While creating a storyboard for online courses, I usually turn to templates to make my task simple. If you’ve more than a few members of your team working on the same project and you need the look and feel of the course to be consistent when done, it is ideal to use templates. 

Templates include various different elements such as buttons, icons, color schemes, images, games and much more. Tools such as PowerPoint master slide layouts allow you to have a range of pages ready to insert content. The whole idea of a template is that you can use the elements an infinite number of times for different projects. Let me tell how I benefit from using templates while developing online training course: 

• First, it saves time and effort. Re-creating buttons, icons, colors, etc, each time when I create a storyboard is time-consuming. It is nice to have a few sets of interface, layouts, icons, buttons, colors and frequently used components handy. I enjoy dragging and dropping the elements into the place and voila, I’m ready to roll out a course!
• A library of templates elements is valuable to whose (like me) do not have web or multimedia designer at their disposal. An amateur takes a long time to create a Flash movie or design a button than an expert. Besides, the quality of work may not be up to the mark. I prefer to focus on creating good learning materials for the course rather than drawing a pretty button.
• Many of the clients I have worked with prefer their courses to have a consistent look and feel – same colors, quality and more. They provide me with their readymade set of templates to use for developing of course materials.
• If a company is using LMS, there are certain requirements for proper functioning. By having custom-designed templates compatible with the LMS, life is easy for all of us. Templates mean less troubleshooting time and faster turnaround of course development.
• Not all IDs (yours truly!) have web designing or multimedia skills. It is best to have various elements of templates created by experts as it gives a touch of professionalism to the courses. I just need to edit the template and its elements to add the course content.
• As I mentioned earlier, an ID has to create good learning material and not design templates and elements. By using templates while developing courses, IDs can think of creative ways to make a course interesting and churn out more courses in a short span of time. 

These are the few benefits that I see from using templates while creating an e-learning module. 

Do share your thoughts with me on the same.

In a business, one of the chief aspects is manpower. How safe is the personnel of an enterprise? This question should be answered with confidence by the management of a company. Employers should undertake to see that all safety precautions are in place so that employees are not injured on the job. Besides, imparting safety training is the best way of educating staff on how not to get work-related injuries, illnesses and possible chances of death while working. It also demonstrates the use of using predetermined workplace safety procedures.

Safety training is a key element in the prevention of work-related injuries, illnesses and death. When educated on safety procedures, employees will know how- to prevent an incident in the workplace by properly operating machinery, and will also learn how to respond quickly if presented with a dangerous situation.

Whether an employee works for the company at the corporate office or plant or he is sent abroad on an assignment, he should still receive the benefit of this support from his management, aided by online training. Such training makes an employee aware of international ethical, cultural and safety tips that he could use wherever he goes. From an employer’s perspective, this online safety training is an investment as it provides long-term benefits to employees and to the organization as a whole. For an employee, it’s a confidence-building measure to think that the organization cares for him enough to introduce him to such online training courses.

When employees go abroad on an assignment, they need to be trained in several aspects of life there. When it comes to on-the-job safety, company trainers are entrusted with the duty of creating a one-point interface with content relating to different world locations that teach safety aspects to employees. All the knowledge gained through this means far exceeds all other conventional means of training employees. Another advantage of taking such courses is that the employee is given a certificate at the end of the training.

However, some employees feel that such training is totally unnecessary and a waste of time, so do not take it up sincerely. As an employer, you can give your employees online training courses on topics such as international travel safety or related topics. When imparted online, these programs can not only be interesting but fun too because it gives the user the opportunity of simulating the kind of experience he or she likes.

A training module can also be modified to suit your company’s needs. For instance, for a course on travel safety, information about the destination and things to do in a certain kind of emergency should be incorporated.

By giving employees online education in safety heightens their sense of security while performing their daily workplace activities, which in turn, leads to higher productivity. It also results in reducing the rates of accidents and incidents. Lastly, for companies this is documented proof that training of this nature has actually taken place, thus preventing the company from any likeliness of lawsuits involving workplace injuries.

These are my views on this subject. What are yours? Do write in and let me know.

A leading home appliance manufacturer refused to send its representative to demonstrate the working of a microwave oven purchased by my grandparents. Luckily, their neighbor taught them the basics of operating the microwave. Lack of training by the company unsettled my grandparents and they began regretting their big purchase.

What do you make of a company who sells products without offering training on how to use them? There could be some products which do not require training, but some products, even technology products, which require training to a certain extent. Lack of attention, training and poor post sales service are sure shot ways of losing customers, making it a competitor’s gain.

Not all vendors have access to SMEs plus training which require human interaction, thereby increasing their costs. Training sessions cannot be held every day or customers would have to wait for the next schedule of the training before making their purchase. Add to that travel expenses of both the customer and vendor, if the training is scheduled at new venue.

Finding a way out

Web-based training or certification through the vendor’s or company’s website can eliminate the pain of product training for customers. If the training requires human interaction, an online facilitator can fill the gap.

Web-based product training offering text and picture is the least-expensive way to train customers on the products. If need be, product training courses can have the interactivity and simulations coupled with various delivery formats. Further, vendors or companies can cut travel expenses associated with traditional offline training such as labor expenses, traveling expenses, etc.

The company or the vendor has to merely load the courseware on its learning management system and create a login and password for its customers to gain access to the course. Online training means that customers can learn at their own pace, spend more time on difficult aspects and repeat the lesson until they have understood it. This flexibility also extends to repeating or redoing various sections that need more understanding.

Traditional forms of training involve customers travelling to a venue at a certain time, increasing the expenses of both the customer and vendor. Web-based training makes learning easier, efficient and inexpensive.

Online product training is cost effective as it is aimed at a large group rather than traditional offline training for a small group. The product courseware is custom designed for a specific business and can be repeatedly used by many customers, whereas ILT would need to be repeated and paid on a regular basis as when the customer demands it.

Do you agree that by providing online product training, a vendor or company can ensure that its customers or employees can proficiently install, operate and/or supervise the product?

Thanks for reading my blog. Do share your thoughts on the same.

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

A successful organization whether it’s 100 People Company or a Global Fortune company always focuses on learning and training, because it wants to keep up with the change and competition. These organizations have fixed budgets for training every year. When we talk to our clients they say that they want a lot of training to be developed but as they are running out of budgets, they shift some of the training to the next year.

Now the big question, are these companies not focused on the training? Do they treat the training as a crucial initiative to care about?

The answer is Yes! These companies consider the training as high priority but a huge part of the budget is spent in paying for their LMS solution and the remaining is used to develop online training courses.

If your company is also facing a similar issue then here is a flexible solution for it – use an Open Source because it cuts the cost tremendously. Open source has came up as a cost effective solution as a complete elearning platform.

Recently, some of our clients who always use to say that they are running out of budgets are now giving us lot of training courses to develop only because they have shifted to Open Source LMS. Out of those clients, couple of them even asked us to host their open source LMS and maintain it on our servers as we provide Open Source services since 2005.

Open source LMS provides you the flexibility of customizing it to your requirements like:

• The theme of the LMS can be customized as per company’s branding based on corporate template.
• Open Source LMS has default features. These can be customized based on specific requirements of the company.
• Some features of the LMS may not be suited for a company. These features and functionality can be modified as per the requirement.
• Customized tracking and reports for better evaluation of training.
• The login system can be integrated with any other employee database system which the company is using (it may not be possible in some LMS’).
• Terminology of the modules name, navigation, buttons etc. can be customized to company’s requirement.

The critical part in Open Source LMS is hosting. In hosting you have two options:

Option 1: You can host LMS on your server itself provided you have technical staff who can manage the server and a programmer who can understand and maintain the LMS.

Option 2: You can hire a vendor who can take up hosting and maintenance of the LMS.

I will discuss in detail more about open source customization in my coming post.

Love to hear your views.