Government Elearning! Winter 2015 by Creative By Design

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2010

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Winter 2015 Volume 7 â&#x20AC;˘ Issue 1

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The 2014 Best of

Elearning!

Awards Issue pg 26

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Contents

WINTER 2015 VOLUME 7 NUMBER 1

>> Cover Story: And, the

Winner Is... Best of Elearning! Honorees Named PG 26

These 89 products and services were nominated and voted by more than 3,000 executives running learning programs across the globe. See what these users say and what solutions are best-in-class. By Jerry Roche

>> Essentials

>> Features

9 9 10 11

News Deals People on the Move Trendlines

As Ben Franklin once said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement and success have no meaning.â&#x20AC;? The great potential of a corporate culture is continuous learning. By Candy Osborne

PG 16

The Business Impact of Continuous Learning

The Formula for Cloud-Based Learning Success A business process is a series of logically related practices that perform together to produce a result. In learning, the result is quantitative and qualitative business impact. By Kieran King

PG 22

Winter 2015 Government Elearning!

>> News

PG 40

9 Learning! 100 Call for Applications 9 BYOD Woes 10 Employees Overloaded

>> Management 13

Business of Learning If you are on the lookout for good values in the learning technology realm when your department’s 2015 budget allocations arrive in a matter of weeks, here are some tried-and-true products for which your peers have ample praise. By Jerry Roche

Leader’s View John Ambrose, senior vice president of Strategy and Corporate Development for Skillsoft, discusses recent changes in the L&D market and how HR professionals can enable continuous learning.

The Power of Values-Based Leadership How did Mark Fernandes, chief leadership officer of Luck Companies, go about transforming the corporation’s mindset and leadership style? By igniting human potential. By Tatiana Sehring

It is crucially important, in a blended solution, to use Web conference tools, social media and collaboration as educational tools in their own right. By Mathilde Bourdat

E-learning Elevates Efficiency For video e-learning to be successful, it must have the following four attributes: just as needed; just enough; just in time; just right.

Building a Case for Cloud-Based Learning

Editor’s Note This year has been a good one for the e-learning industry, growing 23 percent, according to Research & Markets. And it’s been great for the Elearning! Media Group, too. By Jerry Roche

Trendlines Statistics, figures and industry trends

The Impact of Learning Stakeholders If you’re thinking of bringing an e-learning solution to your organization, you’ll want to get a consensus from stakeholders. By Candy Osborne

The Business Impact of Continuous Learning Learning is not a one-time event, it’s a career-long commitment. Now, with the tools and processes in place, everyone can be a continuous learner. By Kieran King

Making I.T. Skills Stick I.T. needs to develop a continuous learning environment for its staff to ensure knowledge transfer to the job. By Jim Zimmerman

>> Business

What’s ‘Shadow Learning’? It’s when a standard centralized training organization faces disruption from business units delivering training solutions outside of its consent and control. But there’s more.

>> Tools & Practices 16

Evaluating Blended Learning

Pop Quiz Are you Mensa material?

Ad/Edit Index

To develop a successful business case, you must consider how a Cloud-based learning solution is perceived and how it will impact the greater good of the organization. That means providing a range of learning opportunities supported by different learning modalities. By Jim Zimmerman

Government Elearning! Winter 2015

Government

WINTER 2015 VOLUME 7 ISSUE 1

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

Online@

2elearning.com Trending Topics

Rosemary Doody Senior Director of Digital Content

JW Upton Vice President >> JW@2elearning.com

Taking Corporate Games ‘Seriously’ http://www.2elearning.com/top-stories/ item/55754-taking-games-seriously-in-thecorporate-learning-arena

Kathryn McAllister Senior Director of Media Sales >> kmcallister@2elearning.com

Building Tomorrow’s Learning Experience http://http://www.2elearning.com/insights/ item/55791-building-tomorrow-s-learningexperience-personalized-predictive-andconnected

Marguerite Hoffman Event Operations Manager >> operations@2elearning.com

Most Popular Web Sessions

Creating Great Mobile Learning http://www.2elearning.com/web-seminarsseries/item/55534-create-stunning-mobilelearning-courses-with-adobe-captivate The Consumerization of Learning http://bit.ly/1xWY4Zn

Research

E-learning User Study 2014: Corporate Sector http://www.2elearning.com/research/ item/55597-e-learning-user-study-2014 Big Data Market: 2014-2020 www.snsreports.com

Events

Enterprise Learning! Summit 2015 http://engage.vevent.com/index. jsp?eid=630&seid=2492

Jerry Roche Executive Editor >> editor@2elearning.com

Winter 2015 Government Elearning!

Blake Bolouri-Rad Media Account Executive >> brad@2elearning.com

Kim Lewis Art Director >> production@2elearning.com

Beverly Miller Print Production Manager

Susan Glenn Controller

Contributors: Wayne McCulloch, Salesforce.com John Ambrose, Skillsoft Mathilde Bourdat, cegos Tatiana Sehring, American Public University

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.

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Editor’sNote Ring in the New

2014 HAS BEEN A GREAT YEAR HERE. HOW ABOUT YOU?

don’t know about you, but it seems that 2014 has gone by in a whirlwind. Here we are, already on the cusp of 2015 with new challenges awaiting all of us. This year has been a good one for the e-learning industry, growing 23 percent, according to

Research & Markets. And it’s been great for Elearning! Media Group, too. The Enterprise Learn-

ing Conference, Learning! 100 awards program, our annual user’s study and Best of Elearning! com-

petition were all more successful than ever. And on the pages of this magazine, we brought you such compelling topics as “Creating Legendary E-learning,” “Building Corporate Capability,” “MilLEARNnial Employees,” “Building Tomorrow’s Learning Experience” and (this issue) “The Business Impact of Continuous Learning.” We won more awards, too: Best Trade Magazine, Best Digital Publication/Trade, and Best Website/ Trade from the Western Publishing Association. As we look forward to 2015 with confidence, then, we at EMG promise to dig deeply into such timely issues as mobile learning (including BYOD issues), Big Data, extended enterprise learning, the consumerization of learning, and much more useful information about e-learning news, trends, technology, services. But before we ring in the new year, we feel compelled to offer our thanks to all of you — our faithful readers and advertisers. Without you, we simply wouldn’t exist. So thank you — and happy holidays to all, from us at the Elearning! Media Group! Jerry Roche, editorial director Catherine Upton, group publisher JW Upton, vice president Rosemary Doody, digital content director Kathryn McAllister, senior director of media sales Blake Bolouri-Rad, media account executive Marguerite Hoffman, event operations manager Kim Lewis, art director Beverly Miller, print production manager Susan Glenn, controller

Winter 2015 Government Elearning!

News

2015 Learning! 100 Call For Nominations Open The 5th Annual Learning! 100 Award, honoring the top global learning organizations, is now open for nominations. The award program recognizes public- and private-sector organizations for innovation, collaboration and/or learning culture that drives organization performance. Join past alumni, including Verizon, American Heart Association, 2U and NASCAR to become a Learning! 100 organization. Applications are accepted until Feb. 1,2015. The top 100 will be honored at the 2015 Learning! 100 Awards Dinner & Reception on June 9, 2015 at the Enterprise Learning! Conference in Manassas, Va. Get recognized for your team’s hard work by applying today at: http:// learn100.b2bmediaco.com/award/ form_100.php

Mainstreaming BYOD Brings Corporate Woes As organizations move further into the post-PC era, staff are just as likely today to collaborate on content through their own personal smartphone or tablet as they are through the corporate laptop. Recent research conducted by Ipsos MORI found that 73% of office workers in the U.S. (61% in the U.K.) are downloading personal software and apps on enterpriseowned tablets. Meanwhile, 52% of U.S. workers (59% in the U.K.) use personal laptops, tablets and smartphones to store and work on enterprise content. The Millennials — Gen Y workers in their 20s and early 30s — are the worst offenders, according to the study. For example, some 70% of 25- to 31-year-olds in the U.S. (and 56% in the U.K.) download personal apps and software onto enterprise smartphones. This burgeoning demand for personal devices and applications is eroding the concept of the corporate network. As mobile working becomes the modus operandi, organizations need to consider how they can stop company data from walking right out the door with their people, and what measures need to be put in place to ensure teams can get their jobs done without compromising security. Providing teams with enterprise-grade apps that support collaboration on the move, as well as being simple to use, will help ensure they don’t start using consumer tools to provide easier ways to access the information they need.

Deals MIDCOUNTRY FINANCIAL has selected METRICSTREAM to enhance its risk management and strengthen regulatory compliance and audit management across the enterprise. MetricStream’s integrated GRC solution will help MidCountry Financial streamline the full range of its risk management processes, establish a comprehensive risk register and common risk taxonomy, and enhance risk visibility. Through the real-time integration of external regulatory feeds, MidCountry Financial will be able to stay one step ahead of its risks, and one step ahead of the regulations. TATA INTERACTIVE SYSTEMS (TIS) and KNOWLEDGEADVISORS, a CEB com

pany, signed a teaming agreement recently to co-market products and services in the North American and Indian region. By combining TIS’s expertise in design, development, consulting and delivery with KnowledgeAdvisors’ extensive learning benchmarks and analytics platform, both entities are uniquely positioned to help organizations optimize the impact of L&D investments on corporate performance. TIS will distribute the KnowledgeAdvisors product “Metrics that Matter” as part of a larger learning analytics solutions to clients in India. SUMTOTAL SYSTEMS, a Skillsoft company and provider of next-generation HR solutions, is partnering with AURATECH, SUNLINK and BEIJING E-

CELL SOFTWARE to deliver SumTotal’s Talent Expansion applications to the Asia-Pacific region. AuraTech, Sunlink and Beijing E-Cell Software will strengthen SumTotal’s presence in the region by enabling the company to tap into diverse segments, including government, corporate, education, defense and technology. AuraTech is based in Singapore and Sunlink in Hong Kong. ELEARNING BROTHERS HAS ACQUIRED ELEARNINGIMAGES.COM, an online library that focuses on people images in the e-learning space. With this acquisition, the eLearning Brothers library has more than doubled the number of e-learning assets over

the last 12 months. This purchase is a critical step in expanding its large e-learning library for CLOs, HR and training professionals, instructional designers, e-learning developers, K-12, higher ed and corporate universities.Those e-learning professionals now can purchase access to a yearly, unlimited download subscription of over 35,000 assets. Indiana-based MOONAMI has become a North American partner of TOTARA LEARNING. Moonami is a well-established organization with expertise in multiple learning technologies, including Totara LMS and Moodle. The team at Moonami includes an experienced technical staff, implementation team, and customer support.

Government Elearning! Winter 2015

News Enterprise Learning! Conference Calls for Papers ELC15 will move to June 8-10, 2015 and be hosted at the Hylton Center in Manassas, VA. The event hosts the annual Learning! 100 Award and Innovations in E-learning Symposium with partners from Defense Acquisition University and George Mason University. The ELC15 Call for Papers is now open and seeks presentations from learning executives on best practices, strategies and technology at work. Presenters from corporate, government, education and non-profit entities are invited to submit. Submit your paper at: http:// www.2elearning.com/events/ELC2015

Sales Professionals Want Training to Be More Engaging

Employees Today Feeling Overloaded with Work The 2014 “State of Workplace Productivity Report” of 2,009 U.S. employees cites the biggest hindrances to productivity in the workplace. Key insights:

>> 68% say they’re overworked, compared to 54 percent in 2013. >> The No. 1 productivity killer in the workplace is work overload —

and 52% say it’s gotten worse in the last year.

>> 65% think a flexible and remote work schedule would increase their productivity. An additional 65% agree that in-person meetings can be completely replaced with the right technology. >> In-person collaboration is still preferred by 63%, compared to 28% who say online collaboration is preferred and just 10% who say phone or video conferencing is preferred. >> 80% would be motivated to use company-provided wearable technology that allows employers to track their health and wellness data, and 76% would be willing to allow employers to track job performance and productivity — in exchange for rewards. — Source: Kelton Research

Nearly half of training professionals (48%) say their organization’s sales training content isn’t engaging enough to work, while 25% say the materials created don’t match sales teams’ needs. Perhaps it’s no wonder that only 32% describe their organization’s current sales training programs as “effective.” In addition to struggling with training content that falls flat and/or is irrelevant, respondents cited other content-related challenges, noting that, on the whole, their organizations find that sales training materials are: >> Too time-consuming to create – 50% >> Too hard to create – 24% >> Too expensive to create – 31% >> Too hard to update – 32% >> Obsolete by/before delivery time – 15% Survey results show that the most prevalent methods for sales training for organizations today are: live classroom (80%), live Web conferencing (65%), on-demand training (67%), video (49%) and social learning (28%). –Source: Brainshark, Inc.

People on the Move RAMSEY CHAMBERS has joined Meridian Knowledge Solutions as vice president of Product Management and Strategy. Chambers brings deep roots in learning, with former executive- and strategic-level positions at Academic Benchmarks and Blackboard, Inc. At Meridian, Chambers will be responsible for driving the learning product strategy, evangelizing the learning product mission, and positioning products for relevant markets. LISA BRUMMEL, the human resources chief who helped to lead 10

Microsoft through a series of major changes in HR practices, is retiring from the company at the end of the year. She will be replaced in the role by Kathleen Hogan, who has worked at Microsoft for 11 years, most recently leading the 21,000-employee Microsoft Services division. Brummel is a 25-year veteran of the company who led human resources for nearly a decade after working in the company’s product groups. Hogan, who has joined he company’s senior leadership team, now reports to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.

Winter 2015 Government Elearning!

Learning Technologies Group has appointed NEIL ELTON as its new finance director with immediate effect. Elton joins the company from fellow AIM-listed Sagentia Group, the technology research and development company, where he was the finance director from 2010 to 2014. Richard Jones, the current finance director, will step down from the board and become group financial controller. E-learning leader MICHAEL ABBIATTI is stepping into a leadership role at the WICHE Coop-

erative for Educational Technologies (WCET). Effective January 5, 2015, he will join the non-profit educational policy organization as WCET executive director and WICHE vice president for educational technologies. Abbiatti served as director of distance education for Louisiana State University, and then as associate commissioner of information and learning technology for the Louisiana Board of Regents. He will take the reins from Mollie McGill and Russ Poulin, who served as co-interim executive directors for 2014.

Trendlines Global Trends in Mobile Learning Market A new study titled “ Learning on the Go: Tips & Trends in M-learning,” reports the worldwide market for mobile learning products and services reached $5.3 billion. The five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) is 18.2%, and revenues are set to more than double to $12.2 billion by 2017. The North America region dominates the mobile learning market at $23.8 billion, 4.4% CAGR. By 2016, it will reach $27.1 billion. Asia and Western Europe follow at $6.8 billion and $7.1 billion in revenues WESTERN for 2013, respectively. EUROPE EASTERN — Copies of the report: http://bit.ly/10isLvV EUROPE $6.8B

2013 Revenues

$728.8M

Annual growth rate

16.9%

5.8%

2013 Revenues

$8.1B

Annual growth rate

$1.2B

Revenues by 2016

NORTH AMERICA $23.8B 2013 Revenues

4.4%

Annual growth rate

ASIA

9.0%

Cloud based authoring tools and learning platforms growth rate

$27.1B

Revenues by 2016

LATIN AMERICA $1.4B

AFRICA

2013 Revenues

$332.9M

Annual growth rate

15.2%

Revenues by 2016

$512.7M

14.6% $2.2B

2013 Revenues Annual growth rate Revenues by 2016

MIDDLE EAST $443M

2013 Revenues

8.2%

$7.1B

2013 Revenues

17.3%

Annual growth rate

$11.5B

Revenues by 2016

Annual growth rate

$560.7M

Revenues by 2016

–Source: Docebo, www.docebo.com

How Major Events Affect Social Media Discussions According to the most recent data from ShareThis, social media users are much more likely to share content via mobile devices after a major current event occurs. The data comes from the analysis of content shares regarding major events such as the A.L.S. Ice Bucket Challenge, the Ferguson Riots, the Apple Launch Event and Shark Week. On regular news days, desktops account for the same amount of content sharing as smartphones (both 43%). But once a topic starts trending — sometimes bolstered by major breaking news — mobile devices make up 72% of the total content sharing. Smartphones drive more than half of current event content sharing, while the major news stimulates significantly more shares from tablets as well. —More info: www.emarketer.com

Primary device used to share content among Internet users worldwide, Q3, 2014

Tablet 11%

Smartphone 43%

Desktop 43%

–Source:www.eMarketer.com

Government Elearning! Winter 2015

Trendlines

‘Disruptions’ on the Horizon in 2015 for HR Technology

Engagement & Collaboration Top Drivers for Investments The top business drivers for investing in learning workplace technologies have changed significantly over 2013. Improving employee engagement was the top motive for investing. Collaboration across the enterprise and internally closely followed. However, personalization of learning saw the largest shift, with 47% of respondents reporting vs. less than 4% in 2013. View the complete report titled, “The E-learning User Study 2014, at: http://www.2elearning.com/resources/research-white-papers

Bersin by Deloitte’s 22-page report, “HR Technology for 2015: Ten Big Disruptions Ahead,” provides insight into the largest HR technology trends for 2015 and how organizations can keep up. It notes five possible “disruptions” coming in 2015: 1.

HR systems will be valuated on user-engagement properties more than ever.

With Global smartphone users reaching 1.6 billion, surpassing laptop and desktop PC owners at 1.5 billion combined, HR systems will have to be equipped with mobile applications that are interactive and easy to use.

TOP BUSINESS OBJECTIVES FOR INVESTING IN LEARNING WORKPLACE TECHNOLOGIES Improve Employee Engagement Increase collaborative learning Improve collaboration across enterprise Personalize learning Boost leadership bench strength

53.7% 48.9% 46.7% 43.2%

Source: E-learning! User Study 2014, Elearning! Media Group

Technology Driving Education’s Evolution Google is big on learning. And its vice president of research Alfred Spector sees technology playing an absolutely huge role in learning in the very near future. Spector believes that technology being developed by Google may change the nature and purpose of educational institutions. “In the past, it seemed you had to go to a school to get formal education,” he told the audience. “There was no choice but to go to isolated places to be educated, but now we don’t have to do that. We may choose to, but we don’t have to.” He believes, rightly so, that learning is more fun today than ever before. The combination of entertainment (video games and the like) and learning strategies is removing some of the drudgery from rote memorization. He further believes the research that shows that anyone of average intelligence could reach the top two percent of his or her academic class if a personal tutor adjusts lessons to individual learning needs. —Source: BigThink.com

Winter 2015 Government Elearning!

Only 4% of organizations use predictive models for the workforce.

64.2%

– Bersin by Deloitte

Only four percent of organizations effectively using predictive models for their workforce, so HR systems must move toward intelligent data-driven applications.

Companies are in the initial steps of creating disruptive analytic tools like leadership and personality assessments to improve work environments and work-life balance.

It’s now possible for employees to consume learning content in Facebook-like ways — for instance, by taking the same courses as supervisors, mentors and/or peers.

—Source: Bersin by Deloitte

Anyone of average intelligence could reach the top 2% of the class if a personal tutor adjusts lessons to individual learning needs. –Alfred Spector, Vice President of Research, Google

Business Learning Businessof The Most Popular Products in the Learning Universe

BY JERRY ROCHE

ne of the most important decisions that any learning professional has to make is, “How do I spend my budget?” With 2015 budgets due to arrive in a matter of weeks, here are some triedand-true products for which your peers have ample praise. Four Articulate products and three BizLibrary products dominated the top 10 vote-getters in our annual “Best of Elearning!” contest.

ARTICULATE STORYLINE (WINNER, BEST ELEARNING DEVELOPMENT TOOL) Storyline has a familiar, intuitive user interface that makes e-learning development easy for anyone from beginner to professional, and no training is required.

BIZLIBRARY SOFT SKILLS COLLECTION (WINNER, BEST SOFT SKILLS CONTENT) BizLibrary’s award-winning collection includes more than 3,000 core business and professional training resources that will meet your soft skills training needs.

VUBIZ COMPLIANCE LIBRARY (WINNER, BEST COMPLIANCE TRAINING) Vubiz has more than 70 titles in its compliance library, including such topics as affirmative action, ADA, codes of conduct, copyright law, contract law, ethics, Gramm-Leach-Bliley, harassment, immigration law and many more.

BIZLIBARY COMMUNITY SOCIAL LEARNING (WINNER, BEST SOCIAL LEARNING) BizLibrary’s Community puts the collective knowledge of your entire organization at everyone’s fingertips, from user-generated content to collaboration to knowledge management and peer recognition.

ARTICULATE PRESENTER (WINNER, BEST PRESENTATION SOLUTION) Presenter puts everything you need in one exclusive workflow where you’ll be able to quickly distribute interactive, persuasive materials and spread your message.

ARTICULATE QUIZMAKER TEST/ASSESSMENT (WINNER, BEST TESTING & ASSESSMENT SOLUTION) With QuizMaker’s streamlined workflow, you author quizzes in one window and quickly switch between questions using tabs.

MERIDIAN GLOBAL (WINNER, BEST LMS ENTERPRISE) The platform helps organizations address learning challenges across the extended enterprise, provides full integration capabilities, and offers secure on-premise and cloud deployment options.

TECHSMITH CAMTASIA (WINNER, BEST VIDEO CAPTURE) Camtasia’s ability to easily manipulate, overlay and group objects helps you produce professionallooking videos, while encouraging you to use your creativity.

BIZLIBRARY BIZMOBILE (CO-WINNER, BEST MOBILE APPLICATION) This mobile app enables your organization to provide consistent learning opportunities at all stages of the employee lifecycle and ensures that learning efforts are tied to business outcomes.

ARTICULATE MOBILE PLAY (CO-WINNER, BEST MOBILE APPLICATION) Featuring an elegant, intuitive user interface, Articulate Mobile Player beautifully displays interactive e-learning content created in Articulate Storyline and Articulate Studio software. —Seethe complete list of 2014 “Best of Elearning!” honorees beginning on page 26.

Winter 2015 Government Elearning!

Mark Your Calendar 01.15.15 | 06.08-06.10.15 | 07.16.15 | 11.04.15 | 01.14.16 Learn More at:www.2elearning.com/events > Discover the $220 Billion Learning & Workplace Technology Market

> Convene with up to 3,000 Learning, HR and Talent Executive Leaders

> Learn from Thought-leaders, Analysts and Technologists Online & Onsite

> Network with Executives from the Learning! 100 & Best of Elearning!

> Build Your Personal Brand with Certificated Credentials via Elearning! Institute

Learn More at: www.2elearning.com/events

01.15.15 Enterprise Learning!

Summit 7 AM – 2 PM PT • Best of Elearning! • Learner Engagement • Solutions Roundtable

06.0806.10.15

Enterprise Learning! Conference Manassas, VA • Learning! 100 • Best of Elearning! • Solutions Roundtable

Hosted by:

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7 AM – 2 PM PT • Building Smarter Companies • Learning! 100 • Learning Tech Trends

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Summit 7 AM – 2 PM PT • The Business of Learning • Learning! 100 • Learning Tech Trends

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Powering The Public Sector With Learning Technologies

Enterprise Learning! Events are property of B2B Media Company LLC www.2elearning.com/events 888-201-2841

01.14.16 Enterprise Learning!

Summit 7 AM – 2 PM PT • Best of Elearning! • Learning! 100 • Solutions Roundtable

Leader’sView 3 Questions… 1

…FOR JOHN AMBROSE, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, STRATEGY AND CORPORATE DEVELOPMENT, SKILLSOFT

RECENT RESEARCH HAS INDICATED THAT L&D DEPARTMENTS HAVE BEEN CHANGING THEIR FOCUS IN RECENT TIMES. WHAT CHANGES ARE YOU SEEING? We’ve seen the ratio of learning professionals to learners diminish to the point that is less than ideal. Doing more with less certainly hasn’t excluded this multi-faceted business function. But learning professionals who offer a self-service enterprise learning program can be more strategic in their departmental mission and work toward addressing skills gaps and developing succession planning. According to a recent Bersin by Deloitte, Deloitte Consulting LLP, Factbook, “L&D teams should build skills in performance consulting, gain expertise in new technologies including social and mobile, and work to cultivate strong learning cultures within their organizations.” Essentially, learning professionals need to be seen as contributing to the business; increasing the performance of their organization through the performance of their people.

2 Pictured: John Ambrose, Sr. Vice President, Strategy, Skillsoft

HOW CAN HR PROFESSIONALS ENABLE CONTINUOUS LEARNING? Without a doubt, a culture of continuous learning must be rooted at the very core of the organization. Without it, you’ll lack optimal transfer of learning to the job, delay individual progress, and hinder organizational innovation. When content is woven into the daily fabric of the organization, employees can get just-in-time assistance to the problems they are trying to solve. They won’t have to “miss work” to get what they need, and the concepts they learn can be applied immediately. Get used to the idea that learning isn’t an event; rather, learning should be infused in the day-to-day and available anywhere and everywhere employees need it. In working with other business departments, learning leaders will be able to identify skills and gaps and be able to develop a plan to bridge the two.

WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR L&D PROFESSIONALS WHO WANT TO BE VIEWED AS CONTRIBUTING TO THE SUCCESS OF THE ORGANIZATION? First off, if you are a learning professional not devoting at least half of your budget to e-learning, you are missing huge opportunities to be more productive and more efficient. The enterprise-wide scalability is well suited for skill development and transfer. Three more pieces of advice: 1) Be prepared. Get in front of your skills gaps before they get too big to fill. Not just for the sake of continuity, but for the sake of innovation for your organization. We already know that we’re going to see a big dip in numbers when baby boomers retire. Why not get ahead of that? Additionally, offer a variety of learning asset types that meet the wide range of all five generations in the workforce. 2) Take advantage of the benefits of new and emerging technology, such as mobile access. Employees are busy and on the go, so getting content into their hands when and where they need it increases the chances of learning transfer in the moment; not having to wait until they return to the desk per se. Look for ways to promote and encourage learning on the go. 3) Lastly, social is huge. It will transform the way that people learn. Flows of information and the amount of it that each employee can contribute are important. Having a forum for employees to share ideas, ask questions, be seen as experts, and be viewed as learners is an invaluable piece of the learning culture that is necessary for optimal organizational success.

—Source: “The Corporate LearningFactbook 2013: Benchmarks, Trends, and Analysis of the U.S. Training Market” by Karen O’Leonard, Deloitte Consulting LLP, January 2013.

Government Elearning! Winter 2015

continuouslearning

Winter 2015 Government Elearning!

The Business Impact of

Continuous Learning AS BEN FRANKLIN ONCE SAID: ‘WITHOUT CONTINUAL GROWTH AND PROGRESS, SUCH WORDS AS IMPROVEMENT, ACHIEVEMENT AND SUCCESS HAVE NO MEANING.’ BY CANDY OSBORNE Saying that there aren’t enough people to perform all the jobs in the world isn’t really the reason why organizations have talent gaps. There are more than enough people in the world to get the jobs done. According to McKinsey & Company, within the next five years, the global labor market will face a deficit of nearly 85 million skilled workers. Specifically, that’s a potential shortfall of 38 million to 40 million highskill workers and 45 million medium-skill workers. The gravity of the gaps suggest that doing what we’ve always done will not suffice. The imbalances aren’t in the human population per se, but the skills to perform

the jobs that will be required and having the right people in the right place at the right time. And as research demonstrates, the challenge to learning leaders will be “skilling up” the workforce proactively to meet the demands of the pace of change in the world around them. MAKING LEARNING AND PRODUCTIVITY ENDS MEET We all know that learning leads to growth, but why does it feel like our learning behaviors take a 180-degree turn after the school years? Think about it; for the first 18 years of life, we attend formal schooling, most likely in a standard classroom-based environment and then onto college, apprenticeships, and/or the military where there is more instruction, reinforcement, and application of what is learned in the classroom. At some point in our lives, we settle into our first job with that cumulative knowledge and — all of a sudden — the constant-

ness of “learning” has disappeared, the rug pulled out from under us. After attending onboarding, we find ourselves needing to know tangible, impactful skills-related things, like how to create a pivot table, how to problem solve, how to manage a complex project, and how to deal with a stubborn co-worker. A shift in our learning modus operandi has occurred. Instead of participating in mandatory training to fulfill a milestone or requirement, we find ourselves needing to learn skills that are applicable to our day-to-day lives. We may find ourselves with more questions than answers as our needs and understanding progress. At this point, we find the need for self-directed learning, but without constant access to it, our individual progress and that of the organization is hindered. The answer to getting ahead in business and in life, is to practice continuous growth and progress. Organizations that haven’t established a continuous learning culture also are likely the same ones that have the Government Elearning! Winter 2015

continuouslearning most to lose — because if they can’t catch up with skills gaps, how will they possibly innovate and out think the competition? According to a Brandon Hall Group study, more than half of the organizations surveyed “felt that their employees needed to connect with learning resources on a weekly or daily basis to effectively perform their job.” Yet there is often a disparity between the opportunities employees have and what they need to perform their jobs and move the needle for their organization. Abraham Lincoln once said, “Give me six hours to chop down a tree, and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” If Honest Abe knew that it was worth it to take time to sharpen the axe, why do we have such a hard time applying that to today’s world once the formal learning years end? Stephen R. Covey talks about the same concept of “sharpening the saw” as Habit 7 of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. He states that it’s necessary to find balance to avoid burnout and that by taking the time to sharpen the saw, we will find better balance. Imagine the results of an individual,

a team, or a workforce that is better balanced. So, how does an organization create a culture of continuous learning ripe for growing individuals and the organization? Perhaps that is best answered by what not to do. RELYING SOLELY ON EVENT-BASED LEARNING IS RISKY BUSINESS Event-based learning conjures up images of classrooms, whiteboards, instructor-led training (ILT), and workshops. At some point in our professional lives, we have participated in event-based learning. We went to a great class or conference. We got a ton of incredible information. We may have even gotten motivated and charged up about everything we learned. Then, we got back to our job, got sidetracked with day-to-day responsibilities and may have missed opportunities to reinforce what we learned while we were away. And because of that, we forgot. A lot. Think about it; you probably have a stack of business cards, some handouts, and notes from the last

50% of what we learn is forgotten in one hour; 80% after two days; 90% after 31 days event-based learning you attended. But how much have you actually retained since the event? Industry leaders question whether eventbased learning programs are sticking and creating desired behavior changes. Rightly so, it’s quite typical to forget. (See The Forgetting Curve.) According to the Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve, without context, here is what we can expect:

The Forgetting Curve Retention (%) 100

Immediate Recall

90 80

Without context, 50% is forgotten in 1 hour

70 60

20 min

1 hour

9 hours

30 20

2 days

80% is forgotten after 2 days

6 days 31 days

Elapsed Days Since Event 18

Winter 2015 Government Elearning!

90% is forgotten after 31 days

>> 50 percent of what we learn is forgotten in one hour

>> 80 percent of what we learn is forgotten after two days

>> 90 percent of what we learn is forgotten after 31 days

by that small group of employees. Aside from expense reports and empty workstations, what does an organization have to show for that 10 percent? Was it worth it? Are learning leaders seeing desired behavior changes as a result of that training?

‘Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.’

—Mahatma Gandhi

To make matters worse, sometimes it’s just a small group of employees or managers that are selected to attend event-based learning, often away from the office, begging the question: How does the rest of the employee population learn? Unless learning is reinforced, just a mere 10 percent of knowledge will be retained after a month

Not only can we see a correlation that most of what is learned at an event is lost very quickly, we also see that the investment we made when sending employees away for training events is likely wasted. To make matters worse, event-based learning programs are not scalable. With the rapid need for skill development and transfer to

keep up with the pace of change, organizations need learning solutions with enterprise-wide scalability. Because of these reasons, learning should not be viewed as an independent event; rather, learning should be infused in the day-to-day and available anywhere and everywhere employees need it. THE GREAT POTENTIAL OF A CONTINUOUS LEARNING CULTURE To support a continuous learning culture with optimal learning transference to job performance and business growth, the entire employee population should first have access to succinct, on-demand resources — and the resources must be embedded into daily workflow. This can be achieved across a variety of functions and platforms. Imagine sales representatives with access to miniature courses on key negotiation skills at their fingertips when they log into the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) System each day; global project managers with access to videos on cultural customs; and I.T. professionals with access Government Elearning! Winter 2015

continuouslearning

‘When we look at designing a specific program, we look at the ultimate business result that is required. In terms of revenue growth, in terms of profitability, in terms of customer satisfaction, in terms of employee retention, and employee engagement … that’s how we align our learning programs.’

—Madana Kumar, senior director of Learning & Development at UST Global

to a secure social learning collaboration site on their corporate intranet. Further, the learning activities must also be aligned to business objectives. If learning programs aren’t aligned to the needs of the business, it’s akin to training to play baseball but being asked to compete in tennis and expecting to see better results on the tennis court. The right learning program, one built on the foundation of a continuous learning culture and aligned to business objectives, has great potential to decrease cycle 20

Winter 2015 Government Elearning!

time, reduce costs, and increase sales. Yet many organizations have not unlocked the full potential of their learning programs to demonstrate business impact. According to Aberdeen, only “30 percent of organizations combine talent data with business data to measure the impact on organizational performance.” In order to measure the results, the alignment needs to occur. In The Value of Learning: Gauging the Business Impact of Organizational Learning Programs, the point is very clear: “If learning activities are to posi-

tively affect organizational bottom lines, or even achieve high effectiveness, the strategies underlying them must tie to the specific results (outcomes) the organization seeks to achieve.” Learning leaders who desire to shift away from counting course completions to demonstrating business impact with their learning programs can do so by ensuring a tighter connection with business leaders in the organization. The Corporate Executive Board (CEB) offers advice for those trying to make the shift: “The best organizations are oriented around three opportunities for shifting L&D from simply building capabilities to influencing the business: >> “Focus L&D staff on the behaviors and activities that matter most. >> “Enable L&D staff to effectively apply those behaviors and execute key activities. >> “Utilize day-to-day work to develop critical capabilities.” FROM LEARNING AS AN EVENT TO LEARNING AS A LIFESTYLE Learning is not a one-and-done event. To get ahead in life and on the job, we need to change our mindset to embrace learning weekly, if not daily. Continuous reinforced learning aligned to business objectives will give organizations clear competitive advantage. It’s time we start asking, “Where will we take our organization tomorrow with what we learn today?” —Sources: McKinsey Global Institute (“The World at Work: Jobs, Pay, and Skills for 3.5 Billion People,” report, June, 2012); BHG (“Relationship Centered Learning: An Adaptive Learning Model Industry Perspective,” report, February, 2013); Hermann Ebbinghaus (“Memory: Contribution to Experimental Psychology,” experimental study, 1885); Aberdeen (“Talent Analytics: Moving Beyond the Hype,” research report, April, 2014); ASTD (“The Value of Learning: Gauging the Business Impact of Organizational Learning Programs,” research, 2013); CEB (http://www.executiveboard.com/exbdresources/pdf/human-resources/learning-development/Improve-the-Impact-of-the-LDFunction-on-Business-Outcomes.pdf) —The author is the senior marketing manager at Skillsoft.

Searching for a (better) learning solution? Turn to the cloud. 1

Are you involved in shopping for a cloud-based learning solution for your organization? The criteria have changed. There are more options now than ever. Vendors can start to sound alike. How will you make the right choice? We’ve compiled a comprehensive ebook designed to help you navigate your options. We’ll help you answer questions such as: • Why choose cloud learning? • What are the current trends in this space? • What does success look like? • What sort of business impact is typical? • How do I build a business case to support this choice? • How do I choose a provider?

Download our ebook at Skillsoft.com/ebook or call 1-855-462-1420 today.

Winter 2015 Government Elearning!

What Does

Cloud-Based Learning Success Look Like?

HEREâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S A STRAIGHTFORWARD FORMULA TO ENSURE BUSINESS IMPACT. BY KIERAN KING We hear a lot of talk about getting more learning out into the business. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a given. What the industry really needs is more business in learning. After all, learning is a business process. Never thought about it quite that way? Well, it is. A business process is a series of logically related practices that perform together to produce a result. In learning, the result is quantitative and qualitative business impact. To get better, a business process must optimize its practices and abandon any efforts that distract from the core result. In order for an organization to attain a stronger result with any business process, each component must increase its

Government Elearning! Winter 2015

cloud-basedlearningsuccess efficiency and effectiveness. Within L&D, this translates to a perennial commitment to continuous improvement. But what’s really important to pay attention to? While the Cloud-based industry doesn’t lack for guidance on what good looks like, it can be confusing to sift through the clutter. The most successful organizations don’t get caught-up by tangents. Instead, they apply unwavering discipline toward optimizing the four elements of the learning business process, which are:

Case Study Snapshot: Ingersoll Rand ENHANCING A LEARNING CULTURE THROUGH FOCUSED OBJECTIVES CHALLENGE

>> Improve processes >> Improve blended learning solutions

>> Improve internal program marketing

>> Implement competency mapping >> Impact business through strategic initiatives

SOLUTION >> Work with Skillsoft to improve content offerings >> Utilize Skillsoft services for competency mapping RESULTS

>> Promote and link learning content through LMS ads

>> Develop search and feedback

programs that raised learning awareness >> Higher employee engagement and course completion statistics >> Improved awareness of content availability throughout the organization >> A learning culture driven by employees and managers >> Development tied back to organizational goals >> Learning initiatives are more targeted and focused in their content 24

Winter 2015 Government Elearning!

ENGAGEMENT Effective engagement is demonstrated when L&D teams have a systemic process for staying close to the needs of the workforce. The days of the annual training-needs analysis are long gone. A more nimble approach involves continual application of three essential practices: >> Employ a formal performance consulting procedure to unearthing talent gaps and assessing the impact of closing those gaps across the enterprise. >> Define measurable objectives up front with the initiative’s key stakeholders. Since budgets and resources have limits, stack rank the impact of addressing the initiatives. >> Encourage active sponsorship at the middle management level so those managers appreciate the performance gains learning provides and will support their team’s participation in the learning programs.

ALIGNMENT According to the U.K.-based research organization Towards Maturity, seven habits emerge when describing top learning companies exhibiting tight strategic alignment. Well-aligned L&D organizations: >> Actively involve business leaders in learning decisions >> Use strategic business objectives to determine learning priorities >> Focus on results >> Integrate with HR and talent strategy >> Demonstrate business value >> Ensure staff members understand their contribution >> Enjoy proactive management commitment In its 2013 benchmark study, Towards Maturity found that organizations scoring well in the Alignment Index are more likely to report that managers agree that online learning delivers a range of business benefits. Compared with those in the bottom quartile, those in the top quartile are at least four times more likely to deliver:

>> Increased organizational revenue >> Improved productivity >> Improved staff engagement >> Reduced staff turnover >> Decrease in their training costs and delivery time

ADOPTION Just as Cloud-based learning is not measured in the same manner as classroom learning, it’s vital to also recognize that the former is not consumed in the same manner as the latter. One of the key propositions of Cloud-based learning is that it’s “just for me,” where learners can participate in the resources that relate to their unique needs for as long or as short as they wish. This is not possible within a classroom construct. Technology is the only way to enable this high degree of individualized tailoring while simultaneously achieving greater scale. Cloud-based learning adoption success looks like: >> Repetitive use by the target audiences >> Embedding learning into the workflow of the most pervasive enterprise applications >> Active promotion of targeted content

throughout the employee lifecycle

>> Unencumbered access to discover and launch learning resources >> Mapping resources into other talent management processes such as performance appraisals and succession planning

VALUE For decades, the limiting belief that learning’s value cannot be measured has left too many leaders with no data for decision-making. There is no need for that mindset to paralyze measurement progress. Again, this is where we need to remember that learning is a business process. While causal relationships of any kind are revealed through deep scientific evidence, most organizations don’t find that depth necessary. Most business functions operate successfully by applying “roughly reasonable” estimates toward their own business processes. Think about how this plays out in other functions. Are revenues not forecasted by your sales team? Are budgets not based on approximations? Of course they are. Business decisions involving investments are routinely made by applying estimates and learning is no different. Also keep in mind that Cloud-based learning’s value is built, not born. That’s precisely why objectives should be clearly outlined through your engagement efforts at

Case Study Snapshot: PGA of America

Case Study Snapshot: Sprint

PROFESSIONAL GROWTH IN A MULTIGENERATIONAL WORKFORCE

WHAT GETS MEASURED IMPROVES AT SPRINT

>> Deliver measurable continuous

SOLUTION

partnership with Skillsoft to adapt and align targeted learning solutions to changing business requirements >> Apply the Metrics that Matter measurement platform to automate learning analytics so Sprint can manage its Skillsoft program with rigorous datasets and industry benchmark

>> Highly effective custom course curriculum

>> Resources aligned to support

certification and career objectives >> User-friendly experience that fosters continuous development RESULTS

>> An industry-wide initiative called, Get Golf Ready, yields $58 of benefit to the golf course for every $1 invested by the consumer >> Overall golf income increased $1,069 per participant

Learning’s value should be evaluated through the three lenses that apply to all other business processes: efficiency (how much), effectiveness (how well) and outcomes (so what). the front end, not assembled after the fact. If you find your organization frequently scurrying to quantify value of its learning solutions after roll out, that’s a warning signal that there is a major flaw in your learning business process. That type of activity is akin to setting out on a journey without a compass and attempting to define your destination depending on where you happen to be. While charting value objectives

CHALLENGE

CHALLENGE >> Heighten business development expertise of PGA members >> Help members remain relevant with their clientele >> Develop a multigenerational audience consistently

upfront, plan to evaluate results through the three lenses that apply to all other business processes — efficiency (how much), effectiveness (how well), and outcomes (so what). As you weigh what to measure, there is a lot to consider. Does the metric help monitor employee agility and productivity (outcome)? Does the data you are collecting help identify under or over-investment (efficiency)?

talent improvement efforts and hard-hitting business results across more than 37,000 employees globally

SOLUTION

>> Leverage the long-standing

RESULTS

>> A $90 impact benefit from

Skillsoft for every $1 invested; almost five times more than the classroom impact benefit >> An average annual rate of program improvement of 14 percent compared to the industry benchmark of 4 percent

Does the data help identify strengths and opportunities (effectiveness)? The efficiency, effectiveness and outcome data you collect should inform future business decisions. All other data simply satisfies a curiosity. If your organization is focused on optimizing its efforts across the four building blocks of Cloud-based learning success — engagement, alignment, adoption, and value — there is no doubt your team, and in turn your enterprise, will be more successful. —Source: Towards Maturity (“Aligning Learning to Business” report, May, 2014) —The author is the global vice president of Loyalty Strategy at Skillsoft. Government Elearning! Winter 2015

‘Best of Elearning! ’ Awards Hit 10-Year Mark with New Winners BY JERRY ROCHE The 2014 “Best of Elearning!” awards honor best-in-class solutions across the learning and technology industry. These exclusive users’ choice awards honor solutions that practitioners have named bestin-class based upon their own applications. Celebrating our 10th year, we received more than 3,000 nominations that included 89 different brands in the 27 categories. To date, almost 250 different companies and more than 500 products have been nomi-

Winter 2015 Government Elearning!

nated via an open-ended Web-based ballot. Multiple winners this year are Adobe, Articulate, BizLibrary and Cornerstone OnDemand. Companies that marketed winning products from last year and also have winning products this year are Adobe, Articulate, Cornerstone OnDemand, IBM Kenexa, Skillsoft, TechSmith, TransPerfect and Vubiz. First time “Best of Elearning!” honorees are Callidus Cloud, Edu 2.0, Forma, Knowledge Advisors, MLevel, OnPoint Digital, River and Trivie. Our research indicates that 85 percent

of our audience has recommended a learning and workplace technology solution to a peer over the last 12 months. And 61 percent say that award recognition impacts their decision to consider a product or service. The “Best of Elearning!” program formalizes this referral process. Elearning! and Government Elearning! magazines take great pride in announcing these winners, which are the only awards in the industry that are voted upon by learning professionals. The 2014 Best of Elearning! Award honorees are:

Best LMS (Cloud) AWARD OF EXCELLENCE

WINNER Cloud Litmos Callidus Product Information The Litmos LMS is easy to use, SCORM certified, and enabled for Web and mobile devices. When you build a course in Litmos, you add your content in the form of modules. You can make students complete all of the modules in order or just leave it open for them to pick and choose. Whether you’re moving from another LMS, you’ve purchased off-the-shelf SCORM content, or you’ve authored it yourself using Articulate, Captivate or any of the other SCORM compliant authoring tools, your SCORM 1.2 content will work perfectly in Litmos. Features/Benefits >> All SCORM-compliant content works perfectly in the Litmos LMS >> There is no long-term contract and no setup fee >> Litmos is available from any device with an Internet connection >> Any business user can create content easily and quickly

AWARD OF EXCELLENCE

and export in multiple formats

Customers ADI, Aetna, Cricket, Direct TV, HSBC, Key Bank, LexisNexis, Unisys, Verizon What Customers Say >> “Directly supports our ability to compete more effectively in the markets we serve.” >> “Callidus’ solutions … allow sales executives to make better incentive decisions, providing timely visibility into channel operations, and giving them the flexibility to rapidly deploy new sales and distribution strategies.” Contact Information 6200 Stoneridge Mall Rd., #500 Pleasanton, CA 94588 (866) 812-5244 or (925) 251-2200 www.calliduscloud.com

WINNER SumTotal Maestro Product Information Unlike other small and mid-sized solutions, Maestro was built with enterprise-grade architecture, meaning it will scale with your organization as it grows or expands its learning needs to new employees or even external audiences. The SumTotal Maestro solution was designed specifically for the unique challenges of the agile organization. And its SaaS delivery model is designed to exceed even the most stringent security, reliability, scalability, and performance standards. Features/Benefits >> Training and Certification Automation - Maestro can create groups and audiences to automatically deliver training and manage certifications. >> Flexible Learning Options - AICC and SCORM-compliant online training; instructor-led and automated event, job, or role-driven learning plans; unique userdefined tasks. >> Custom User Attributes - Map to and load customer and external data directly into Maestro.

>> Track users’ progress through training in real time,

>> Unique Courseware Offerings - access to Skillsoft’s full courseware catalog and Knowledge Centers, as well as Skillsoft’s newest courses.

Customers Edward Jones, Capgemini, Express Scripts, Air Canada, Ariba What Customers Say >> “We directly attribute the improvement in customer satisfaction to the SumTotal Maestro solution. We needed technology that would help us assess our employees’ knowhow and deliver the appropriate learning when we found gaps.” Contact Information 2850 NW 43rd St., Suite 150 Gainesville, FL 32606 (352) 264-2800 or (866) 768-6825 www.sumtotalsystems.com

Government Elearning! Winter 2015

Best LMS (Enterprise) WINNER

Meridian Global LMS Product Information At the core of Meridian Global is a learning management system (LMS) that supports an organization’s learning, development and performance strategy by giving users access to a learning technology platform from their desktops or mobile devices. The platform helps organizations address learning challenges across the extended enterprise, provides full integration capabilities, and offers secure on-premise and Cloud deployment options. Features/Benefits An LMS from Meridian Knowledge Solutions enables your organization to provide consistent learning opportunities at all stages of the employee lifecycle and ensures that learning efforts are tied to business outcomes. Additional benefits of Meridian Global suite make it easier for organizations to: >> Provide learners with access to the full range of organizational learning from a single, secure source >> Ensure compliance with government and professional certification requirements

AWARD OF EXCELLENCE

>> Allow users to connect with fellow learners to build “communities of practice” that deepen and encourage learning

>> Present content in a meaningful way, according to organizational structure, language and culture

>> Give users the means to manage and direct their

learning activities within structured plans that build competencies

Customers State of Oregon, Commonwealth of Virginia, National Dairy Cooperative What Customers Say >> “We wouldn’t have seen this level of success without the Meridian LMS.” Contact Information 14040 Park Center Rd., Suite 200 Herndon, VA 20171 (703) 322-9565 www.meridianks.com

WINNER SumTotal Learn Product Information SumTotal Learn provides the personalized, contextual learning required to help your people be better at their jobs while they are doing them. The company can serve all your learning needs — from simple to complex requirements. Especially in compliance-heavy industry verticals, such as manufacturing, airlines, healthcare and financial services. It has been in learning management since 1985, serving hundreds of industries, across 156 countries worldwide.

Customers McAfee, Edward Jones, Capgemini

Features/Benefits >> Choose your deployment option, SaaS, hosted or onpremise >> Reduce your total cost of ownership >> Personalized, intuitive user experience >> Built-in advanced reporting >> Mobile and offline learning capabilities

Contact Information 2850 NW 43rd St., Suite 150 Gainesville, FL 32606 (352) 264-2800 or (866) 768-6825 www.sumtotalsystems.com

What Customers Say >> “In our heavily regulated industry we need to be able to respond quickly to changing requirements that can impact our employees’ qualification requirements. We chose SumTotal’s solution because the open-activity architecture offers us premium capability and flexibility to grow with our changing company requirements.”

Government Elearning! Winter 2015

Training in all its dimensions

95%

The Cegos Group offers the most suitable solutions,from OF SATISFIED CUSTOMERS general courses to the most tailored programs, from face-toface learning to digital solutions including courses, videos and simulations in 18 languages. Thanks to our unequalled training quality, we are able to support your organization across the globe.

20,000 client companies, from the SMB to multinational, 200,000 people trained each year.

For your e-learning, softskills and international training needs, contact The Cegos Group. Go Beyond Knowledge.

To learn more about Cegos learning solutions, visit us online at: www.cegos.com

Best Soft Skills Content AWARD OF EXCELLENCE

WINNER cegos Product Information E-Learning modules last 15 to 45 minutes each and harness new Web and multimedia technology to treat learners to an array of learning methods while providing instant access to additional resources and services. A catalog includes 300 ready-to-use modules in up to 15 languages, spanning every company department. “E-Learning Solutions by Cegos” is a catalog of 200 online training modules available in 12 languages. “Global Learning by Cegos” consists of 26 training modules combining face-to-face and e-learning sessions. Features/Benefits All modules provide: >> Real-life situations and cases based on our experts’ experiences

AWARD OF EXCELLENCE

lower cost (besides slashing travel expenses)

>> Learning sequences that learners can stop and start as they like without losing track

>> A platform available 24/7 >> Access to online resourcesCustomers What Customers Say >> “Great for multi-national companies like ours” Contact Information 19 rue René Jacques 92 798 Issy Les Moulineaux Cedex 9 France +(33) 155 0090 50 www.elearning-cegos.com

ej4WINNER Business Skills Bundle Product Information ej4’s off-the-shelf e-learning is more than a video learning library. It is a collection of proven solutions that are built with instructional design specific for e-learning in today’s multi-platform mobile workforce. The current and future business environment demands tools that are quick, strategic, and accessible on all devices. Features/Benefits >> Answers for your team(s) at their fingertips whenever and wherever needed >> Ability to add custom content to existing off-the-shelf content with Thinkzoom >> Short and targeted e-learning that gives the user only the necessary information. >> Courses on topics like management, productivity, anti-harassment and customer service are attuned to primarily to business needs

>> Entertaining, interactive training experiences at a

Customers Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, The Corridor Group, Western Equipment Dealers Association What Customers Say >> “Widely accessible — even through BYOD devices” >> “Offers a wide range of topics pertinent to the members of our sales staff ” Contact Information 12125 Woodcrest Executive Dr., Suite 300 St. Louis, MO 63141 (314) 878-6700 1818 Wyandotte St., Suite 200 Kansas City, MO 64108 (816) 489-4660 http://ej4.com

Government Elearning! Winter 2015

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Best Soft Skills Content AWARD OF EXCELLENCE

WINNER Business Skills Catalog Skillsoft Product Information The Business Skills Catalog via Skillport provides an excellent learning experience by quickly delivering highly targeted learning through an innovative, Cloud-based solution that connects formal, informal and collaborative learning, when and where people want to learn. With this fully hosted platform, you can ensure your employees have access to relevant learning content when they need it, anywhere in the world, in a variety of localized languages, on their desktops or on the go. Available Topics Topics included in this specific catalog: Business Impact Series, Challenge Series, CrossKnowledge, Finance/ Accounting KnowledgeCenter, FinancePro, HR Professional KnowledgeCenter, Leadership KnowledgeCenter, Project Management KnowledgeCenter, Sales Knowl-

edgeCenter, Six Sigma KnowledgeCenter, SkillChoice Business and more. Customers Active Network, ASG Group, Carrington Holding Co., PPD, Tata Consultancy Services North America, TSYS What Customers Say >> “One of the most complete — if not the most complete — catalog of courses we’ve seen” Contact Information 107 Northeastern Blvd. Nashua, NH 03062 (603) 324-3000 or (877) 545-5763) www.skillsoft.com

Best Leadership Content WINNER

Skillsoft Leadership Advantage Product Information Skillsoft Leadership Advantage provides leadership learning tracks that leverage top business executives and industry minds in a variety of formats to meet learners’ needs. Content features videos of some of the world’s most revered executives, presentations by leading business authors and speakers, and summaries of best-selling books. Skillsoft Leadership Advantage gives all your leaders the chance to implement expert advice to help them meet their leadership goals. Features/Benefits >> Multiple modes of instruction, including Skillsoft ExecBlueprints and Skillsoft ExecSummaries >> Learners can build their leadership skills while traveling via mobile content >> Build a leadership pipeline that will directly impact your organization’s bottom line

>> Leaders get a catered level of learning based on their own skill- set within specific competencies

>> Support materials allow learners convenient access to further their understanding in any given subject area

Customers Unisys, University of Florida, Sprint, Telus What Customers Say >> “Quick and to the point...great for executives” >> “Easy, quick, very interactive” Contact Information 107 Northeastern Blvd. Nashua, NH 03062 (603) 324-3000 or (877) 545-5763) www.skillsoft.com

Government Elearning! Winter 2015

BUSINESS IS A GAME. Do you want to be in the winning locker room or the losing locker room? JACK WELCH, NAMED “MANAGER OF THE CENTURY” BY FORTUNE MAGAZINE

Build a winning team with Welch Way, an immediately actionable, hands-on management training program personally developed by legendary CEO, Jack Welch. Welch Way empowers managers to: • Transform teams • Improve productivity • Drive business results With this performance-driven program you can get your managers off the bench and in the game fast. And unlike other management training programs, because Welch Way is based on Jack’s own high-return leadership principles, you know your people are learning from the best. Visit www.skillsoft.com/Jack and download a complimentary e-summary of Jack’s book Winning and learn how Jack’s management style will take your organization’s leaders to the next level.

Best Sales Training WINNER

CloudCoaching International Pathways to Growth Product Information Pathways to Growth is a system that creates alignment in your company to consistently execute on the strategies that matter most. It’s an end-to-end sales management system based on nine disciplines that maximize the entire sales process. This system is divided into three areas: >> Team actions that create focus and collaboration >> Individual actions that align activity to outcomes >> Executive reviews that link strategy to action. Features/Benefits >> Clear, consistent objectives, strategies, metrics,  and reinforcement >> Self-paced learning, training and coaching >> Performance support and measurement tools >> Triggers easy, repeatable, measurable and  self-correcting behaviors

Customers Politico, Gannett, vmware, Edmentum What Customers Say >> “We can track calls, meetings, and opportunities to get to an outstanding close ratio.” >> “Changes people’s habits, but using their own pipelines.” >> “A transformative initiative. Creates a more stringent pipeline management culture.” >> “Vastly accelerated the role managers play in the sales journey.” Contact Information 10333 Richmond Ave., Suite 400  Houston, TX 77042 (877) 253-8506 www.cloudcoachinginternational.com

Best I.T. Training AWARD OF EXCELLENCE

WINNER I.T. Certification Skillsoft Product Information Skillsoft is one of the most comprehensive providers of e-learning content in the world. Its I.T.-targeted content is relevant and customizable — improving employee morale and organizational productivity. Customer support is always available, providing critical tools, services and implementation guidance. Extensive reporting solutions help organizations demonstrate return on investment. And its content developers, learning consultants and technical mentors are experts in their fields. Features/Benefits Some of the 19 topics available in the company’s I.T. library: >> I.T. Solutions >> SkillChoice I.T.

>> I.T. Security KnowledgeCenter >> I.T. Pro – Books 24x7 Customers Catapult Technology, Unisys, USO, Ingersoll Rand What Customers Say >> “Clear, concise, easy to use” >> “Easy to incorporate into an enterprise LMS” Contact Information 107 Northeastern Blvd. Nashua, NH 03062 (603) 324-3000 or (877) 545-5763) www.skillsoft.com

Government Elearning! Winter 2015

Best Virtual Learning Environment AWARD OF EXCELLENCE

Intercall WINNER Virtual Event Platform Product Information InterCall virtual events for marketing, training and recruiting are an innovative channel to engage with your customers, prospects, partners and employees. Some ways to use virtual events include: user conferences, trade shows, product launches, company meetings, partner communities, road shows, sales kick-offs, employee training, corporate universities, roundtables and job fairs. Features/Benefits >> Easy to use and learn: The platform is intuitive and easy to navigate. It does not require users to switch applications or click through multiple pop-ups >> Better communication tool: Rich registration information, activity data and comprehensive lead ranking. All data is delivered through web-based reporting, which makes it easy to access and share information with partners and sponsors >> Customizable branding: Up and running in a matter of hours, with point-and-click customization and predefined templates and themes

>> Global reach in multiple languages: available in 17

languages with a global services model, which is crucial for delivering online events to an international audience

Customers Novartis, IBM, KPMG, Fortune magazine, Spark Interactive What Customers Say >> “The scope and quality of the background data provided by the virtual environment is truly breathtaking.” >> “[It has] a gorgeous interface with locations that look really good.” >> “Allows us to track attendees seamlessly over time, and [it] provides highly qualified leads to sponsors.” Contact Information 8420 W. Bryn Mawr, Suite 1100 Chicago, IL 60631 (773) 399-1600 www.intercall.com

Best Outsourced Learning Services AWARD OF EXCELLENCE

GPWINNER Strategies Managed Learning Services Product Information Customers of GP Strategies have used its services for global expansion, strategic alignment, competitive agility, cost reduction and more. The company offers a full array of business services, including learning technologies, learning solutions, LCMSs, LMSs, LMS assessments, enterprise portals, HCM, content development and much, much more. Training and consulting form the core of everything GP Strategies delivers. It specializes in building training programs from the ground up. Features/Benefits >> Developing and delivering learning services, solutions, and technologies to make your people and processes more effective and efficient >> Capturing your organization’s tribal knowledge to support your continual competitive environment >> Applying our specialized knowledge and expertise

within your organization, to promote risk management and company value >> Engineering solutions to provide greater efficiency Customers Eskom, Saudi Electric Services Polytechnic, UPS What Customers Say >> “The experts at GP are truly experts” >> “The company tailored their services to what we needed at the time” Contact Information 70 Corporate Center 11000 Broken Land Pkwy., Suite 200 Columbia, MD 21044 (443) 367-9600 or (800) 727-6677 www.gpstrategies.com Government Elearning! Winter 2015

Best Of Elearning! 2014: Esteemed Winners and Awards of Excellence Honorees Best LMS (Cloud)

Best Virtual Learning Environment

Best Video Capture

Cornerstone OnDemand Winner Callidus Cloud Litmos Award of Excellence Award of Excellence SumTotal Maestro Edu 2.0 Matrix Award of Excellence Award of Excellence BizLibrary ePath LMS Award of Excellence

Inxpo Virtual Learning Winner Intercall Virtual Event Platform Award of Excellence On24 Virtual Environment Award of Excellence

TechSmith Camtasia TechSmith Snagit Articulate Replay

Best LMS (Enterprise) Meridian Global LMS SumTotal Learn Saba Learning@work

Winner Award of Excellence Award of Excellence

Best LCMS IBM Kenexa OnPoint Digital LCMS Xyleme LCMS

Winner Award of Excellence Award of Excellence

Best I.T. Training Skillsoft I.T. Certification Award of Excellence Lynda.com Web Training Award of Excellence Award of Excellence Udemy

Best Leadership Content Skillsoft Leadership Advantage Winner Cognician Leadership Accelerator Award of Excellence PPD Lean Six Sigma Award of Excellence

Best Soft Skills Content

Coursera Winner EdX Award of Excellence Udacity Award of Excellence

BizLibrary The Collection Winner Cegos Award of Excellence Skillsoft Business Skills Catalog Award of Excellence ej4 Award of Excellence

Best TMS

Best Compliance Training

Best MOOC

Cornerstone OnDemand Performance Winner Halogen Talent Space Award of Excellence HRSmart Unified TM Suite Award of Excellence Kallidus Talent Management Award of Excellence

Best HR Technology Solution Oracle HCM Infor HCM Workday HCM

Winner Award of Excellence Award of Excellence

Best Open-Source Solutions Forma LMS Docebo LMS Moodle

Winner Award of Excellence Award of Excellence

Best Web Seminar Citrix Online GoToMeeting Winner Cisco WebEx Meeting Center Award of Excellence

Best Virtual Classroom Adobe Connect Pro Cisco WebEx Training Center Citrix Online GoToTraining

Winner Award of Excellence Award of Excellence

Winter 2015 Government Elearning!

Vubiz Compliance Library Winner Global Learning Systems Awareness Training Award of Excellence J.J. Keller Construction Award of Excellence Safety eCourses

Best Sales Training CloudCoaching International Pathways to Growth Winner Richardson Sales Performance System Award of Excellence ej4 Sales Curriculum Award of Excellence Kensei Partners BASHO Award of Excellence Sales Training

Best E-learning Development Tool Articulate Storyline iSpring Presenter Articulate Studio DominKnow Claro

Winner Award of Excellence Award of Excellence Award of Excellence

Best Simulation Adobe Captivate Mzinga Firefly Skilitics Interact

Winner Award of Excellence Award of Excellence

Best Game Development Solution mLevel Winner Trivie Enterprise Award of Excellence Scirra Construct2 Award of Excellence

Winner Award of Excellence Award of Excellence

Best Video Publishing Solution Adobe Premiere Winner GoAnimate Award of Excellence Sonic Foundry Mediasite Award of Excellence Wisetail Award of Excellence

Best Testing & Assessment Solution Articulate Quizmaker Winner iSpring Solutions QuizMaker Award of Excellence Award of Excellence PrProfs Quiz Maker

Best Social Learning BizLibrary Community Winner Triple Creek River Award of Excellence Microsoft Yammer Award of Excellence

Best Mobile Authoring Brainshark Slideshark Winner OnPoint Digital Cellcast Award of Excellence Travitor Travitor Pro Award of Excellence

Best Presentation Solution Articulate Presenter Winner Brainshark On-demand Award of Excellence Microsoft PowerPoint Award of Excellence Prezi Award of Excellence

Best Mobile Application Articulate Mobile Player Co-winner BizLibrary BizMobile Co-winner Evernote Award of Excellence

Best Translation & Localization Service TransPerfect Winner Milengo Award of Excellence Robertson Languages International Award of Excellence

Best Outsourced Learning Services Knowledge Advisors Measurement Consulting Winner GP Strategies Managed Learning Services Award of Excellence Skillsoft Professional Services Award of Excellence

Mark Your Calendar 01.15.15 | 06.08-06.10.15 | 07.16.15 | 11.04.15 | 01.14.16 Learn More at:www.2elearning.com/events > Discover the $220 Billion Learning & Workplace Technology Market

> Convene with up to 3,000 Learning, HR and Talent Executive Leaders

> Learn from Thought-leaders, Analysts and Technologists Online & Onsite

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> Build Your Personal Brand with Certificated Credentials via Elearning! Institute

Learn More at: www.2elearning.com/events

01.15.15 Enterprise Learning!

Summit 7 AM – 2 PM PT • Best of Elearning! • Learner Engagement • Solutions Roundtable

06.0806.10.15

Enterprise Learning! Conference Manassas, VA • Learning! 100 • Best of Elearning! • Solutions Roundtable

Hosted by:

07.16.14 ELC Online

7 AM – 2 PM PT • Building Smarter Companies • Learning! 100 • Learning Tech Trends

11.04.15 Enterprise Learning!

Summit 7 AM – 2 PM PT • The Business of Learning • Learning! 100 • Learning Tech Trends

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Powering The Public Sector With Learning Technologies

Enterprise Learning! Events are property of B2B Media Company LLC www.2elearning.com/events 888-201-2841

01.14.16 Enterprise Learning!

Summit 7 AM – 2 PM PT • Best of Elearning! • Learning! 100 • Solutions Roundtable

SpotlightVideo E-learning Spotlight Off the Shelf or Customized,

E-learning Elevates Efficiency E-learning, as this magazine has been claiming for years, isn’t new. From better ways to onboard new employees to improving overall performance, there are many benefits to elearning: >> It boosts productivity by up to 50 percent. >> It’s cost-effective: For every $1 spent, a company receives nearly $30 worth of productivity. >> It’s time-efficient, cutting down instruction time by up to 60 percent. >> And it improves performance levels. Yet most companies just offer “typical” solutions; either boring slide-show presentations or

nearly hour-long, drawn-out videos with no real focus. If you lose the audience, you lose the knowledge, which means you’ve lost out on developing a more productive employee. For video e-learning to be successful, it must have the following four attributes (what e-learning provider ej4 calls their J4 Methodology for creating impactful videos): Just as needed - One size doesn’t fit all. Beginner courses for rookies; advanced courses for more experienced learners. Classroom training can’t do that. Just enough - Shorter, sequential learning is better. Learn one thing, then

build on that — one step after another. And, if courses are short, nobody can say, “I don’t have time.” Then complete the package with handouts and quizzes to reinvorce the lesson even more. Just in time - Learners get it the moment they need it. New product rollouts, updates to compliance or policy — whatever they need to do the job right, right now. Training that’s too early or too late is a waste of money. Just right - Never boring. Learning design methodology must engage — and sometimes entertain. Some topics that your video e-learning off-the-shelf library

3 4

should cover:

>> Selling Skills >> HR/Compliance >> Supervision/Leadership >> Safety >> Software Skills >> Negotiating >> Retail Excellence >> On-screen Talent >> Presentation Skills >> Professional Productivity >> Operations >> Communications >> Customer Service >> Key Account Selling >> Financial Basics/Compliance

Some companies even offer custom content. For instance, ej4 has a production studio, an editing suite, and world-class corporate trainers. All of ej4’s courses — both off-the-shelf and custom — are short, to the point and full of relevant information, designed for today’s worker. ej4’s subject-matter experts develop courses based on proven, academic research. And since its courses are 10 minutes or less, employees have more time to apply what they’ve learn. They have more time to refresh, if needed, allowing for a more versatile training experience overall. Whether you have your own learning management system (LMS), need ej4’s, or want to go mobile, ej4 videos integrate seamlessly with any system utilizing the latest in video-based technology. —More info: http://ej4.com

Winter 2015 Government Elearning!

TipsBlended Learning Evaluate Blended Training for

Content and Context IT IS CRUCIALLY IMPORTANT, IN A BLENDED SOLUTION, TO USE WEB CONFERENCE TOOLS, SOCIAL MEDIA AND COLLABORATION AS EDUCATIONAL TOOLS IN THEIR OWN RIGHT. BY MATHILDE BOURDAT Does a blended training require a specific evaluation system? To answer this question, we will take into account all the dimensions of the training, particularly its contextual dimension. ASSESS CONCEPTION AND CONTENT Studies on training effectiveness put the emphasis on quality and relevance of content. To evaluate the quality of the design (regardless of modality), we will consider, in reference to the work of D. Merril (in (in “First Principles of Instruction, Educational Technology Research & Development”), the following main points: >> Content has to be suited to the training objectives. >> The participants’ representations concerning the key elements of content must be expressed and taken into account. >> Adoption of content must actively commit participants. To do so, it is necessary to facilitate many interactions, between the participants and

with the trainer.

>> During the training, the

learner has to experiment the effectiveness of the content to solve problems which make sense for him or her. It is important to keep these criteria in mind when you design the “distance” component of the training. How does an online module leave space for the expression of initial representations? How will the learner be able to compare its performances with those of its peers and obtain feedback from the trainer? How are the suggested problems relevant to him or her? Built on the designer’s representations, an e-learning module or a video do not necessarily generate exchanges or controversy. Hence, the crucial importance, in a blended solution, of using Web conference tools, social media and collaborative tools as educational tools in their own right. Around courses — whether they are face to face or digital — it is crucial to create a true learning environment (mostly when face-to-face interactions are limited). That is to say, collaborative working experiences focusing on problems to be solved, opportunities for each learner to contribute but also to share with the trainer. This specific environment creates the vital ecosystem for the learning process. It is important to note the needed time for the trainer to monitor the group and each par-

ticipant — and also the needed time for each learner to attend the distance learning element and to share with other learners. EVALUATE CONTEXT IN A BLENDED SYSTEM Training is not a “product” you can “ingest” whatever the environment. Its effectiveness can only be understood in an organizational and managerial context. This is particularly true for blended solutions that associate different training modalities. The “distance” part involves different actors, particularly the management. It has a determining influence on the quality of the participant’s learning environment. During the diagnostic phase preceding the solution’s design, it is necessary to check if the manager is able to (and wants to): >> provide time, >> provide material (access to computer, smartphone, tablet…), and/or >> take into account the time spent for training (including exchanges with peers)

that do not take place in training rooms. We can deduce a three-tiered evaluation process including the context and inputs (see illustration). The contextual environment includes access to distance training methods but also managerial support (or tutoring support), the allotted time and the organization’s learning culture. The learning environment integrated into the blended portion covers frequent interactions between trainers and participants, and also between participants and participants. It includes a forum, possibility for everyone to post contributions and to get feedback from peers and/or from the trainer, wikis and other sources. Evaluation of the design focuses on each part of the training architecture and the coherence of the whole. —The author works for Cegos. More information at the website www.cegos.com.

Government Elearning! Winter 2015

TipsLMS Tips De-centralization and

Shadow Learning Since the mid-2000s and probably earlier, highly motivated business units have been buying, launching and managing their own I.T. systems and applications. These rogue applications became known as “shadow I.T.,” because they exist and function outside the control and consent of a centralized I.T. organization. The standard centralized training organization faces similar disruption from business units delivering training solutions outside of its consent and control: “shadow learning.” There are very good business reasons why shadow I.T. grew beyond what the traditional I.T. department could handle. As is the case with shadow learning. Here are a few reasons for the shadow phenomena, and how it is extending the learning industry and

becoming an acceptable practice within companies worldwide:

BOTTLENECKS VERSUS ‘GET IT DONE!’ Learning projects must be prioritized, with more and more departments requiring L&D to create more customized courses and learning content. In today’s business climate, the value of moving faster with existing digital content and easily created assessments often outweighs the benefits of the slow, traditional course development process. Not only that, but new SaaS platforms like Litmos allow for quick application acquisition with a credit card and enables deploying learning to thousands in minutes, not months. Speed and ease of use are game-changers, bringing huge value to the individual depart-

Employee Training

Partners

Customer Learning

Customer Success

Sales

ments that are just trying to meet the rapidly changing needs of the business by quickly releasing training to the learners in the field. The new Cloud-based platforms are enabling every department in each organization to realize real savings while continually investing in their workforce, reducing ramp-up timelines, and better aligning messaging across all channels.

TALENT MANAGEMENT AND LEARNING SYSTEMS CONSOLIDATION: WHO OWNS TRAINING NOW? As talent management and learning management vendors continue to consolidate, a massive vacuum is created, causing questions of who actually “owns” learning. With learning becoming a competitive advantage, we now see how different departments can benefit from supporting their unique training needs. For example, customer training departments moving from classroom to digital should not have to work with HR to build customer training. And how about sales enablement and training situations where sales reps have to be kept abreast of latest product features in order to prepare them for customer scenario? In all of these examples, it would be much simpler and more effective for the department to own, rapidly create, and roll out training without the oversight of a centralized training organization like that with a HR department.

LEGACY PLATFORMS VERSUS CONSUMERIZED APPS Traditional technology platforms have been focused on the admin user and management reporting, not on the end user. Business users expect a modern, agile, easy-to-use application with an effortless user experience. Additionally, as the workforce is changing, systems that allow quick and easy access to training and content anytime and anywhere is paramount. While legacy systems require VPN-based logins and cater to the administrator, modern learning management platforms like Litmos focus on the user. This perspective favors quick access to training, ease of use, mobile enablement, and driving user adoption and engagement while providing rapid rollouts. But it also supports the needs of admins and managers with real time reporting and other administrative functions that support the training function. For years, learning has been reserved for selected topics and departments, leaving the rest of your business to simply communicate via emails and ad hoc meetings. Litmos offers an innovative and intuitive solution that rescues companies from outdated learning mediums. It places the learner experience and administrative agility at the forefront.

—More info: www.litmos.com

Government Elearning! Winter 2015

TipsI.T. Skills 4 Ways to Make

I.T. Skills Stick

BY JIM ZIMMERMANN

Today’s I.T. department is faced with a wide array of challenges, including a severe shortage of skilled workers and an environment in which everything is changing, from platforms to development environments to enduser expectations. One way I.T. departments can help address many of these issues is through training. But not just piecemeal training; I.T. needs to develop a continuous learning environment for its staff to ensure knowledge transfer to the job. A continuous learning environment in I.T. involves providing a range of learning opportunities supported by different learning modalities across formal, informal, and social learning — and they can’t all be managed or controlled by a central training function. Instead of managing and tracking training events, training professionals that wish to create a vibrant continuous learning environment in I.T. need to focus on four things: Enabling a continuous learning environment is a critical component of a successful continuous learning environment. Enabling should come from the top down with senior management visibly supporting continuous learning and staff managers actively encouraging team members to always be learning. Getting staff to participate in social learning is another area where

enablement is key. Just setting up a social platform does not guarantee people will use it. Enabling social learning could involve getting a key group of staff members signed up before launch and have them get the conversations going. People are also more likely to participate in social learning if they know that their managers are also actively following the social discussions and participating. Optimization is another important factor to help make skills stick. There are many ways you can optimize your current and future learning resources to support continuous learning. Optimizing involves finding ways to leverage and repurpose learning resources to support various types of learning at different moments of need. For instance, short individual performancesupport videos can be grouped together into courses or organized into learning paths. Your top I.T. talent could be encouraged to share their knowledge with others through social channels, webinars, lunch-andlearn sessions, or mentoring. Organizing your learning resources is also important to a successful continuous learning environment. If you just dump a few thousand learning assets into an LMS and announce it to your learners, don’t expect great results. You will need to organize your learning assets to align with specific I.T. initiatives, job

Winter 2015 Government Elearning!

roles, competencies, certifications, etc. The concept of learning paths can also be a very powerful way of organizing content to encourage continuous learning. For instance, you could work with I.T. subjectmatter experts to come up with a recommended path to learn a new technology or prepare for a certification exam and then share the learning path with employees who need to learn the skills. The learning paths should contain an assortment of learning modalities to support continuous learning. Mobilizing is where you make sure that learning is available when, where, and how the I.T. staff needs it. This may involve making sure your learning assets are available

on a wide range of platforms from desktops and laptops to tablets to smartphones. It is also where you try to remove as many steps and potential roadblocks to accessing the learning resources as possible. Ideally, you want to make sure the learning assets are available at “the point of need.” So if you already have an I.T. department portal where staff goes to find internal resources, make sure your training is a single click away from the portal. So get out there and start enabling, optimizing, organizing, and mobilizing to support continuous learning and make it stick in your I.T. organization. —The author is director of Research Products for Skillsoft.

Building Smarter Organizations Co-hosted with: Innovations in E-learning Symposium

June 8-10, 2015 | Manassas, VA

CALL FOR PAPERS Enterprise Learning! Conference 2015 (ELC15) hosts the exclusive Learning & Workplace Technology Conference for corporate, government and higher education executives. In partnership with the Department of Defense’s Defense Acquisition University and George Mason University, ELC15 co-hosts the ‘Innovations in E-learning Symposium’ within the Conference. Together, ELC15 provides executives a collegiate environment to network, share and learn from leaders across all sectors. Join the dialog as a conference presenter by submitting your call for paper by February 1st. ELC15 event theme is Building Smarter Organizations and we seek presentations and workshops on the following topics: I. Learning Environments for the Next Generation II. Smart Connected Things in Learning III. Learning Analytics & Performance in the Big Data Age IV. The Learning! 100: Best Practices

To be considered, submit your proposal on or before February 1, 2015 at: http://www.2elearning.com/events/enterprise-learning-conf-15

Mark your calendar for ELC2015 hosted June 8-10, 2015 at the Hylton Center, Manassas, VA. At ELC15, executives learn to Build Smarter Organizations. Hosted by:

Partners: Government

Powering The Public Sector With Learning Technologies

www.2elearning.com

www.ELCEShow.com

Enterprise Learning! Conference is an event produced by Elearning! Media Group, and owned by B2B Media Co. LLC.

TipsPitching Influencing

Stakeholders

BY CANDY OSBORNE If you’re thinking of bringing an e-learning solution to your organization, you’ll want to get a consensus from stakeholders. Here are some common stakeholders and ideas for how you might help them understand how e-learning can benefit their respective areas. HR >> When employees have learning resources readily available, onboarding takes place at a faster pace. >> Skills and knowledge gains from a top-notch learning program will lessen the gaps new hires will be facing and help with career progression over time. >> Having a skilled workforce will encourage positive employee engagement and reduce turnover for the organization. >> Offering a learning solution that is mobile and bite-sized will ensure that it’s conveniently available anytime, anywhere. L&D >> With a successful learning program, performance improvements will take place across business units with the potential to make the company money (e.g., increased sales, better customer service, etc.) or save the company money (e.g., increased product quality, decreased cycle time, etc.). >> L&D has the opportunity 46

to be viewed as a business improvement unit and not just a “training center.” This perception will influence future business and learning opportunities and decisions. I.T. >> There is ease of integration with third-party platforms, such as talent management systems. >> The threat of complexity with multiple learning vendors would be significantly reduced by selecting a vendor that is all-encompassing. >> Cloud-based learning solutions reduce maintenance and support efforts. BUSINESS UNIT LEADERS >> When skill gaps are identified and addressed through learning, the individual will perform better, and so will the team. >> When a team is operating efficiently, business outcomes improve and organizational goals are met. PROCUREMENT >> Bringing in an off-the-shelf solution is more costeffective than internally developing training or sending employees away to costly offsite training. >> Not only is e-learning more cost-effective, it has been shown to have higher

Winter 2015 Government Elearning!

and Addressing Objections When Pitching E-learning

application rates to the job, thereby increasing the potential to move the needle more effectively than other types of learning programs. FOUR OBJECTIONS When meeting with stakeholders, don’t be surprised by resistance you may experience; inevitably, with change comes objections. Here are four common objections you might face and ideas for how you might handle them.

>> Objection 1 – “Employees don’t have time to learn.” Response – Jack Welch, former CEO of GE, once said, “The only sustainable competitive advantage is to learn faster than your competition and to be able to act on what you have learned.” Learning is simply not an option in today’s highly competitive, agile, global environment. >> Objection 2 – “E-learning isn’t effective.” Response – Not only is elearning highly effective, but it has also demonstrated better transference rates than traditional classroom training. Ask your prospective e-learning provider to disclose its typical transference rates. >> Objection 3 – “Learning must be customized.” Response – Your stakeholders

may tell you that off-the-shelf learning is not as effective as custom, proprietary learning. As a general rule of thumb, half of all learning within any organization is generic — meaning that the same general content and learning objectives apply across the industry, while the remaining half is unique to the personality of that organization and needs to be customdeveloped either internally or externally.

>> Objection 4 – “The value learning brings to workforce improvement or business gains is highly questionable and hard to measure.” Response – A great learning partner will be able to guide you through a measurement process to determine the impact to the business. The Center for Talent Reporting (www. centerfortalentreporting.org) is one of several organizations that defines standard practices for measuring learning’s efficiency. Arrange a meeting with your stakeholders to see common goals for themselves, and address any objections that occur. Influencing them to be on the same page will help to enable a stronger, more unified stance to bring an e-learning program to your organization. —The author is senior marketing manager for Skillsoft.

Cases TipsBusiness Tips How to Build a Business Case for a

Cloud-Based To understand what businesscase success look like, let’s first look at what failure looks like. Failure takes place when the business case: >> is not in line with strategic business objectives; >> lacks recognition of what is important to the CEO and CFO; >> requests spending without financial benefit projections; and/or >> uses HR and learning industry terminology that is a “different language.” These failures all have one thing in common: They all relate to an L&D-driven agenda and not a business-driven agenda. To develop a successful business case, you must consider how it is perceived and how it will impact the greater good of the organization. Who can tell you how your business case is perceived and how it will impact the greater organizational good? No single stakeholder can. In fact, according to CEB (Corporate Executive Board), the average

number of individuals involved with today’s buying decision is 5.4. This buying team will often have differing agendas. That means that in order to get a Cloud-based learning business case approved, you’ll need to identify each of the buying team stakeholders and then secure their support by tailoring it to their specific priorities. Skipping or not fully addressing a stage will weaken a business case and reduce your approval probability.



STAGE 1: DEFINE THE BUSINESS ISSUE >> Identify the business opportunity or problem to be solved. >> Create a succinct description of what your proposal will deliver. >> The objectives should help your organization reach its overall goals and be aligned with the priorities of senior management. >> An example may be “reduce operating expenses” or “increase talent capability.”

Learning Solution

>> Develop an opportunity

>> The template you use to



statement. >> This describes the benefits of solving the problem or seizing the opportunity. >> For example, “Reduce HR budget and expand talent development to more employees.”

STAGE 2: ANALYZE ALTERNATIVES; SELECT BEST OPTION >> Ask those closest to the issue for their ideas on possible alternatives. >> Research case studies of those inside and outside your field that have faced similar challenges and solved them. >> Collect information about each alternative. >> The goal is to weigh alternatives against one another in financial terms, intangible benefits and risk level. >> For the financial terms, a payback period and proforma ROI are often used to compare. >> Payback period illustrates how long it will take to recover initial investment. >> ROI shows the monetary impact your investment is predicted to yield.

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STAGE 3: PREPARE THE BUSINESS CASE >> After analyzing the alternatives, you will prepare the written business case.

lay out your business case should have a simple and sound structure: 1) Executive Summary; 2) Current Situation; 3) Analysis , Recommend tion; 4) Conclusion. STAGE 4: DELIVER THE BUSINESS CASE >> During this stage you “sell” your recommendations. >> Hone your persuasion and influencing skills. >> Rehearse with an informed, invested colleague. >> Plan the forum and format with care. >> Select the time, place and approach that suits the stakeholders best. >> Keep your presentation focused and concise. Avoid going into unnecessary detail. >> Be prepared to deal with questions that may arise. >> Have you ever implemented a similar recommendation? >> What else might be needed that is not articulated in the business case? >> What assumptions have you made that your stakeholder may disagree with? (Tip: Determining shared goals will help stakeholders come to a stronger, more unified and supported stance.) —Source: www.executiveboard. com/blogs/when-emotionsimpact-a-sale

Government Elearning! Winter 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

Winter 2015 Government 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.

Government Elearning! Winter 2015

Do You Make the

Grade? 2

What is not one of the four elements of the learning business process? a) engagement b) alignment c) adoption d) recall

Results:

6-7 correct makes you Mensa material. 4-5 correct means you are a skimmer â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and can learn oh-so much more. Fewer than 4? This issue is your Sunday reading assignment. Try again!

How long does it take the average employee to forget 50% of what he or she has recently learned? a) one minute b) one hour c) one day d) one week

For every dollar spent on corporate learning, how much does the company receive in productivity? a) $4.45 b) $10 c) $20 d) $30

What two devices are most used to share content on a global basis? a) tablets and smartphones b) smartphones and desktop computers c) desktop computers and tablets d) none of the above

6 7

What percentage of U.S. employees are downloading personal software and apps to enterprise-owned tablets? a) 6% b) 44% c) 61% d) 73%

What percentage of U.S. employees say they were overworked in 2014? a) 50% b) 54% c) 68% d) 88%

What is the annual growth rate of mobile learning in the U.S.? a) 4.4% b) 8.2% c) 14.6% d) 15.2%

Editorial Index Aberdeen Group www.aberdeen.com Association for Talent Development www.astd.org Bersin by Deloitte www.bersin.com Best of Elearning! www.2elearning.com Big Think www.bigthink.com DeBaak, Inc. www.debaak.com eMarketer.com www.emarketer.com Enterprise Learning! Conference 2015 www.2elearning.com/resources/research-whitepapers Learning! 100 Awards www.2elearning.com/awards/learning-100-awards

McKinsey Global Institute www.mckinsey.com

Enterprise Learning! Events www.2elearning.com/events

p 14

Salesforce.com www.salesforce.com

Global Skillsoft Perspectives 2015 http://perspectives/skillsoft.com

pg 2

Towards Maturity www.towardsmaturity.org

Intercall www.intercall.com

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2015 Learning! 100 pg 51 www.2elearning.com/awards/learning-100-awards

American Public University www.greatleadersinspire.edu

Litmos, a Callidus Cloud Co. http://calliduscloud.com

p 28

Salesforce.com www.salesforce.com/trainingjourney

Cegos www.cegos.com

p 30

SumTotal Systems, a Skillsoft Company www.sumtotalsystems.com

CloudCoaching International www.cloudcoachinginternational.com

p 36

Skillsoft www.skillsoft.com

ej4 http://ej4.com

p 32

Welch Way http://welchway.skillsoft.com

p 42 pg 52

pg 2, 21, 34,52 p 34

Answers 1) b; 2) d; 3) d; 4) b; 5) d; 6) c; 7) a

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Winter 2015 Government Elearning!

We don’t really have a labor crisis We have a LEARNING CRISIS

A lack of learning — not a lack of people — keeps companies from cultivating an evergreen source of talent. And it’s a big problem. That’s why Skillsoft and SumTotal have joined forces. Skillsoft + SumTotal = The Learning-centric Talent Expansion Suite Only a learning culture that is purpose-built will ensure an evergreen source of talent and enduring leadership. Unlocking the potential within current and new employees spurs innovation and growth – both at the personal level and the organizational level. Avert the learning crisis and embrace the Learning Age.

Learn more at www.skillsoft.com/future

We improve the performance of organizations by improving the performance of their people.