Government Elearning! - Winter 2016 by Creative By Design

Best Trade Magazine

Best Three-Time Trade Magazine

2010

2011

Winter 2016 Volume 7 â&#x20AC;˘ Issue 3

SERVICES 2015 CONTENT SOCIAL

www.2elearning.com

>> The Holy Grail for EdTech Pg 18

TOOLS Award Winners Named

VIRTUAL

IDEO LMS

of Elearning!

Get High Marks? Pg 22

LEARNING PLATFORMS

BEST

>> Does Your Training

Pg 27

A Management Education For Those Who Expect More American Public University knows the value of strong management and leadership skills. Learn talent development and other management strategies for organizational success in a competitive business world. APU offers 190+ career-relevant online degree and certificate programs including: • Human Resource Management • Retail Management • Transportation & Logistics Management Partner with a nationally recognized leader in online education and strengthen your workforce investment. Get started today at StudyatAPU.com/elearning

BEST ONLINE PROGRAMS BACHELOR’S

2015

We want you to make an informed decision about the university that’s right for you. For more about our graduation rates, the median debt of students who completed each program, and other important information, visit www.apus.edu/disclosure.

Contents

DECEMBER 2015 / JANUARY 2016 VOLUME 7 ISSUE 3

>> Cover Story:

The 2015 “Best of Elearning!” Awards PG 27

The 11th Annual Best of Elearning! awards are the industry’s exclusive users’ choice awards. More than 4,000 nominations were received across 30 solution categories for best-in-class solutions. And the winners are…. By Jerry Roche and Catherine Upton

>> Essentials 9 10 11 12

News People on the Move Trendlines Deals

>> Features 18

The Holy Grail for EdTech One of “holy grails” of education is the quest to solve the “2 Sigma Problem.” This was a problem put forth by Benjamin S. Bloom, the famous educational psychologist. In a series of studies that Bloom performed, he observed drastically different student achievement scenarios, depending on the type of instructional methods provided. By Joe DiDonato

Employee Training: A Gradecard from the Employee Perspective Training is a $200 billion industry globally. Employees spend thousands of hours to improve performance and knowledge. But what is the true value of training from the employee’s perspective? Discover how learners ‘grade’ training efforts in this unique industry study. By Chris Osborn

PG 22 4

December 2015 / January 2016 Government Elearning!

>> News

PG 18

Learning! Champion Award Announced 9 How Much Do Talent Pros Make? 10 The Key to Learning Efficiency 12 Call for Papers: ELC16

>> Management 13

Leader’s View Three questions for Dean Pichee, founder and president of BizLibrary, who peeks into the future of employee training and learning to find what he calls “end-to-end learning experiences.”

Insights: Brain Science and Learning Effectiveness How to leverage “brain science” to create learning that really engages learners and actually improves performance. By Bryan Austin

E-learning User Trends The E-learning User Study summarizes the results of the corporate segment and provides a perspective of current and emerging e-learning trends, toolsets utilized, future purchase plans, and insight into the decision-making process.

Steps to Create a Learning Strategy The value of a documented learning strategy is that it provides the organization a plan to work from. By Ruth Kustoff

>> Tools & Practices 14

Editor’s Note This issue is our gift to our loyal readers: the “Best of Elearning!” awards, research and features that yield insights into organizations’ learning initiatives and products. By Jerry Roche

Trendlines Statistics, figures and industry trends

Virtual Edge: How to Engage Online Learners Apply these techniques to help presenters overcome their fears and create highly engaging learning experiences. By Emma King

>> Business

The Top 100 Best of Elearning! Named

The CLO Is Becoming Relevant Once Again This interview with Rory Cameron reveals three key trends that will impact your enterprise, business process and the emerging CLO role.

The winners of the 11th Annual Best of Elearning! awards include wellknown brands and many new brands. Which of these 100 winners will be your next ‘must-have’ solution?

Government Elearning! December 2015 / January 2016

Government

DECEMBER 2015 / JANUARY 2016 VOLUME 7 ISSUE 3

Catherine Upton Group Publisher >> cupton@2elearning.com Jerry Roche Executive Editor >> jroche@2elearning.com

Online@

Joe DiDonato Editor at Large >> jdidonato@2elearning.com

2elearning.com

Adam Weschler Manager Digital Programs >> aweschler@2elearning.com

Most Popular Web Sessions

Chris Osborn, BizLibrary Bryan Austin, mLevel Emma King, Inxpo Ruth Kustoff, Knowledge Advisors

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

Elearning! Media Group is the property of B2B Media Company LLC 44920 W. Hathaway Ave. #1794, Maricopa, AZ 85139 • 888-201-2841 • 951-547-1131

Events

On Demand: Virtual Learning Summit LIve! 2015 Through Jan. 13, 2016 http://www.2elearning.com/rss2/ item/56267-virtual-learning-summitlive-2015

www.2elearning.com Elearning! magazine is published bi-monthly by B2B Media Company LLC, 44920 W. Hathaway Ave. #1794, Maricopa, AZ 85139. Application to mail Standard Class is filed with Sheppardville, KY Post Office. POSTMASTER: Send all address changes to: Elearning! 44920 W. Hathaway Ave. #1794, Maricopa, AZ 85139. 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.

December 2015 / January 2016 Government Elearning!

Editor’s Editor’sNote Note

Best of Elearning! — Our Gift to You

very year about this time, there seems to be a rush to get business-related projects and problems taken care of before the joyous holiday season — simply because we don’t want those things hanging over our heads and weighing upon our shoulders for the week or two that we should be celebrating with our families. Some years, it even works out that way.

But other years, we cannot escape wondering whether the grandiose plans we implemented this year

will yield positive results next year. Because “next year” is right around the corner — after we take down our ragged holiday decorations and banish our new bunny-rabbit pajamas to the attic. (If that sentence recalls the hilarious holiday exploits of Clark W. Griswold and Ralphie and Old Man Parker, well then, that’s an early gift to you.) But, in honor of the holidays, we digress… Each year, in one fell swoop — our annual December/January “Best of Elearning!” issue — we try to show you what worked magnificently for other learning professionals this year. We do it by revealing category winners and Awards of Excellence recipients in 30 different product categories. (See article beginning on page 27.) That knowledge, incidentally, might come in handy in January, when many of you receive your new budgets and decide how you’re going to upgrade your learning programs with new initiatives and products. Therein lies another gift to you from the Elearning! magazine staff: 100 products that are selected as the best in their categories by the people who use them the most, our loyal readers and learning professionals around the world. With this gift in hand, the Elearning! Media Group team wishes you and yours a Happy Holiday and a very prosperous New Year: Jerry Roche, executive editor Catherine Upton, group publisher Joe DiDonato, editor-at-large Adam Weschler, manager of digital programs JW Upton, vice president Marguerite Hoffman, event operations manager Kim Lewis, art director Beverly Miller, print production manager Amy Comley, customer service

December 2015 / January 2016 Government Elearning!

News Deep Learning Technology Moves Onward and Upward

Talent Pros’ Salaries Unchanged In 2015, the median annual salary for someone in the talent development profession is between $70,000 and $79,999. The median salary is unchanged from 2011.

The concept of “deep learning” took a giant step forward last month when (1) Google released to the open-source community the machine learning system at the core of many of its services, and (2) Rice Analytics released its automated RELR deep machine-learning tool to the masses as a Cloud Web application and an API. Deep learning, or machine learning, involves using computer processors that act similar to neurons in the human brain.

Key findings in a new report from the ATD:

TENSORFLOW’S IMPACT Google’s artificial intelligence engine TensorFlow — is said to be five times faster than any of its previous versions. Company CEO Sundar Pichai says that it shows promise for when researchers “are trying to make sense of very complex data — everything from protein folding to crunching astronomy data.” While performing these operations, the “neural networks” discover patterns and relationships as they absorb all the available information. By open-sourcing TensorFlow, Google is able to tap the broader developer and scientific community to vastly improve the source code, which in turn might help the company improve its own products. The chips were designed initially for rendering the graphics of the games, but engineers eventually found that it had many other uses as well. Many of Google’s tools have already use a few versions of “artificial intelligence (A.l.) to work, such as voice-to-text, language translation and Web search. From using TensorFlow A.I. to filter out spam in g-mail to assisting faster discovery of life-saving drugs, Google has been applying the deep learning technology in a number of ways.

>> 56 percent have a base salary between $50,000 and $89,999. >> Pay tends to be higher in the Northeast and West. >> Participants who listed training delivery as their primary respon-

PROVIDING EXPLANATIONS St. Louis-based Rice Analytics says its automated RELR deep machinelearning tool differs from conventional A.I. approaches by providing explanations for the reasons behind its predictions. A Cloud-based version of the tool called SkyRELR is said to allow machine learning that extends beyond other forms of A.I. and neural networks by drawing on “deeper patterns that are hidden to other forms of artificial intelligence.” The other selling point, the startup says, is transparency: “Deep learning is not a black box,” the company stresses. RELR (pronounced “reller”) is short for “reduced error logistics regression,” which is described as a neuromorphic algorithm designed to model the deep explicit and implicit learning mechanisms of neurons. Rice Analytics says its secret is leveraging an ability to provide “explanatory models” in the form of explicit models that can be used to interpret the reasons for predictions. SkyRELR is touted as yielding models that are equivalent to a fourlayer deep-learning artificial neural network. Now that the new deep-learning technology has been wrung out in targeted advertising campaigns, the Cloud-based version may open up the technology to other enterprise customers who are not data scientists. —More info: http://or-politics.com/uncategorized/google-open-sources-its-tensorflow-deep-learning-engine/150519/; http://thenewstelegraph.com/2015/11/15/googles-tensorflow-machine-learning-systemis-now-open/; www.datanami.com/2015/11/17/cloud-based-deeplearning-tool-explains-predictions/

>> Most talent development professionals

have at least a four-year degree and nearly half (49 percent) have a master’s or advanced degree.

>> Median salary in the U.S., between $70,000 and $79,999, remains unchanged since 2011.

sibility made less that those who named other primary areas of responsibility (instructional design or change management, for example).

>> 75 percent of respondents received a raise the previous year, typically less than 4 percent of base salary.

>> 56 percent receive incentive rewards, but these make up less than 10 percent of compensation.

>> 88 percent were offered medical coverage by their employer. —More info: www.td.org/salaryreport

Do You Know a Learning Champion? Elearning! Media Group’s new Learning! Champion Award will recognize individuals for exceptional contributions to the industry. Nominees can be innovators, thought-leaders, trail-blazers, mentors, cutting-edge technologists, creative consultants, or high-performing learning leaders that positively impact the learning industry. Learning! Champion award-winners will be featured in Elearning! magazine’s May 2016 issue and invited to join the Learning! Champion Award Reception at the Enterprise Learning! Conference 2016. A committee of practitioners, analysts and magazine editors will take part in evaluating nominations. A validation process will be conducted as well as relevance testing. After which, nominees will be selected and ranked within each category. Nominating a candidate is easy via the online ballot and takes only minutes to apply. There is no charge. A candidate can be submitted only one time per year for consideration. Upon completion of the application, you will receive via email a confirmation of receipt along with a copy of the nomination. All applications must be received by Dec. 31. While self-nominations are not explicitly prevented by the rules, they are somewhat discouraged. Email questions to awards@2elearning.com for review. —More info: www.2elearning.com/awards/learning-champion-award

Government Elearning! December 2015 / January 2016

News

How Learning Transforms

Interactivity One of the Keys to Learning Efficiency If your intuition tells you that an online learning portal that prompts learners with notes and reminders at strategic spots, includes interactive polls and links to resources, and allows learners to take notes and send themselves reminders would be more effective than one that just entails watching the traditional video with periodic polls, you’d be right — times four. At least, that’s what data from a recent comparative effectiveness trial indicates. The trial found that physicians, nurses and pharmacists who accessed 30-minute video-based activities through an interactive portal increased their knowledge and competency four times more in aggregate than those who accessed the same material through a traditional continuing medical education online activity. The trial included three 30-minute video-based activities for healthcare professionals who manage patients with dyslipidemia. The same video was used in an interventional group and the traditional-format control group, with changes in knowledge and competence measured through identical pre- and post-activity tests. —More info: www.archemedx.com

“In the last five years we’ve seen a transformation happen in the learning functions of many organizations — and the advent of new trends and technologies are responsible for much of this shift,” says Josh Squires, chief operating officer at Docebo. “All this points to the key to success in corporate learning today being to leverage technology to uncover, create and share knowledge. “Many new wearable devices, gamification techniques and sociallyenabled technologies are being used to help employees find and connect with internal experts,” he adds. “Organizations that not only begin to think about learning through a more connected and participative process but also leverage that technology and apply it to learning in new and innovative ways.” —More info: www.docebo.com

People on the Move

BRYAN AUSTIN became the new vice president of Products at mLevel this past summer. He had been CEO of Game On! Learning. MLevel also has received $5 million in venture capital for expansion. It built out an enterprise-level platform with plans to extend into other types of content delivery from its platform. Version 3.0 should be available early 10

next year at the earliest, mid-year at the latest. Former DIA senior intelligence officer and Cyber deputy division chief TYLER COHEN WOOD has joined Inspired eLearning. He is also the critically acclaimed author of “Catching the Catfishers: Disarm the Online Pretenders, Predators, and

December 2015 / January 2016 Governement Elearning!

Perpetrators Who Are Out to Ruin Your Life” (2014: Career Press). Prior to joining Inspired eLearning, Wood’s career has spanned more than 16 years in the security and intelligence sectors, 12 of which were with the Department of Defense.

AOL Tech and has nearly 20 years of experience working in the tech sector. Namely has also pulled in DEBRA SQUYRES from TriNet, who is now vice president of Client Services for the startup.

RADHIKA SAMANT and TERESA DIETRICH are new to Namely, a start-up business that will specialize in HR consulting. Samant was previously chief financial officer at EnterpriseDB, where she led human resources and operations and was integral in raising $60 million in funding, as well as growing out the team. Dietrich was senior vice president of Technology Operations and Security at WebMD, where she led a team of approximately 100 engineers. She was previously at

KEVIN ROYAL is the new executive vice president and chief financial officer at Bridgepoint Education. Most recently, Royal was in upper management at Maxwell Technologies, Blue Coat Systems and Novellus Systems, an S&P 500 company. He holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Harding University. Former CFO Dan Devine will remain with the organization through the end of this year to assist with the transition.

Trendlines Global E-learning Continues Growth The worldwide market for self-paced e-learning reached $47.9 billion in 2015. The five-year compound annual growth rate is flat at 1.0%, and revenues will only increase to $50.4 billion by 2020, according to the report. Africa has the highest growth rate at 16.3%, where e-learning revenues will reach a billion dollars by 2020. Revenues will more than double in 17 of the 29 countries in Africa by 2020. Low growth rates are now common in 20 early adopter countries. But the flat global growth rate masks the phenomenal growth in dozens of countries. In fact, e-learning revenues will more than double in 49 of the 120 countries analyzed in this report. —Complete report: www.ambientinsight.com

Whiteboard Market to See 16% Growth Through 2019

The global interactive whiteboard market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of close to 16% from 2015-2019. A new market research report cites the technological advances in education, which have grown exponentially over the years. Educational institutions, such as schools and colleges, are adopting new technologies, such as mobile computing devices and interactive whiteboards, to gain greater access to multimedia documents and the Internet. The new report also highlights innovative concepts such as e-learning and virtual learning, which are gaining popularity in educational institutions all over the world. —More info: www.technavio.com

Companies Built to Be Mobile? In recent years, many companies have become “remote friendly.” But next year, that paradigm may shift toward companies that are built to be mobile from inception, according to a report in Fast Company magazine. “You can create a virtual company today very, very easily,” says Josh Bersin, who founded his research and analyst firm, Bersin, as a virtual company in 2002, before Deloitte acquired it three years ago. “Organizations really aren’t companies, they’re like networks of teams. Even big companies are being reorganized like this. Everybody is working with a team that is somehow connected to another team, and that team may or may not be inside the company.” Other 2016 innovations:

>> The rise of independent consultants >> Less PowerPoint, more video >> Different emphasis on work-life balance >> The new normal: consumer-grade design —Read the whole article: www.fastcompany.com/3052836/thefuture-of-work/6-ways-work-will-change-in-2016

‘Only 3.6% of CEOs and HR directors at more than 70 organizations had any kind of coherent approach for analyzing talent-related data that they could use to predict what expertise they were likely to require in future and what skills gaps could hit their business performance.’ —PA Consulting survey

Government Elearning! December 2015 / January 2016

Trendlines

Poor I.T. Disgusts U.K. Students

Call for Papers: Enterprise Learning! Conference Papers to be presented at the Enterprise Learning! Conference 2016 (ELC16) are now being solicited by the Elearning! Media Group, host of Enterprise Learning! Events. Submissions will be accepted until Feb. 1, 2016. ELC16 conference features four distinct tracks supporting the theme of “Building Smarter Organizations.” They are: >> “The Engaged Employee” >> “Consumerization of Learning Ecosystems: Enhancing the User Experience” >> “Best Practices of the Learning! 100” >> “Learning Technology at Work” ELC16 provides executives an engaged environment to network, share and learn from leaders across all sectors. Coupled with cutting edge research, Learning! 100 award winners, and expert learning technologists. “Since 2008, the Enterprise Learning! Events provide an highly engaged intimate conference where top global learning leaders can share advice and best practices with leading-edge technologists and colleagues,” says Catherine Upton, conference chair and group publisher, Elearning! Media Group. Submissions should be made at: www.2elearning.com/rss2/item/56406enterprise-learning-conference-call-forpapers.

New research shows that poor I.T. facilities are having a negative impact on university students in the United Kingdom. In a survey by AppDynamics, 63% of students cited poor software as a contributory factor in missed deadlines. It comes as no surprise that almost all students (96%) use at least one application to complete their studies. Most students (63%) use two to four applications on a regular basis. Yet 68% of students say complex resources and substandard virtual learning environments impact negatively on their learning. A significant proportion (71%) had experienced technical difficulties with university applications. Almost two-thirds of students (63%) had missed assignment deadlines due to poor university software performance, which was the most commonly cited frustration. Jeremy Duggan, EMEA vice president at AppDynamics, encourages CIOs to appreciate the role of software in developing students as brand ambassadors to attract further talent to their university. —More info: www.appdynamics.com/resources

Deals GP STRATEGIES CORP. and FUTURE WORKPLACE have entered into a strategic partnership to provide a new set of leadership offerings under an initiative called Future Workplace University — the corporate training arm for developing employees around the concepts of the Future Workplace. This innovative series of programs is designed to help executives, managers and individuals develop strategic solutions to address the challenges impacting workplaces in the coming decade. The impetus for the creation of Future Workplace University (and the source of much of its curriculum) comes from the groundbreaking work of author and workplace futurist Jeanne C. Meister and her executive development firm, Future Workplace. More info: http://futureworkplace.com/ our-network/. 12

The New Zealand-based training and recruitment specialist BLOOM TRAINING AND RECRUITMENT is partnering with Docebo, enabling the latter to expand its presence in the Asia Pacific marketplace. Bloom also provides tailored training courses and learning materials via e-learning, blended learning and face-to-face workshops. It believes Docebo has the most beautiful, easy to use, cost-effective and fully-featured blended learning platform on the market. WORKPLACE ANSWERS, LLC has acquired CLICK 4 COMPLIANCE LLC to create a comprehensive and engaging online compliance training library. Combined, the two firms create an organization that will offer more than 200 compliance-focused training courses translated in more than 30

December 2015 / January 2016 Governement Elearning!

languages. Combined, these firms have helped more than 2,000 clients meet their global compliance requirements. PROSITIONS, INC. has signed a multi-year agreement for the worldwide distribution rights of LEARNING COMMUNICATION’s entire content library. Featuring diversity and inclusion training content, Learning Communications provides DVD, streaming video, and e-learning content for development programs in a variety of industries. The library includes topics such as diversity, inclusion, ethics, safety, affirmative action and more. Under a strategic partnership agreement between SAFETY MEDIA and EDTRIN, the latter will be responsible for the marketing and delivery of the former’s training programs to global markets. It will

also provide translation, localization and contextualization services. The Safety Media courses are expected to be available to Edtrin’s customers from January 2016. Looking to innovate in the classroom, the Chicago campus of SAINT XAVIER UNIVERSITY selected the CHRISTIE BRIO content-sharing platform to enhance its classrooms and transform the way students learn. In an effort to reimagine the traditional classroom, Saint Xavier created three “learning studios” at its Chicago campus. Complete with café-inspired furniture, these studios encourage collaboration via three Brios installed in each of the smaller studios, and four installed in the large studio. Each Christie Brio is connected to either a 65-inch or a 75-inch flat-panel display.

Leader’s LastView 3 Questions For... …DEAN PICHEE, FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT OF BIZLIBRARY WHAT’S HAPPENING WITH LEARNING CONTENT DELIVERY AND THE TECHNOLOGY SUPPORTING IT? WE CONTINUE TO HEAR A LOT ABOUT MOBILE, GAMIFICATION AND RESPONSIVE DESIGN. WHERE IS THE LEADING EDGE TODAY? I’ve been in the training industry for quite a while, and I’ve really never seen things as unsettled as they are today. We went through a massive amount of consolidation a few years ago, and that created an open market for companies like BizLibrary to step forward with modern and innovative learning solutions. What’s happened as a result is that today small and mid-sized companies have access to far more interesting and innovative training solutions than do enterprise organizations. Enterprise training vendors and their clients appear stuck, having made massive investments in legacy technologies and content that simply aren’t very effective at meeting the needs of a modern workforce and today’s learner. Smaller, more agile vendors are delivering far more interesting solutions — solutions that typically include short-form video content and mobile delivery. Dean Pichee, founder and president of BizLibrary

WHERE DO YOU SEE THE MARKET GOING IN TERMS OF THE CONSUMPTION OF TRAINING CONTENT? It’s already at the place some predicted a few years ago, with short video or micro-learning dominating the market. Since some vendors offer clients a diverse set of content options in a wide variety of formats, they are perfect “test tubes” for employee preferences. Those employees consume on average about five video training lessons per month, each averaging less than 10 minutes in length. Those that access older, legacy e-learning courses — the “click-and-advance” PowerPoint style — see their employees take about four courses per year. The message is clear. Employees are telling the entire market something very important. It’s all about video, and it’s all about short, bite-sized content, too. WHAT DO YOU SEE AS THE FUTURE OF EMPLOYEE TRAINING AND LEARNING? The future is so exciting. As I mentioned, there are many well-established “brand” names in the industry. They have lots of clients who’ve made big investments with them, so how do you go to those same clients and tell them it’s all got to change? That’s a hard conversation. It’s also a difficult logistics problem — one that requires them to engineer a new type of learning solution, migrate users and platforms, et cetera. So I see organizations that are smaller, more agile and don’t have a massive legacy system to re-engineer at the forefront of the future. Organizations today need a new type of LMS and a new content solution as they migrate away from day-long instructor-led training programs to the short, on-demand learning that employees prefer. I think the next big thing in learning is going to be in the area of learning retention. If employees can learn what they need, when they need, and also be able to retain it, they will be able to apply their new skills to improve their performance. Which is the only objective of employee training. Tools are beginning to emerge today that allow vendors and learning professionals to deliver an end-to-end learning experience.

Government Elearning! December 2015 / January 2016

Virtual LastEdge How to Engage Online Learners 5 Tips for Great Video Training Sessions BY EMMA KING

Emma King, vice president Learning Strategy, INXPO

or many instructors, presenting educational programs via video is scary. The thought of speaking to a camera can make one’s pulse race and induce cold sweats. It needn’t be so stressful, however. The following set of techniques, used by broadcast professionals as well as many corporate enterprises that communicate with video programming, can help presenters overcome their fears and create highly engaging learning experiences. Start small and think in series. One way to build confidence and gain momentum is to try presenting smaller blocks of content. This approach works well in the virtual classroom environment, because modules are easier for learners to consume than lengthy content sessions. “Death by PowerPoint” is the tendency to cram a lot of material into a single session. It is usually overwhelming for both learners and presenters, so avoid that approach. Instead, think of the module approach to learning — like a televised series with segments and episodes. Allowing learners to proceed at their own pace is important in online learning, and a serial approach to learning modules is easily presented in video. Make your presenters comfortable. There are several ways to increase people’s comfort level when they’re presenting on air. On-air talent can come from sources beyond your subject-matter experts. When a confident, engaging presenter is found, your instructor doesn’t carry the full burden of keeping the audience engaged. Mine your talent from within. Not every presenter is comfortable appearing on camera, at least at first. If this is the case in your organization, consider making a “casting call” to find those colleagues who have engaging personalities and some comfort with video, such as past broadcast majors, aspiring stand-up comedians, or even those with experience in theater. Another technique to increase presenters’ comfort level on camera is to use an interviewer or include a segment with a subject-matter expert. A co-host or guest presenter can help keep track of talking points and provide an engaging flow to the learning content. Story telling makes it easier to understand. A great deal of training content consists of statements and facts that, while important, can be dry and hard to digest. Instead, try to present learning content in the form of stories, which are more relatable and engaging, especially for online learners. Stories also are more natural to present on video than a recitation of facts. Flipped classrooms enable deeper discussion. Pose questions in advance. Offer pre-work assignments. Don’t pile all of your handouts and presentation materials on your audience during and after the session. Instead, share material in advance that will allow the learner to begin thinking about the topic and be prepared to engage in a discussion rather than just listen. Know the production basics. Organizations need not invest millions of dollars to create high-tech studios or hire talent with broadcast communication experience to produce video presentations that are easy to watch. Good audio and video can be inexpensively created using a high-definition webcam, such as those already integrated in many laptop computers, and a quality external microphone. Besides this basic equipment, there are some basic techniques that have been proven to increase the quality of the video experience. Some of the basics of video production are: control the lighting and background noise, minimize distractions such as mobile phones and other equipment that might disrupt the presenter, ensure a neat and organized “set,” and make sure to test your equipment and audio level before presenting. With these tips in mind, presenters can use the power of video to reach and engage online learners, which helps organizations create a more enjoyable and effective learning experience.

—Emma King is vice president of Learning Strategy for INXPO, which markets enterprise video communication solutions. More info: www.inxpo.com 14

December 2015 / January 2016 Government Elearning!

Insights Brain Science and Learning Effectiveness

BY BRYAN AUSTIN

hy is most corporate learning not optimally effective? Many long-time L&D experts including Elliott Masie, Clark Quinn and Will Thalheimer have frequently lamented that much of the corporate learning they see is not really effective learning, because it is not mentally challenging. Like them, I’ve found the issue is not that learning professionals don’t know how to create learning that is challenging enough to be effective. Instead, it’s usually the harsh reality of the time, resource and cost constraints within which most learning professionals work. Every organization provides training to its workforce primarily to improve performance and drive business growth. So let’s discuss some brain science and how to leverage it to create learning that really engages learners and actually improves performance.

Bryan Austin, vice president, mLevel

BRAIN SCIENCE FOR LEARNING EFFECTIVENESS: A.G.E.S. A.G.E.S. is an outgrowth of neuroscientific research that examines the link between training retention and how strongly each learner’s brain is activated during training. The A.G.E.S. model focuses on four key categories that reduce distraction during training and dramatically improve retention: Attention (Focus) - Are your employees prone to multi-tasking during training? For the brain to fire at the level required to transfer learning from short-term memory to long-term memory (that is, necessary for retention to happen), learners need to pay close attention during a learning task. Deep focus is a critical factor for learning retention. Employees will engage if they intuitively understand how the learning is relevant to their success. Engagement is making the learning (and the brain!) active, not passive. Generation (each learner makes his or her own meaning) - This means taking the “active” learning described above to the next level. Learners must generate their own mental links as they learn, not just passively listen. Training will be highly retained when learners create their own mental context to embed the knowledge. This is most effectively done by involving multiple senses during learning. Not watching or reading, but thinking, listening, speaking and doing. If our training uses multiple senses (like playing an interactive game), we are activating different sets of the brain’s neural circuits to more tightly embed the meaning each learner creates during that learning. Emotions (Better Recall) - The stronger the emotions each learner feels during training, the higher their retention of the material will be. These emotions can be either positive or negative. How can your training engender feelings of success? Or fear of failure? Are the majority of your employees inherently competitive? Trigger that competitiveness to create learning experiences that makes them want to win. Or avoid losing. Spacing (Learning Blocks) - Remember how you “crammed” for that big test in school? This was effective in massing a large amount of knowledge, but only for short-term memory. Long-term recall/retention improves dramatically when we learn over several sittings. The longer employees must remember the knowledge that makes them successful, the more learning must be spaced out. How often does your training initiative include a reinforcement strategy that extends well beyond the foundation training? Unfortunately, most strategic corporate training initiatives are more of a “Big Bang” with little to no reinforcement. Spaced repetition is key to learning effectiveness and retention. BOTTOM LINE The A.G.E.S. model in neuroscience is essential to create more effective learning. The best part: there are now technology solutions built around A.G.E.S. that can enable your organization to produce “A.G.E.S.-level learning” within the time, resource and cost constraints you face. —Bryan Austin is vice president at mLevel, which produces award-winning game-based learning. More info: www.mlevel.com.

Government Elearning! December 2015 / January 2016

Businessof Learning Steps to Create a Learning Strategy THE VALUE OF A DOCUMENTED LEARNING STRATEGY IS THAT IT PROVIDES THE ORGANIZATION A PLAN FROM WHICH TO WORK.

BY RUTH KUSTOFF

e all know that having a plan or map, or some type of guide, is helpful when navigating new territory. This is also true for learning development and delivery. Creating a learning strategy that defines goals and determines overall learning needs of employees and the organization is the first step to set your direction. When you’re ready to strategize an approach to learning and development, keep these questions in mind to help guide planning: 1) What organizational goals can be reached with learning programs? 2) How do various offerings and learning options across the organization blend with one another? 3) What role does HR (other business units) have in defining, implementing and managing learning? 4) Can HR be proactive in driving the learning goals of the organization? It’s important to create an organization-wide learning strategy that includes currently available learning programs and considers the organization’s goals and future needs. PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT PROCESS Plan a minimum half-day brainstorm meeting to identify and create a learning and development philosophy and strategy. Invite all stakeholders to participate. This includes any departments currently offering ad hoc learning or training programs. Outlined below is a sample agenda. 1) Get input from all meeting members: concerns, feedback, interests and challenges. 2) Identify organizational goals (current mission statement). 3) Determine expected learning/business outcomes from learning. 4) Identify type of learning deliveries that are available (classroom instructor-led, virtual classroom, webinar, elearning, other). 5) Identify end learners individually and by groups (job function, skill sets, other) and their learning needs. 6) Determine if specific programs will be required. 7) Identify tasks/actions to reach outlined goals, and expectations. AREAS TO CONSIDER >> How can learning across the organization (I.T. training, HR processes, current off-the-shelf e-learning courses, others) be integrated under one umbrella? >> What is the organization’s learning policy? Is it promoted, supported, encouraged?

December 2015 / January 2016 Government Elearning!

>> Who manages and directs all learning programs? >> Can anyone in the organization identify a learning need or gap and develop a course? >> Create a process for internal development of learning courses, including the development environ-

ment, a review and approval system for course content, standards of delivery, and ultimate oversight of learning development and delivery.

>> Identify and create a process to capture staff knowledge and how to share it. >> Identify use of informal learning to improve and promote collaborative working: how to share individuals’ internal knowledge, experience and know-how.

A ‘learning roadmap’ can be used to guide new strategies and processes for learning. BENEFITS OF A LEARNING STRATEGY Following the brainstorm session there should be a clearer idea of the following as well as the tactical steps to reach identified goals:

>> An organizational learning and development strategy and/or policy. >> Outline of how to repackage current programs under one umbrella and how to create a program name/ title.

>> Areas of focus for L&D programs. >> Prioritized list of areas in most need of learning. >> Outline of available learning programs (tools) to meet identified needs. >> Action items. >> Next steps. >> Timeline for 6 to 12 months. Capturing the above information and documenting the ideas is the baseline development of a “learning roadmap,” which can be used to guide the organization in new strategies and processes for learning. The value of a documented learning strategy is that it provides the organization a plan from which to work. With identified goals established and steps outlined to reach them, learning leaders can implement processes that encourage a learning environment and capitalize on staff interest and excitement to be part of it. —Ruth Kustoff is the founder of Knowledge Advantage, a learning and development consultancy specializing in e-learning, curriculum design, learning needs analysis, and strategic planning, More info: www.knowledgeadvantage.biz

Government Elearning! December 2015 / January 2016

jumphead

The Holy Grail for EdTech:

Solve the ‘2 Sigma Problem’ BY JOE DIDONATO One of “holy grails” of education is the quest to solve the “2 Sigma Problem.” This was a problem put forth by Benjamin S. Bloom, the famous educational psychologist. In a series of studies that Bloom performed, he observed drastically different student achievement scenarios, depending on the type of instructional methods provided. In his study summary, Bloom contrasted the learning outcomes achieved through conventional classroom training, “mastery learning,” and one-on-one tutoring. (Note: “Mastery learning” is an educational methodology where educators work with a student as long as necessary to insure that the student has mastered one topic or skill, before moving on to the next.) Can you guess which one was the landslide winner? 18

It was one-on-one tutoring. The average student that was tutored performed better than 98 percent of the students that were taught in the conventional classroom. That was two standard deviations above the base control group — the conventional classroom. Thus the problem’s naming convention became the “2 Sigma Problem.” It’s plagued us for years, and it’s the elusive search for methods of group instruction that can be as effective as one-on-one tutoring. So, armed with the knowledge of the absolute best way to teach, we’re now turning to EdTech (educational technology) in our search for solutions. In turn, that search is fueling a lot of investment speculation — but admittedly, perhaps not with the “inside knowledge” that Bloom’s work provides. Many outliers have already started to solve the problem with educational technologies. Some with only “gut instinct”

December 2015 / January 2016 Governement Elearning!

leading their way. Let’s look at a couple of these solutions, as I think it will help us all think of even more innovations that we can put together using technology. If you think about “mastery learning” and the use of educational technology (EdTech), think Sal Khan and the Khan Academy. He was the evangelist who pointed to the shortcomings of the “keep on going” classroom model. And of course Sal preached for years that people learn at different rates, so why should everyone be forced to keep to one predefined learning pace? And if one particular point was a personal sticking point, why shouldn’t you be able to review it over and over again until you got it? Khan Academy’s video learning snippets help solve that problem. If a student doesn’t get a lesson, he or she can continue to retake that lesson, until it’s learned. And his

FIGURE 1. Achievement distribution for students under methodology continues to be a very successful approach. Inspiring stories were shared, like a fireman who locked himself in his bedroom for two years, studying Sal’s video “pearls,” until he was able to go on to college and reach his lifelong dream to become a math teacher. Today, he’s an eighth-grade math teacher living his personal dream. Many more people have come forward to tell how their lives were changed by Khan Academy’s approach to learning. In my mind, this is a great testimonial of how we can use simple, existing technology to help solve at least the first leg of this battle, the “mastery learning” teaching methodology. Sal’s work has helped to throw the whole e-learning industry into high gear. Sal understood the mastery learning notion, intuitively, and he used YouTube technology and e-learning teaching tools to accomplish his goals. That same level of mastery would be very difficult in a conventional classroom without the use of technology. You would have to focus your pace on the slowest learner, by topic, to avoid leaving learners behind. But that’s not fair to the fast learners. So the solution has always been to “keep on going,” using a model that’s too fast for one-third of the class, too slow for another third, and about right for the remaining third. These classroom shortcomings have caught the attention of many of our political leaders — some more than others. And that added attention and discussion is also fueling the EdTech investment space, as we seek to find better answers to teaching and learning. But here’s where we need to be a bit more cautious and think through our solutions a bit more carefully, armed with work like Bloom performed. Just because we can do something with technology doesn’t mean that it’s going to work out of the gate. Consider how a “live” MOOC operates (Massive Open Online Course). Isn’t that simply the classroom model on technological steroids? One-to-thousands seems to completely sidestep the need for the oneto-one mentoring that really helps students thrive. Could this be one of the elements that added to the high dropout rate? Probably, along with the need for some credentialing upon completion. But don’t despair. MOOCs are figuring it out. Let’s take a look as some of the solutions that have arrived.

conventional, mastery learning, and tutorial instruction.

Tutorial 1-1# Mastery Learning 1-30# Conventional 1-30#

#Teacher-student ration

Summative Achievement Scores

Source (http://web.mit.edu/5.95/readings/bloom-two-sigma.pdf)

I’m going to skip by the massive “office hours” model that everyone has seen, and I’m going to throw Udemy and Udacity into this discussion mix. This somewhat expands the definition of MOOCs, but I think it will help us see how other solutions are forming. Both Udemy and Udacity deliver courses to the thousands, just like Sal Khan, and just like the original MOOCs did. They all use the one-to-many model. So how are these players helping students thrive? Udemy puts a lot of the responsibility on the instructors to provide that one-to-one support when a student gets stuck. Udemy uses a text-based question and answer segment throughout the course. And, considering the myriad of time zones, that’s a pretty heavy burden for an instructor. But the instructors do take that role on, lest they get a bad course rating from a student. A bad rating affects their sales for that course. So in this model, there’s an inherent reward for doing the extra one-on-one mentoring. It’s not perfect, however. Sometimes it can take 24 hours before you get your answer, and it may not be the one that gives you that “ah-ha.” The only other alternatives to waiting for a 24-hour reply are to (1) pause your learning; or (2) start Googling for answers — if you can’t afford to stop.

So that’s one type of solution that I’ll call “continuous office hours.” The notion starts to change the instructor’s role: “If I don’t have to teach every day, then I guess my role is going to move more towards the tutoring and mentoring side of the equation.” But we like that, right? Think about the “flipped classroom,” where students listen to recorded video lectures at night and then spend the class time “discussing and doing.” Lot’s more fun for everyone. But are there other technology-enabled solutions bubbling up in the mix? It looks like Udemy and Udacity are both trying to improve on the one-to-many model by using partners and formal call-in centers that are continuously staffed. Udemy announced in December 2015 that it was creating a partnership with Codementor to provide one-on-one live tutoring for their coding classes. And back in 2013, Udacity had already introduced its own team of callin coaches. They were using text chat, video calls, and even phone calls to solve the oneto-one mentoring problem. The downside will be whether the people providing that coaching understand the course’s content and the instructor’s method of teaching concepts. But that’s part of the requirement to provide this type of solution. So I think you can see the importance of the 2 Sigma Problem to these new business

Governement Elearning! December 2015 / January 2016

2sigmaproblem

TABLE 1. Effect of selected alterable variables on student achievement

Effect size

Percentile equivalent 98

Tutorial instruction

2.00

Reinforcement

1.20

Feedback-corrective (ML)

1.00

Cues and explanations

1.00

Student classroom participation

1.00

Student time on taxk

1.00b

(A)D A

Improved reading/study skills

1.00

Cooperative learning

.80

Homework (graded)

.80

Classroom morale

.60

79 73

Initial cognitive prerequisites

.60

Home environment intervention

.50b

Homework (assigned)

.30

Higher order questions

.30

New science & math curricula

.30b

Teacher expentancy

.30

Peer group influence

.20

Advance organizers

.20

Socio-economic status (for contrast)

.25

(D)B

58 60

Note. This table was adapted from Walberg (1984) by Bloom. Column 1: Object of change process–A-Learning, B-Instructional Material; C-Home environment or peer group; D-Teacher Column 3: Averaged or estimated from correlational data or fram several effect sizes.

and teaching entities, as well as where we have an opportunity to provide more solutions. If students get lost in a subject, and they can’t get help, that teaching methodology will be plagued with dropouts, cheating, or just plain lack of performance on the student side of the equation. There are a lot of other solutions starting to take form in peer collaboration, reinforcement, and other areas that technology can enable. If you read through the Bloom article that I linked to and under the first figure, you’re going to see a table (above). The table shows all of the variables that produce more than a 0.2 sigma effect on student achievement. Each of those variables can be a potential “player” in our pursuit of a technologyenabled solution that moves us closer to solving the 2 Sigma Problem. Take reinforcement provided by the teacher — number 2 on the list, after oneon-one mentoring. That one seems undo20

able when you have a large class size and the burden falls on a single instructor. But there are some other technologyenabled solutions that help deal with reinforcement, if you broaden the notion of reinforcement. An example of an alternative learning reinforcement tool is a product called Trivie. It’s based on the old game, Trivial Pursuit. In the corporate learning world, Trivie uses technology to send out questions to students both during and after a training scenario. As the student gets each answer right, he or she is rewarded with points or positive comments or other incentives that you stipulate. And we all know what incentives (like scoring points) mean to us in the world of gamification: “peer envy” (which is also “sort of ” on the list as “peer group influence”). This kind of game and learning reinforcement technology can use leaderboards, prescriptive paths when wrong

December 2015 / January 2016 Governement Elearning!

answers are given, or predefined coaching prods if you don’t get the right answer. And some even employ some sort of electronic “Great job!” to reinforce your learning. A 1.2 sigma impact. Not bad, even if it does sound a little hokey. But I think we’ve only just begun our quest. If you’ve been wondering why I’ve been giving so much air time to AI (artificial intelligence) and the Internet of Things (IoT), it’s because I think this technology will eventually lead us to the “holy grail” solution. Do you remember the youngest keynote speaker we every had at one of our ELCE conferences? Her name was Bina48. She was 2-1/2 years old back in 2010, and she was the most advanced social robot in existence then. You could ask her questions, and her AI framework allowed her to interact with you in conversational mode. To me, she was the precursor of the personal tutor — especially when the inventor thought she would one day sell for less than an iPhone at Best Buy. That price point could potentially mean a personal tutor in every home. Well guess where AI is coming on strong: it’s your phone. You can now ask questions like, “How do you say ‘Holy Grail’ in French?” Or you can ask Alexa, Amazon’s new toy, “How tall is Mount Everest?” Or “How do you spell ‘supercalifragilisticexpialidocious?” All of this is thanks to AI algorithms. So at least I’m convinced that in the next decade we’re going to be able to solve the elusive “2 Sigma Problem” with AI. And if a Bina48-lookalike is not by your side answering your every informational need, maybe it’ll be a wearable device that will provide your coaching, tutoring and mentoring: “You’re not in the correct position to lift that much weight.” Or it might just be integrated into your work environment or equipment like navigation is now integrated into your car. “In 800 feet, make a U-turn to proceed to your destination,” without the added attraction of having a critical passenger adding the rest of the sentence: “…Dummy!’” —Sources: http://web.mit.edu/5.95/ readings/bloom-two-sigma.pdf, http:// www.prweb.com/releases/2015/12/ prweb13121657.htm, http://blog.udacity. com/2013/09/meet-udacity-coach-for-introductory.html, https://youtu.be/XaDB4HmV8yk, https://youtu.be/UC40wGiIWHc

You...

Create learning programs that deliver results! Innovate, collaborate and outperform

your competitors!

Master budge woes to woo your employees, customers and partners.

Now let us honor you and your teamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s excellence. Government, non-profit and educational organizations can apply free.

Apply now at www.2elearning.com

under awards, Learning! 100 Application open 9.1.15 to 2.1.16.

Employee Training:

A Grade Card from the Employee Perspective 22

December 2015 / January 2016 Government Elearning!

SURVEY SAYS LEARNING LEADERS SHOULD BE PREPARING THEIR EMPLOYEES FOR THE FUTURE AS WELL AS THE HERE-AND-NOW. BY CHRIS OSBORN Each year, multiple organizations publish reports about the state of the training industry featuring data points developed by asking questions from the organizational perspective. The value of some of that benchmarking should not be diminished. It’s important to know that investments in employee training are rising, and that organizations are telling the industry that they are making a certain amount of training available to employees, and that some training topics are more important than others. But we think another perspective is important, too. Now consider nearly every other

industry. How do they report on their health and vitality? How about electronics? Automotive? Telecommunications? Entertainment? Without exception, every other industry asks its consumers about the products and services it delivers to gauge the effectiveness and health of its respective industry. How much credibility would any of us give a report about the state of the cable industry, if the only people surveyed are cable providers? Aren’t we really most interested in how the consumers of cable services feel? Since there isn’t much widely published data on what consumers (employees) of the training industry’s products and services think, we thought that kind of research would be invaluable. Therefore, starting in early June of this year and running until early August, BizLibrary gathered 1,821 survey responses from employees about their employer-provided training programs. The respondents answered three

Government Elearning! December 2015 / January 2016

employeetraining strategic questions: How effective is your employerprovided training program at teaching you new things? How effective is your employerprovided training program at improving your performance? How effective is your employerprovided training program at preparing you for the future? The responses were separated into two broad categories: 1,002 who work at organizations that are not clients

1 2 3

For training programs, acquiring new skills and knowledge should be foundational competencies.

■ Public ■ Control Group

Very Effective

Effective

Neutral

Ineffective

Very Ineffective

1.56%

4.39%

4.17%

6.19%

7.81%

10.28%

23.31%

22.75%

19.27%

18.46%

37.92%

50.52%

Effectiveness at Teaching New Things

N/A

■ Public ■ Control Group

Effective

Neutral

Ineffective

December 2015 / January 2016 Government Elearning!

Very Ineffective

1.30%

4.59%

4.56%

6.29%

8.07%

26.30%

12.77%

Very Effective

25.45%

20.83%

15.17%

35.73%

45.57%

Effectiveness at Improving Performance

N/A

of BizLibrary, and 819 who work at BizLibrary clients (the “control group”). For the purposes of this conversation, it’s less important who provides the solution. What is relevant is the type of solution the employees use. The control group uses a solution with the following characteristics: >> Heavy emphasis on technology-enabled learning >> Video-based content >> Primarily micro-learning (seven minutes is average length of the most recently added 2,500 courses) >> A completion average of 4.8 courses per month >> LMS’s that are designed expressly to maximize impact of video >> LMS and video that’s all fully mobileready and mobile-optimized >> A wide selection of content topics, and generally a high awareness of content availability >> Minimum of 5,000 courses, and in some organizations 14,000-plus video courses >> Low emphasis on ILT, though most organizations use some classroom instruction The broader public participants reported a wide range of content-delivery tools, with ILT being the dominant form. The public participants reported some access to technology-enabled learning including traditional e-learning (click-and-advance PowerPoint-style courseware), virtual classroom and online videos. These participants generally reported fewer content options than the control group. In other words, the public participants generally reported access to traditional employee training programs. THE RESULTS Question 1: How effective is your employer’s training program at teaching you new things? Employee learning is about acquiring new skills and knowledge. For training programs, this should be a foundational competency. Every employee learning program should be effective or very effective at teaching employees new things. The chart on the left compares the responses for the public participants to the control group in response to Question 1. There are significant differences between the public responses and the control group

responses. When we combine the responses “Very Effective” and “Effective,” control group employees report that their training programs are 23.77% more effective at teaching them new things than nonclient employees (69.79% to 56.39%). The negative ratings are also lower. Question 2: How effective is your employer’s training program at helping improve your performance? Employees should perform at higher levels of mastery after they have been trained. That’s a given. Unfortunately, not all training programs deliver improved performance, and the survey confirms that employees believe many programs substantially under-perform. Once again, the difference in the top two tiers, “Very Effective” and “Effective,” are striking. The control group employees report they believe their training programs are “Very Effective” or “Effective” at helping improve their performance at a combined rate of 66.41%, but 50.90% of public employees report the same levels of effectiveness for their employers’ training

Control group employees report great disparities in how their training programs help prepare them for the future. programs. The difference is 30.47% (66.41% “Very Effective” and “Effective” combined, compared to 50.90%). Question #3: How effective is your employer’s training program at preparing you for the future? Control group employees report even greater disparities in how their training

programs help prepare them for the future: 34.99% better than their peers at other companies. In the top two tiers, 58.33% of employees at control group companies say their training program is either “Very Effective” or “Effective” at preparing them for the future. Only 43.21% — less than half — of the public participants said the same thing. Of the three strategic questions in the survey, this question about preparing employees for the future elicited the fewest positive responses across the board. This ought to be an area of concern for all of us in the learning and development and training industry. Teaching employees new things and improving performance are outcomes that benefit our organizations in the here-and-now. However, preparing employees for the future is something that we should be working toward for the ongoing success of our organization. The top graph on the next page summarizes the differences between the public responses and the responses of control group employees. When the survey was launched, we did

Government Elearning! December 2015 / January 2016

employeetraining

Very Effective

Effective

Neutral

Ineffective

Very Ineffective

2.08%

5.09%

5.86%

7.98%

14.17%

Plot Area

10.03%

30.34%

29.54%

■ Public ■ Control Group

18.62%

13.37%

29.84%

39.71%

Effectiveness at Preparing for the Future - All Responses

N/A

66.41%

■ Public ■ Control Group

43.21%

50.90%

54.41%

56.39%

69.79%

Summary of First Three Questions: “Very Effective” & “Effective” Responses Combined

Question 1: New Things

Question 2: Improve Performance

not expect to see this much of a difference between the perceptions of the control group (BizLibrary client employees) and employees at non-client organizations. The differences are real and rather dramatic — the product of substantive distinctions between the ways employees access learning resources. We believe this because 26

Question 3: Prepare for the Future

we asked some details about the training programs of the survey participants. Doubtless, much more research is needed. In fact, you can learn more about this research at http://goo.gl/crrCo5. But we need data on actual performance. Data from this survey tells us an important story about what employees

December 2015 / January 2016 Government Elearning!

Bottom line: employees don’t think traditional training programs work very well. They want more choices, more video. think — and they don’t think traditional training programs work very well. Employees tell us to give them more choices, more video and to minimize the use of classroom delivery. Does this data prove the effectiveness of the methods employees prefer? Not conclusively, but when employees are engaged in the training methods, there is a far greater likelihood of success than when they are checked out and not engaged in boring, out-of-date training methods. SUMMARY, CONCLUSION Think carefully about critical jobs and professions that most organizations need. They rely on professionals with expertise in Web design, user interface, social media recruiting, and inbound marketing. More jobs or critical job skills (depending upon your specific industry) are likely “hard to find.” Some of these jobs and skills simply did not exist as recently as five years ago. The reality of today will certainly not be the reality of tomorrow. That’s why it’s so important we help employees — and, by extension, our organizations — prepare for the future. We can get ahead of some of this by shifting our training efforts to develop skills and competencies around things like adaptability, learning agility and change leadership. If we can make that strategic shift in our development focus, we might see the next round of answers to this question be more favorable. —The author is vice president of Marketing for BizLibrary.

‘Best of Elearning! ’ Awards Honor 100 Top Solutions BY JERRY ROCHE AND CATHERINE UPTON

service. The “Best of E-learning!” program formalizes this referral process.

The 2015 “Best of Elearning!” awards honor best-in-class solutions across the learning and technology marketplace. Celebrating their 11th year, the awards received more nominations for more brands in more categories than ever. Best of Elearning! awards are the industry’s exclusive users’-choice awards. All nominations are made directly by users of solutions. More than 4,000 nominations were received in 2015. “Given the number of nominations, to make the list in 2015 is quite an honor,” says Catherine Upton, Elearning! Media Group’s publisher. “There is no better honor than to be nominated by users and customers of these best-in-class solutions.” The Best of Elearning! awards program was first implemented to formalize the recommendation and purchase process for the e-learning community. Research indicated 85 percent of readers had recommended an e-learning solution to a peer over the most recent 12-month period, and 61 percent claimed that award recognition “impacts their decision” to consider a product or

BIG WINNERS Multiple winners this year are BizLibrary (three), ej4 (three) and Adobe (two). Repeat winners from last year are: >> Skillsoft Leadership Development Training in the Leadership Development category, >> Cornerstone OnDemand Unified Talent Management in the TMS category, >> Inxpo Online Learning Environment in the Virtual Learning Environment category, >> ej4 Business Skills Library in the Soft Skills Content category, >> mLevel’s Game-Based Learning Platform in the Gamification category, >> Vubiz Compliance Training in the Compliance Training category, and >> Adobe Captivate in the Mobile Authoring category this year and the Best Simulation category last year.

BEST OF THE BEST An exclusive handful of organizations have won Best of Elearning! (best-in-class solution) and Learning! 100 honors (top global

learning organization). These honorees are: Skillsoft; Cisco; SuccessFactors, an SAP Company; Inxpo; IBM; Adobe; and Oracle. ABOUT THE VOTING PROCESS Elearning! Media Group community members, readers, subscribers and online visitors were invited to nominate their solution provider via an online ballot during June 1 to October 15, 2015. The ballot was openended with 30 categories stipulated. At close, the ballots were reviewed. Duplicates were removed, vendor ballots were nullified as well as votes without a verifiable company domain address (ex.: gmail, aol, etc.). Editors verified product types and categories before counting. The top vote earners in each category were identified as finalists. Those with a 10 percent lead over all other products in a category earned category winner status. Close vote counts and runner-ups earned Award of Excellence. To learn more, visit www.2elearning.com/ awards/best-of-elearning-awards. AND THE WINNERS ARE…. Elearning! and Government Elearning! magazines take great pride in announcing the Best of Elearning! 2015 winners:

Government Elearning! December 2015 / January 2016

bestofelearning!

Learning Platforms LMS CLOUD

Winner: BizLibrary LMS PRODUCT INFORMATION BizLibrary’s complete learning platform meets the needs of today’s learners involved with both online training and classroom training. The LMS delivers all of its critical functions at an affordable price. As a Softwareas-a-Service (SaaS) provider, BizLibrary manages access to the application, including security, availability, and performance, allowing I.T. personnel to focus on improving the day-to-day technical operations of your company providing rapid deployment, easy administration and quicker return on investment. FEATURES/BENEFITS >> Fully hosted and maintained >> Easily import of SCORM and AICC content >> Integrated email messaging and notifications >> User-generated comments and ratings >> More than 50 standard reports >> Filtering based on groups, date range, courses, activity and more CUSTOMERS Go Solution, Marquette Savings Bank, Covenant Healthcare, Bally Technologies CONTACT INFORMATION 285 Chesterfield Business Parkway Chesterfield, MO 63005 (888) 432-3077 www.bizlibrary.com

Award of Excellence:

Intellum Exceed LMS

Litmos by Callidus Cloud, Litmos LMS

PRODUCT INFORMATION Intellum’s Exceed combines flexible content management, enrollment, assessment and reporting functionality with a clean user experience that drives course completion. It seamlessly handles off-the-shelf and custom courseware, instructor-led, “blended,” and virtual classes, videos, and a wide range of informal learning content. Optimized for mobile devices, it also has cutting-edge assessment and survey functionality built-in. Access a variety of auto-graded question types or free-form response options, like long-text answers and user-recorded video responses, which can then be graded by instructors or peers.

PRODUCT INFORMATION Litmos allows you to integrate with any system, including a separate version that integrates with Salesforce (“Litmos LMS for Salesforce”). The best part of Litmos is that it is a hosted training system, which means you don’t need help from the I.T. department to set it up and get started. You can literally begin creating your courses in minutes. And it has an intuitive user interface that is fully responsive, built using powerful and flexible BootStrap technology.

FEATURES/BENEFITS >> Powerful, elegant and simple to use >> Rapid deployment: most customers are up and running in less than a month >> Unlimited, real-time reporting >> User language localization >> Rapid integration with enterprise and HR software CUSTOMERS AlliedBarton Security Service, Randstad Professionals U.S., Titleist CONTACT INFORMATION 3525 Piedmont Rd. NE, Suite 7-210 Atlanta, GA 30305 (404) 890-7690 www.intellum.com

December 2015 / January 2016 Government Elearning!

FEATURES/BENEFITS >> Accessible anywhere from the Cloud or mobile device >> Partner and contractor certification >> SCORM- and Tin Can-compliant >> Core features include course builder, assessment, quizzes, surveys with feedback, checklists, course library, reports, dashboards, e-commerce, gamification with leaderboards and CEUs, messages, learning paths, discussion forums, instructor led training, and learner uploads. CUSTOMERS Zumba, Samsung, Box, YouTube, Build.com, Xero, Quantcast, nCino, Coupa CONTACT INFORMATION 4140 Dublin Blvd., Suite 400 Dublin, CA 94588 (925) 251-2220 www.litmos.com

Still waiting on your learning vendor to innovate?

Try Litmos. Deploy your learning in minutes not months.

www.litmos.com/trial

The Learning! Champion Award honors individuals for exceptional contributions to the Learning industry. Nominees can be innovators, thought-leaders, cutting-edge technologists,or high performing learning leaders that positively impact the learning industry. Nominate a client, leader, mentor or partner for consideration. Apply by 12/31/15 for free.

Apply Now at: http://www.2elearning.com/awards/learning-champion-award

Learning! Champion Award is hosted by Elearning! Magazine, a B2B Media Company. www.2elearning.com

bestofelearning!

Learning Platforms LMS ENTERPRISE

TMS

Winner: SumTotal Learn

Award of Excellence:

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 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; 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. FEATURES/BENEFITS >> Choose your deployment option, SaaS, hosted or on-premise >> Reduce your total cost of ownership >> Personalized, intuitive user experience >> Built-in advanced reporting >> Mobile and offline learning capabilities CUSTOMERS McAfee, Edward Jones, Capgemini CONTACT INFORMATION 2850 NW 43rd St., Suite 150 Gainesville, FL 32606 (352) 264-2800 or (866) 768-6825 www.sumtotalsystems.com

IBM Kenexa Talent Manager

PRODUCT INFORMATION The suite of IBM Kenexa talent products includes BrassRing, Skills Assessments, Talent Insights, Talent Acquisition Suite, Survey Enterprise and BrassRing Candidate Relationship Manager. BrassRing allows its users to attract and hire top talent using applicant tracking systems. Then, you can quickly sift through talent pools with the right skills assessment test. Making decisions is easier using Talent Insightsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; analytics. The Talent Acquisition Suite hiring solution helps you attract, hire and onboard top talent. The remaining two products help you build a better employee engagement survey and devise a proactive recruitment marketing campaign. FEATURES/BENEFITS >> Attract the right candidates to the right roles >> Understand what motivates and engages employees >> Build compensation and reward programs that invest in your employees >> Foster organizational growth >> Manage talent while maximizing their performance CUSTOMERS Potash, FRHI, the Apollo Education Group, H&R Block CONTACT INFORMATION 650 E. Swedesford Rd. Wayne, PA 19087 (877) 426-3774 www-01.ibm.com/software/smarter workforce/

Award of Excellence:

SumTotal Talent

PRODUCT INFORMATION SumTotal Talent offers the ability to discover hidden talent and capabilities within your current workforce and provide tools to help all of your people be more productive. With SumTotal Talent solutions, you can unlock hidden potential in your people and watch your business soar. FEATURES/BENEFITS >> Improve employee engagement because employees understand how their work connects to overall strategy >> Reduce voluntary turnover as employees understand how to build a career with you and acquire new skills >> Increase productivity as you show employees how to get better at their jobs >> Achieve better visibility because analytics are embedded in all of our solutions >> Integrate solutions easily because our solutions are built on the flexible, scalable elixHR Platform >> Offer employees the best possible development opportunities that are most applicable to building the skills and competencies required for the job with contextual recommendations and actions CUSTOMERS Edward Jones, Capgemini, Express Scripts, Pfizer CONTACT INFORMATION 2850 NW 43rd St., Suite 150 Gainesville, FL 32606 (352) 264-2800 or (866) 768-6825 www.sumtotalsystems.com

Government Elearning! December 2015 / January 2016

Learning Platforms SOCIAL LEARNING

Winner: BizLibrary Community PRODUCT INFORMATION In a knowledge-based world, employees need immediate access to information and data to perform at their full potential. BizLibrary’s Community puts the collective knowledge of your entire organization at everyone’s fingertips. With Community, your business can increase employee engagement, communication, collaboration and innovation. You can also increase (a) the efficiency of your employee learning and training and (b) organizational I.Q. FEATURES/BENEFITS >> Share documents, files, ideas and status updates >> Ask and answer questions >> Organize employees into communities based on job role, function, team, project, etc. >> Share links or files for input, ideas and suggestions >> Post best practices learned from clients >> Search and sort posts by content and tags CUSTOMERS Go Solution, Marquette Savings Bank, Covenant Healthcare, Bally Technologies CONTACT INFORMATION 285 Chesterfield Business Parkway Chesterfield, MO 63005 (888) 432-3077 www.bizlibrary.com

VIRTUAL CLASSROOM

Award of Excellence:

Cisco Collaborative Inxpo Virtual Knowledge Program Classroom PRODUCT INFORMATION Cisco Collaborative Knowledge is a complete, end-to-end solution that strategically combines best-in-class digital workplace capabilities to redefine the customer and employee experience. With it, organizations can gain the critical information they need in real-time to make informed business decisions. The result: improved performance, productivity, and competitive advantage. The Cisco Collaborative Knowledge “digital workplace” solution can empower your organization with the digital tools and technology it needs to access experts, learning, and knowledge in real time. It can help you solve real-world business challenges anytime, anywhere. FEATURES/BENEFITS >> Mobilize your workforce with knowledge, speed, and flexibility to create a more empowered, productive and engaged organization >> Foster a culture of continuous learning and innovation >> Form agile teams to rapidly collaborate on and innovate new solutions >> Capture, share, and manage content with laptops, tablets, and smartphones >> Access data that is synchronized and stored in Cisco Collaborative Knowledge >> View information online or offline

Inxpo’s Virtual Classroom is an interactive way to educate corporate and enterprise learners through video and open collaboration on a single platform. Virtual Classrooms have enabled organizations to better track learning progress, provide certification, and analyze knowledge gaps for better education programs. Inxpo’s Learning Environments & Virtual Classrooms are globally accessible, and can be cloned and reused for different programs. With the combination of video, collaborative tools and making learning truly a conversation, Inxpo’s Learning Environments and Virtual Classrooms deliver the ultimate blended learning experience in a cost-effective way. FEATURES/BENEFITS >> Scheduled and self-paced virtual classroom >> Engagement through gamification, badging and interaction >> Mentoring and peer to peer community support CONTACT INFORMATION 770 N. Halsted St., Suite 6S Chicago, IL 60642 (312) 962-3708

CUSTOMERS Baylor College of Medicine, City of Barcelona, Sony, National Food Services CONTACT INFORMATION 170 West Tasman Dr. San Jose, CA 95134 (800) 553-6387

Government Elearning! December 2015 / January 2016

bestofelearning!

Learning Platforms VIRTUAL EVENT PLATFORM

Winner: Inxpo Virtual Learning Environment

Award of Excellence:

PRODUCT INFORMATION Inxpoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Learning Environments are private and secure virtual learning portals that incorporate interactive user forums and group collaboration to help build a community and promote knowledge transfer through open content sharing. Inxpoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Online Learning Environment gives users the power to connect with a global audience and tailor the event to meet business objectives. The environment gives learning professionals full and self-service options for creating stimulating, measurable and secure online events. It also has robust analytics and reporting that includes chart slicing, monitoring of downloads and interactive data zoom and scroll.

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 >> Live and on-demand programming >> Recommended content keeps users engaged >> Scalable to more than 100,000 visitors >> Track results real-time and measure effectiveness CUSTOMERS Association of Corporate Travel Executives, RSA Security Analytics, Professional Convention Management Association CONTACT INFORMATION 770 N. Halsted St., Suite 6S Chicago, IL 60642 (312) 962-3708

December 2015 / January 2016 Government Elearning!

InterCall Virtual Event Platform

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 CONTACT INFORMATION 8420 W. Bryn Mawr, Suite 1100 Chicago, IL 60631 (773) 399-1600 www.intercall.com

Content ADAPTIVE LEARNING CONTENT

Award of Excellence:

Salesforce Success Community

PRODUCT INFORMATION Salesforce University offers a wide range of training options, from in-person classes featuring hands-on instruction, to virtual training, self-led courses, private workshops, and more. You can choose from classes for Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, Marketing Cloud, Analytics Cloud, and Community Cloud, along with training for the Salesforce1 Platform. Classes are available for administrators, developers, solution designers, technical architects, marketers, sales and service management, and end-users. FEATURES/BENEFITS >> One- to five-day, instructor-led regional or virtual classes available >> Main topics: sales Cloud, service Cloud, marketing Cloud, community Cloud, analytics Cloud and more >> Integrated Success Community for collaboration and learning CUSTOMERS Shutterstock, Information Logistics, Siemens CONTACT INFORMATION The Landmark at One Market, #300 San Francisco, CA 94105 (877) 872-4610

CONTENT LIBRARY/AGGREGATION

Winner: BizLibrary Collection PRODUCT INFORMATION The BizLibrary Collection is an awardwinning “NetFlix-style” employee training solution of online training videos and eLearning courses. Employees have unlimited access to thousands of online training programs on virtually every topic they might need, including Communication, Leadership, Management, Customer Service, Compliance and Desktop Computing, and much, much more. More than 50 new courses are added monthly. FEATURES/BENEFITS >> Twenty-five topic areas include communication, leadership, customer service, computer skills >> Unlimited employee access from desktop, mobile and/or tablet >> Variety: 60-minute e-learning courses, 15- to 25-minute videos, 2-to 5-minute performance-support programs CUSTOMERS Go Solution, Marquette Savings Bank, Covenant Healthcare, Bally Technologies CONTACT INFORMATION 285 Chesterfield Business Parkway Chesterfield, MO 63005 (888) 432-3077 www.bizlibrary.com

Award of Excellence:

Degreed, Inc. Degreed Learning Platform

PRODUCT INFORMATION Degreed is a community of college students, professionals and lifelong learners dedicated to advancing their education. Members receive tools to help track, organize, share, and validate everything they learn. Degreed applies an algorithmic and normalized approach to track and measure educational achievements including formal (e.g., degrees), informal (e.g., books read, conferences attended), and soon, experiential learning. Talent is built by connecting teams to the best training materials across vendors and allowing them to track and share their progress in a social, collaborative way. FEATURES/BENEFITS >> Administrators get flexibility to allow employees to learn at will and a simplified way to manage all employees’ learning >> Employees get more than 225,000 courses at their fingertips and more than 1,300 learning platforms and providers CUSTOMERS Gigaom CONTACT INFORMATION 1251-B Armistead Rd San Francisco, 94129 www.degreed.com

Government Elearning! December 2015 / January 2016

bestofelearning!

Content I.T. TRAINING

COMPLIANCE

Award of Excellence:

Winner: Vubiz Compliance Library

PRODUCT INFORMATION All aspects of MS Office are available, but the luxury of being able to select the most important course for your employee at that specific time is rewarding. ej4 lets administrators easily group software courses that are critical for their department. No wading through introductions of Excel to get to what matters most. For instance, your accounting division’s ability to learn and apply a course on pivot tables to make better spreadsheets explaining company financials. Perhaps your sales team needs to learn how to make better PowerPoint presentations for prospects. It could be that everyone in the office needs to learn how to format memos and create company templates with a detailed walkthrough of Word.

PRODUCT INFORMATION BizLibrary offers a series of specialty content bundles of e-learning courses designed to supplement the BizLibrary Collection. These small, single-topic bundles are designed to meet the advance and specialized learning needs of small groups of employees. E-learning bundles are available in three categories: business skills, computer skills, and certification, and custom bundles are also available. These e-learning bundles are available in flexible quantities of 5, 10 or 20 courses.

PRODUCT INFORMATION Vubiz provides full service — content, development, and delivery software — offering solutions that are extraordinarily flexible in practice. Thousands of hours of off-the-shelf content are available for purchase as-is or tailored to a specific client situations. The company has built an excellent reputation over the past decade, offering outstanding value with comprehensive services from its large, impressive online library to content creation, an LMS and Vubuild, which is a do-it-yourself authoring tool.

ej4 Microsoft Office Package

COURSE LIST >> New Features Training: Office, Excel, Word, PowerPoint >> Special Features Training: Office, Excel, Word, PowerPoint >> Essentials Training: PC Fundamentals, Office, Excel, Word, PowerPoint CUSTOMERS Allison Transmission, Mahindra, The Corridor Group

BizLibrary I.T. Content Library

COURSE LIST >> Security Essentials, Avoid Social Engineering Attacks >> Protecting Your PC >> MS Windows 8.1: File Management and Organization CUSTOMERS Cellular One, Farmway Co-Op, Celergo CONTACT INFORMATION 285 Chesterfield Business Parkway Chesterfield, MO 63005 (888) 432-3077 www.bizlibrary.com

CONTACT INFORMATION 12125 Woodcrest Executive Dr., Suite 300 St. Louis, MO 63141 (314) 878-6700 or (800) 566-3159 www.ej4.com

December 2015 / January 2016 Government Elearning!

FEATURES/BENEFITS Vubiz has 93 titles in its Compliance Training library. Included are: >> Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action >> Business Ethics >> E-mail and Internet Use >> Fair Labor Standards >> Harrassment/Discrimination >> Sarbanes-Oxley >> Family and Medical Leave CUSTOMERS Forbes Industries, Goodrich, Lockheed Martin, Mattel CONTACT INFORMATION 2872 Colorado Ave. Santa Monica, CA 90404 (310) 358-9583 www.vubiz.com

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

SA LES FO RC E

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

www.salesforce.com/training

bestofelearning!

Content (314) 878-6700 or (800) 566-3159 COMPLIANCE TRAINING

Award of Excellence:

ej4 Workplace Compliance Library

PRODUCT INFORMATION ej4’s Workplace Compliance Library supplies you with the courses needed to maintain compliance. The programs included are: Anti-Harassment, Anti-Harassment for California, Connecticut, and Maine, HIPAA, FLSA, FMLA, Hiring and Firing procedures, and more. When the regulations change, programs are updated accordingly, so you don’t have to keep track of the changes. FEATURES/BENEFITS >> Short, tactical e-learning >> Fully customizable >> Multi-platform, including mobile >> Most video titles are 10 minutes or less in length >> Off-the-shelf programs can be customized using ej4 Thinkzoom CUSTOMERS Pepsi-Cola Bottlers, Golden Harvest, Community Coffee CONTACT INFORMATION 12125 Woodcrest Executive Dr., Suite 300 St. Louis, MO 63141 (314) 878-6700 or (800) 566-3159 www.ej4.com www.ej4.com

SOFT SKILLS CONTENT

SALES TRAINING

Winner: ej4 Business Skills Library

Winner: ej4 Sales Skills Library

PRODUCT INFORMATION ej4’s off-the-shelf e-learning is a collection of proven solutions that are built with instructional design specific for e-learning in today’s multi-platform mobile workforce. ej4 offers an immediate solution that employees can use to get the information they need while being back to work in 10 minutes or less. Plus, with ej4’s Thinkzoom platform, you have the ability to personalize the learning with your own custom video. FEATURES/BENEFITS >> More than 1500 courses on everything from sales, compliance, IT training, and general soft skills for every business. >> Content that is delivered through any device or platform >> Professionally created videos that are informative and up-to-date >> A customizable learning management system (Thinkzoom) >> Dedicated learning professionals to support your business >> Complete custom videos for your unique needs CUSTOMERS Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, greatcall, Goodwill CONTACT INFORMATION 12125 Woodcrest Executive Dr., Suite 300 St. Louis, MO 63141

December 2015 / January 2016 Government Elearning!

PRODUCT INFORMATION ej4’s libraries of courses consist of ready to use solutions for your organizations specific needs. They are broken up by topic in Business Skills, Workplace Compliance and Microsoft Office that can be deployed on any platform. The company’s Business Skills Library offers courses in Professional Productivity, Communications, Sales, Project Management, Leadership, Supervision, Safety and Presentation Skills — to name a few. FEATURES/BENEFITS >> Other titles: Assertive Verbal Skills, Business Travel, Business Statistics, Business Writing, Time Value of Money, and more >> Library expands every month, based on customer feedback >> Course titles can be added upon customer request CUSTOMERS Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, The Corridor Group, Western Equipment Dealers Association CONTACT INFORMATION 12125 Woodcrest Executive Dr., Suite 300 St. Louis, MO 63141 (314) 878-6700 or (800) 566-3159 www.ej4.com

AWARD WINNING CONTENT FAST 4WARD YOUR LEARNING®: ej4 creates award-winning content based on the 4 “J’s”: just as needed, just enough, just in time, and just right. This content is delivered through short, tactical videos designed to teach new skills and change behaviors through an engaging delivery style based on adult learning methodology. ej4’s content library contains more than 1,500 courses with new and updated content every month. ej4’s off-the-shelf e-learning is more than a video learning library. It offers 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. ej4’s content delivers in all areas. ej4 provides your company with an immediate solution that employees can use to get the information they need while being back to work in 10 minutes or less. Plus, with ej4’s Thinkzoom platform, you have the ability to personalize the learning with your own custom video. ej4 bridges the gap between potential and results. It offers: >> More than 1500 courses on everything from sales, compliance, I.T. training and general soft skills for every business >> Content that is delivered through any device or platform >> Professionally created videos that are informative and up-to-date >> A customizable learning management system (Thinkzoom) >> Dedicated learning professionals to support your business >> Complete custom videos for your unique needs PRODUCTS: Off the Shelf Videos - At ej4, e-learning is done a little differently. While the company does offer hundreds of e-learning courses on topics like Management, Productivity, Anti-Harassment and Customer Service, it looks for the business need first. It analyzes your problems and builds solutions that fit your needs.

ej4’s libraries of courses consist of readyto-use solutions for your organization’s specific needs. They are broken up by topic in Business Skills, Workplace Compliance and Microsoft Office that can be deployed on any platform. http://ej4.com/resourcescatalog LMS Platform - Thinkzoom by ej4 is more than a learning management system. It’s a powerful knowledge-sharing platform tool for a customized user experience. Thinkzoom is an easy-to-use platform that allows you to record, edit, track and share your company-specific knowledge that integrates seamlessly with all ej4 content. http://ej4.com/services-thinkzoom Custom Videos - There are times when an off-the-shelf course does not effectively teach an industry-specific skill or communicate your company message. Partner with ej4 to create custom e-learning videos that are short, to-the-point, and communicate YOUR message. http://ej4. com/services-custom-elearning

Support - It’s easy to get started using the ej4 solution. You can be up and running in a few days. Its team of dedicated learning professionals partner with you to ensure your learning program meets the needs of your learners. CUSTOMERS ej4 has customers that cover the spectrum in size, industry and products. To name a few: Goodwill, TigerDirect, First American Title, Allison Transmission, Pepsi, Dr. Pepper Snapple, Mahindra, Wells and Community Coffee. WHAT CUSTOMERS SAY: >> Dr. Pepper Snapple Group: “At Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, we needed to take the disciplines and common practices that we wanted to instill to over 20,000 employees across 250 locations. Using ej4, we were able to achieve these goals in a quick, efficient, and effective manner.” >> Greatcall: “With ej4, course completion rates have increased over 80 percent, and employees continually request additional professional development.” CONTACT INFORMATION: 12125 Woodcrest Executive Dr., Suite 300 St. Louis, MO 63141 Sales: (800) 566-3159 Headquarters: (314) 878-6700 sales@ej4.com www.ej4.com

People grow business. We grow people.

ej4.com/freetrial

Award-Winning Soft Skills Training Library

800-566-3159

Topics Include • Leadership

• Supervision

• Compliance

• Communication

• Sales

• Safety & more

Tools GAMIFICATION

VIDEO CAPTURE

Winner: mLevel GameBased Learning Platform

Winner: ej4 Thinkzoom

PRODUCT INFORMATION mLevel offers a low-cost solution that immerses employees in a fun, casual learning experience that can be easily scaled across an organization. Its SaaS-based platform makes quick creation and delivery of interactive learning games easy. Employees can play anytime or anywhere, all backed by leaderboards, badges, social learning interactions and detailed analytics. Users can access mLevel on any device, and training missions can be completed just about anywhere. Because mLevel’s training is progressive, users have to score above a certain threshold before they can unlock the next round of educational content. Their colleagues’ scores become visible once a mission is complete, adding a friendly, competitive component and an incentive to score well, too. Thus, engagement is at the center of the platform. FEATURES/BENEFITS >> No coding required to create rich, interactive learning missions in hours >> Its games drive individual and team competition, as well as social learning >> Analysis function allows managers to uncover what employees know and don’t know about critical business topics, then react in real-time to close the gaps CUSTOMERS D4, IHG, U.S. Foods CONTACT INFORMATION 205 W. Wacker Dr., Suite 422 Chicago, IL 60606 (888) 564-5395 www.mlevel.com

PRODUCT INFORMATION Thinkzoom by ej4 is a powerful knowledge-sharing platform tool for a customized user experience. It’s an easy-to-use platform that allows you to record, edit, track, and share company-specific knowledge. The bottom line is that ej4’s Thinkzoom does more than house e-learning. It’s a tool that you can use every day to train, communicate and share information with teams. Its easy-to-use recording features allow you to create video content with your computer or mobile device. Think of the knowledge sharing opportunities that exist outside of the training department! Thinkzoom allows you to record and share best practices from the field, the sales floor, or even information from your customers and competition. Then you can build a training plan around the content with existing off-the-shelf courses and business book summaries. FEATURES/BENEFITS >> Create completely custom training: record and share best practices >> Reporting features allow managers to see who’s taking which courses, and then analyze viewing trends CUSTOMERS Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, Pepsi-Cola Bottlers, Golden Harvest CONTACT INFORMATION 12125 Woodcrest Executive Dr., Suite 300 St. Louis, MO 63141 (314) 878-6700 www.ej4.com

Government Elearning! December 2015 / January 2016

IMPROVE ENGAGEMENT A modern workplace deserves a modern LMS.

Why are traditional learning management systems so difficult to use and administer? At Intellum, we believe an LMS should inspire your efforts to improve your employeesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; learning experiences, not impede them. So we built a new kind of LMS, one that resonates with todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s student and addresses the challenges facing the modern LMS administrator. Engaged Employees = Better Results

Learn More At

INTELLUM.COM

Services TRANSLATION AND LOCAL SERVICES

OUTSOURCED LEARNING SERVICES

Winner: TransPerfect Translation & Localization Services

Award of Excellence:

PRODUCT INFORMATION TransPerfect can provide multi-language translation of company training materials or a centralized e-learning solution to serve an internationally distributed workforce. TransPerfect’s education experts can help you enhance sales force effectiveness, drive customer satisfaction, and deliver on-demand research and collaboration to take your global learning and training programs to the next level. TransPerfect offers multiple levels of service based on client needs, ranging from draft / summary translation up to certified translation, featuring our three-step process with a translator, editor, and proofreader, all designed to meet the evolving needs of global businesses. Its Human Translation Quality Assurance  process assigns three professional linguists — translator, editor and proofreader — to create each translation. FEATURES/BENEFITS >> Network of more than 4,000 linguists, all of whom are native speakers of the target language, experts in their subject areas, and accredited by numerous translation and interpretation industry organizations CORPORATE FAMILY Adams Globalization, Epic Global Solutions, WorldLingo, eTranslate CONTACT INFORMATION 3 Park Ave., 39th Floor New York, NY 10016 (212) 689-5555

Skillsoft Learning Services PRODUCT INFORMATION Skillsoft e-learning consultants, customer support and application engineers provide core program support services, a fundamental value-add. These teams deliver the expert e-learning services and advice to help establish general strategy for deployment and adoption of powerful learning programs. FEATURES/BENEFITS >> Deliver strategy, competency mapping, blended learning design, technology deployment and value measurement >> Boost the ROI, engagement, and success rate of any implementation >> Empower managers to effectively manage complex blendedlearning programs >> Reduce overall administrative burden >> Help identify when custom development services could be more effective >> Include customer support, 24x7x365, by telephone, email, Web or chat CUSTOMERS FM Global CONTACT INFORMATION 107 Northeastern Blvd. Nashua, NH 03062 (603) 324-3000 or (877) 545-5763) www.skillsoft.com

Government Elearning! December 2015 / January 2016

TRANSLATION & LOCALIZATION SERVICES The world’s top companies trust TransPerfect to help them excel in the global marketplace. TransPerfect turns global goals into worldwide achievements. From translation, localization to multicultural communications, we are your best-in-class partner. Thanks to our customers who voted TransPerfect Best Translation & Localization Solution 3 years running. Got 3 minutes? Learn how GlobalLink can help you streamline multilingual content managment. Scan the QR code to view the video

TransPerfect Global Headquarters 3 Park Avenue, 39th Fl New York, NY 10016 Tel: +1 212.689.5555

Change the face of your

global training When the time comes to extend your learning and development modules around the world, leave the heavy lifting to us. • • • • • •

Courseware & Portal Translation Software & Graphics Localization Multilingual Audio/Video Recording Live Interpretation for Classroom Training Cultural Consulting Services Online Platform for In-Country Review

For more information, contact: eLearning@transperfect.com

bestofelearning!

BEST OF ELEARNING! 2015 COMPLETE LIST OF HONOREES: LMS CLOUD >> Category Winner: BizLibrary LMS (www.bizlibrary.com) >> Awards of Excellence: Docebo LMS, eLogic Learning eSSential LMS, ePath Learning ASAP, Intellum Exceed LMS, Litmos by Callidus Cloud, Litmos LMS LMS ENTERPRISE >> Category Winner: SumTotal, a Skillsoft Company, Learn (www.sumtotalsystems.com) >> Award of Excellence: GeoMetrix Data Systems, Inc TrainingPartner/GeoTalent LMS LCMS >> Winner: DominKnow Learning Systems, Claro (www.dominknow.com) >> Awards of Excellence: eXact Learning Solutions LCMS, CD2Learning Single-Solution Ecosystem, IBM Kenexa LCMS Premier TMS >> Winners: Cornerstone OnDemand Unified Talent Management, Halogen TalentSpace Suite >> Awards of Excellence: IBM Kenexa Talent Manager, SumTotal, Talent HR TECH/HCM >> Awards of Excellence: Oracle HCM Cloud, SuccessFactors HCM, Workday HCM SaaS ADAPTIVE/PERSONALIZED LEARNING PLATFORM >> Winner: D2L Brightspace (www.brightspace.com) >> Awards of Excellence: Dreambox Learning Adaptive Learning Platform, Knewton Adaptive Learning Platform SOCIAL LEARNING >> Winner: BizLibrary Community (www.bizlibrary.com) >> Award of Excellence: Bloomfire, Cisco Collaborative Knowledge Program WEB SEMINAR SOLUTION >> Winner: Adobe Connect (www.adobe.com) >> Awards of Excellence: Cisco WebEx Meeting Center, Citrix Online GoToWebinar VIRTUAL CLASSROOM >> Winner: Colorado Technical University CTU Virtual Classroom (www.ctu.edu) >> Award of Excellence: Cisco WebEx Training Center, Inxpo Virtual Classroom VIRTUAL EVENT PLATFORM >> Winner: INXPO Virtual Learning Environment (www.inxpo.com) >> Awards of Excellence: Blue Sky Broadcast Path Event Learning Platform, InterCall/West Corp. Virtual Learning Environment, On24 Virtual Event Platform

OPEN-SOURCE SOLUTION >> Winner: Forma LMS >> Awards of Excellence: eFront Authoring Tool, Moodle, Udutu Online Authoring Tool ADAPTIVE LEARNING CONTENT >> Winner: American Intercontinental University IntelliPath (www.aiu.edu) >> Award of Excellence: Oracle Personalized Training Catalog, Salesforce Success Community

GAMIFICATION >> Winner: mLevel Game-Based Learning Platform (www.mlevel.com) >> Awards of Excellence: Bunch Ball Nitro, Game Learn Merchants Game VIDEO CAPTURE >> Winner: ej4 ThinkZoom (www.ej4.com) >> Awards of Excellence: Articulate Replay, TechSmith Camtasia Studio

CONTENT LIBRARY/AGGREGATION >> Winner: The BizLibrary Collection (www.bizlibrary.com) >> Awards of Excellence: Degreed, Inc Degreed Learning Platform, Lynda.com Skills Library, Udemy

VIDEO PUBLISHING TOOL >> Winner: Kaltura Corporate TV (www.kaltura.com) >> Awards of Excellence: KnowledgeVision KVStudio, KZOInnovations Video Suite

I.T. TRAINING >> Winner: Lynda.com Web Development Library (www.lynda.com) >> Awards of Excellence: BizLibrary I.T. Training, ej4 Microsoft Office Package

MOBILE AUTHORING >> Winner: Adobe Captivate (www.adobe.com) >> Awards of Excellence: Brainshark, IBM Hot Lava Mobile

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT >> Winner: Blanchard Situational Leadership II >> Award of Excellence: Skillsoft Leadership Development Training, Vado Leadership Development Track SOFT SKILLS CONTENT >> Winner: eJ4 Business Skills Library (www.ej4.com) >> Awards of Excellence: Cegos Mgmt. Training, Rosetta Stone Advantage for Business COMPLIANCE TRAINING >> Winner: Vubiz Compliance Training (www.vubiz.com) >> Awards of Excellence: ej4 Workplace Compliance Library, Mastery.com Compliance Course Library, RedVector, Vivid Learning Systems On-Demand Safety Training SALES TRAINING >> Winner: ej4 Sales Skills Library (www.ej4.com) >> Awards of Excellence: CloudCoaching International Pathways to Growth, Masterskill Sales Skills Library E-LEARNING DEVELOPMENT TOOL >> Winner: Articulate Storyline 2 (www.articulate.com) >> Awards of Excellence: Harbinger Knowledge Products Raptivity, Lumesse CourseBuilder V7, iSpring Solutions iSpring Suite 8 SIMULATIONS >> Awards of Excellence: Code Baby, Forio Epicenter-Training Simulations, NexLearn SimWriter

PRESENTATION TOOLS >> Awards of Excellence: Articulate Presenter, GoAnimate, Prezi MOBILE APP >> Winner: AllenComm DesignJot >> Awards of Excellence: CloudCoaching International Pepper, Skill Pill Mobile Training Content TEST & ASSESSMENT >> Awards of Excellence: Articulate QuizMaker, Qualtrics Employee Engagement, Questionmark OnDemand LEARNING ANALYTICS SOLUTIONS >> Winner: Rustici Watershed LRS >> Awards of Excellence: ArcheMedX ArcheViewer, IntelliBoard.net TRANSLATION AND LOCAL SERVICES >> Winner: TransPerfect Translation & Localization Services (www.transperfect.com) >> Awards of Excellence: Rosetta Stone Language Learning Suite for Business, SDL Trados Studio OUTSOURCE LEARNING SERVICES >> Winner: GP Strategies Learning Services >> Awards of Excellence: GK Corp. Custom Content Development, Skillsoft Learning Services

Government Elearning! December 2015 / January 2016

Study Methodology Elearning! Media Group (EMG) produces this annual study to provide deeper insights into the application of enterprise learning and workplace technologies. This yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s survey received 439 respondents from the private and public sector. Eighty-percent of respondents are Elearning! Media Group subscribers. Within the subscriber respondents, all 100% have an active or planned enterprise learning initiative. EMG executed a four-question Webbased online survey of executives from corporate business, government, education and non-profit enterprises. Data was collected between May 1 and June 30, 2015. EMG editors compiled and tabulated results and generated the final report. The E-learning User Study summarizes the results of the corporate segment and provides a perspective of current and emerging e-learning trends, toolsets utilized, future purchase plans, and insight into the decision-making process. To download the complimentary Elearning User Study Executive Summary, visit http://www.2elearning.com/resources/ research-white-papers. The complete report is available for $295 on line. 46

December 2015 / January 2016 Government Elearning!

Continue the Dialogue Join us for Elearning! magazine’s complimentary Web seminars. Each embraces a different aspect of learning, workplace technologies, best practices and processes. HOW NEURO-SCIENCE DRIVES LEARNING EFFECTIVENESS & RETENTION by Bryan Austin, vice president, mLevel January 28, 2016, 10 a.m. PT/ 1 p.m. ET Register free at: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/85950294068593666 E-LEARNING TRENDS, PREDICTIONS & PRACTICES BY ELEARNING! MAGAZINE AND INVITED “BEST OF ELEARNING!” PANELISTS February 25, 2016, 10 a.m. PT/1 p.m. ET Register free at: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/5076944734335034370 CREATING ENGAGING VIRTUAL LEARNING EXPERIENCES BY ELEARNING! MAGAZINE AND INVITED “BEST OF ELEARNING!” PANELISTS March 24, 2016, 10 a.m. PT/ 1 p.m. ET Register free at: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6721932876743818754 Available on-demand at http://www. 2elearning.com/events/web-seminarsseries Mobile Learning Strategies by Peter Berking and Jason Haag, ADL Initiative How to Gamify Learning at the State of California BOE by Mark Walker, State Board of Equalization How Social Networks Connect a Distributed Workforce by Andi Campbell, LAZ Parking

Government Elearning! December 2015 / January 2016

Elearning!

Web Seminar Series

You are Invited!

Join us for these engaging, live and free sessions with today’s thought leaders.