CommLab’s Introduction

• Started in 2000 by RK and Ayesha
• STPI Registered 100% EOU (Custom Bonded)
• Vision: To help individuals and organizations learn in the most efficient and effective way by using the latest eLearning strategies and state-of-the-art Media, Internet and Information Technologies.
• Values:

CommLab’s Products

• Markets: US, Canada, UK, Australia, France, Germany, Italy, KSA, UAE
• Unique Selling Proposition:
  • Strong pedigree in teaching and corporate training
  • Top notch quality through exacting processes and systems
  • Price and Time advantage by operating solely from India

Employees Retention

• Salary’s on 1^st Since Inception
• Increments twice a year uninterrupted
• Free high quality lunch
• Open Leave Policy
• Weekly Celebrations
• Extensive Technical and Soft Skill Training
• Flat Organization
• High Retention

Customers Delight

USA (16), Canada (1), Australia (3), UK (2), Switzerland (2), Sweden (1), Dubai (2), France (1), Germany (1) and Italy (1)

• Customer Focus: On time and Quality Product
• Building Relationship on Trust
• Effective Processes:
  • Sound Instructional Design
  • Production process
  • Quality Process
  • Client Interactions
  • Sound Technology Backing

Customer Mix

Our Present Customers – 30 Worldwide

Technology Growth

Marketing Focus: Our Prospects

New Age Marketing: Building Relationship

Financial Success: Profit Margins

IT and Asset Security

As we are entering into a new year, I thought of having quick review of the most appreciated blogs in the year 2009. The list represents some of the most interesting and active learning topics.

Training Needs Analysis: To Skip or Not to Skip is the Question

Usually, training needs are identified during an annual performance appraisal done by HRD. These needs are handed over to corporate training to initiate involvement to address them. The needs are classified and collated; training calendars drawn; training budgets projected and so on. Most line managers want the training to be delivered yesterday! There is always a dearth of time, resources and money, which makes us think twice before we jump into a full-fledged analysis. So, the question is when can we skip and when can we not?

How can you learn, unlearn and relearn?

There is so much we unlearn without much effort. Knowledge not often revised, skills not regularly practiced and beliefs shattered by contradictory experience are all day-to-day examples of unlearning. But what about a situation where person’s knowledge, skills and beliefs serve him well and is therefore reinforced? How can he unlearn them in the face of a superior learning, which will serve him better?

Singular delivery environment for instruction (i.e. class-room only) versus a blended delivery instructional environment – when to use them?

In today’s technology and availability of multiple delivery media days, we are tempted to use a blended approach (more than one medium of delivery) to deliver training. In corporate training, many a times, singular delivery method is enough to do the job. Before we zero down on the criteria for selecting a delivery environment, let us know more about the typical singular and blended learning environments.

Sage on the Stage or Guide on the Side?

A leader motivates, envisions, inspires, communicates, cajoles, reprimands… so does a teacher. A leader is driven by his ego. Who among us can deny the thrill of self-gratification when we stand in front of a group and lead them? So, why belittle the ‘sage’ in us? On the other hand, how much of empathy does trainer need to relate to his flock? Does being a ‘guide by the side’ depend upon the kind of learners, the trainer is dealing with? Or are we just donning the role of ‘guide’ only to mollify the egos of learners? What exactly we mean by ‘facilitating’ learning?

Learning Styles and Instructional Design: Do they go hand in hand?

Kolb’s learning theory introduces us to four distinct learning styles (or preferences), which are based on a four-stage learning cycle – learning by feeling, watching, thinking and doing. My question is how practicable or feasible it is to try and accommodate various learning styles while designing a course, be it classroom or online?

How much of ‘Entertaining’ is advisable in Training?

We know the humor is an extremely powerful force, sometimes even life saving (Anatomy of an Illness, Norman Cousins).We tend to agree with Elliott Massie when he says that every great classroom-based class that he had attended contained humor and laughter. Off hand, we agree that positive humor will help establish a climate conducive to learning, reduce stress, aids retention of information, breaks down barriers between facilitators and learners, and foster cohesiveness. But the question is how?

Sales Training in a Classroom or Online?

Sales Training can comprise product knowledge, sales procedures & reports and selling skills. We have been developing sales training courses for automobile major in Europe, with market presence in Europe and Asia. During the development, we realized that this client company is using a blended approach by addressing certain aspects of training via online delivery and certain others in the classroom. What do you think? Is eLearning or online mode of delivery suitable for selling skills training?

Software Product Simulation – Captivate or Flash?

Software product training using authoring tools like Captivate or Adobe Flash is an effective mode of eLearning. Screenshots of the software acts as a raw content for developing an online course. The learner is taught on how to use the software by creating a simulated environment. The effectiveness of learning can be enhanced by using audio. Both Captivate and Flash can impart training. Let’s see, which one is more suitable.

What Are The Real Elearning Standards?

In the eLearning field, we usually come across SCORM/AICC as the standards to which the courseware should adhere to. But how far are these standards learner-centric? Are these standards impeding learning?

How to market social media as a learning tool?

How do we ‘market’ the use of social media as a new tool or avatar of learning? First, are we sold on it? Many of us have mixed experiences and opinions about using social media in an organizational setting to learn and improve workplace performance. I think I find blogging and LinkedIn more useful than Face book or Twitter. I am sure many of you have opposing views.

Wishing all a Happy, Prosperous and Peaceful New Year!

RK Prasad

CEO

Recently we were working on an assignment where we have to share the Lectora courses from a file server that will be hosted by the course provider, and the courses will be accessible through the client’s LMS using the AICC files (AU files).

A twist in this assignment is that we have to capture the data of the users who are accessing the course on the courseware provider side. That is, the course needs to be compatible to cross domain and cross LMS.

I will walk you through the steps created to make the course work as per the client’s requirement.

Pre-Requisites

1. ASP Server-Though the LMS were hosted on PHP servers, we have to include a small code build in ASP in the course.
2. PHP Server-Client LMS and the courseware developer were using PHP server.
3. ASP Script-To make the course compatible to cross LMS, small code build in ASP was integrated.
4. LMS-to upload the AICC files.

Explanation for the above Framework

• On the client side, only the 4 AICC files will be uploaded on the LMS.
• From the LMS, a request for accessing the course will be sent to the File Server.
• Course will call the ASP script to develop a connection between the client LMS and the database on course provider. ASP script is responsible for sending data to the client LMS and the course provider database.

Crossdomain.xml

A cross-domain policy file is an XML document that grants a web client to handle data across multiple domains. When a client hosts content from a particular source domain and that content makes requests directed towards a domain other than its own, the remote domain would need to host a cross-domain policy file that grants access to the source domain, allowing the client to continue with the transaction.

(The LMS Server needs to have this file to access the Content Server, where it provides the ability to manually and/or automatically access and/or transfer between two or more differing security domains). Policy files grants read access to data as well as permit a client to include custom headers in cross-domain requests.

The crossdomain.xml file needs to be placed on the root folder of the server. Here is the sample code:

<cross-domain-policy>

<allow-access-from domain=”www.example.com”/>

</cross-domain-policy>

ASP Script for Lectora Cross LMS

Using the following script it allows you to use either an unsigned “Title Manager Applet” or a “JavaScript Title Manager” to perform cross-domain communications.

Save the following script in a “sample.asp” file on the ASP server:

[ASP Script: sample.asp]

<%@ %>

<%

Response.Buffer = True

Dim objXMLHTTP, xml, command, aicc_loc, version, session_id, aicc_data, postbody

aicc_loc=Request.form(”aicc_loc”)

command=Request.form(”command”)

version=Request.form(”version”)

session_id=Request.form(”session_id”)

aicc_data=Request.form(”aicc_data”)

‘ Build the post body string’

postbody = “command=” + command + “&version=” + version + “&session_id=” + session_id

if aicc_data <> “” then

postbody = postbody + “&aicc_data=” + aicc_data

end if

‘ Create an xmlhttp object:’

Set xml = Server.CreateObject(”Microsoft.XMLHTTP”)

‘ Or, for version 3.0 of XMLHTTP, use:’

‘ Set xml = Server.CreateObject(”MSXML2.ServerXMLHTTP”)’

‘ Opens the connection to the remote server.’

xml.Open “POST”, aicc_loc, False

‘Actually Sends the request and returns the data:’

xml.Send postbody

‘Send back the response’

Response.Write xml.responseText

Set xml = Nothing

/*

The below lines of code is to track the “course data” on courseware provider side along with LMS on client side, we need to define the “xml2” variable at the top of the script and add the following code at the end of the script. The script will post the aicc_data to tracking file where it stores the data in a desired format.

Set xml2 = Server.CreateObject(”Microsoft.XMLHTTP”)

xml2.Open “POST”, “Enter your tracking file Path”, False

xml2.setRequestHeader “Content-Type”, “application/x-www-form-urlencoded”

xml2.Send postbody

Response.Write xml2.responseText

Set xml2 = Nothing

*/

%>

Steps to perform in Lectora

• Add the required “Student Data” in the lectora course before publishing the course.
• Go to “Publish” and click on “Publishing to AICC/Web-Based”
• Once it compiles without errors. Click on the “Publish” button.
• From the “AICC Options” tab,
  • Uncheck the option “The published course will reside on the same network server as the LMS”.
  • This enables the cross-domain redirector. Enter the URL where the “sample.asp” file is located. This will work as an API to communicate between the cross-domains.
• Check the other checkboxes based on your requirement.
• Click on “OK” button.
• Add the student data to the aicc_data in the file “trivantis-titlemgr-aicc.js”. Here are the list of changes to be performed in the code:

Function: TMPr.PutParam = function (grp, param)

After the line,

cparm.add (“\r\nlesson_status=” + this.strAiccLS);

Add the following code,

‘To track “student name”:

cparm.add (“\r\nstudent_name=” + this.strAiccSN);

‘To track “student id”:

cparm.add (”\r\nstudent_id=” + this. strAiccST);

In this blog, you will learn how to add our own variable to the question in Lectora, a rapid elearning tool. If you want to customize the question functionality, you can do it using variables. In this example, you will check whether the learner has attempted the question or not.

First you need to create questions using the question tool of Lectora. Follow the steps mentioned below:

1. Right Click on the Lectora page icon.
2. Click on New from the list.
3. Click on the Question from the menu.
4. Follow all the steps to create the question.

After you create the questions, you need to create a new variable using the “New Variable” button present in “Action Properties” dialog box.

Click on the “New Variable” button to open “Add Variable” dialog box.

Enter the name of the variable “attempt” and enter the initial value as “0″. This variable should be updated after the learner has attempted the question. You need to add an action on the question submission button to modify the value of the variable.

You can enter the attempt variable value to 1 if learner attempted the question. You need to add below action to the submit button:

On : Mouse Click

Action : Modify Variable

Target : attempt

Value : 1

Modification Type : Enter Variable Content

Now as per your requirement, add extra functionality using the “attempts” variable value. For example, you can check the status of the question in the next page and recommend user to go back and complete the exercise first.

Similarly, you can create as many as variables and modify the values for all the questions. In the quiz summary page, you can show the complete status of the questions attempted and the questions not attempted. You can also display customized feedbacks pop-ups with messages.