Author: eleanor

The online learning industry has grown 900% globally since its birth, giving rise to a massive range of options for selecting an eLearning program. This huge increase in options, while positive, often leaves prospective learners with a bad case of analysis paralysis or, even worse, could lead them to make wrong choices about the programs they select, rendering them dissatisfied by the end of their learning experience. To help you choose the right eLearning programs for you or your organization, in XpertLearning, we have created this list of questions you must ask before you purchase any online learning program.

Q1: Does the content match your objectives?

You must know what you want to achieve by undertaking the course in the first place. With your clear objectives in mind, you must compare your objectives with that of the course. And do not simply compare the objectives but the course outline too.

A common mistake that learners make here is that they set lofty or irrelevant goals to start with. Falling prey to ‘shiny-object syndrome’, they tend to feel an urge to achieve various learning objectives that may have little to no bearing on their careers or personal lives. To counterfeit this, put your learning objectives to the ‘Litmus test’ by asking this simple question: Will I be able to immediately apply what I have learned in this course in my life?

Q2: Is the course author or presenter an expert on the topic?

As the saying goes, if you want to learn, learn from a pro. This is why it’s generally best practice to take note of the course’s author or presenter and double-check whether they are an expert on the subject matter. An excellent way of getting an honest, objective view is to check their social profiles in search of social proof. Also, if the author or presenter has written books or blog articles on the topic before, they are worth a try before you enroll in the online course and dive in at the deep end.

Q3: Is the course content visually appealing?

You might think this is an unnecessary luxury, but this is content that you’ll be viewing for hours on end. So do not underestimate the power of aesthetics. There is nothing more than poorly designed visuals, a mismatched color palette, and outdated graphics to distract you from your learning and off-put you throughout the learning process. Studies confirm that visuals are processed 60,000X faster in the brain than text and that good visual design significantly affects attention, comprehension, and course retention.

Q4: Is the course interactive?

The last thing you want is to find yourself reading long texts for hours or passively watching videos. For you to enjoy the course, apply your learning, and retain information, you need an online course with high interactivity. Interactivity could include scenarios for you to think about, problems to solve, decisions to make, games to play, or even simulations for you to experiment with. In general, the higher the interactivity, the higher the likelihood of you meeting your learning objectives and completing the course without dropping mid-way.

Q5: Is the course updated?

The authoring date of the latest version of the course is important because knowledge and best practices are in continuous development. You do not want to be learning principles or topics that are no longer relevant to the world today. Most of the top online course providers make sure to update their courses regularly to reflect any changes. So, usually, an updated modification date is a good sign that the course will be relevant and include the latest research findings, statistics, and insights.

Q6: How long is the course?

Online courses vary in duration, from 1-hour courses to courses that can take months or even years to complete. You need to be realistic about how much time you or your employees have available for the course and only purchase courses that you have time for. By that, we mean not only the time to complete the course material itself, but also the time needed to review the material, complete any necessary readings or assignments, and, most importantly, apply what has been learned in your career or life.

Another thing to look for regarding course duration is the chunk-ability of the material. Does the course apply the principles of microlearning, which have proven results in improving comprehension and retention? Or does it present the material all in one big, long chunk? 

Q7: What is the course’s mode of delivery? 

Is the course synchronous or asynchronous? In other words, will you need to be available at specific times to attend the course, or is it self-paced? Or does it combine both in a blended learning fashion? No particular mode of delivery is superior to others. It all boils down to your time availability or the availability of your organization’s employees, along with the degree of direct contact required to maintain engagement with the course.

One other thing you may want to check is the mobile compatibility of the course. With 30% of smartphone owners already using their phones for on-the-go learning, mobile compatibility can further increase your chances of course completion and your organization’s.

Q8: What’s the social proof of the course’s effectiveness?

This is a tricky one! Many online learning providers will present you with their own customer testimonials and reviews. Although helpful, this remains a very subjective reporting of the course’s effectiveness. So, top this with checking the course’s reviews outside the website of the provider, especially in topic-related online communities and forums.

Q9: Can you try out some parts of the course before making a full purchase?

This is the best proof you can get! It not only tells you whether the course meets your objectives and the learning quality standards you expect, but it also tells you if you are comfortable with the style of the course presentation. However, in some instances, this option may not be available. In this case, does the provider offer any other free learning material, such as blog posts, cheat sheets, webinars, etc.? If yes, make sure to check them out to get a view of their learning material quality from a point of view that is closer to reality.

Q10: What type of after-sales or technical support do they provide? 

After-sales support is often one of the most overlooked features of an effective learning course. After all, what people care about the most is the content, accreditation, and pricing. However, if your online learning experience is disrupted by a technical glitch, you will need immediate support or your progress will halt indefinitely, sending you off track and increasing your chances of not catching up or dropping out.

Learn Like a Pro with XpertLearning

Here you go! These were the most important questions you need to ask yourself before undertaking an online course. And because we know how important these criteria are, at XpertLearning, we incorporate the principles of instructional design, visual design, scenario-based learning, microlearning, gamification, etc. into our learning programs. To learn more about our online courses, check out this page here.

And that’s not all! Before we let you go, we have these four bonus questions for you which you should consider if you are purchasing an online course for your organization, not yourself.

Bonus Q1: Is this technically compatible with my organization?

You will be quite distraught if you purchase an expensive online course only to find out that it does not work or does not fully load on your organization’s LMS. This is why a good rule of thumb is to go for courses that are SCORM or AICC compliant because most LMSs support such courses. Moreover, you are also better off checking the file size of the online course to ensure it works on your LMS or organization’s servers with little to no technical lag.

Besides ensuring that the online course is technically compatible with your organization’s resources, you also need to check if it is compatible with the technical skills of the end-users– the employees. Will the employees be able to easily access the course and navigate it? Will their current gadgets and technological literacy support this course?

Bonus Q2: Does this course support your organization’s diversity & inclusion strategy?

Effective organizations in an increasingly globalized world employ a diverse and inclusive workforce. So to make sure that everyone in the organization benefits from the course you are purchasing, you must check the course’s accessibility features. Does it incorporate Universal Design for Learning principles? Is it consistent with WCAG 2.0? Does it support learners using assistive technologies?

You should also check the languages that the course supports, especially if your organization’s workforce is spread out around the globe. Can the same course be delivered in multiple languages? Does it at least come with multiple-language subtitles?

Bonus Q3: How can you assess the effectiveness of the learning process?

If you are purchasing an online course for the organization where you work, you already know that the management board always needs a business case and an ROI to justify the investment in the program. So it is an important question to ask the learning provider if they offer pre and/or post-course assessments and surveys to enable you to track the course’s learning effectiveness and capture its ROI.

Bonus Q4: Can you have it customized to your needs?

Perhaps you have specific learning objectives that you need to achieve across your organization that cannot be met by any off-the-shelf learning program. Or perhaps you prefer that all learning courses taken in your organization present your organization’s brand. In these cases and more, you are better off working with a learning provider that can create ‘custom content’ for you. Several online learning providers provide that option, but you are highly advised to check some of their previous works before you dive full-length.

What XpertLearning Can Do for You?

At XpertLearning, we are aware of these needs, which is why our solutions vary from learning management systems that help you measure the effectiveness of your programs to online off-the-shelf courses and custom content that can be tailored to your specific needs and brand. To know more about how we can help you, please contact us at enquiries@xpertlearning.com.

Women have gone a long way in building careers for themselves and maintaining a healthy balance between work and family. However, although women represent 48% of the employees entering the workplace every year, only 21% of them eventually make it to C-Suite leadership roles. And this is not because of gender bias or discrimination but rather because of the deeply-rooted inclinations of women. 

This is why, in XpertLearning, we have decided to support these women at the top and other aspiring women with our top tips to become great women leaders.

Tip 1: Be comfortable with authoritative behavior

Research by Deborah Gruenfeld, Professor of Leadership & Organizational Behavior at Stanford University, proposes that when it comes to power, there are two opposite extremes: authoritativeness and approachability; with most women lying towards the approachable end of the spectrum. First of all, what do these dimensions mean?

– Being authoritative means behaving in a way that emanates the impression that you are in charge, able to make decisions, able to give directions, and have more privileged knowledge and experience than others. 

– Being approachable, on the other end of the spectrum, means behaving in a way that makes you seem more open, empathetic, willing to take others’ knowledge & experience into account, and relating to others on a human level. 

Wondering why most women tend to consistently demonstrate approachable behavior? Because for centuries, women have been socialized to be nice, sweet, and likable, which has made approachability almost second nature to them. Although this approachability helps women a lot at the beginning of their careers, it is exactly this approachability that works against them when they start climbing the organizational ladder. Being less ready to demonstrate authoritative behavior than men, they tend to be seen as less competent or less directive– impressions that make them drop in the list of potential senior leadership candidates. 

So, how can women start being more authoritative?

Deborah Gruenfeld proposes you start by taking up more space. Feel free to demonstrate expansive body language that shows that you are relaxed in your position. Moreover, cultivate the habit of speaking your mind with openness, without seeking approval in the eyes of others. In meetings, focus less on taking notes and more on contributing to the discussion. Simply demonstrate confidence in your knowledge, experience, and right to be there.

Tip 2: Switch comfortably between being authoritative and approachable

The infamous ‘Heidi versus Howard Roizen’ case study pioneered by Harvard University has unfortunately shown that in leadership roles, although men and women behave the same, they are perceived differently, doing the same things. In the research, participants are presented with a story of a career person as they navigate their way up the corporate ladder. The trick, though, is that the protagonist of the story is ‘Howard Roizen’ in the control group and ‘Heidi Roizen’ in the experimental group. The findings? Striking! Although participants rank both Howard and Heidi equally competent, when asked who they would rather work with or hire, the choice is predominantly ‘Howard’. Simply, Heidi seems way less likable than Howard although they behave in the same way! 

The simple reason behind this lies in the societal expectations of both men and women. People have been hardwired to expect women to be more approachable and find it unappealing when women behave otherwise. That should not discourage women from experimenting more with authoritative behavior. The best advice is to balance both styles in the workplace. Women need to assess the situations where they need to be more authoritative and then should permit themselves to be so. In all other situations, feel free to be as approachable as an effective leader should be, and do not jeopardize your likability.

Tip 3: Don’t go out till you’re out!

In a widely-shared speech for Facebook’s COO, Sheryl Sandberg, she explains that she has observed that there comes an age in every woman’s life where she seems to be expecting a career exit as she plans to build a family. Women in these situations, as per Sandberg, often start implicitly exiting from work while still being employed. They simply show less enthusiasm about joining new projects or working hard for the next promotion. They simply exit before actually existing. Sandberg advises women to push through till their last day of employment. Her reason? If you leave the workplace with a track record of success, you are likely to have something to come back for when you are done with your career break.

Tip 4: Desire leadership if you want it 

Research by Cornell University has shown significant results too, further enforcing that there are other reasons than bias lying behind the gender gap in corporate leadership. The main culprit according to this research is that women “associate more negative outcomes (e.g., time constraints and tradeoffs) with high-power positions, perceive power as less desirable, and are less likely to take advantage of opportunities for professional advancement. Women view high-level positions as equally attainable as men do, but less desirable”.

The basic finding in this research is that women are not as excited about being in leadership positions as men. They seem more aware of the high cost of these roles as they tend to have more life goals than men. Our advice to you is to make the choice that works for you. If you are unwilling to pay that high cost, then do not stress yourself into making compromises that risk your life goals. But if you are willing to pay that cost, then go for what you want. What you need to do first is assess your life goals and make a choice. 

Parting Words

These were our four tips to become a woman leader. These tips should not distract you from working hard and smart, however. Because regardless of how you are perceived, achieving tangible work results is still the number one secret behind career success.

In a world with everchanging conditions and unexpected events, the age-old five-year strategies and action plans are suddenly being replaced by agile strategies and plans. And agile strategies and plans require agile organizations and leaders. But what is agile? How can it really help a business thrive in this age of flux? And if it really is helpful, how can organizations build agile cultures and leaders?

If you’re interested in answering these questions, read on to know more about how to develop an agile organization and leadership.

First things first, what is Agile?

Agile is a project management methodology that originated in the software development industry in the early 2000s. Contrary to the waterfall methodology, it is a methodology that focuses on continuous iteration and open communication to meet changing customers’ needs. The principles and values that govern the Agile methodology have been outlined in the Agile Manifesto which was created by some of the notable Agile leaders of software development in 2001.

Agile Values

The Agile Manifesto outlines four values that make it easy to understand what Agile management is all about. Here are the values that Agile teams live by:

Individuals and interactions over processes and tools

In a fast-paced world with changing customers’ needs, as a leader, you need to put less emphasis on process and more emphasis on people. That includes all aspects of people management starting from hiring the right people all the way to motivating them. The focus here is on achieving results fast by leveraging ‘people power’ rather than following long processes that may or may not achieve results.

At the heart of this value too lies the Agile focus on face-to-face interaction as a more effective and time-efficient alternative to emails and reports to save time and create opportunities for fruitful collaboration.

Working software over comprehensive documentation

Due to its origins in the software development field, this value emphasizes the importance of working software. For leaders from other industries, however, tangible results can be used as a substitute for ‘working software’. Read this way, this value emphasizes results over documentation. A 2019 State of Work report released by Workfront surprisingly shows that employees on average spend around 60% of their time on tasks unrelated to their primary jobs. But as an Agile leader, you need to maximize your team’s amount of time spent on achieving results.

Customer collaboration over contract negotiation

Agile leaders understand that the reason they are in business is to serve the customer. They also understand that both they and the customers may not start out with a clear understanding of their own requirements. Moreover, what the customer wants can always change.

This is why one of the tenants of Agile leadership is maintaining a continuous two-way channel of communication with customers to understand their changing needs. The trick, though, is not only to understand these changes but to respond fast enough to them. Cue in the fourth value.

Responding to change over following a plan

Agile management shatters the deep-set perception of a manager as someone who sets a long-term plan and then spends the remainder of their time following up on its progress. Instead, as an Agile leader, you understand that plans are not set to be followed but rather to be continuously changed. An Agile leader emphasizes the continuous collection of customer feedback and the continuous creation of plans that act on this feedback.

It is important to note, though, that the Agile Manifesto dubbed these values with this statement, ‘that is, while there is value in the items on the right, we value the items on the left more.’ That is to say that Agile teams do not operate with zero documentation, customer contracts, processes, or plans. The crux of the matter is that they do not prioritize them. In an Agile team, if you must choose between results or process, choose results. If you need to choose between changing requirements or following a long-set plan, welcome the change.

Building Agile Organizations

Of course, such as with everything in life, these values may seem easier said than done, so to help you put these Agile values into practice and move towards becoming an Agile leader, here are some of the main aspects you may need to work on in your organizational transformation process. 

Teams

Structure your teams to be multi-disciplinary and structure your workspace to be an open space that allows for face-to-face communication. For multi-disciplinary teams to be effective, try to reduce hierarchy and promote self-organized teams. Build both a process and a culture for peer-to-peer accountability and distributed leadership. Processes that can help you with this are setting daily stand-up meetings or weekly retrospectives among team members, championing cross-functional self-led initiatives, and encouraging small-scale risk-taking.

Processes

Making the shift to Agile does not mean eradicating all company processes and simply drifting on free-float mode. As per the theory of constraints, individuals become more creative in the presence of constraints, not the lack thereof. Therefore, you still need to have a few processes, but the trick is to have as few processes as possible to structure work and spur creativity.

Strategies

Being an agile leader does not mean operating in a state of total lack of strategy. Instead, another word for strategy in an agile organization is ‘direction’. An agile strategy helps give your employees direction as to where the company is going, why, and how. 

Stanford professor of Organizational Behavior, Jesper Sorensen, draws the analogy between your company strategy and a good story. He advises that your strategy is your company story. If you are going to tell someone a story about what your company is, what it’s doing, and why it will succeed, will the story hold together? If the story holds, you have got a good strategy. If the story does not hold, you need to work on pivoting your strategy. As Jeff Bezos puts it, ‘Be stubborn on the vision and strategy and flexible on the details and tactics.’  

Learning & Experimentation:

At the heart of Agile is the core belief that an effective organization never stops learning from its customers, markets, and its own mistakes. This is why, as an Agile leader, it is essential that you promote a culture of risk-taking and learning from mistakes. 

Promoting such a culture cannot work without putting the appropriate structures in place. For example, perhaps you can set your team members’ workload to be 80% results-focused and 20% learning-focused. You can even set learning and innovation goals and KPIs or perhaps you can set a monthly team event where failures resulting from active innovation and experimentation are celebrated.

There are many ways by which you can make the transition to becoming an Agile leader. Start with the ones you are more comfortable with then move to the more challenging ones.

Agile Principles

Before you go ahead in your journey of transition, we would like to leave you with the twelve Agile principles as developed in the Manifesto. 

These principles were originally created to meet the needs of the software development industry, but we have tweaked them to meet the needs of almost any industry:

• Our highest priority is to satisfy the customer through early and continuous delivery of results.
• Welcome changing requirements, even late in product development. Agile processes harness change for the customer’s competitive advantage.
• Deliver results frequently, from a couple of weeks to a couple of months, with a preference to the shorter timescale.
• Business people and product developers must work together daily throughout the product development process.
• Build projects around motivated individuals. Give them the environment and support they need, and trust them to get the job done.
• The most efficient and effective method of conveying information to and within a team is face-to-face conversation.
• Results that match customers’ requirements are the primary measure of progress.
• Agile processes promote sustainable development. All team members should be able to maintain a constant pace indefinitely.
• Continuous attention to product excellence and good design enhances agility.
• Simplicity–the art of maximizing the amount of work not done–is essential.
• The best products, services, and designs emerge from self-organizing teams.
• At regular intervals, the team reflects on how to become more effective, then tunes and adjusts its behavior accordingly.

Start Agile Now

This was a simple introduction to what Agile management is and how you can live its values and principles. If you feel overwhelmed by this all, simply make these four areas at the center of your focus: people, customers, change, and results. For more in-depth information about Agile management, check our online courses  HERE.

How We Can Help

At XpertLearning, we have some of the best online leadership development programs that you can use to upskill your teams and build your next generation of leaders. Contact us at enquiries@xpertlearning.com for more information.

June 2022-  Dubai-based XpertLearning, a leading provider of Digital Learning, Talent, and Performance solutions in the Middle East, announces its strategic partnership with Educhain, a Canadian startup using blockchain technology to build software solutions for academic institutions, governments, and employers.  This partnership is designed to offer blockchain technology and implement a distributed database system, where all academic institutions can contribute to one shared database of cryptographic records.

Blockchain technology has significantly evolved in recent years.  However, many people don’t realize how blockchain can help their company with data management and security.  With Educhain products, we are set out to solve the problem by finding a way to help Institutions and universities kickstart digital transformation, to drive value for them, their students, and the recipients of their documents, like governments and employers.

“XpertLearning are constantly looking at partnerships with new technologies so we can bring them to our region. As Blockchain becomes not just about cryptocurrency and more about solving real-world challenges we are delighted to partner with Educhain to bring these solutions to the Middle East” said Paul Michael Gledhill, Co-founder – XpertLearning.

“With our technical background, we found that blockchain technology was the key to empowerment. Educhain leverages blockchain technology to implement a distributed database system where all academic institutions can contribute towards one shared database of cryptographic records, thereby mutualizing their infrastructure and eliminating redundant third parties while enabling seamless verification of academic records” quoted Gary Liang, Director – Educhain.

In this sense, we are building an infrastructure of trust for academic institutions to both enable instant issuance and authentication of digital credentials and create a comprehensive “academic passport” aggregating academic achievements and records for students to own and share.

About XpertLearning (https://xpertlearning.com/) is an award-winning Dubai-based privately held consultancy focused on providing Digital Learning, Talent, and Performance solutions to Corporate, Academic, and Government sectors. XpertLearning has, in a short time, become the key thought leader of online integrated systems within the Middle East.  XpertLearning has secured consistent revenue and profit growth since its inception and builds on an admirable business model of sustainability and corporate social responsibility. XpertLearning is passionate in providing solutions to aid the development for the performance of people within your organization.

About Educhain (https://educhain.io) is a Canadian startup using blockchain technology to build software solutions for academic institutions, governments, and employers. Its flagship solution is the first comprehensive, digital “passport” of student academic achievement – placing ownership of academic records into the hands of the student and providing them with global mobility, allowing them to choose what to share, with whom, and by what means.

E-learning has been around for more than two decades now, and with the rise in digital learning content, the importance of Learning Management Systems (LMS) is also increasing. In fact, in 2021, 98% of large companies were using an LMS to deliver their training; 96% of midsize companies were doing the same; and 80% of small companies were also following suit, according to the latest training industry magazine report. Most of these companies use LMSs to support their employees’ learning throughout the employee development lifecycle, mainly in areas such as:

● Upskilling and reskilling
● Compliance training
● On-boarding and pre-boarding
● Diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging
● Certifications and more

LMS for Corporates

There are many reasons why Learning Management Systems (LMS) are considered essential for e-learning programs and are being used all over the world, by many organizations. Companies of all sizes need some form of training and learning management system. It’s no wonder that Learning Management Systems are becoming so popular — these systems manage the business-critical work of training employees, customers, and partners/resellers. They provide an easier way for organizations to manage their learners’ needs in one central place, helping them learn the skills they need to do their jobs better.

When employed by corporations, LMSs help employees stay up to date on company policies and best practices and obtain the necessary industry, functional, or state-mandated certifications. Learning Management Systems (LMS) can be used by companies to provide learning programs in a variety of formats to large groups of employees as well as assess their progress and provide testing for company compliance. Overall, they enable companies to create, manage, track, and report on employee training.

Not only that but Learning Management Systems ensure that your employees are learning the skills they need. Modern LMSs use artificial intelligence and data analysis to accurately assess your employees’ current skill gap as well as their skill needs for the future. LMSs today are also enhanced with a variety of powerful tools that help increase your learners’ engagement. These tools vary from gamification tools such as badges, levels, leader boards, etc. to social collaboration features that enable the building of discussion forums and communities of practice. Learn more…

These value-adding features of LMSs are why most companies already have at least one LMS or even several ones in the case of many larger organizations. This fact helps to explain why the market for Learning Management Systems is one of the oldest and most mature of all the various HR technology platforms.

LMS for Educational Institutions

Learning Management Systems have brought about significant developments in the education field as well, particularly in the facilitation of distance learning. It has made education more accessible and has allowed for new methods to be incorporated into the learning process. In the world of education, an LMS can be used by schools and universities to distribute course content, monitor student performance, and even conduct virtual classrooms. In fact, as of 2020, according to the 2020 Capterra report, 64% of K-12 schools and 36% of higher education colleges and universities have been using an LMS.

One of the best advantages that Learning Management Systems can offer educational institutions is the ability to reduce time spent on administrative tasks and focus more time on quality teaching, research, and counselling. Owing to that, even before the pandemic, almost 89% of higher education faculty already used some of the features of an LMS mainly to optimize administrative tasks such as posting curricula, collecting and grading assignments, and maintaining a continuous channel of communication with their students.

More importantly, there is increased evidence that using an LMS increases the effectiveness of the learning process as LMSs introduce new ways of driving student interaction with the learning content. LMSs enable faculty and teachers to present their courses entirely or partially in digital format leveraging tools such as scenario-based learning, simulations, and gamification, all of which have proven empirical evidence to enhance students’ comprehension and application of the subject matter. Moreover, LMSs enable educational institutions to provide their learning courses in a digital format both synchronously and asynchronously, thereby expanding the reach of their student base and reaching out to students who would have been otherwise marginalized.

As a result of this long list of benefits that educational institutions gain from using an LMS, more and more academic institutions are working towards adopting an LMS and integrating more of its features in their learning processes, so much so that the global LMS market is projected to grow to $40.95 billion by 2029, at a CAGR of 14.2%, with the academic segment accounting for the larger part of this growth. Is your educational institution lagging behind? Then maybe it’s about time to look into an LMS.

What to Look for in an LMS?

There are many different types of LMSs available, but there are some basic features that you should look for in any system you choose:

-You should be able to create courses in a variety of formats, including HTML, Flash, PDF, Word, and Excel.

-You should be able to upload your own learning material and make it available to learners.

– You should be able to manage learners’ grades and receive notifications when a learner needs extra support or needs to do make-up work.

-You should be able to set up assessments such as quizzes and tests so that learners can receive feedback on how they are doing.

-You should be able to track learners’ progress over time and provide feedback on their performance so that you can help them achieve their learning goals.

Conclusion

Learning Management Systems have undergone many changes over the years. They are becoming more and more sophisticated while at the same time, they are getting easier to use. With all of this in mind, it’s safe to say that LMSs will continue to be a core element in any successful online program. If you are driving e-learning in your organization, or want to deliver life-changing teaching and learning experiences at your institution, then you need an LMS to support and measure your objectives.  If you don’t have an LMS, it’s time to start looking into one. If you are working with one now, take a look at how it’s performing. Maybe it has room for some upgrades. Either way, the learning management system is a critical component of any e-learning program.

How We Can Help

At XpertLearning, we work with the best and most popular LMS software providers like Cornerstone OnDemand, Sumtotal systems, Totara, Blackboard, and OpenLMS to give you a one-stop solution, great pricing options and excellent customer support. Contact us for a demo!

-XpertLearning

With the way in which the world has changed and the period of “Great Resignation” has started where the vacancies have risen to record highs, the organizations are forced to rethink & reflect upon how upskilling & retaining the workforce is vital for their success.

Every employee is different having a unique career path. Their skills and previous job experiences have a direct impact on the way they perform the job that’s offered. Keeping in mind that job satisfaction is based on a sense of growth and development, training and retaining your employees is critical for a business of any size.

Having said that, how do you train & upskill your employees?

Investing in e-Learning is the most feasible & easily applicable way.  E-Learning at the workplace offers your employees a flexible way to learn when they need to. It also reduces your business expenditure, saves time, offers flexibility to learn anywhere anytime, and fills the skills gap making employees competent & efficient at work.  These are the main reasons why businesses have ended up converting from traditional classroom training to more efficient Learning Experience Platforms (LXP). It has also turned out to be the best way to stay in the competition and increase employee engagement as a business strategy.

Today’s post-pandemic workforce is confidently embracing remote learning opportunities such as virtual classrooms, as well as video-based resources that make learning easy to access and digest.

This has brought micro-learning to center stage. Microlearning delivers knowledge and skill development in bite-sized bursts. It can be delivered via text, video, eBook, interactive multimedia, and more, but it is always short, usually less than ten minutes. Giving the learners the convenience for a fluid approach to tackle, when, and at what pace they want to learn.

It is also important to ensure that any training is effective, closely tailored to the company’s needs, and flexible.  Make learning a part of everyday work for everyone, provide a diverse mix of lessons including short, bite-sized, as well as longer courses for those that want to dive in even deeper into a specific topic. Allocating a few minutes, a day for learning, or creating a learning goal helps boost the learning initiative.

This is also the time for people in leadership to focus on how to build an emotional connection with your employees, many of whom are feeling more disconnected than ever before, especially in the industries where so many people are now working from home.  Encouraging open communication lines & listening to your people about what they are working on towards the mission is a good way to make the employees feel valued. As an HR or a Learning & Development manager awarding & recognizing the top learners & performers is also a way to keep your staff engaged and enthusiastic about their learning journey.

In addition to this, good staff training will boost productivity. It may even enable a company to fill in any skills gaps without having to go through the time-consuming and costly recruiting procedure which in turn will improve the R.O.I.

Look for the right Learning Experience Platform that can support employees in every phase of their training as well as to measure the skills and competencies your workforce needs today to develop and grow with your organization.

-Nausheen Fatima

Covid-19 pandemic has changed perspectives about E-Learning and the need for buying an LMS. Looking at the statistics given by Trust radius “64% of global L&D professionals have changed their statement form nice to have to need to have”. Buying and choosing an efficient and cost effective LMS can be difficult. Let us help you avoid making these 5 mistakes while choosing your LMS?

1. Not requesting a live demonstration or a trial version

Isn’t it true that people test drive vehicles before buying them?
So why not do that before deciding on an LMS? Similarly, when selecting an LMS, never hesitate to request a live demo or a trial period from the LMS provider, since this allows you to see the LMS in motion. Only after a period of actual use will you be able to determine how well the LMS meets your criteria for usage and versatility.

2. Not checking the accessibility of the user interface
When selecting an LMS, the user interface is the most crucial factor to consider. The user interface creates an initial impression that can influence the LMS’s future success. The user may have a poor impression if the user interface is not concise and simple. There’s growing recognition that learning and employee development will be catalysts for success in the future. Many LMS products are closed systems with limited sources of content. In contrast, an LXP is designed to incorporate content from many apps and sources, inside and outside the company.

3. Neglecting analytical and statistical features.

Majority of LMS platforms have reporting features. With the press of a key, you can track employee performance and identify areas for improvement. Distinct LMS platforms, on the other hand, provide different sorts of reporting. Others are more restricted, while some give in-depth tables and graphs that emphasize completion rates. For companies who need to evaluate their Big Data, this might be an issue.

The reporting elements should, ideally, correspond to your learning goals and objectives. They should be able to assist you in measuring important indicators that improve productivity and increase the return on investment from online training.

4. Selecting an LMS which does not adapt with your organization

You need a Learning Management System (LMS) that will satisfy your training needs now and in the future. As a result, you should consider your company’s current size and expected growth rate. The scalability of your LMS is influenced by the size of your workforce, evolving online training demands, and technological advancements.

5. Not considering the extra charges for updates and features

Many individuals believe that the cost of the LMS would be the only cost involved. LMS, on the other hand, comes with a variety of costs. Setting up the system, monthly or yearly maintenance, upgrades and updates, and customization are only a few examples. All of these costs may add up quickly. As a result, you must have a comprehensive understanding of the LMS platform’s current and long-term expenses. We would recommend adopting Software as a Service (SaaS), this is an easy way to get the LMS implemented without having to invest greatly in hardware and software or worrying about upgrade costs.

To conclude, we have opened up the above 5 major areas you need to avoid making mistakes. While choosing your LMS it is always better to list out the problems and benefits and know which vendor can give you the best support possible.

-Writations

The underlying concepts of happiness and fun are what keeps us all intertwined with the nature of activities we prefer to perform. What if we could turn our learning materials into an entertaining piece of knowledge that can keep us motivated when we are learning?

Yes, the idea of ‘gamifying’ the learning materials can go a long way in keeping the learners motivated to learn and understand the material without feeling overwhelmed or bored.

Here are few tips that can elevate your gamification strategy:

Recognise your target audience

Despite the impressive statistics of gamified learning, no gamification method can be guaranteed to function with all learner demographics. As a result, a successful gamification approach must begin with a thorough understanding of the target audience. The correct solution is determined by factors such as their average age, job description, technical competency, and even cultural concerns.

Explain the concept of selections

Post gaming routines are sometimes too familiar, causing learners to lose interest quickly. The learner should control some parts of the experience as part of your gamification approach. Individual avatars, roles, and environmental choices, for example, are an excellent starting point. You can also consider offering trade-off options to make the experience more intriguing and, in the end, more rewarding.

Constantly provide feedback

Although delayed feedback and satisfaction may be more beneficial, a gamification tool is perfect when learners feel that their learning experience is “active”. Constant feedback in the form of clues, suggestions, and advice makes the learner feel as if the question they’re dealing with is speaking directly to them, increasing their engagement. You should also provide compelling reward components such as badges, trophies, and leaderboard positions to the learners.

Increase the stakes

The last and most crucial aspect of creating a successful gamification strategy is to avoid monotony. Gamified solutions frequently require learners to repeat the same task repeatedly, spanning several rounds/levels. As the effects wear off, this becomes tedious. With each new phase of the solution, you must continue to increase the complexity and challenge.

In short, when strategised correctly, gamification can paint colours to rather bland learning material and keep the learners on their toes in learning, providing them with a sense of achievement.

At XpertLearning we create high impact and engaging custom content for your organisation’s learning and training needs, using gamification strategies that revolves around challenging and rewarding learners as well as motivating and training them at the same time.

-Writations

In an increasingly globalized world, the fluency to communicate in a perfect business language is becoming very important to the success of any business. Lack of language skills may lead to misunderstanding and dispute between multinational teams, suppliers, and clients, which can negatively affect the organization.

Developing a corporate language training plan is essential to removing communication barriers and for creating a truly global and collaborative firm. Strong language and communication skills are beneficial to companies across all industries, regardless of their size.

According to the British Chamber of Commerce, business language and cultural abilities can enhance export sales by 45 percent, These can also improve staff efficiency, communication, and customer satisfaction.

It is becoming increasingly critical for organizations to develop effective corporate language learning programs. However, a large number continue to spend their resources on individual tutorials, company and group classes and face to face language coaching.  All of these solutions are prohibitively expensive, difficult to track and sometimes do not meet the needs of your team.

The need for an effective, individual-focused business language skills training plan is greater than ever. Examine a few notable advantages of training and growth in this area:

Incorporate a learning culture into the work environment

No one wants to work for a firm that does not appreciate its people. As a professional in Training & Development, one of your major goals is to help each person advance their career via ongoing training and education.

This is why continuing education initiatives (having a continual process of obtaining information and skills) are important.

To ensure success in tomorrow’s workplace, you must provide an environment that inspires individuals to gain the abilities that meet current demands. If you’re up to speed, it won’t be that difficult. Your job as a training manager is crucial in creating (and maintaining!) this culture. You can do this by:

• Making sure your staff is aware of the available training resources. Inform your staff regularly that they have access to training opportunities. Because of their hectic schedules, they will be more likely to remember and engage in the program that you are offering them when reminded.

• Providing them with access to a learning library. Make sure your learning resources are structured, easily available, and searchable to encourage individual study. It makes it easier for them to find out what they need when they need it.

Help with Change Management

Most employees find it difficult to adapt to change.  Continuing learning initiatives, in general, may introduce new workplace changes and help employees achieve their goals.  Even though it may not always be possible to anticipate change, it is possible to prepare for them and adapt as you go.

It becomes imperative, then, to implement a Business Communication program to upgrade your talent pool’s skills and mitigate the impact of the challenges of today’s highly-innovative and ever-changing workplace.

Give the Employees a Competitive Edge

Occupational skills gaps are becoming more apparent in firms as trades change more rapidly than ever before. It turns out that many HR professionals believe that their organizations have substantial skills gaps, as evidenced by a 2019 survey by WestMonroe.

Some  of today’s sets of skills and abilities are likely to become obsolete within the next 3-5 years, making growth and development opportunities more important than ever to keep them current.

Through training, companies not only help improve and refine the workers’ professional skills but also communicate the message that the company is willing to invest in their role in the company’s future.

The most productive and sustainable organizations are those that enable their people to grow and develop.

XpertLearning is a well-known and trusted provider of language solutions that utilize the newest technology. We work with you to offer the best and most effective language programs for your needs— depending on your objectives, desired outcomes, timeframes, learning styles, levels, and budget. Discover our solutions to find the perfect fit for your industry and interests.

-Writations