Elearning August - September 2015 by Creative By Design

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September / October 2015 Volume 11 Issue 3 â&#x20AC;˘ www.2elearning.com

Learning! 100 NASCAR: Learning at 200 MPH Pg 18

>> 2015 Learning! 100 Pictured: Karen Masencup, director of Training & Development, NASCAR

Award Issue Pg 24

>> Consumerizing

the Enterprise Pg 41

K I C K S TA R T C O L L A B O R AT I O N

Companies of all shapes and sizes are searching for ways to establish a collaborative work culture.

Intellumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Tribe Social gives your team immediate access to a private, secure activity stream where employees can share ideas, files, links, photos and video in an environment that works just like major social networks - but removes the distraction and security issues that occur when you try to user consumer-facing tools for business Better Collaboration = Better Results

Learn More At

INTELLUM.COM

When you succeed, we do too. Salesforce University is honored to be acknowledged as a 2015 Learning! 100 winner.

SA LES FO RC E

Salesforce University offers training and certification for the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s #1 CRM solutionâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the only training and certification that comes right from the source. With intimate knowledge and eye-opening insights from the people who know it better than anyone else, we help you get to success faster by empowering you to unleash the full potential of your Salesforce.

www.salesforce.com/training

Contents

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2015 VOLUME 11 NUMBER 3

>> Cover Story: NASCAR:

Learning at 200 MPH PG 18

Cover photo by Scott Hunter, NASCAR

>> Essentials 10 11 12 13

News Deals Trendlines People on the Move

“Safety is our highest priority,” says Karen Masencup, NASCAR’s director of Training & Development. “Each race requires a skilled group of fire, EMS and track operations professionals who are prepared to respond quickly to any number of potential incidents that could occur during NASCAR’s unique racing environment.” By Greg Rose

>> Features 24

2015 Learning! 100 Award Winners Named In this day and age, it’s increasingly important for learners at corporations, non-profits and in the public sector to be engaged and enthusiastic — and maybe even entertained. Of all the commonalities in this year’s Learning! 100 competition, employee enthusiasm for training and learning was a major factor in determining which companies would be so honored. By Jerry Roche

PG 41 41

How to Consumerize the Enterprise NASCAR, Facebook and even Google have leveraged the expertise of these two technologists. Chip Ramsey and Matt Gilley have transformed learning from boring pageturners to engaged learning collaborations that mirror the consumer world of “app for that” and learner-directed access. See how your organization can transform the learning experience. By Jerry Roche

PG 24

September / October 2015 Elearning!

>> News 10 10 11

PG 14

Leaders Get Smarter at ELC15 LMS Challenges W.H.O. Promotes E-learning

>> Management 15

Leader’s View Three questions for Chip Ramsey, CEO of Intellum on the future of learning. What are the near-term trends you should focus? How to support learnerdriven learning? What’s the first step you should take now?

Employee Lifecycle: How to Accelerate Time to Value Whether it’s an employee’s first day, 10-year anniversary or the day before retirement, organizations need programs to help educate and support their employees. Online learning tools not only help support the evolving needs of workforces at any stage, but they also can accelerate the time needed for employees to begin contributing value to their employer. By Emma King

>> Tools & Practices Tools to Accelerate Time to Value

How to Consumerize the Enterprise NASCAR, Facebook and even Google have leveraged the expertise of these two technologists. Chip Ramsey and Matt Gilley have transformed learning from boring page-turners to engaged learning collaborations that mirror the consumer world of “app for that” and learner-directed access. See how your organization can transform the learning experience. By Jerry Roche

Engagement Strategies: Don’t Over-Complicate! How do you improve employee engagement? Learning! 100 LAZ Parking and Randstad reveal their learning philosophies. By Matt Gilley

The Power of Values-based Leadership How do you create a sustainable organization by igniting human potential? Mark Fernandes, chief leadership officer of Lusk Companies, will share the secret to values-based leadership. By Tatiana Sehring

Meet the 2015 Learning! 100 Meet the top 60 corporate and 40 publicsector learning organizations. Discover what the top 10 winners accomplished to drive organizational performance, employee engagement and their learning culture. By Jerry Roche

many organizations find success utilizing online learning products for every stage of the employee lifecycle, like online job fairs, moment-of-need training and more. By Emma King

Tackling External Learning Audiences Are you serving external training audiences differently than your internal staff? Here are five common misconceptions and pitfalls about external programs to avoid. By Matt Gilley

The Myth of Micro-learning Today’s modern learners only have 1 percent of their work week to develop to professional development and learning. While micro-learning can be useful for reinforcement, it is not the answer to acquiring complex skills. By Sharon Boller

>> Business 8

Editor’s Note The intelligence and wisdom of learning professionals is never more evident than when interviewing them for our annual Learning! 100 articles. Here are some observations the Learning! 100 shared. By Jerry Roche

Trendlines Statistics, figures and industry trends

Pop Quiz Are you Mensa material?

Ad/Edit Index

50 Last Word: The Myth of Micro-Learning What our industry needs is better clarity on when we need to formally train people, when we need to reinforce knowledge or skills people are building on their own, and when we simply need to keep key principles or practices front and center. By Sharon Boller

Every employer’s needs differ, but Elearning! September / October 2015

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2015 VOLUME 11 ISSUE 3

Catherine Upton Group Publisher >> cupton@2elearning.com

Online@

2elearning.com Trending Topics Learning Trends Are Collaborative and Personal http://www.2elearning.com/trends/ item/56036-learning-trends-arecollaborative-and-personal

‘Conscious Capitalism’ Enters the Modern Workplace By Michelle Maldonado http://www.2elearning.com/ideas/ item/56023-tips-management-consciouscapitalism-evolution-of-the-modernworkplace

Most Popular Web Sessions

The Transformation of Learning Learning CEOs Power Panel: Trends in Tech & Practices https://presentations.inxpo.com/ Shows/ELearning/Microsite/home.htm

Jerry Roche Executive Editor >> jroche@2elearning.com Joe DiDonato Editor at Large >> jdidonato@2elearning.com Adam Weschler Manager Digital Programs >> aweschler@2elearning.com JW Upton Vice President >> JW@2elearning.com Marguerite Hoffman Event Operations Manager >> operations@2elearning.com Kim Lewis Art Director >> production@2elearning.com

Beverly Miller Print Production Manager

Dianne McCauley Controller

Contributors: Matt Gilley, Intellum Greg Rose, Intellum Emma King, INXPO Sharon Boller, Bottom-line Performance Tatiana Sehring, APU

Research

E-learning User Study 2014: Corporate Sector http://www.2elearning.com/research/ item/55597-e-learning-user-study-2014

Events

On Demand: Enterprise Learning! Conference 2015 Online Through Oct. 16 https://presentations.inxpo.com/Shows/ ELearning/Microsite/registration.htm

September / October 2015 Elearning!

Elearning! Media Group is the property of B2B Media Company LLC P.O. Box 5417, Oceanside, CA 92052 • 888-201-2841 • 951-547-1131 www.2elearning.com Elearning! magazine is published bi-monthly by B2B Media Company LLC, P.O. Box 5417, Oceanside, CA 92052. Application to mail Standard Class is filed with Sheppardville, KY Post Office. POSTMASTER: Send all address changes to: Elearning! P.O. Box 5417, Oceanside, CA 92052. Subscriptions are free to qualified professionals in the USA. All international or non-qualified subscriptions can receive Elearning! e-zine complimentary by ordering at http://www.2elearning.com/reg/choose. Elearning! magazine is a trademark of B2B Media Company and publishes under creative commons copyright.

CREATING A BETTER FUTURE For our associates, customers, company and communities.

Shaw’s expansive education programs for our associates, customers and communities take a life-long approach to learning. Each year, Shaw Learning Academy delivers more than a million hours of technical and business skills training. From reading to robotics, for K-12, higher education and beyond, Shaw’s innovative education partnerships are helping to cultivate the workforce of the future.

Proud to be a Learning 100! winner for the fifth consecutive year!

Editor’s Editor’sNote Note Learning! 100 — A Veritable Fount of Wisdom

BY JERRY ROCHE

he intelligence of learning professionals is never more evident than when interviewing them for our annual Learning! 100 articles. As a matter of fact, all the insightful information they provide usually doesn’t fit into our limited space. So here are some perceptive observations from the Learning! 100, article begins on page 24:

Katherine Neverdousky, American Heart Association: “We pride ourselves on being able

to surprise the organization with training that is relevant, comprehensive, challenging and thoughtful. [For example], people from all over the U.S. are involved in our mentoring program, and they have various levels of tenure, which makes for great conversations and discussions.” Frank Persico, IBM Learning: “The phenomena of data and the Cloud are changing the arena of global business and society. Our most critical business challenge and opportunity are to reach the new buyers that these major shifts in the technology sector have created. This is therefore also a cultural transformation for us, and it’s one in which our learning organization has a leadership role.” Dr. Chris Hardy, Defense Acquisition University: “It has perhaps become a cliché to say that the world is changing fast, but there is no place where it is more true than in training and in defense — the two worlds that converge at DAU. Our new workforce thinks differently, learns differently, and will have demands on it unlike any it’s had in the past. Mobile learning, simulations, quick videos and other new technologies that were unavailable 10 years ago are now becoming real influences in learning.” Chris Clement, Shaw, Inc.: “We are constantly hearing from our audience. We really can’t design training how we want to deliver it, or we’ll be designing training that is obsolete. So we have to listen to our audience.” Judy Whitcomb, Vi Living: “Vi has linked a strong relationship between employee engagement and employee retention. While Vi has one of the best retention rates in the industry, voluntary turnover costs Vi over $4 million annually. [So] we continually look for areas to improve employee engagement and retention.” Wayne McCullough, Salesforce: “In our Community Answers forum, customers can ask and answer questions. It is a shining example of peer-to-peer support. In fact, 98 percent of all questions are answered by customers!” Mandy Smith, SWBC: “It’s been incredibly encouraging watching folks advance their careers and grow. It’s been inspiring for us. It’s at the heart of what we want to do for our employees.” Does your organization have what it takes to become a member of the 2016 class of Learning! 100 honorees? Call for applications open September 2015 at 2elearning.com

September / October 2015 Elearning!

CONGRATULATIONS Ascension Information Services

Recipient of the Learning!100 Award 4 Years in a Row The 2015 Learning!100 award recognizes Ascension Information Services for its 70% Advantage tool—designed to support our leaders in championing associate growth and development. The tool inspires social learning and connects local learning coordinators with associates for access to additional learning and development resources. Tools like these prove vital to our work to deliver personalized, compassionate care more efficiently. Ascension Information Services provides Ascension and its subsidiaries with IT infrastructure and software application services that support Ascension’s dedication to the transformation of healthcare. Ascension is the nation’s largest non-profit, healthcare system with 1,900 sites of care across the country. Its 155,000 caregivers are called to improve the health of all individuals through sustainable, values-inspired innovation. www.ascension.org

News

New E-learning Complexities Revealed

Leaders Get Smarter at Enterprise Learning! Conference

Wayne McCulloch: Learning leaders need to think like marketers

Dr. Jennifer Golbeck: Too much personal data is easily accessed by anyone

Col. Ronald Dodge: Corporate cybersecurity threats come from within

The learning industry came together during the Enterprise Learning! Conference, a three-day live event held in Manassas, Va., June 8-10, and a two-day virtual follow-up held July 16-17. Cutting-edge keynoters addressed the crowd. Keynoter Wayne McCulloch revealed the future of learning by showcasing the learning ecosystem of Salesforce, an organization named the Most Innovative Company four years running by Fortune magazine. Dr. Jennifer Golbeck shocked attendees by revealing how much of our personal data is available to virtually anyone, unbeknownst to most of us. Keynoter Col. Ronald Dodge disclosed that the greatest threat to a company’s cybersecurity is actually the users. McCulloch is senior vice president of Salesforce; Golbeck is director of the HumanComputer Interaction Lab at the University of Maryland; Dodge is CIO and associate professor at the West Point Military Academy. The on-site event was held in Manassas, Va. June 8-10 while a live virtual edition was held July 16-17. A combined 1,897 learning professionals registered for the hybrid event. The conference theme of “Building Smarter Organizations” provided four distinct learning tracks that examine learning ecosystems, smart connected things in learn, big data and learning analytics and best practice of the Learning! 100. “The way we conduct business and train our employees in today’s world is different than any other era, and the popularity of having the option to attend an on-site or virtual, from-your-desktop learning event was reflected in the robust attendance for both events,” notes Catherine Upton, group publisher and event producer. The July online event featured six live sessions and video broadcasts of the most popular onsite sessions. A live Q&A opportunity was made available to all virtual attendees during the keynote address by Wayne McCulloch as well as a learning CEO panel featuring Todd Tauber from Degreed and Malcolm Lotzof from INXPO. Another important function of the annual conference is presentation of the annual Learning! 100 awards. The honorees represent 60 corporate enterprises and 40 public-sector/nonprofit organizations. The top winner in the corporate enterprise category was Salesforce, and the public-sector winner is Defense Acquisition University. (See article beginning on page 24.) The conference programming was designed by George Mason University, Defense Acquisition University and Elearning! Media Group. Those that missed the event can still view content, Q&A and chats on the ELC online platform through Oct. 16. —To register: https://presentations.inxpo.com/Shows/ELearning/Microsite/registration.htm 10

September / October 2015 Elearning!

E-learning has grown in complexity due to the introduction of mobile devices and the growth in operating systems. With the increased demand for mobile learning, clients in turn need to understand the complexities and requirements involved in creating mobile learning courseware. On the flip side, the rapid increase in the use of mobile devices opens a new world of training opportunities to organizations that have not considered mobile learning. This short mobile learning infographic highlights the important changes and aspects that organizations need to consider. —Source: http://www.pulselearning.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/mobile_infographic_final.pdf

LMS Challenges Being Faced by Learning Pros Halfway through 2015, the learning management system (LMS) software market isn’t showing any signs of slowing down. While this growth is great for vendors, it can be intimidating for first-time buyers, according to Brian Westfall of Software Advice. After surveying hundreds of LMS buyers and users, he identified five top trends that are driving e-learning so far in 2015. The top three:

1 2 3

Nearly one-third of LMS users say integration is their top challenge.

Less than 5 percent of buyers request mobile, social or gamification, even though these software capabilities engage learners. 99 percent of users say LMS software positively impacts content organization and training efficiency.

—More info: www.softwareadvice.com/lms/top-stats2015/?utm_medium=email_amp&utm_source=indv_email&utm_ campaign=rsrch&utm_content=top5lms2015_lms

W.H.O. Promotes E-learning E-learning could help prepare more health-care professionals, according to a recent review of research projects carried out by Imperial College London by the World Health Organization (W.H.O.). More than 100 studies found that undergraduate students acquired knowledge and skills through computer-based e-learning (CBL) as well as — or better than — they do through traditional teaching. Eleven of 33 studies demonstrated statistically significant knowledge gains for students engaged in CBL methods. Eight of 13 studies found a statistically significant difference in skill acquisition favoring the participants allocated to the CBL group. And five of 12 studies found more favorable attitudes among CBL group students. There was also found to be statistically significant knowledge gains for students using 3-D enhanced visual aids compared to students using standard 2-D. The report concludes, “Information and communication technology (ICT)…called e-learning or blended learning…offers promising new modes for the delivery of education.” The report, edited by Najeeb Al-Shorbaji, Rifat Atun, Josip Car, Azeem Majeed, Erica Wheeler, with 31 contributors from around the globe, is titled “E-learning for Undergraduate Health Professional Education.” —Full report: http://whoeducationguidelines.org/sites/default/files/ uploads/eLearning-healthprof-report.pdf

Best of Elearning! Voting Now Open Voting for Elearning! magazine’s 2015 Best of Elearning! awards is now open. Celebrating 11 years of success, the awards recognize best-in-class solutions for learning and workplace technology solutions across 27 categories. Executives leveraging learning and workplace technologies, including readers, practitioners and community members from both the private and public sectors, are invited to cast their vote for best-in-class solutions until Oct. 15. One hundred percent of the nominations are placed by users in an open format. Unlike other awards competitions, there is no fee to nominate a solutions provider. The only requirement is that the nominations be made by users of learning and workplace technologies. Winners of selected categories will be revealed in Elearning! Magazine award issues. —Cast your ballot: www.2elearning.com/Best_of_Elearning!_ Awards_2014.html

Deals CBT NUGGETS, which creates on-demand online I.T. training, is providing training for the GOOGLE Cloud Platform, a suite of Cloudbased services that enables users to create everything from websites to applications. CBT Nuggets, which offers five such training courses, is the only provider of self-paced online training for Google Cloud Platform services.

behalf of Her Majesty’s Government (HMG) in the United Kingdom and Capita plc to run the Global Best Practice portfolio.

TALENT PLUS has acquired TALENTMINE, a performancebased talent assessment system that assists health-care companies to select and engage talent optimizing patient service, quality, safety and efficiency. Talent Plus has worked across the globe in a variety of industries for more than 25 years. It turned the focus on the patient experience and value-based purchasing in health care nearly five years ago.

FLIGHT CAR, a new concept in concierge service that lets people parking at the airport rent their vehicles to other travelers, has selected the Saba solution to help develop its rapidly-growing team to deliver a unique brand experience. Flight Car’s primarily Millennial staff and guest profiles called for a talent management solution that would allow for easy access and “snackable” interactive content on a clear user interface that could be accessed on mobile systems anytime and anywhere.

EXACT LEARNING SOLUTIONS’ learning content management system (LCMS) is being used by the U.K.-based international company, Axelos. This further expands the use of eXact learning solutions’ LCMS in the U.K. Axelos is a joint venture company created by the Cabinet Office on

TOTARA LEARNING SOLUTIONS has added GP STRATEGIES to its Global Partner network. GP says its objective is to get access to larger potential Totara users and clients.

ELEKTA has selected NETDIMENSIONS Learning deployed via NetDimensions’ Secure SaaS model to manage compliance training for employees and clients globally. Elekta is a human care company pioneering significant

innovations and clinical solutions for treating cancer and brain disorders. In a related deal, Iperion has entered into a global partnership to offer NetDimensions Learning in a GxP-compliant Cloud environment. Iperion is a provider of information systems, Cloud computing and consultancy services for the life sciences industry. ATLAS KNOWLEDGE has secured the contract to deliver safety training for workers engaged on the high-profile TRANS ADRIATIC PIPELINE AG (TAP) project. The deal will see a total of 11 courses delivered to almost 300 onshore personnel working on the planned construction of a pipeline to bring natural gas across Greece, Albania and Italy through Europe’s complex Southern Gas Corridor. The training, a mix of existing and customized courses, will include fire safety, manual handling, trip, slip and fall awareness and safe driving. Each will be delivered in line with incountry regulations and legislation. ACS TECHNOLOGIES, a global provider of church management software and service solutions, has acquired Solomon Learning Management System

from Mersoft Corp. A technology ministry partnering with ACS Technologies for several years, Solomon was acquired to help better suit the needs of current and future ACS Technologies clients using Solomon as a thirdparty solution. In addition, future plans call for the use of Solomon’s teaching platform to serve as an online product training resource for ACS Technologies clients. KPMG has entered into an agreement with TOWERS WATSON, a leading talent and human capital professional services organization, to acquire the company’s Human Resources Service Delivery (HRSD) practice in the United States, United Kingdom, China, Hong Kong, Canada, Singapore and the Philippines. Atomic Learning has acquired Versifit Technologies, which is a provider of end-to-end data warehousing analytic reporting solutions to school districts throughout the United States. Founded in 1998 and headquartered in Appleton, Wisc., Versifit Technologies has one of the highest customer-retention rates in the education industry.

Elearning! September / October 2015

Trendlines

IoT’s True Value to Business May Go ‘Beyond the Hype’

Top Business Objectives for Investing in Learning Improving employee engagement (65%), personalizing learning and improving leadership skills (56%) are the top drivers for investing in learning today, reports the “2015 E-learning User Study” conducted by Elearning! magazine. The study queried 436 learning leaders across public and private sectors, 62% of whom held management titles. Leadership development is a perennial driver. However, personalization of learning and improving engagement jumped to the top of the list in 2014. In 2013, personalization was only 4% of the respondents; it’s now the second-most-important objective. Why the shift? Wayne McCulloch, senior vice president of Salesforce, attributes it to personalization due to available technologies. Personalization was not conceivable in 2011, but with digital content, evolving learning ecosystems and data analytics, this is a reality for leading enterprises. Learning leaders are leveraging various learning solutions to achieve these business objectives. >> 86% are focusing on enterprise-wide learning; 61% across multiple locations and 30% multi-nationally. >> 43% use virtual learning; 22% plan to purchase solutions within the next 12 months >> 36% use social networking, 15% plan to purchase >> 32% use mobile learning; 28% plan to purchase >> 21% use MOOCs; 9% plan to purchase >> 16% use gamification; 21% plan to purchase >> 12% personalize learning; 14% plan to purchase

Top Business Drivers for Learning Investments Improve employee engagement

A new McKinsey Global Institute report, “The Internet of Things: Mapping the Value Beyond the Hype,” finds that the hype may actually understate IoT’s full potential — but that capturing it will require an understanding of where real value can be created and a successful effort to address a set of systems issues, including interoperability. According to McKinsey research, IoT has a total potential economic impact of $3.9 trillion to $11.1 trillion a year by 2025. MGI’s Michael Chui believes that these factors will determine how successful businesses are at unlocking trillions of dollars in value during the next decade:

>> Interoperability between IoT systems is critical. >> Currently, most IoT data are not even used for optimization and prediction, which provide the greatest value.

65.67%

>> Business-to-business applications will probably capture more value—nearly 70 percent of it—than consumer uses.

Boost leadership bench strength (succession, high potentials)

>> IoT users (businesses, other organizations, and consumers) could

41.42%

capture 90 percent of the value that IoT applications generate.

Increase collaborative learning (informal, blended) 54.48% Personalize learning (adaptive, predictive)

—Download the podcast and/or report: http://www.mckinsey.com/ insights/business_technology/the_internet_of_things_the_value_of_ digitizing_the_physical_world?cid=other-eml-nsl-mip-mck-oth-1507

56.72% Improve collaboration across enterprise 45.90% Drive sales and profits 41.04% Improve leadership skills 56.72% Respond to competitive environment 42.16% Faster time to market 19.03%

— Source: 2015 E-learning User Study at 2elearning.com 12

September / October 2015 Elearning!

Personalization of learning is a top business driver, yet only 12% of learning leaders have solutions deployed. The expected annual growth rate is 116%. —2015 E-learning User Study

Mobile vs. Desktop Learning? Learners show equal success on the same courses, whether they access the courses on their desktop or on a mobile device. That’s one of the key determinations made by a recent survey. “But mobile learners achieving same outcomes in half the time,” CEO Donna Wells of Mindflash adds. “And providing mobile course access is likely to increase percent of learners who reference course content after they initially complete the course.” The research also emphasizes that shorter courses are better when learners are accessing them via mobile devices. Wells suggests that course designers break up courses into a series of shorter lessons, which should require sequential passing. She also suggests that learning professionals “consider swapping PowerPoint for Microsoft Word and increasing usage of video to improve experience and success among mobile learners; to correlate training outcomes with business outcomes; and to integrate LMS data with CRM or financial systems data, if at all possible.

Weekends Favor Mobile Courses Mobile 12%

Course Views

25%

Desktop

20%

Mobile

15%

Desktop 88%

10% 5% 0%

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thur

Fri

Sat

Sun

—More info: www.slideshare.net/mindflashmarketing/taking-measurement-mobile-assessing-mlearning

More Transparency Needed For Corporate Talent Pools?

In a survey of 518 directors, managers, and employees based in Great Britain, 71% of respondents said their organization should be more open about which employees are in their company’s talent pool. Nearly three-quarters (73%) of respondents said it is apparent that some individuals get treated differently in terms of career development and progression opportunities within their organization. More than half (54%) of all workers surveyed said that their organization doesn’t recognize their full potential, and even 38% of those who are in a talent pool said their full potential is not recognized. More than a third (36%) of all respondents said their company does not track or manage their personal or career development. Of the 23% of respondents surveyed who are currently in a talent pool, the majority (81%) said this motivates them to perform their job better. Meanwhile, around one-third (35%) of those who are not in a talent pool feel demotivated as a result, reinforcing the need for clearer communications and enterprise-wide career and personaldevelopment strategies so that everybody feels supported and valued, regardless of whether they are in a talent pool or not. —More info: www.kallidus.com

People on the Move

Adam Weschler has been appointed Manager Digital Programs. for the Elearning! Media Group, publishers of Elearning! magazine and Government Elearning! magazine. Weschler will be responsible for administering and updating Elearning!’s www.2elearning.com website, email newsletters and virtual events.

Dan Doering has joined eLogic Learning as senior account executive. Doering brings over six years of learning and talent management industry experience to the company. In his new role, Doering will focus on helping eLogic Learning’s clients empower their employees and channel partners with the knowledge and tools they need to perform their jobs

effectively, creating positive results for the whole enterprise. He received his Bachelor’s degree from Florida State University where he majored in marketing.

who holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Illinois and an MBA in HR management from DePaul University, will be based in Chicago.

Denise LaForte joins Mercer as North American HR Transformation Practice leader. In her new role, LaForte will be responsible for leading the growth of the firm’s HR Transformation Practice by delivering integrated HR transformation solutions including HR strategy, HR service delivery, and broad strategic change management to improve the performance and outcomes of clients’ HR functions. Additionally, she will work closely with Mercer’s Workday Practice to link full scale implementation capabilities to these transformation solutions. LaForte,

Nana Gregg, senior Salesforce administrator for BRG, a global workplace management solutions firm, has been recognized by Salesforce.com as one of only 15 new “MVPs” selected worldwide. The Salesforce.com MVP program recognizes exceptional individuals within the Salesforce community for their leadership, knowledge, and ongoing contributions. In her role at BRG, Gregg is responsible for the implementation, administration, support and sustainment of the Force.com family of products upon which BRG relies so heavily.

Elearning! September / October 2015

Trendlines

91%

of learners say that team collaboration is either essential or very useful for learning what they need for their job. —Britain’s ‘Towards Maturity Learning Landscape Audit’

Talent Analytics Investments Lag Do organizations truly know how to invest in talent wisely? The answer is no. Five prominent talent analytics gurus — Shreya Sarkar-Barney of Human Capital Growth, Anshul Sheopori of IBM Research, Gene Pease of Vestrics, John Mattox of CEB, and Laurie Ruettimann, HR speaker, blogger, and author — now share their insights and tips about the current state of analytics. They reveal: >> Most organizations spend 40% or more of their total revenues on their talent. >> Only 2% of L&D organizations report that they are currently involved with analytics, but 35% are planning to increase their emphasis on building analytical capability. >> Top performing businesses are five times more likely to be using analytics than low performers. —Source: https://magic.piktochart.com/output/6678182-talent-analytics-tips-from-the-smes-by-skillsoft

Big Data in HR Means Fundamental Changes Big Data analytics, mobile applications and other fast-emerging technologies will fundamentally change how HR does its job. “I think what’s really interesting at this time is that besides just the Cloud, things like Big Data analytics, in-memory database technology, all new kinds of mobile technology — all this is coming and it’s coming at the same time,” says Brian Sommer, a leading Human Capital Management and HR technology expert for 32 years. “And that creates kind of a competency of technology change hitting all at once ... an opportunity for HR technology vendors as well as HR executives to take advantage of some very profound things that will change their processes. It’s going to change their technology. It’s probably going to change their perspective about what HR really should be doing going forward.” —More info: http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/marketwire/1207554.htm

The global mobile learning market will grow from $7.98 billion to

$37.60 billion by 2020.

—MarketsandMarkets 14

September / October 2015 Elearning!

Leader’sView 3 Questions… …FOR CHIP RAMSEY, CEO, INTELLUM

Chip Ramsey, CEO, Intellum

WHAT HAVE YOU WORKED ON RECENTLY THAT YOU BELIEVE WILL BECOME AN INDUSTRY TREND IN THE NEAR FUTURE? Think about how we accessed “timely” information just twenty-five years ago. We picked up a newspaper or read a magazine, turned on the radio or caught the evening news on TV. The distribution of this information was controlled by a few and inherently delayed due to the restrictions of the channels themselves. In less than 30 years, the Internet has revolutionized the way we access information by flipping this “top-down” model on its head. We now have access to a seemingly unlimited amount of information, when and where we want it. Social media and crowd-sourcing have largely democratized the process of creating, sharing and monitoring this information. The user is now the creator and curator of content. Our industry remains largely focused on developing better ways to disseminate educational and training materials through the Internet. But this is still a top-down model. Forward-thinking companies are looking for ways to flip this archetype over, too. I’ve recently encountered several highly innovative organizations asking the same question: “What makes a great teacher truly great?” They’re inevitably going to reach the same answer. An effective teacher has the ability to present a complex idea in a way that is accessible and resonates with students. Taking a lesson from the Internet’s elevation of the user, these organizations are developing strategies for “student curation.” They are empowering students to develop and share learning opportunities on topics or subjects of passionate interest. I will wager that your students are going to begin demanding this capability very shortly, if they haven’t already. HOW DOES A COMPANY PREPARE TO INTRODUCE THIS TYPE OF STUDENT-DRIVEN CAPABILITY? The best way to prepare is to first dedicate time and resources to teaching people how to teach others. The organizations that are already going down this path are leveraging their existing learning platforms to deliver basic training around proper communication techniques and how to effectively present ideas. They are working now to ensure student creators and curators are prepared in the near future to deliver content effectively. There are concerns that student-driven content will be full of errors or result in low-quality content, disrupting the the overall integrity of the learning environment. Once you successfully prepare students to become instructors themselves, the next step is to develop an effective process for group management and self-governance. Now is the time to plan out how you will transition your organization’s learning environment into a true learning community. IF YOU WERE TO RECOMMEND A GOOD FIRST STEP THAT LEARNING PROFESSIONALS COULD TAKE TODAY IN PURSUIT OF THIS FUTURE DEVELOPMENT, WHAT WOULD IT BE? You have to consider the ways in which people communicate and learn in their personal, daily lives. In less than seven years, we’ve doubled the amount of time we spend online every day, and the majority of this online access occurs on a mobile device. We now dedicate 41 percent of our total online time to social media — and this number is growing. We are suddenly consuming way more “bite-sized” video than we’ve ever consumed before. Today’s learning environment should already offer students the same kind of mobile viewing, content sharing and collaborative opportunities in which they so willingly engage outside of work. If your learning environment doesn’t currently mirror your student’s personal online experience, look for learning management solutions that take a “mobile-first” approach when designing their tools. The ability to confidently deliver a seamless, effective mobile experience is the first step in being prepared for a number of industry developments headed our way.

Elearning! September / October 2015

Virtual LastEdge Online Learning and the Employee Lifecycle TOOLS TO ACCELERATE TIME TO VALUE BY EMMA KING

M Emma King, vice president Learning Strategy INXPO

uch like the life cycle of a butterfly — which, as we all learned in school, begins as a caterpillar — employees have a lifecycle of their own; they evolve in their careers both personally and professionally. Whether it’s an employee’s first day, 10-year anniversary or the day before retirement, organizations need programs to help educate and support their employees. Online learning tools not only help support the evolving needs of workforces at any stage, but they also can accelerate the time needed for employees to begin contributing value to their employer. After a caterpillar forms its cocoon, it can take weeks or months to see the beautiful new butterfly emerge. Similarly, finding, onboarding, training and engaging talent is a process that takes time. Every employer’s needs differ, but many organizations find success utilizing online learning products for every stage of the employee lifecycle: ONLINE JOB FAIRS. Interacting with potential employees enables employers to introduce their brand and mission, and mine great talent from multiple locations. PRE-ONBOARDING. Employers gain an advantage and shorten the time to value by building online programs to educate new hires before they come into the office. For example, new hires can use online tools to get to know their new employer, get an overview of department responsibilities, and complete preliminary tasks before reporting on their first day. A pre-onboarding program can allow access to a learning portal even before a new hire has received company credentials, as the employer has complete control of access to the content. ONBOARDING. Once new hires start, they will need to learn a lot, and quickly. Using an online learning tool can help them to learn more about their department and specific duties as well as cover Human Resources issues such as compensation, benefits and company policies. The flexibility of online learning portals allows each organization to design programs and access around its own use cases, making these tools highly effective. MOMENT-OF-NEED TRAINING. Throughout an employee’s tenure, additional training and certification may be necessary to keep the employee qualified and up to date on best practices for his or her specific duties. From formal certification to ad hoc programs, learning portals let employers document progress, supply tests and utilize engagement tools to test information retention. LEADERSHIP. As organizations grow, communication from leadership becomes important for understanding strategy, sales reports, and quarterly or yearly updates. Programming through an online video learning portal allows employers to reach their entire workforce through a single destination that can be viewed live or on demand. HUMAN RESOURCES. When organizations update company policies such as vacation, health-care benefits or other important topics, learning portals make it easy for HR departments to record changes that can be viewed by everyone in the organization. In this format, employers can answer questions in real time and share documents, ensuring everyone will better understand policy changes. Online learning portals are an effective way to consolidate resources and save time when communicating important information to a large audience. Regardless of where staff may be in the employee lifecycle, online learning portals make the employer’s job of communicating and educating employees easier. Emma King is vice president of Learning Strategy for INXPO, which markets enterprise video communication solutions. More info: www.inxpo.com

September / October 2015 Elearning!

We learn something new every day with video.

Your most valuable asset is your people. Deliver live instructor-led or self-paced on-demand training for onboarding, continuing education, annual compliance and certiďŹ cation. Learning is simple and measurable with:

A Learning! 100 Award winner.

(COVER PHOTO BY SCOTT HUNTER, NASCAR)

Learning! 100 Profile:

Karen Masencup, NASCARâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s director of Training and Development 18

September / October 2015 Elearning!

Learning at 200 MPH

BY GREG ROSE The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is a big deal. In 2014 alone, it sanctioned more than 1,000 stock car races across 10 different series at hundreds of tracks in seven countries. An average of 5.3 million viewers tune into each NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event from February through November. According to various independent economic studies, on average, each NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race adds nearly $150 million to local and regional economies. Imagine for a moment the human capital and logistics required to successfully execute an entire NASCAR season. If you total up all the National Series race days across all 29 active tracks, NASCAR relies on more than 8,000 “day-of ” people to ensure that every race delivers the quintessential NASCAR experience. TRAINING THAT STICKS NASCAR breaks the total number of “day-of ” resources into groups. About 7,800 of these individuals are employed by the tracks themselves and fall under the category of “Track Services.” The remainder are track employees and volunteers who work in other areas or are NASCAR employees and race officials who have a multitude of race-day responsibilities. Both the Track Services workers and NASCAR officials have to be trained meticulously in preparation for a race. “Safety is NASCAR’s highest priority,” says Karen Masencup, director of Training & Development. “Each race requires a skilled group of fire, EMS and track operations professionals who are prepared to respond quickly to any number of potential incidents that could occur during NASCAR’s unique racing environment.” Stock car specifications and configurations change annually; tracks are designed to maximize speed and competitiveness; cars can achieve speeds of more than 200 miles per hour; and driver cockpit temperatures often creep past 130 degrees. As a result, NASCAR training initiatives must

Elearning! September / October 2015

NASCAR

PHOTO BY SCOTT HUNTER/NASCAR

cover a wide variety of issues including vehicle specs, pit road speeds, fire suppression, driver extrication, vehicle roll-over processes, track clearing, cleanup, and proper transport of injured individuals to infield medical care facilities. There is so much at stake that simply making training materials available and hoping students utilize them is not enough. The trick is to significantly improve the training, or the trainee’s, experi-

ence. This allows NASCAR to ensure that the training sticks. CHOOSING THE RIGHT PARTNER In some way, shape or form, NASCAR has been training personnel to address the unique challenges presented by the sport since its inception in the late 1940s. Historically, much of this training was individualized and “hands-on” — directed, delivered and assessed by a direct supervisor.

NASCAR relies on more than 8,000 “day-of” people to ensure that every race delivers the quintessential NASCAR experience. Here, Chase Elliott’s car is prepped by mechanical technicians 20

September / October 2015 Elearning!

As the sport grew in popularity and the modifications and complexity of the cars and the events continued to increase, so did the depth and complexity of the organization’s training needs. By the 1990s, individualized training had been enhanced with groupfocused classroom sessions that were followed up by specialized (and localized) function area break-out training events. As an early adopter, NASCAR even began to experiment with online training courses for officials in the 2000s. “Our NASCAR officials live in different parts of the country,” says Masencup. “In the past, we brought them to the Research and Development Center in Concord, N.C., to attend the classroom training. We thought we could give more in-depth training with online courses that people could take at their leisure when it was convenient for them.” Leveraging those early successes, NASCAR launched a bold online training campaign in 2012 that was aimed at the significantly larger Track Services audience. The rollout secured high levels of participation and received such positive feedback, NASCAR increased the number of online courses in 2013. It then recognized a new hurdle: its existing learning management solution (LMS) was outdated and incapable of scaling to meet the demands of the new initiative and its audience. So the hunt began for a technology partner that could help deliver a better employee training experience. THE CHALLENGES “With multiple departments involved in the selection process for a new learning management system, we first had to determine our short and long-term goals for it. Then we researched and vetted many companies,” says Masencup. After extensive review and consideration, NASCAR chose Atlanta-based Intellum and its Exceed Learning Management System. “There were several larger LMS providers in the group of finalists, but Intellum’s approach to technology stood out, and they really demonstrated that they wanted to work with us and be our partner. We soon discovered that, even after they won our business, the high level of customer service and sense of partnership would continue.” NASCAR realized that the success of a new LMS would ultimately be determined by user engagement. The organization also knew that

driving user engagement would require an extremely positive user experience, for both the trainees and the employees tasked with administering the solution. To secure that engagement, NASCAR and Intellum put their new partnership to the test, working closely together to tackle five unique challenges.

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ONE:

The rapidly approaching start of a new season “Our first challenge was timing. From an internal employee standpoint, our NASCAR officials typically do a large amount of their training in January and February before the race season kicks off with the Daytona 500,” says Masencup. “On the Track Services side, online training may begin in early December in order for their hands-on training to begin immediately after the first of the year.” NASCAR made the decision to go with Intellum in the fourth quarter of 2013, which required a small window to transition. But rapid implementation is a key offering for Intellum, a company that relies on 15 years of industry experience to implement most clients in less than four weeks — and NASCAR had a tremendous amount of historical data to roll into its new system.

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Incorporating years of training and certification data “Any time you move a large amount of data, it can be challenging,” says Masencup. “We had about nine years of data to import, including many courses that were no longer active in our system. But it was important to us, and to our students, that we retain that history. Intellum worked hand-in-hand with us during the implementation process and we were able to import all of our previous student data into

Intellum’s Exceed.” Now, utilizing a feature called External Credits, an individual can scan and upload an external credit, further reducing administrative backlogs. “This critical feature means our students and our learning team are now able to view all of a specific student’s training history,” says Masencup.

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THREE:

Tracking a large number of external and remote learners Even though NASCAR provides training for all Track Services workers like they were FTEs, the Track Services team members are employed by host tracks. These team members fluctuate, creating a complicated external audience scenario that requires a solution tailor-made for NASCAR. “Tracking and reporting was previously a challenge, given our often-changing, remote learning audience,” says Masencup. “Now it’s easy. Learners present their NASCAR I.D. card, which has a barcode that ties directly to that learner’s profile in the LMS. Training coordinators simply scan I.D. cards to automatically record on-site course credits in the learner’s account.” By introducing customized data import and mapping functionality, NASCAR and Intellum simplified and improved the process of tracking the external and remote trainees. While this leads to better NASCAR insight into training initiatives, it also significantly improves the experience of an often overlooked audience: the employees administering individual training events.

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FOUR:

Addressing function area and location-specific concerns With 8,000 fluctuating track services workers across three national series, understanding

how an individual fits into NASCAR Training’s big picture, and effectively managing that individual’s learning experience, was another historical challenge for the organization. Training courses are consistent between all tracks, but training requirements for specific function areas may vary. Some elements of training at a short track, for example, are different than that at a superspeedway. Then consider the fact that some individuals move between job responsibilities, or work at multiple tracks throughout a given season. NASCAR needed not only the ability to assign Track Services workers to various groups based on specific criteria, but a way to recognize and avoid training overlaps when an individual transitions between job responsibilities and locations. So the organization now leverages the dynamic auto-enrollment functionality of Exceed to overcome this hurdle. When NASCAR builds a new group with deep profiles on members, adds new team members or adds new training requirements, the system automatically identifies the individuals who meet specific criteria based on these profiles and can auto-enroll them in the correct groups. Users see only the learning opportunities that are germane to them. As for team members who move from group to group or track to track, the LMS now also recognizes potential training overlaps and automatically “completes” the student in courses shared by groups or locations.

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FIVE:

Significantly enhancing the NASCAR student experience Together, NASCAR and Intellum redesigned the NASCAR LMS user experience, presenting students with a more modern learning environment that is visually appealing and easy to navigate. The way the catalog presents “featured” and “recommended courses,” for example, is based on a user’s profile and group membership. It seems familiar to the student — more like an app store or a streaming music service than a clunky enterprise software solution. By focusing

Elearning! September / October 2015

PHOTO BY SCOTT HUNTER/NASCAR

NASCAR

Well-trained mechanics work on David Gilliland’s Ford while interested spectators look on.

on the experience the student has with the LMS itself, NASCAR has witnessed improved engagement and is even beginning to think about the learning experience on the individual group level.

bite-size pieces,” she adds. “Gone are the days of hour-long courses where people sit in front of their computers and complete the course. Now, they need easier to download, shorter courses that can be taken anywhere.”

‘Each race requires a skilled group of fire, EMS and track operations professionals who are prepared to respond quickly to potential incidents.’ —Karen Masencup, NASCAR director of T&D

“We are now using multiple groupspecific branded landing pages, so that different people in different groups can have customized experiences when they log in,” says Masencup. The flexibility of the system also allows NASCAR to rethink content. “We are designing our courses in smaller, 22

September / October 2015 Elearning!

The LMS is also mobile optimized, allowing students to complete courses on their own mobile devices as well. INVESTING IN THE FUTURE NASCAR is a sport that heavily relies on technology and innovation. You can

see it in NASCAR’s new pit road technology that utilizes a state-of-the-art camera-based video system to identify pit road infractions. A move to a fully digital rulebook and streamlined inspection process has given NASCAR and the teams the opportunity for back-end data analysis. Sprint Cup cars will even utilize digital dashboards next season. Leveraged technology and innovation is also now present in NASCAR’s approach to the student learning experience. “In 2014, NASCAR Track Services team members alone completed 84,000 courses through Exceed,” says Masencup. And even higher engagement numbers are expected this year, with 53,000 course completions through the first five months. “The great thing about the Exceed LMS is that it is limitless,” she notes. “It can grow as needed with users and content, which is a real plus in our world. As we continue to increase our course offerings and look at ways to address training needs, we know Exceed can meet the challenge.”

Intellum congratulates our clients for being named a 2015 Learning! 100 top global learning organization.

Discover how Intellum can help you deliver better employee experiences at www.intellum.com

E M P L OY E E C O L L A B O R A T I O N , P E R F O R M A N C E & L E A R N I N G T O O L S F O R THE MODERN WORKPL ACE

The 2015 Learning! 100

SUCCESSFUL ORGANIZATIONS SEEK (AND FIND) EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT AND ENTHUSIASM WITH INNOVATIVE LEARNING PROGRAMS BY JERRY ROCHE In this day and age, it’s not enough for employees to be well informed and well trained. It’s increasingly important for learners at corporations, non-profits and in the public sector to be engaged and enthusiastic — and maybe even entertained. Of all the commonalities in this year’s Learning! 100 competition, employee engagement from training and development was a major driver of these organizations’ successes. The American Heart Association’s vice president of HR and Corporate Learning Katherine Neverdousky says participants in the AHA’s new mentoring program “are very excited. They appreciate the opportunity for them and the SMEs assigned to them, and they also get peer networking, which makes for great conversations and discussions.” 24

September / October 2015 Elearning!

Shaw’s Chris Clement tells us: “We are constantly hearing from our audience” — meaning his salesforce. “We can’t design training how we want to deliver it, because people have different learning styles. So we’ve got to respond to their needs, or we’ll be designing training that’s obsolete.” Vi Living’s new open-enrollment benefits education program not only received rave reviews from employees, but it also drove improvements in business-related metrics: a 69 percent increase in flex spending account participation, a 40 percent increase in the enhanced vision program, a 7 percent increase in the medical plan, and a 9 percent increase in 401(k) program participation. “And employee satisfaction grew along with participation,” Vi’s Judy Whitcomb tells us. “A follow-up employee survey determined that 90 percent of employees had a good understanding of company benefits compared to 83 percent from the prior survey.” Like the AHA, the financial services company SWBC also has implemented a mentoring program. And, like the AHA, it’s finding increased employee engage-

ment. “One hundred percent of the participants indicated their mentor/-mentee was a good match,” notes SWBC vice president of Training and Employee Development Mandy Smith. “The vast majority reported feeling more confident in their knowledge, skills and abilities. Six of the 30 participants reported receiving promotions during the program that they attribute to their mentor’s support and the mentoring program.” Learning! 100 applicants are evaluated across three criteria: Collaborative Strategies’ Collaboration Index, Darden School’s Learning Culture Index, and overall organizational performance. But beyond those metrics, if there is one lesson to be learned from the 2015 Learning! 100 honor roll, it’s that engaged employees are informed employees are excellent employees. To find out more about how the leading companies are being so successful with their learning programs, review the list on the following pages and watch for upcoming sessions, Web seminars, articles and events hosted by Elearning! magazine.

Community Involvement Spurs Innovation and Collaboration at Salesforce

“Collaboration with our customers, partners and employees has been a hallmark of Salesforce since the beginning — and the Success Community is the hub for that collaboration,” says Wayne McCulloch, senior vice president of Salesforce University. That’s why Salesforce has emerged as the No.1 corporate learning organization on this year’s Learning! 100 list. Salesforce’s Success Community was recently reborn when it migrated to the organization’s new Community Cloud platform. While it remains focused on providing support and training, the network has evolved to include formal collaboration groups, a product idea submission engine and more. “[Our] collaborative environment is a direct offshoot of the Salesforce culture — actively encouraging our contributors to share constructive feedback to improve our products, support each other through informal training, and build communities that help them network and grow,” Erica Kuhl, senior director of Community at Salesforce says. Managed by a team of five and supported by many more volunteers who moderate, answer questions and manage groups, the Success Community has more than 1 million registered members — and

nearly 150,000 of those members log in at least once a month.The Community platform brings customers together in a way that is easy for them to navigate, easy to manage and moderate, and that is accessible by those outside the Salesforce customer base. Three specific Community areas — peer-to-peer support, collaborative learning groups, and customer-based innovation — help drive the company’s learning effort.

Deepa Patel. Group members study together and use the group to ask and answer questions, as well as share best practices for getting certified.” The Community’s product roadmap includes several updates that will greatly enhance the member experience, including: >> A featured groups directory that showcases and curates the most vibrant, valuable Community groups. >> Public group landing pages that are

‘Our customers…are always finding new ways to share knowledge and learn.’

—Wayne McCulloch, senior VP, Salesforce University

>> In the Answers forum, members ask

and answer questions about the Salesforce platform; 100 percent of the questions are answered, 98 percent by customers. Salesforce’s support team answers any remaining questions. >> Salesforce-led collaboration groups are linked directly to instructor-led classes from Salesforce University, Salesforce’s training organization. With more than 3,200 members, these groups are focused on continuing the training experience beyond the classroom. >> Founded in 2013 by a customer, the Certification Study Group, which is free to join, has helped many members to earn Salesforce certifications. Group members have a 98 percent pass rate, thanks to the dedication of 15 customer session leaders around the world. “Our customers are our Community’s greatest innovators,” McCulloch says. “They are always finding new ways to share knowledge and learn. For example, one of our most engaged groups is the Salesforce Certification Study group, created by customer

viewable without having to log into the Community; this helps group owners promote the groups more broadly. >> A step-by-step onboarding “wizard” that will drive new members through their Success Community journey. “We’re so proud of how engaged the Salesforce Community members are,” Kuhl says. “It is a true example of how people can come together to support each other in a way that benefits so many.” “This award, along with global scale, adoption proving methodology, industry leading curriculum, online and mobile offerings, custom training services, and subscription products is helping to solidify Salesforce University as an iconic training organization in the industry today.” Salesforce is a three-time Learning! 100 winner.

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Learning!100

‘The Warfighter Deserves Nothing Less’ Than Top Training Access from DAU

It is unlike anyone at the Defense Acquisition University (DAU) to rest on laurels. Finishing tops among all public organizations in this year’s Learning! 100 competition is testament to that fact. “This past year, Jim Woolsey raised the bar and challenged our organization to excel,” says Dr. Chris Hardy, the university’s director of its Global Learning and Technology Center. “To improve business results, he expanded our scope and reach throughout the world, and integrated all formal and informal assets within our new enterprise-wide learning strategy. By doing so, we focused all activities primarily on job and organizational success. With this approach, more than 600 DAU faculty and staff are committed to providing the workforce a continuous presence on the job, helping them and their organizations succeed. “This has required real-time access to information via a variety of formats, to opportunities to network and share, to experts and coaches, and to the acquisition body of knowledge — all served up dynamically in a single portal designed to give users just what they need when they want it,” Hardy continues. “Additionally, our new enterprise learning strategy is called the Acquisition Learning Model (ALM).” The ALM — which has won numerous awards prior to the Learning! 100 — was nominated in the Performance category. With it, DAU’s primary measure of success of all courses, Web assets, and performance support is business results. Composed of the three separate yet integrated domains, the ALM “links” DAU’s training, continuous learning, knowledge sharing, mission assistance, qualification and team training capabilities — by being current, connected and innovative in every area.

DAU president Jim Woolsey (center, first row) and all the senior managers who helped make the DAU’s Learning! 100 award possible. “Our students need current information — the latest policies and guidelines, as well as example lessons that are relevant to their increasingly diverse and fast-paced work,” Hardy further notes. “For our students, current will mean up-to-date case studies and other course materials in our foundational learning, as well as continually refreshed and interesting news, assets and tools in our workflow learning. “Likewise, DAU must have current and direct knowledge of what’s going on in the acquisition enterprise so that we can anticipate the needs of our students, bring them the assets they need and teach in a way that is relevant to their work and their learning style. “And DAU must also be tightly connected to our customers and aligned with their priorities and challenges. This helps make our work meaningful and is also a key function of a corporate university.” DAU leaders are already improving the organization’s overall performance with several initiatives: >> Deploying alternate delivery methods to include “flipped” classrooms with micro-video lectures >> Incorporating critical thinking learning objectives into courses, and deploying new courses with emphasis on case studies and practical exercises; >> Finding efficiency in everything from

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printing to buildings to work assignments; >> Developing a “one-portal” philosophy for DAU’s Web-presence that enables ease of content discoverability and accidental learning; and >> Emphasizing Mission Assistance to immediately improve outcomes and also to give its faculty exposure to the most current problems and practices in the acquisition enterprise. “It has perhaps become a cliché to say that the world is changing fast, but there is no place where it is more true than in training and in defense,” Hardy concludes. “Those two worlds converge at DAU. Our new workforce thinks differently, learns differently, and will have demands on it unlike any have had in the past. These new initiatives will help us keep ahead of the changes in our environment and help us discover new opportunities to remain one of the world’s very best training organizations. The acquisition workforce and the warfighter deserve nothing less.” DAU is a five-time Learning! 100 winner.

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Increased Participation in Benefits Programs Helps Vi Living Retain Employees

Because voluntary employee turnover costs Vi Living more than $4 million annually, the company continually looks for areas in which corporate leaders can improve employee engagement and retention. In 2014, Vi’s HR and Learning and Organizational Development teams partnered to create a multi-faceted learning strategy focused on increasing employee understanding of benefits as well as participation. It is for this effort — the Open Enrollment Benefits Education Program — that Vi has been named a Learning! 100 champion in the area of corporate culture. Even though Vi spends in excess of $23 million dollars annually on benefits (7.5 percent of the company’s expenses excluding taxes), and offers a highly competitive benefit program, it has had less than desirable participation. Nor were perceptions and understanding of its benefits strong. So the Open Enrollment Benefits Program was implemented to increase overall participation. “We didn’t have strong participation in the flexible spending and 401(k) programs, so we applied the practices and principles we use in organizational L&D,” notes Vi’s Judy Whitcomb. “To that end, we rolled out an interactive online training tool. Within three weeks, 45 percent of our employees took advantage it.” The results played out last year with a 69 percent increase in flex spending account participation, a 40 percent increase in the enhanced vision program, a 7 percent increase in the medical plan, and a 9 percent increase in 401(k) program participation. “And employee satisfaction grew along with participation,” Whitcomb notes. “A follow-up employee survey determined that 90 percent of employees had a good understanding of company benefits compared to 83 percent from the prior survey.”

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Vi’s Breakthrough Leadership Program is a one-year development program for corporate and community leaders. For more than 25 years, Vi (pronounced “vee”) has been dedicated to providing quality environments, services and care to enrich the lives of older adults. Find out more at www.viliving.com.

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The education strategy included the following components: >> Pre-launch communications and marketing campaign >> Training and engagement of managers >> Utilizing Management Development Program participants as education champions >> Pre-launch in-person and webinar sessions to help managers understand goals of the program as well engaging them in promoting use of a new interactive training tool to help employees learn about and select their benefits >> Launch of “Alex,” a new interactive education benefits portal. This selfservice portal acted as an education tool as well helped employee select and understand their benefits. Whitcomb also took an active role in increasing participation by regularly visiting 10 employee communities in six states that include more than 600 employees who have participated in a one-year management development program. “It’s a local, community-run program with corporate L&D support,” she observes. “Employees get to participate in

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webinars and face-to-face meetings with corporate leaders, on top of all the learning programs we offer them. So at the local levels, they get a very customized program that is unique to their learning needs, but they also have the opportunity to participate in organizational programs that enhance their business knowledge skills and exposure to other leaders and employees in the organization.” Along with Whitcomb and department heads (Beverage, Nursing, Sales, etc.), Jill Denman — Vi’s assistant vice president of learning and development — human relations teams at each community, and functional-level support were all keys to the continuing L&D successes that have resulted in the company being named to the Learning! 100 for the second consecutive year. Vi is a five-time Learning! 100 winner.

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Learning!100

Recognizing that Organizational Success Begins with Heart Association’s Leaders

By virtue of the American Heart Association’s Leadership Engagement and Development (LEAD) program, it has been named one of the top Learning! 100 organizations in the public/non-profit sector. LEAD is a year-long “mini-MBA” program targeted at the AHA’s 50 executive directors (EDs).

training created in Skillsoft, articles, chapters of books, various readings, plus a webinar that follows. Then, three case studies and two projects in four days of face-to-face training. Case studies explore topics such as influence, coaching, networking, building/maintaining relationships, diversity and more. Projects deal with real-world problems that AHA is working to resolve, oriented with issues that it’s having within the organization. The program concludes with another two-day session a full year after it begins. “The inspiration and intent of LEAD

‘We want to ensure that our EDs are the best brand ambassadors in the communities where we are present.’ —Katherine Neverdousky, AHA VP The ED for any metro area is responsible for all volunteers and staff that lead events such as Heart Walk, Heart Ball/Gala and Go Red for Women. The EDs manage and recruit high-level (such as C-Suite) talent for their boards and direct all aspects of their metro area. The intention of the LEAD program is to improve the performance (and reduce the variability of performance) of the EDs, to create an educational experience that focuses on developing leadership skills, and to provide a strong peer network. The program begins with a two-day launch event preceded by assigned prework that consists of YouTube videos,

has been to strategically invest developmental resources and opportunities in the ED role so that it can have a significant impact on the rest of the AHA,” says Katherine Neverdousky, vice president of HR and Corporate Training. “If we make an investment of time and resources, we know that we are fostering employee development, impacting retention, and assuring success in AHS’s long-term strategy.” As performance, retention and engagement within the ED role are positively impacted, so too are the same areas of volunteers, boards and staff (employees) in the metro areas led by the EDs. “AHA is a very respected brand, and

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as such we want to ensure that our EDs are the best brand ambassadors in the communities where we are present,” Neverdousky notes. “By focusing on such a key and pivotal role and investing in a robust and comprehensive leadership development program, we hope to achieve measureable and positive impact to the EDs.” The program’s design provides the EDs with: >> leading-edge content >> exposure to internal and external subject matter experts/resources, >> best practices regarding processes and tools, >> experiences solving real organizational issues >> a peer network, and >> in-depth study in the areas designated as important to the role. The first cohort began in August of last year and ended last month. The second cohort launched this past April. “Participants are very excited,” says Neverdousky. “They appreciate the opportunity to interface with different executives. It’s truly a mentoring opportunity for them and the subject-matter experts assigned to them, and they also get peer networking that makes for great conversations and discussions.” One of the big areas of focus during the first cohort was improving fundraiser retention. To that end, turnover decreased from 21 percent to 17 percent. So the AHA is already seeing impacts to the areas being measured via anecdotal data that confirms the positive effect of the program on the participants, their staff and their leaders. AHA is a four-time Learning! 100 winner.

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Collaboration Is Just One Way That IBM Is Improving Corporate Learning

Because the world’s information technology infrastructure is being transformed by the emergence of Cloud computing, IBM’s most critical business challenges and opportunities are to reach the new buyers that these major shifts in the technology sector have created. “Learning must support our transformation by enabling us to seize these new opportunities for growth and make the shift to the new era of computing,” observes Frank Persico, vice president of IBM Learning. “Learning needs to build the skills to deliver on our growth plays. “Our initial actions were transforming how we select new IBMers, how we invite and engage them as they join, how we train our sellers and technical professionals to succeed in a rapidly changing technology sector, and how we train our new managers and executives to be effective stewards and leaders of IBM.” While many large corporations determine learning needs based on current requirements, IBM Learning now addresses adaptive challenges — skill and performance gaps that cannot be closed by existing methods alone. “It is a profound and fundamental challenge,” Persico says. This year, IBM was named a Learning! 100 winner for collaboration. Cooperation comes from the top. When CEO Ginni Rometty’s new administration began in 2013, she directed the creation of enterprise-wide employee online collaboration tool, “Communities,” virtual spaces where employees share information, ask questions and work collaboratively. There are now 138,763 unrestricted public online “Communities” of interest topics

where work is done. In one of her more recent all-hands’ conversations with employees, Rometty said, “We must evolve by continually developing our skills and expertise. IBM is committed to supporting all our employees’ professional excellence.” She also introduced IBM’s “Think 40” initiative that provides every employee at least 40 hours of work time each year for the purpose of his or her own professional development. “We cannot build a great business without nurturing from within,” she believes. One of the company’s most innovative learning initiatives is its enhanced

markets such as Hungary, India, Brazil, China and South Africa with a live global broadcast. Today, IBM annually broadcasts six smaller face-to-face events live to all 380,000 employees in more than 170 countries. It uses Livestream technology, blending online social elements that engage a large virtual audience. During the live presentation, virtual attendees can ask questions of each other and the speaker. This new design also introduced the business challenges that organize global teams to collectively solve real business problems. “But that’s not all,” Persico insists.

‘IBM Learning now addresses skill and performance gaps that cannot be closed by existing methods alone.’ –Frank Persico, vice president, IBM Learning

Technical Leadership Exchange (TLE), a premier showcase for technical leaders that provides a platform to submit, publish, innovate, share ideas and gain recognition. Not long ago, nearly 5,000 technical leaders would travel to a physical location for a face-to-face, three-day conference. Due to the increase in its global workforce, especially in emerging markets, this model became cost-prohibitive. A totally virtual approach was piloted, but participants were missing the face-toface component. So an innovative hybrid design was developed to limit travel and expenses and keep the face-to-face component. This design focuses on locations where rapid increase of skills is needed by bringing the event to the emerging

“We are building skills in an agile way as older, industrial models of learning become less relevant. We can no longer architect and construct learning ‘factories’ that prepare predictable crowds of employees to perform predictable work. Technology and the opportunities it creates are shifting too quickly.” IBM is a five-time Learning! 100 winner.

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Elearning! September / October 2015

Learning!100

NASA Using Space Exploration to Reach STEM Students, Pre-K Through College >> Attracting and retaining students in

“NASA’s journeys into air and space have deepened humankind’s understanding of the universe, advanced technology breakthroughs, enhanced air travel safety and security, and expanded the frontiers of scientific research,” the federal space program’s mission statement says. “These accomplishments share a common genesis: education. As the United States begins the second century of flight, the nation must maintain its commitment to excellence in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education to ensure that the next generation of Americans can accept the full measure of their roles and responsibilities in shaping the future.” Because of its energetic and insightful approach to STEM education, NASA has been named one of the top Learning! 100 organizations in the nation. NASA plans to continue its tradition of investing in the nation’s education programs and supporting the country’s educators “who play a key role in preparing, inspiring, exciting, encouraging, and nurturing the young minds of today who will be the workforce of tomorrow.” Its three major education goals are: >> Strengthening NASA and the nation’s future workforce

science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines >> Engaging Americans in NASA’s mission NASA’s education program strives to “inspire and motivate students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics” by supporting

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ing the experience of exploration and discovery” by supporting informal education and public outreach efforts. NASA’s commitment to education places special emphasis on these goals by increasing elementary and secondary education participation in NASA projects; enhancing higher education capability in STEM disciplines; increasing participation by under-represented and under-served communities; expanding electronic education; and expanding NASA’s participation with the informal education community. NASA’s Office of Education supports education at all levels, with linkages to NASA research as a central part of its focus. The majority of NASA support to higher education is delivered through the NASA Mission Directorates, which coordinate projects for students, faculty and institutions that broaden the base of those who compete for NASA research awards. According to NASA, these initiatives help create and sustain the scientific and engineering workforce of the future.

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NASA’s Office of Education supports EXCELLENCE EXCELLENCE education at all levels, with linkages to NASA research as a central part of its focus. AREA OF AREA OF

education in the nation’s schools and to COLLABORATION “engage the public in shaping and shar-

NASA’s STEM education is directed primarily at educators and students from pre-K through college, along with a special “Kids’ Club” interactive website. Education opportunities for educators include activities like a Ceres “Bright Spot” mystery poll, a “Geography from Space” trivia contest, and teacher professional development programs at the Na-

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tional AeroSpace Training and Research (NASTAR) Center in Pennsylvania. For students, lectures with live online webcasts have become a prime mode of learning. A small sample: “Birth of Planets,” “The Juno Mission to Jupiter” and “Journey to the Center of Mars,” A series of “challenges” also acquaints youngsters and teens with science and technology. In the future, “the Office of Education will continue to emphasize sharing the results of NASA missions and research programs with wider audiences by using science discoveries and research applications as vehicles to improve teaching and learning at all levels,” the respected organization concludes. NASA is a three-time Learning! 100 winner.

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Shaw Chooses Diverse New Training for Geographically Diverse New Workforce

With more than $4.8 billion in annual sales and more than 24,000 customers worldwide, sales training is vitally important to Shaw. Its sales training program encompasses a multi-tiered approach using a variety of media and instructional techniques to developing the salesforce necessary to support the diverse customer needs for Shaw. Included in the approach are a new talent pipeline, facilities for keeping the salesforce current on new product introductions, and ensuring that it has the skills to serve a diverse customer base. These and other factors resulted in Shaw being named one of Learning! 100’s top organizations.

clusively. Not only must training be offered in multiple languages, but it must also take into account cultural differences around the world. And that’s something new for a company that is just emerging globally. Additionally, the subject matter — floor coverings — is more technical than you might expect. “We have sales people that sell hard surfaces, carpet and sports turf,” says Shaw’s Chris Clement. “It’s really a wide range of products with technical nuances that separate them from competition. The topic of functionality can also become complex. “The biggest challenge is that our target audience is not in the same geography as our base it. It’s all over the globe. The feedback is we can’t take as much time out of market coming to Dalton (Ga.). We’ve got to figure out where our clients are, and that’s everywhere. ILT is the best way to asses performance, but

Many of Shaw’s hires are right out of school, so they have the learning habits of Millennials: shorter but more frequent bursts of information. Shaw’s sales workforce of more than 1,700 is faced with meeting the needs of a diverse, global customer base that requires a diverse product mix. New products are introduced two to three times a year — often dozens of styles across multiple product lines. The salesforce is scattered all across the world, which often can make training challenging when traditional instructor-led approaches are used ex-

you can’t do it all that way.” Maintaining a pipeline of new talent is one challenge that must be met, in order to not lose ground to competitors when retirements or turnover occur. New hires spend 12 weeks at the corporate headquarters in Dalton, attending a “boot camp” to learn the industry, the company and its products. Many hires are right out of school, so they have the learning habits of Millennials:

shorter batches of information with more frequent bursts. “We’ve gamified a lot of the training, too,” says Clement. “Gamification for us is allows sales people to win points through answering questions correctly. But we’re very, very early in developing that facet of our training; our last class was our pilot program. They were our guinea pigs, and it worked beautifully, so we’re planning to expand that portion of our sales training. It’s a competition, and sales is definitely a competition.” Testing is done via the Trivie mobile format. “We test for comprehension,” Clement notes. “Before Trivie, we used written tests that took long time to take and grade. But with Trivie, the results are instantaneous, in real-time. That affords us the opportunity to give needed coaching quickly.” Because the training is competitive, like the sales profession, it has an upto-date leaderboard, and participants are given a monetary incentive to excel. But experienced new hires don’t attend the corporate university. They are given more condensed training. “We do a lot of things in our mobile app,” Clement says. “The idea is, if you’re a sales person, we give you information when and where you need it, not just when you can show up.” Diversity is the key, Clement notes: “We’ve diversified as a company in our product offeriengs and locations. Our learning programs are reflections of that.” Shaw Industries is a five-time Learning! 100 winner.

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Elearning! September / October 2015

Learning!100

Linking Agencies at OPM Leads to Increased ‘Cross-Domain’ Collaboration

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management has a vibrant training and learning core based on a cross-domain communications model. For the agency’s work in federal agency collaboration and technology, it was named a top performer in the 2015 Learning! 100 awards program. The cross-domain communications model is designed to allow a course or course content to be stored and maintained in one centralized domain location so that it can be directly accessed by multiple agency learning management systems (LMSs). “Implementing the cross-domain

cord is recorded via cross-domain communications back in the agency’s LMS of origination. As a result, the agency has a real-time accounting of all of the employees training that has occurred within the LMS environment.” Configuration management is also simpler, Peratino says, because as course content changes, the changes do not have to be sent out and implemented at each agency. The previous model used a relational database architecture and unique file names for each unique course. To reuse that course for any other purpose meant repro-

Using an object-oriented database architecture to house very low-level granular knowledge objects allows agencies to reuse the objects multiple AREA OF times for different purposes.

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communications model eliminates the need to distribute and configure copies of courses for various LMS configurations,” says OPM’s Will Peratino, director of innovation for Emerging Solutions. “And it eliminates all of the technical support staff hours associated with implementing the course in each agency’s LMS. “Instead, the agency user signs into the agencies LMS, and when the course is selected, it is seamlessly launched and delivered to the user. The most important point is that the training event re-

gramming another unique instance. Conversely, using an object-oriented database architecture to house very lowlevel granular knowledge objects such as animations, an explanation of a concept, graphics, audio files, PDFs and text content allows agencies to reuse the objects multiple times for different purposes and only have one occurrence of the object in the repository. These knowledge objects in the content repository can then be assembled to compose not only courses but best practices, FAQs, justin-time training, job aids, references,

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refresher training, and different levels of support for different target audiences — which all are accessed and delivered dynamically to meet multiple real-time requirements that can be adapted to the needs of the learner. Within the knowledge portal, content files are separated from the presentation layer, which can be a desktop computer, a website, a PDA device. “We don’t care, because we have a skin for each device that frames, structures and formats the content that’s dynamically populated from the knowledge object repository into that skin as it’s delivered to the user,” Peratino notes. Another factor in OPM’s entry into the Learning! 100 competition was its HRU virtual university, for all HR specialties (HRU.gov). Instead of being a typical LMS, it’s an HR knowledge repository that’s object-oriented. Agencies open their CDC from their LMS environment. They sign on to their LMS, see the table of contents in the LMS, click on one and are linked to where course is delivered from. “The really cool thing is that finishing course, instead of writing the completion data at OPM, it writes it back in the LMS at the origination agency, which is what the agencies have wanted all along,” Peratino says. US OPM is a four-time Learning! 100 winner.

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Mentoring at SWBC Gives Employees Mutual Access Through Skype, SharePoint

In an effort to meet a number of objectives, learning styles, diversity in experience and product/service exposure, SWBC has launched a unique mentoring program. It is for this effort that the finance company was named one of the leading private-sector learning organizations in this magazine’s Learning! 100 competition for 2015. According to SWBC vice president of Training and Employee Development Mandy Smith, the majority of its employees had indicated they wanted to participate in a mentoring program, but they had little to no experience or knowledge of how to do it. “The result is a fairly structured program, where mentors and mentees (protégés) learn how to get the most out of the program,” she wrote in her nomination form. The group as a whole met regularly to discuss objectives, goals, experience and success stories. Subsequently, participants were given instructions on how to get the most out of the programs, like how often to have meetings, agenda suggestions and goal-setting. Initially, program administrators were concerned about whether mentors/mentees would be able to commit to a year-long program. They also wanted to ensure that the established methods of matching mentors to mentees would be successful. An accelerated pilot program kicked off the effort, to ensure its structure would be successful. The 20 voluntary employees who participated in the pilot program were very generous with their feedback, which was almost all positive. They were able to share some suggestions, and as a result program administrators were able to develop additional tools (handouts, worksheets, etc.) before officially launching the program. The pilot group also

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Some of the happy employees at SWBC, which is based in San Antonio, Tex., and is a top finisher in the 2015 Learning! 100 competition. served as champions of the program. They were so excited and were benefiting so much, they spread the word, so there was a lot of enthusiasm among employees prior to the official launch. “We wanted the program to have some richness and depth,” Smith admits. So face-to-face interactions among employees who work in the same locations was one of the keys. “But we have employees across the country, so they may use Skype and SharePoint — which helps us collect and have discussions and have a landing place — and eLogic for enrollment, record-keeping and launching surveys.” Employees who are interested in the program fill out application forms and get approval from their managers. Then Human Resources and Training personnel go through the applications, determining short- and long-term goals, areas of strengths and world experience to share. Then they make the pairings. Members of SWBC’s executive management team also are very active as mentors — and they take the role very seriously, because it demonstrates their dedication to the employees as a whole.

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“The initial results were better than we anticipated,” Smith continues, citing a survey that showed unanimous approval of the mentor/mentee matches. “Not only was the participant feedback positive, we heard stories of process improvements taking place across division lines. In addition, six of the 30 participants received promotions during their program and attribute their success to their mentor.” In the future, many of the mentoring program’s core pieces will remain steady, but with different business units and different employees becoming involved, administrators will need to evolve to their needs. “We need to bring in additional development opportunities, like having a dedicated session/workshop on communication skills,” Smith concludes. SWBC is a first-time Learning! 100 winner.

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ISTE at the Forefront of EdTech Learning Standards for learning and teaching. The ISTE Standards team regularly refreshes the five sets of standards for digital age teaching and learning. In 2016, an updated version of the Standards for students will be released at the organization’s annual conference. And one of the newest programs ISTE offers is the Verizon Mobile Learning Academy, a free, virtual professional learning program designed for school teams that are integrating mobile technology into learning and teaching. In 2014, with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, ISTE created Project ReimaginEd, a new social learning community dedicated to redesigning learning activities that meet ISTE

More than 100,000 education stakeholders throughout the world take advantage of the wide range of programs and services that the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) offers. Besides using ISTE Standards for learning and teaching, they engage in webinars, face-to-face and virtual conferences or local trainings. They can join any of the 29 ISTE Professional Learning Networks.

At the end of this year, ISTE members will have collaborated on the creation of 200 sample lessons, artifacts and resources. “ISTE is an incredibly passionate, dedicated nonprofit focused on supporting educators as they embrace, and help their students to embrace, learning with technology,” says ISTE CEO Brian Lewis. “We often say, ‘It’s not about the technology, it’s about learning and teaching,’ and that’s exactly right.” The organization’s expertise cuts across all those programs and offerings. For instance, ISTE’s new Lead & Transform Diagnostic Tool allows educators to measure progress along each of the “Essential Conditions,” the 14 critical elements necessary to effectively leverage technology for learning. The Essential Conditions are the foundation of ISTE’s

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Standards and the Common Core State Standards. At the end of the 2015, ISTE members will have collaborated on the creation of 200 sample lessons, artifacts and resources. “Education must continue to innovate,” Lewis says. “The rapid pace of global change means we must be in a continuous state of improvement and growth. As educators and education leaders, we have to empower students to succeed in and create a world we can’t anticipate.” Of course, change is hard, and deep change in education is harder. “The good news is that we’re getting better at it,” Lewis offers. “We’ve seen

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enough successes that we’re learning much more about how to do deep, serious innovation in education. We’re broadening not only the definition of student success, but our understanding of how to achieve it, and we will continue to do so.” Lewis believes that three key factors help ISTE to innovate in education: 1) We accept that the pace of change is going to continue and education will continue to evolve — probably faster than ever. The school culture can set a powerful example of lifelong learning to deal with change and uncertainty. 2) We create non-punitive cultures that value what is learned from mistakes. If we’re not making mistakes, we’re not innovating. We need to live up to our promise to support one another as lifelong learners. 3) We promote collaboration through the evolution from traditional teacher isolation to collegial support. All of us in education are going to need vibrant, ongoing professional development, as well as an environment that encourages us to learn from and share with peers. “We must think deeply about every aspect of learning,” Lewis concludes. “ISTE opens opportunities for teachers to test their theories with like-minded peers. We collaborate with others across the industry to create different pathways for success by equipping and empowering educators to embrace a constantly evolving future and supporting them in their lifelong learning. In turn, they create digital learning environments that inspire and excite students.” ISTE is a two-time Learning! 100 winner.

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PRIVATE SECTOR ENTERPRISE TOP 60 Rank

Company Name

Industry

Revenues

Number of Employees or Members (m)

Program

Area of Excellence

Salesforce

Software

$4.07 Billion

13,300

Salesforce Success Community

Innovation

Health Care

$299 Million

2,700

Benefits Education & Retention

Culture

IBM

Computers/Electronics

$29.3 Billion

431,212

Technical Leadership Exchange

Collaboration

Shaw Industries Group, Inc.

Manufacturing

$83.2 Billion

22,686

Sales Training Program

Innovation

SWBC

Finance & Insurance

$380 Million

2,045

Mentoring Program

Culture

VMWare

Software/Internet

$5.21 Billion

18,000

Customer Training Program

Culture

ADI Global Distribution

Security Products

$39 Billion

132,000

Sales Training Program

Innovation

AT&T

Telecom

$132.5 Billion

245,153

Leading with Distinction

Culture

Advance Auto Parts

Retail Trade

$9.5 Billion

46,000

Commercial Sales Program

Culture

Ascension Information Services

Health Care

$726 Million

2,593

Advantage Social Collaboration

Collaboration

USAA

Finance & Insurance

$24.2 Billion

27,483

Member Services New Employee On-boarding

Performance

G4S Secure Solutions (USA) Inc.

Security Svcs

$6.8 Billion

618,000

Security Team Training

Performance

MTR Corporation

Transportation & Warehousing

$4.5 Billion

32,000

Train for Life Journey, Youth Community Program

Performance

Realogy

Real Estate, Rental & Leasing

$5.3 Billion

10,700

Talent Attraction Program

Culture

Navy Federal Credit Union

Banking

$2.54 Billion

12,705

Leadership Development

Culture

Facebook

Media

$7.8 Billion

9,199

Collaborative Learning

Innovation

AlliedBarton Security Services

Security Services

$2.16 Billion

64,000

Project Cura: Care, Serve, Grow

Innovation

Bayer

Pharmaceuticals

$47 Billion

118,900

Product Training

Innovation

Quicken Loans

Finanancial Svcs

$3.6 Billion

12,000

Technology & Empowerment Culture

Culture

Waddell & Reed

Finance & Insurance

$1.6 Billion

3,555

Choice Advisors

Innovation

Telus Communications

Telecommunication

$10.9 Billion

40,000

Collaborative Teamwork

Collaboration

Media

$646 Million

5700

Certification Training

Performance

Intel

Computers/Electronics

$52.7 Billion

106,000

Intel Teach Program Worldwide

Culture

Scientific Testing

$960 Million

Safety Training

Collaboration

CA Technologies

Information Technology & Services

$4.4 Billion

12,062

Learning On-demand Platform

Culture

Workday

Software

$787 Million

3,750

Generation Workday

Culture

WD-40 Company

Manufacturing

$342 Million

347

Open Culture

Culture

McDonaldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Corporation

Hospitality

$24.4 Billion

420,000

Global On-boarding Program

Innovation

Leumi Bank

Banking

$5 Billion

11,500

Executive Simulation Training

Innovation

Chrysler

Manufacturing

$96.09 Billion

228,690

Gaming as Learning Strategy

Innovation

Elearning! September / October 2015

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PRIVATE SECTOR ENTERPRISE TOP 60 Rank

Company Name

Industry

Revenues

Number of Employees or Members (m)

Program

Area of Excellence

Cisco

I.T. & Services

$48.6 Billion

72,247

Collaborative Knowledge Program

Collaboration

Starbucks

Hospitality

$16.44 Billion

182,000

Free Tuition Benefits

Culture

Jafra Cosmetics Intl, Inc.

Wholesale Trade

$50 Million (Est.)

550,000

BeYOUtiful Product Training

Performance

JetBlue

Transportation

$5.8 Billion

15,334

Pilot Certification Training

Culture

AutoDesk

Software

$2.5 Billion

8,823

Sales & Service Training

Performance

United Healthcare

Healthcare & Social Services

$130.4 Billion

170,000

TennCare MCO PCP Compliance Training

Collaboration

IBM

Business Services

$29.3 Billion

431,212

Global Channel Virtual Conferences

Collaboration

Google

Media

$37.4 Billion

53,000

Google EDU

Collaboration

Tupperware

Manufacturing

$2.61 Billion

13,100

Global Product Training

Performance

Choice Logistics

Transportation

$10 Million

200

Business Alignment Strategies

Culture

INXPO

Information Technology & Services

100

Feature Bytes Product Training

Collaboration

Cubic

Manufacturing

$1.4 Billion

7,900

Project Aspire: Game-based Training

Innovation

First Insight Corporation

Computers/Electronics

$3.1 Million

100

Virtual Users Conference

Culture

NorthBay Healthcare

Health Care

$464 Million

826

Leadership Development

Collaboration

Mondelez International

Food Processing

$34 Billion

107,000

Virtual Marketing Training

Collaboration

Neiman Marcus

Retail Trade

$4.65 Billion

16,000

Compentency-based Training

Innovation

Mercy

Health Care

$4.9 Million

880

Leadership Development Participation Initiative

Performance

Fidelity National Title

Mortgage Finance

$8.03 Billion

56,883

Virtual Legal Compliance Training

Collaboration

Virtusa

Computer Services

$397 Million

8,054

Career Compass Professional Development

Performance

CapGemini

I.T. & Services

$14.1 Billion

143,643

Virtual CapGemini University

Collaboration

Robbins Research Intâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;l.

Business Svcs

$10 Million

250

Unleash the Power Within

Culture

Deloitte

Business Svcs

$32.2 Billion

210,400

Global Leadership Development

Culture

SIBUR

Chemical Processing

$6 Billion

26,000

Oil Production Systems Training

Performance

Tata Steel

Manufacturing

$24.8 Billion

80,000

Contractor Safety Program

Performance

Dubois Chemical

Chemical Processing

$300 Million

750

Sales Performance Development

Performance

Solutions Cube Group

Education Svcs

Project Management Training

Collaboration

Nodelcorp Consulting

Education Svcs

Climate Change Education

Innovation

Edmentum, Inc.

Education Svcs

300

Sales Performance Training

Performance

Zalf

Non-profit organizations

Climate Change Serious Game

Innovation

InReach Continuing Educational Services

Education Svcs

Accreditation Training

Culture

September / October 2015 Elearning!

PUBLIC SECTOR ORGANIZATIONS TOP 40 Rank

Company Name

Industry

#of Program Employees, Members (m), Learners (L)

Area of Excellence

Defense Acquistion University, US Dept of Defense

Military Defense

151,000

Corporate University

Performance

American Heart Association

Non-Profit Organization

3,139

LEAD Program

Innovation

NASA

Government

17,800

Stem Education Initiative

Culture

U.S. Office of Personnel Management

Government

1.6 million

IntraAgency Collaboration

Collaboration

ISTE

Association

100,000 (m)

K-12 Learning Technology Advocacy

Collaboration

Team Orlando

Government (Federal, State, 4 Local)

AR Sand Table

Collaboration

American Society of Association Executives Association

21,000 (m)

Member Education

Performance

SkillsUSA.org

Non-Profit Organization

300,000 (m)

Technical Skills Training Outreach

Culture

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Non-Profit Organization

NextGen Learning Goals

Collaboration

National Defense University

School/Colleges

700

iCollege

Culture

University of Texas Southwestern Medical Ctr

Schools/Colleges

14,000

Medical Team Training

Innovation

College for America, SNHU

Schools/Colleges

500

Personalized Degree Program

Collaboration

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

Government

7,000

Leadership Development

Culture

Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division

Miltary/Defense

Simulation Training

Innovation

NASCAR

Association

6,000

Track Training Initiative

Innovation

Advanced Distributed Learning Initiative

Government (Federal, State, 32 Local)

xAPI Advocacy

Collaboration

iNACOL

Association

200

K-12 Learning Technology Advocacy

Collaboration

High Tech High

Schools/Colleges

500

Project Based Education

Innovation

Veterans Affairs Acquisition Academy, US Dept of Veterans Affairs

Government (Federal, State, 280,000 Local)

Integrate Compentency-based Training

Performance

MIT Media Lab

School/Colleges

170

Advanced Technologies in Education

Innovation

California State Board of Equalization

Government

Gamification of Softskills Training

Innovation

Khan Academy

Non-Profit Organization

Flipped Classes

Innovation

George Mason University

Schools/Colleges

7,500

Learning Technologies Education

Culture

Montgomery County Community College

Schools/Colleges

250

Virtual Campus

Collaboration

US Military Academy, West Point

Schools/Colleges

1200

iPad Learning

Culture

University of Central Florida, IST

Schools/Colleges

4,900

Simulation Training Research

Innovation

U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC)

Government

Distance Learning Program

Culture

University of Maryland, Human-Computer Interaction Lab

Schools/Colleges

500

Social Analytics Research

Innovation

Elearning! September / October 2015

Learning!100

PUBLIC SECTOR ORGANIZATIONS TOP 40 Rank

Company Name

Industry

#of Program Employees, Members (m), Learners (L)

Area of Excellence

Wounded Warrior Program

Non-Profit Organization

Veterans Transition Training

Collaboration

Joint Staff Joint Training

Military/Defense

Blended Learning in Military Exercises

Performance

TedED

Non-Profit Organization

Lessons Worth Sharing

Collaboration

FGDLA

Association

335

Federal Distance Learning Advocacy

Collaboration

USDLA

Association

20,000 (m)

National Distance Learning Advocacy

Collaboration

U.S. Air Force

Military/Defense

300,000 (L)

Air TV Network

Culture

Coursera

Educational Services

MOOC

Innovation

EDX

Educational Services

MOOC

Innovation

Modern States Education Alliance

Non-Profit Organization

100

Free Freshman Year Initiative

Innovation

National Training Schools

Schools/Colleges

CDL Blended Learning Program

Innovation

National Training & Simulation Association

Association

57,000 (m)

Military Simulation Advocacy

Collaboration

E-learning for Kids

Non-Profit Organization

Global E-learning Education

Collaboration

Providing an extraordinary environment for senior

Our employees make a difference in people’s lives. And we’re committed to making a difference in theirs.

living starts with extraordinary employees. At Vi, we’re committed to supporting the growth of our employees through engaging opportunities such as our Leadership Institute and Management Development Programs. We’re proud to be selected as a Learning! 100 award recipient for a fifth year in a row. But what we’re most proud of is our high employee satisfaction scores and strong employee retention rates. Vi. An exceptional place to work, learn and grow.

Learn more about exciting opportunities at ViLiving.com/Company/Careers.

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September / October 2015 Elearning!

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E M P L OY E E C O L L A B O R A T I O N , P E R F O R M A N C E & L E A R N I N G T O O L S F O R THE MODERN WORKPL ACE

How to

Consumerize the Enterprise TWO EXPERTS DISCUSS THE IMPACT OF CONSUMER APPLICATIONS ON ENTERPRISE SOFTWARE, AND HOW LEARNING LEADERS CAN LEVERAGE THE CONCEPT. BY JERRY ROCHE It’s a new day in the field of corporate e-learning. Improving employee engagement, personalizing learning and improving leadership skills are now the top drivers

for investing in learning today, according to the 2015 E-learning User Study conducted by Elearning! magazine. An industry pioneer is offering learning leaders a single strategy for improving engagement and personalizing learning options that can be applied across all types of content — including leadership training. “We say it with a touch of irony, but the idea behind the following phrase is very real and already proven,” says Chip Ramsey, CEO of Intellum. “You have to consumerize the enterprise.”

THE ANSWER LIES IN THE APPS When we look at the trends associated with the meteoric rise in the consumer adoption of application software, when we dig into why we all seem to gravitate toward the same applications in our personal lives, four key points of interest emerge, according to Ramsey and Intellum co-founder Matt Gilley: They are mobile. The amount of time spent with digital media on mobile devices surpassed desktop usage last year and is continuing to climb.

Elearning! September / October 2015

consumerizetheenterprise

They offer high-quality user experiences. According to a recent report from Forrester Research, on average, we spend more than 80 percent of our mobile time using just five apps. To retain our lucrative attention, the consumer market demands these apps consistently deliver a great experience. They are hyper-focused. The most popular apps exist for a very specific purpose — to share photos, to listen to music, to take notes, or even to “knock down buildings with birds.” They value the power of design. The applications that succeed in delivering a “must-have” user experience share common traits: thoughtful, purposeful,

The amount of time spent with digital media on mobile devices surpassed desktop usage last year and is continuing to climb.

elegant design. So what do the common attributes of the most successful consumer apps have to do with the recently identified hot buttons driving learning investments? “If the best consumer apps can secure a lion’s share of our total mobile engagement, if they can succeed at presenting a daily news feed tailored to our individual interests, if they can be used to significantly boost productivity,” says Ramsey, “we should apply the same approach to developing learning tools that can, for example, address the issues identified in the E-learning User Study — tools that can drastically improve employee engagement and that allow companies to offer personalized learning experiences, even when focused on a specific topic like improving leadership skills.” EXPERIENCE, INNOVATION, INSPIRATION Intellum was founded in 2000, providing an early software platform for learning and training. By 2004, the company had fully developed the first iteration of its flagship product, the Exceed LMS. In 2014, it launched Tribe Social, a private activity stream, a video app called Reels, and a performance tracking app called Level, currently in beta. “We have witnessed multiple transformations in the learning industry and have always prided ourselves on staying ahead of the curve,” says Ramsey. His team believes that learning, social collaboration and performance tools should be as powerful, enjoyable and easyto-use as the consumer applications we rely on every day. “I think the only way you can stay informed and understand where the learning technology market is headed is to understand how people use technology in their personal lives,” says Ramsey. “Playing with Instagram and Snapchat, checking out the Fitbit app, looking at how content is shared on Reddit — these exercises all provide a great deal of insight. Consumer apps have been born out of fierce competition for peoples’ precious time and in many cases have evolved into highly valuable and engaging experiences. This is where we look for inspiration, and the result is evident across all of our tools.”

September / October 2015 Elearning!

IN THE REAL WORLD When AT&T’s Aio Wireless merged with Cricket Wireless in March of 2014, the new company wanted to provide its learners a consumer-like experience. “With 20,000 employees, contractors and merger-related personnel in the mix, there was a plethora of Cricket communication needs, ranging from corporate updates to sales promotions to breaking news on network outages,” observes Gilley. “Cricket realized that email was not going to cut it. The company needed a communication tool that allowed it to touch employees in real time, while encouraging and supporting employee participation as well.” Enter Tribe Social. “We rapidly got this large audience up and running on Tribe, and users immediately found the tool familiar, like the other social networking tools they use everyday,” notes Ramsey. “As a result, teams were communicating instantly, engaged, sharing merger-related information and even crowd-sourcing support issues. The new tool played a crucial role in what would prove to be a very successful merger.” AdvancePierre Foods is a $1.5 billion food processing company and the No.1 maker of sandwiches in the U.S. Leveraging Intellum’s Exceed LMS and Tribe Social, AdvancePierre conceptualized a theme for its overarching learning environment that cleverly played off the company’s position in the food processing and manufacturing industry. They call it “The Learning Café.” Imagine a café chalkboard menu, divided into two main sections: Entrées and Á La Carte. This is the visual AdvancePierre associates encounter when they log into the learning environment. Mimicking the café menu, entrées include leadership courses, foundational courses on things every AdvancePierre employee should know, elective courses and “monthly specials,” which allow the company to push out time-sensitive and relevant content. The Á La Carte portion of the menu leads to the entire AdvancePierre training library and personal development resources. It also includes the Virtual Coffee Break, “which allows the company to create a dialogue where associates can discuss courses they’ve taken or articles and books they’ve read,” says Gilley. “In a way, it becomes a more modern version of the proverbial office water cooler.” Waffle House, known for “Good Food

Fast,” may soon be known for “Bitesized Content Quickly.” Like many other companies, Waffle House recently began moving toward shorter segments of content throughout its learning environment. One goal was to find a way to deliver bite-sized videos that better aligned with how its employees create and consume certain types of information in their personal lives. While the Exceed LMS seamlessly handles a wide variety of training and learning video, the team leveraged Reels, its private YouTube-like video platform, to help

FROM SWOLLEN TO SKINNY Today, many learning ecosystems are closed; managed by a traditional LMS and linked to an HRIS system of record. So how does the learning leader attempt to move to an “app for that” environment without disrupting the underlying enterprise systems? “We started thinking about this five years ago and noticed that the tendency of enterprise apps, even our own, is to get into a features arms race,” says Ramsey. “Bloated and monolithic seems to be the natural progression in the enterprise space. To fix that, we built a platform that

Learning tools should be as powerful, enjoyable and easy-to-use as the consumer applications we rely on every day. Waffle House open up the way this specific content is created and shared. “Imagine that a location’s freezer, or ‘chiller,’ suddenly goes down,” says Gilley. “A Waffle House maintenance expert can go to that restaurant, shoot a two-minute video on his mobile device detailing how to reset a chiller, and upload the video to Reels. In the future, if a chiller in another restaurant goes out, other Waffle House maintenance team members can open Reels, search for ‘chiller’ and have immediate access to that same video.” Waffle House employees have created more than 1,000 videos inside their Reels environment since the launch of the tool — and it has been a huge collaborative success. “This is no different from how we create and share video in our personal lives,” says Ramsey. “But the traditional learning systems are top down and do not allow the actual users to create and share content. So all of the knowledge that resides in your employees remains locked up. You should be striving to develop a culture and secure the tools that allow your users to create and share this incredibly valuable knowledge.”

would allow us to add features without adding bloat. Social, for example, is a stand-alone app for us. “We can then leverage the platform to create a single sign-on experience that is similar to Facebook Connect or Google Login. This allows users to access all the applications with one login. The apps all work together, utilizing each other’s functionality and data. This approach provides the same benefits touted by more traditional, all-in-one enterprise solutions without all the bloat.” For example: >> You could have your CRM recommended courses in your LMS. >> You could have your LMS announce the addition of a new course in your social tool. >> You could have your social activities fed into your performance tool as part of an engagement score. “When smaller, more consumer-like enterprise apps are really working together, you can even choose which apps work best for you, like we do with apps on our phones,” says Ramsey. “It removes the necessity of locking yourself into a single provider. That’s consumerizing the enterprise.”

Elearning! September / October 2015

TipsLeadership Tips The Power of

Values-Based Leadership

CREATING SUSTAINABLE ORNIZATIONS BY IGNITING HUMAN POTENTIAL INTERVIEW BY TATIANA SEHRING Mark Fernandes, chief leadership officer of Luck Companies, has a true passion for inspiring people to reach their highest potential. The values-based leadership (VBL) ambassador was named one of the 100 Top Thought Leaders in Trustworthy Business 2014 by Trust Across America.

WHEN EXACTLY WAS YOUR “A-HA” MOMENT THAT HELPED YOU TRANSFORM YOUR

MINDSET AND LEADERSHIP STYLE? Fernandes: I was basically a big guy with a bad attitude. I got things done without regard to how I got it accomplished. Conversely, our CEO Charlie Luck was my absolute opposite: a big care bear. And what I value is that he kept hanging in there with me, when I was trying to figure everything out. In 1993, I traveled to North Carolina to meet Dr. Gerald Bell, who runs Bell Labs at UNC Chapel Hill and wrote the book, “The Carolina Way: Leadership Lessons from a Life In Coaching.” Dr. Bell instantly gained my respect. He said, “I’ve interviewed 5,000 executives, and I want to explain how this

September / October 2015 Elearning!

story is going to end for you. You need to know that you’re going to have a shiny exotic car, a beautiful estate sitting on the hill overlooking everyone else, and a really big house — but you also have to know that there isn’t going to be one soul to share it with if you don’t start figuring this out.” That moment was the first time I realized that I needed to care and be compassionate. And that was my “a-ha” moment.

WOULD YOU TAKE US THROUGH LUCK COMPANIES’ JOURNEY OF LEADERSHIP AND CULTURE TRANSFORMATION? Fernandes: We began our organizational leadership jour-

ney in 2003-2004 as phase one. The start of phase two came after we decided to rewrite our mission statement in 2009. We’d done so well establishing our values. We understood the power of leadership, but we learned a few lessons the hard way, and phase one taught us that if there’s ever to be a change in the culture, it’s imperative that the leaders be fully committed to demonstrating the values in everything they do. There’s a level of inauthenticity that associates will notice and it can erode their trust in the leadership if they’re not actively seeing the behaviors exhibited in the actions and words of their leaders. So we developed a mission statement that stated “We will ignite human potential through VBL to positively impact the lives of others around the world.” VBL, as an ideology and model, was a new concept. We wanted to use what we learned to develop a leadership model to help our associates meet what they’re capable of becoming and then start sharing it with the world. We thought, maybe we’re on to something here. There are only a few components that serve as the overall responsibility of our VBL team. First is that we model the way. We hold ourselves to the highest standard. When people think of a values-based leader, can they look at us and see what we embrace? The second

thing we do is enhance and evolve the VBL model. While it is an ideology, it’s also a set of processes, models, tools and programs that we’re constantly evolving. So we’re modeling ourselves using our actions and behaviors while also continuing to develop the model. And there are two more imperatives; the first is to bring it to life within the company. This means that we own leadership, development and succession inside the company. Secondly, we’re invested in sharing it with the world through mentoring, speaking, teaching, and consulting across industries.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS THAT COME WITH THE APPLICATIONS OF VBL FROM AN ORGANIZATION STANDPOINT? Fernandes: We believe that companies exist for two reasons: one is to make meaning, and the other is to make money, because — let’s be genuine — we’re a for-profit company. You can’t apologize for that, because you need to make the money in order to make the meaning and vice versa. Why does this matter and how does this work? We tell companies to think about the difference you want to make in the world (e.g., human potential and how to positively impact lives around the world) and then think about the way in which you’ll strategically see the return on your investment and make money. The way you bring that to life is centered on the reasons why your associates get up in the morning, do what they do every day, and how they make decisions.

So we ask, “How do we get aligned to the mission and the margin and empower our associates the best way possible to make the best decisions? That’s where our values come in. Values ultimately drive actions, behaviors and decisions.” While we have mission, strategy, goal, objective, performance and outcome, we also have a set of values. We identified the deepest held beliefs as to what is right and good for everyone in the organization to deliver the mission and the margin. Not only do we have those values, but we have outcome statements that are tied to them. For example, one of our values is leadership, and the outcome we’re looking for is igniting human potential. We want our people to be happy, but we also want them to operate with some shared values and beliefs that are most important to the company. That, to me, is magical.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU OFFER OTHERS ON HOW TO CREATE AND MAINTAIN A VALUES-BASED CULTURE AND ORGANIZATION? Fernandes: Okay, let’s assume everyone has clarity about the stated mission — your values, strategy and objectives. Now, how do you bring it to life for the long-term? The organization’s leaders need to model, as the associates are going to take their queues from leaders. The next step is to look at the processes, models and tools that we need to embed in the organization to bring values to life throughout the enterprise

— and how do we keep it fresh and engaging? It starts with hiring. At Luck Companies, you’ll take a values-assessment during the interview process so that-right out of the gate. We’re much more interested in who you are than what you know. We can

We build our succession planning around VBL. That’s the doing good and doing well aspects of business performance that extend to everything we do. This includes rituals. For example, at our plants, we start every day with a meeting where

Values-based leadership is defined by living, working and leading in alignment with your core values, principles, beliefs and purpose to, in turn, ignite the extraordinary potential in those around you. teach all of the technical aspects of the job, but identifying who you are helps us to align the right candidates to our mission and margin. Next is orientation, and our associates dive into the deep end of the values pool. Associates at all levels participate in a values assessment to understand their personality — and they’ll interact with a senior leader. This process begins during job description, which reflects our values and behaviors just as equally as the technical skills. And we revisit values during performance reviews. We reinforce this in all aspects of training and development through recognition and reward and tying base pay to how the associate is going to show up every day.

someone reads the mission statement then picks a value and talks about it. So you’ll see these rituals embedded around the company to keep it alive. —The author, Tatiana Sehring, has more than 10 years of combined experience in corporate and strategic partnerships for leadership, talent and professional development across a variety of industries. She is the director of Corporate and Strategic Relationships at American Public University System and a contributor to The Inspire Leadership Series. To read the full article or to subscribe to American Public University’s Inspire Leadership Series, visit www.GreatLeadersInspire.com.

Elearning! September / October 2015

TipsEngagement Corporate Leaders Say

‘Don’t Over-Complicate’ HOW DO YOU IMPROVE EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT? LAZ PARKING AND RANDSTAD REVEAL THEIR LEARNING PHILOSOPHIES. BY MATT GILLEY Let’s start with an openended question: How do you define and measure “employee engagement”? Andi Campbell, VP of Human Resources, LAZ Parking: At LAZ Parking, we measure

Randstad, we are really trying to assess the ability and interest our folks have in being creative, and innovative and going beyond the basic expectations. We are focusing on how we encourage employees to become more selfmotivated and self-driven when it comes to their work, their own personal development and even driving innovation. How do traditional training tools, like an LMS or a private activity stream, play into your

a portfolio of capabilities that are truly transportable, even ultimately to other companies, they become more dedicated to our company. Our openness and focus on their personal development, as opposed to focusing only on what we can get out of them, is the key. The Exceed LMS is the tool that enables them to pursue these developmental opportunities effectively.

engagement results you have achieved, what would it be? Campbell: Don’t over-complicate things. If you mirror employee behavior outside of work as much as you can inside of work, you will absolutely witness positive change. We know that people in “the real world” expect to Google information and get immediate access to quick, bit-size chunks of information at the exact moment in which they need it. We know that people enjoy “liking” photos on social media. Give them the tools to apply this consumer technology experience to their business lives and people will become more involved. Maybury: Begin by selecting the tool that enables selfdirected development along a broad base - development that is both career and personal. Then embed within the tool the ability to self assess and track growth. Provide employees with a transportable portfolio of capabilities that becomes applicable through out their individual careers. One of the prime motivators for an employee to engage and dedicate superior effort while they are with you is directly correlated with what that individual perceives as her or his professional and personal development opportunities.

If you were going to offer a peer one piece on how to achieve the kind of

—The author is the CRO for Intellum. More info: www.intellum.com

sion, engagement. So you go to the Learning Center, you can view your talent profile, then fill out your performance review, check out upcoming training opportunities, visit your team’s Tribe (Intellum’s private activity stream). It all starts from the Learning Center. Maybury: We believe there is tremendous value in creating curriculums, on-the-job training and career-development opportunities that empower individuals to drive their own careers. If employees are creating

“If you mirror employee behavior outside of work as much as you can inside of work, you will absolutely witness positive change.” —Andi Campbell, LAZ Parking engagement by asking employees their sentiment toward topics like tenure, effort, communication, management and culture. We are concerned with things like how likely employees are to work for us long-term, how likely they are to say positive things about LAZ, how well they think leaders demonstrate the LAZ values and how inclined they are to exceed job expectations. Rick Maybury, director of Learning & Development, Randstad U.S.: When we think of employee engagement at 46

strategies for improving engagement? Campbell: We don’t think of the Intellum Exceed LMS as “an LMS.” It is a strategic tool for delivering results. If we are continuously improving the learning resources and tools we offer our employees, we are going to continue to see improvements in employee engagement. The LAZ Parking Learning Center is powered by the Exceed LMS, but it has become the launch pad for everything related to talent, and by exten-

September / October 2015 Elearning!

TipsTraining How to Tackle

External Audiences THERE’S NO ONE ANSWER, SINCE AUDIENCES ARE DIVERSE. BUT THERE ARE PITFALLS.

audience. If you’re considering content for external users that is superior to the content you present to internal users, you’re doing something wrong.

BY MATT GILLEY

#2: DON’T IGNORE STUDENT SEGMENTATION Even the organizations with great content strategies sometimes neglect to plan ahead when it comes to segmentation. You would be surprised by the number of companies that allow external students into their learning environments without a clear way to identify or track them as such. If you can’t tell at a glance which students are internal and which students are external, how can you expect your learning management system to deliver the appropriate content? Develop an efficient way to designate a new user as internal or external during the registration process. You certainly do not want to try and identify them once they have become active users. If security becomes a big concern, you can consider pushing the two audiences into separate accounts. Over-complicating the structure and security requirements of a single learning environment in order to accommodate both internal and external audience members can divert attention away from the primary training mission. Instead, think: “Same great content, same variety, same over-all ap-

Many organizations often want to explore how to engage, communicate and train “external audiences.” Generally, requests are focused on students, or potential students, who are not employees of the company and reside outside of the organization’s physical footprint and technological infrastructure. This scenario certainly presents a series of unique challenges. Five common misconceptions and pitfalls that, when avoided, lead to much more successful external programs. #1: DON’T RECREATE THE (CONTENT STRATEGY) WHEEL Companies sometimes overanalyze the needs of their external audiences. They mistakenly assume external audiences require a level of engaging, entertaining content that is somehow different from what they provide their internal audience members. Before you worry about internal versus external audiences, you should develop an over-arching content strategy that results in creative, modern, engaging training material. Then you can determine how to present the appropriate content to the appropriate

proach, different accounts.” #3: DON’T OVERCOMPLICATE REGISTRATION The registration portal is the first thing external students encounter. It should mirror the kind of simple, clean and intuitive experience the entire learning environment offers. Too often, registration pages and processes are bulky and confusing, forcing external users to jump through too many hoops before accessing the learning content. Difficult registration processes will result in significant drops in user activity. Consider the simplicity of the registration process for the majority of the consumer apps we rely on everyday. Are you thinking about single or social sign-on to simplify registration? You should be. #4: DON’T UNDERVALUE THE USER EXPERIENCE A large number of external training initiatives rely on the “selfpaced” model, allowing students the freedom to move through topics and access modules at their own speed. Amazingly, many organizations do not consider the student’s actual experience when they build out an external, or even internal, learning environment. Students expect to find the content they are looking for immediately, and with little effort. This means search functionality must be exceptional. Key words, course descriptions and summaries need to be less clinical and

neutral, and much more strategic and engaging. The affect that images have on user engagement numbers, positive or negative depending on the quality of the images, are staggering. It’s time to ditch the outdated clip art in your catalog and course descriptions. Work with marketing to develop an image strategy for the entire learning environment that not only aligns with your content, but helps “sell it.” #5: DON’T FORGET TO ASK, “WHY?” External is definitely “trending up,” but first, companies should really evaluate what they are trying to achieve. Perhaps more importantly, why? Some organizations have the kind of content that external audiences are already demanding. Some companies view external training and education as a way of strengthening or securing their already strong brand ties and audience relationships. Either way, these organizations typically have external audiences in place, audiences that already perceive value in the content and justify the required resource investment. If you don’t have a good answer for why the content should be offered to students outside of your organization, there is no reason to further explore the how. —The author is the CRO for Intellum. More info: www.intellum.com

Elearning! September / October 2015

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Do You Make the

PopQuiz Quiz

Grade? 2

Results:

6-7 correct makes you Mensa material. 4-5 correct means you are a skimmer — and can learn oh-so much more. Fewer than 4? This issue is your Sunday reading assignment. Try again!

In the case of NASCAR, which of these options has NOT been a challenge for driving learner engagement? a) incorporating an abundance of training and certification data b) addressing location-specific concerns c) responding to last-minute, day-of problems d) tracking learners

Which one factor is most responsible for people gravitating toward mobile applications in their personal lives? a) They are inexpensive. b) They offer high-quality user experiences. c) They are easy to download. d) They are challenging.

According to Bottom-Line Performance, what part of the work week do most people have to devote to professional development and learning? a) 1 percent b) 10 percent c) 33 percent d) 50 percent

What is perhaps the main driver of successful training and development among the top winners in the annual Learning! 100 competition? a) large employee datasets b) accurate analytics c) mobile-friendly courses d) employee engagement

6 7

According to the 2015 E-learning User Study, what percentage of businesses are have integrated virtual learning into their programs? a) 7% b) 15% c) 27% d) 43%

According to McKinsey Global Report, what kind of economic impact can the “Internet of Things” have in the global market by the year 2025? a) $40 billion to $80 billion b) $400 billion to $800 billion c) $1.1 trillion to $2.1 trillion d) $3.9 trillion to $11.1 trillion

In Great Britain, what percentage of all workers said that their companies didn’t recognize their full individual potential? a) 54% b) 67% c) 83% d) 99%

Editorial Index Best of Elearning! www.2elearning.com/bestofelearning2015ballot

Pulse Learning www.pulselearning.com

Bottom-Line Performance www.bottomlineperformance.com

Software Advice www.softwareadvice.com

Inxpo

World Health Organization http://whoeducationguidelines.org

Intellum

E-learning User Study 2015 www.2elearning.com

Best of Elearning! ballot

p 48

www.2elearning.com/bestofelearning2015ballot p 17

www.inxpo.com pp 2, 23, 40, 52

www.intellum.com

Enterprise Learning! Conference https://presentations.inxpo.com/Shows/ELearning/ Microsite/registration.htm

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www.viliving.com Answers 1) c; 2) b; 3) a; 4) d; 5) d; 6) d; 7) a

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Elearning! September / October 2015

LastWord The Myth of Micro-Learning

BY SHARON BOLLER

oday’s workers and “modern learners” only have 1 percent of their work week to devote to professional development and learning. The concern I have is that we make an assumption that we can and should winnow down all learning initiatives to fit into this 4.8 minutes per day or 24 minutes per week. Most definitely, reinforcement of a skill or reinforcement of a specific body of knowledge can be handled in 4.8 minutes a day. Learning sciencebased platforms such as Knowledge Guru, qStream or Axonify can be very useful in delivering micro reinforcement in this context. Micro-learning is NOT useful when people need to acquire/learn complex skills, processes or behaviors. Imagine trying to learn any of these behaviors or skills in 4.8 minutes per day: >> A musical instrument >> Project management >> Agile software development and processes >> Instructional design >> Any software tool >> Teamwork skills >> Sales >> A [new] product What our industry needs is better clarity on when we need to formally train people, when we need to reinforce knowledge or skills people are building on their own, and when we simply need to keep key principles or practices front and center (e.g. safety and security practices). A few years ago, we opted to create a “learning lab” environment in our own organization. We wanted a means of building technical and project management skills — and we recognized that if we want innovation to happen, we have to give it time to happen. This sparked the idea of “skill-builders,” which are formal side projects that employees can do ON COMPANY TIME. This year, we formalized this to the point of letting an employee allocate five full work days of time on a skill builder. Criteria for doing a skill-builder: 1) The skill-builder needs to link tightly to a competency the company has agreed is important to us. (For example, we use AfterEffects quite a bit. So if a graphic designer wants to learn AfterEffects, he or she can craft a skill-builder around it.) 2) We need to make sure employees have sufficient time to do it; ideally, they will be able to work in one-half to full-day “chunks” on the skill-builder as it is too hard to stop/start when you are in learning mode. 3) A formal document needs to be created that describes the project, what skills it will build, what resources are required, and how it links to our business needs. — Sharon Boller is the president of Bottom-Line Performance. Established in 1995, the company creates award-winning learning solutions for a variety of corporate clients. To read the rest of this blog post, visit www.bottomlineperformance.com/the-myth-of-micro-learning.

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