learning Process - Here's an Interesting Idea to Help You to Learn


The process of learning was traditionally a long, drawn-out, boring, time-consuming ordeal, but learning methods have evolved into a more productive pursuit. By this I mean that modern technology has made the task of learning new material so much more simplified.
We live in a digital world-analog devices are rapidly becoming dinosaurs. Chances are many of you reading this hadn't even born yet when my daughter gave me my first computer. It was a Timex-can you imagine that! It was smaller-even with the keyboard-than today's Kindle from Amazon. And it didn't do much. Its output was fed into an old TV set.
Today I have a Blackberry, which will soon be replaced by an iPhone, an iPad and I'm sitting here pecking away on an HP laptop equipped with Windows 7.
Learning to study in the digital age seems so much simpler to me. Yes... there are still times when I find myself preparing for a test of one sort or another. You see, I am a member of the U.S. Air Force Auxiliary-Civil Air Patrol (CAP). This is an all-volunteer organization that is assigned about 90% of the Air Force's inland search and rescue missions. We search for missing persons, lost hikers and overdue aircraft.
Learning new skills is all basic to keeping my personal abilities up to date. Whether it's flying one of our Cessna aircraft, communicating with our new HF radios or learning how to participate in a disaster relief mission (hurricanes, floods, etc.), I must qualify by learning new material and nearly every month I find myself confronted with an online training lesson and an exam.
Writing the various articles on my blog was quite a challenge for me. But since this was a topic I needed to pursue for my own benefit, I took the plunge and turned to a professional educator for help. I'll give you more on that in just a bit.
Over the past few months I've researched some exciting new topics-new for me at least. I have a much better picture now of how this crusty old brain of mine is able to function more like a modern-day computer-rather than like that old Timex, which seemed to have a mind of its own.
I find that when I have some time alone, I meditate. Others think I'm taking a nap. Granted-I do tend to slip off into never, never land, but today-in between snatches of meditation I came up with a study tool I had not given much thought about before. I plan to try it after writing this article. I hope some of you out there will try it too. Here's what I have in mind:
1. My computer has a built-in camera. Its quality really sucks, but it will work for what I have in mind. Chances are your computer has a camera too. The question is can it be used to record video.
2. I also have a copy of Windows Video Movie Maker. The challenge is to somehow connect my built-in video camera to Movie Maker. Once I have this figured out, I'll have a nifty new study tool.
3. My idea is to record myself reading the text materials from a new Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) course on the incident command system I'm working on.
The idea here is a simple one-it will be like creating my own training videos. If my understanding is correct of how basic memory works, my sensory inputs (touch, taste, sight, hearing and smell) all provide short-term memory inputs to my brain. But this is just temporary storage-like your computer's RAM... switch it off and it's gone.
So what is needed is a means of moving the information into long-term memory (my brain's hard drive). I'm thinking that by spending the time making a training video will provide some stimulation, but what I'm studying will work its way across town-to my long-term memory by repetition-by playing back the video over and over again.
Anyway, this is just a theory, but what I now know about long-term memory may translate into a useful study tool. I could become rich and famous-well, maybe not rich but if this works for you, I'll bet you remember me.