Welcome to the Enterprise Learning! Blog

Welcome to the Elearning and Government Elearning group blog. We post the latest professional news and reviews that we have seen, heard, or read related to enterprise learning. In doing so we will always cite, and where possible provide a link to, the original source, and we encourage you to follow those links and see the original sources first hand.

Our award-winning editorial team posts original content from interviews with industry analysts, experts, and practitioners and provide commentary on the state of enterprise learning and emerging trends. As well, we have posts from thought leaders on enterprise learning and public sector learning. We invite you to comment and share.

Category: Catherine Upton, Janet Clarey, Jerry Roche, Magazine, News, Social | Tags: blog
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In elementary school I remember when books were passed out. First a slightly weighty math book, then what felt like a two ton history book followed. When the teacher said, “Take one and pass them back,” that was, for my generation, a calorie burning workout, especially if you sat at the head of the class.  I remember in middle and high school wearing a backpack that I think any chiropractor would say was too heavy for my teenaged spine. Again, strapped down with 4 to 5 books, notebooks and supplies.  Let’s not even discuss college, when I was too cool for a backpack and thought walking across campus lugging books by hand on programming, women’s lit and chemistry was a good idea that made me look more intellectual.

Books continued to be a part of my life even as I entered the workforce in late 2000.  There was a thick on boarding “notebook” at the consulting company I joined.  Client projects generated “books of record” and “process maps” printed out on page after page. If you were lucky the client sprang for the cost of binding all of these documents into a nice booklet eliminating the need for the three-hole-punch in my cubicle.  In my home office now, all I need do is turn my head to see a bookshelf full of books and guides collected along my professional journey, like “Visual Explanations” by Tufte or Robert Mager’s “The New Six-Pack.” (yes that’s 6 books)

In my role as a Learning Development and Learning Technology manager I had the chance to put together participant and facilitator guides.  We scribed page after page of these documents. I recently talked with my colleague, Jennifer Lacasse, an independent consultant and strategist in the learning space, about how times have changed.  We once designed paper based learning toolkits for clients and now it is essential that these types of learning tools become multifaceted, ready for mobile delivery to the market of devices available and leveraging the social channels that engage, motivate and spark unplanned learning opportunities. It started way back with online learning, but now we have e-books, e-readers and recently Apple announced iTunes U, a comprehensive tool to help educators at all levels create and deliver courses on their Apple devices.  We have social channels and tools that make learning cross boundaries of culture, language and time.  I can recall having international pen pals in school who I wrote to about what I was learning, now kids today can hop on an app and share that learning in real time, while looking through a web-cam at a fellow student thousands of miles away. One need only look at what Sal Khan, our keynote speaker at last years Enterprise Learning Conference & Expo, is doing with the Khan Academy to see that learning doesn’t have to involve heavy books and can be dynamically delivered through free videos, beyond the black and white text of a workbook.

As I think of the future and see YouTube videos of two year olds playing with iPads, tablets and laptops quite effectively I wonder how education will evolve and if indeed we are in the midst of saying goodbye to books.  Do teachers have to say “Take one and pass them back,” anymore or is the new lingo “Share the app with your partner?”

It’s an exciting time to be a part of the next generation of the learning and development industry.  I am not personally ready to say good-bye to books, and I don’t think they will completely disappear from use in my lifetime.  However, I would be blind not to recognize and embrace how trends and technology are driving us into a much different and interactive way of developing and delivering learning.

Conclusion? Learning’s E-volution is here to stay.

Find out what other leading learning and development professionals think about the future of learning in schools, government, the workplace and beyond. Join us at the Enterprise Learning! Summit March 20-21, 2012 at the Hilton in Alexandria, VA, Our speakers and panelists will appear in sessions including “Thriving in a Net-Work Era,” “Learning Technology CEO’s Power Panel,” and “Best Practices of the Learning! 100.”

Category: Business, Content, News, Strategy, Tools | Tags: Elearning, future, instructional design, learning, learning strategy, social learning, upside learning
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I had a conversation with another professional consultant at the end of last week about enterprise learning trends and how there is a huge push for more mobile learning. We discussed the idea that mobile learning must be more than taking what was a web based learning course or an instructor lead course and merely replicating that for delivery on a mobile device. We both agree that there is yet some work to be done in order to construct courses specifically for mobile delivery and a focus on how courses can best be designed for this medium so that they have an effect on the learner to change behavior to positively impact the business or complete key business processes.

According to recent research, use of mobile devices for learning in the US has increased from 9% in 2007 to over 20% in 2010. Generally speaking when you look around an airport, restaurant or local coffee shop you are likely to see a large majority of the people in your viewing area using a mobile device of some kind, be it a tablet, phone, e-reader or other smart device.

What are three things we can remember and focus on as we develop future mobile learning solutions?

1. The Device Does Make a Difference
Mobile learning is more than just putting courses onto a device with a smaller screen. When we think about true mobile learning it is the activity of learning no matter where the subject might be. A 60 minute course delivered on a laptop may need to be shortened to a 6 minute combination of short video, that takes into consideration lower bandwidth speeds, and navigated content geared for mobile learning. The idea that someone might have 60 minutes while on the job to focus on their mobile device is likely a mistake. So therefore we have to adapt our learning development strategies for the mobile learner and the devices on which they are accessing learning.

2. Focus on What Needs to Be Learned
We know all the reasons why we should use mobile learning, but despite the medium it is important in all learning development to determine what is to be learned. What is the action that we wish the subject to take or implement upon completing the learning? WIth mobile learning, this goal should still ring true. Mobile learning should not be viewed as an activity for ‘on the go” employees to complete and checkoff a list as if for mere training compliance sake. As the learning is designed, it should be crafted in such a way is to leave the subject equipped and capable to apply the lesson in their day to day work environment.

3. Create & Deliver On Demand Learning
We use our mobile devices in our personal lives, on demand. It is the same also as we think about the use of mobile devices in a work environment. Workers are often in situations when the need to understand a new concept or new skill for their jobs comes up at varying times. For one sales professional the time and expense process may come up during their first week of work, while for another, a month of cold calling may make this skill unnecessary at first. A “how to” delivered via a mobile device on demand can be a good way to make sure the sales team has access to this learning when and where they need it.

Learn more about mobile learning trends at our Enterprise Learning! Summit March 20-21, 2012 at the Hilton in Alexandria, VA, particularly in the session “Digitizing the Enterprise: Cloud, Mobile & More.” Our speakers and panelists will appear in sessions including “Thriving in a Net-Work Era,” “Learning Technology CEO’s Power Panel,” and “Best Practices of the Learning! 100.”

Category: Business, Content, Mobile, Strategy, Talent Systems, Tools | Tags: Elearning, learning strategy, mobile learning
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Being a top learning organization is one of the key differentiators for companies that wish to retain and attract top talent. Merely having a training and development team in your organization does not automatically indicate that an employer is on the cutting edge of learning innovation and strategy. There are key characteristics that leaders in this space exhibit. During my time as a Learning & Technology Manager for a major consulting firm it was clear that an organization that invests in staying ahead of the curve when it comes to new innovations in training and development will have lasting benefits that positively impact the people that make up the organization.

Research shows that when learning initiatives and programs are implemented strategically they can have an impact on an organization’s bottom line. According to the Aberdeen Group’s October 2010 study the three best-in-class strategies for learning implemented by successful training and development organizations included:

1. Defining Organizational Leadership Competencies
2. Linking Learning Programs to Business Goals
3. More Consistent Development Through the Lifecyle

There are other characteristics of top learning organizations that have been identified, studied and discussed.  Elearning! Media Group editor, Joe DiDonato will host a free webinar, “Are You a Top Learning Organization” on Thursday, December 1, 2011 at 10:00 AM PST/1:00 PM EST. Joining Joe will be Marjorie Van Roon of Best Buy Canada, one of the Learning! 100 award winners. During this presentation we’ll share some of the traits that are moving learning forward such as:

• Collaboration
• Social Learning
• Learning Paths
• Metrics & Reporting

We will look at the behaviors of America’s Learning! 100 and find success stories and strategies that other organizations have implemented and discuss how those strategies might work for your organization. Discover how collaboration, innovation and learning culture all drive performance. Also hear from Learning! 100 winner Thomson Reuters and discover how they moved their organizations from average to leaders. Every attendee will get to take the Best in class survey to benchmark your practices.

Join this informative webinar session on December 1st, by registering here.

Category: Events, Management, News, Strategy | Tags: Elearning, learning, learning strategy, Learning! 100, measurement, social learning
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