Delivering Training Overseas

What makes online learning so successful is its global reach. You can easily deliver training to audiences across the country as well as around the world. If you are thinking globally it becomes important to consider local cultures while developing the content and, designing and delivering training.

Translation is not the answer for overseas training, as it is not necessary and practical, particularly if you are looking to deliver trainings in multiple countries that speak different languages. The best way is to use global English while designing and delivering training overseas. Global English is English which is fairly simple to understand, and is free of local idioms and phrases that do not make sense in other countries. For example – An American developing a training module should avoid phrases like “it rained cats and dogs”, as it won’t make sense in other countries. Instead the writer should simply say that it rained heavily.

In some cultures the audience wants more of a training facilitator who will ask the group to contribute in the session and make it more interactive. As a matter of fact a major assumption of adult learning theory is that adult learners have experience and want to share that experience. On the contrary in some cultures learners are not comfortable with the idea of speaking up like that, and would rather expect the trainer to be “the” expert in the room who would provide all the answers. In some cultures it is common practice to call on people, which may not be accepted in other cultures.

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Apart from developing a good training module, the writer also needs to have knowledge of the country for which the course is being developed. For example – an online learning course on driving principles describes that the center lane is the safest lane to use on a multilane highway. But it does not apply in the city of Dubai as the drivers there use center lane exclusively for overtaking. The basics of this module may have applied to any culture, but some specifics like which lane to use, could be swapped out for local driving habits, laws and customs. In order to maximize the success of training, the trainer should pay close attention to local details of the culture and country the course is being developed and delivered.

Choosing an eLearning Authoring Tool

I have gone through plenty of articles and websites that talk about choosing an elearning authoring tool that’s right for you, your team and company. However detailed information they provide, they only focus on comparing the features of selected tools. I agree that it is important to understand the capabilities and features of the authoring tool you choose; but its not the only consideration.

You also need to consider the cost of the tool, the people who would be using the tool, as well as the type of content you want to create and publish. These elements which play a critical role in elearning are easily forgotten in the rush to understand the intricate details of the authoring tool. From the very beginning you should be clear about your budget, as the costs of different tools vary largely.

Whatever your starting budget may be, there should be some flexibility in it. A lot of times it happens that after assessing your requirements you realize you have exceeded the budget. On the other hand you may also start off thinking you’ll need something sophisticated and expensive, only to discover less is more. Some elearning authoring tools are available by annual subscription – particularly the larger development tools, while standalone desktop tools can still be bought as per copy. Both models have their own pros and cons, but both of them are legal means of meeting your requirements.

You also need to consider the type and number of people involved in the development. This is directly related with the solution you can afford. For example – a standalone desktop solution for each user would be very expensive if it s big development team. Check whether the people using the tool are skilled at learning it, or they are going to need extensive training. Are the people comfortable to embrace change or is it a difficult task to get them involved? Do you have the kind of budget and resources to provide technical support if your team needs it?

 

Will people developing the learning be experts in the subject matter?  Do they have the right skills to do this? The importance of analyzing audience and shaping the content accordingly should be highlighted, or else it will be simply telling the audience the stuff they already know. The SME’s might be good at scoping content, but do they understand the importance of good instructional design and the specifics of elearning?

Learning Management System Vs Learning Content Management System

Learning Management System and Learning Content Management System – sounds similar; but do you know the difference between both? A lot of companies are now beginning to understand the significance of a Learning Management System, and are educating and training their employees to keep them up-to-date and organized. It is very important to know the difference between LMS and LCMS.

A Learning Management System includes learning management, monitoring, administration, reporting, security and content management. Your content authoring and publishing abilities, aptitude and performance management, and maintaining integrity with your organization’s ecommerce and financial systems depends entirely on the LMS you have chosen. Simply put an LMS majorly focuses on the distribution of, education, training and compiling data. The format, platform and administration of training are decided by the LMS administrator. An LMS can also monitor, gather and analyze each student’s progress.  

On the contrary the Learning Content Management System’s function is to create, manage and maintain learning content.  Since a lot of LMS’ do not support Microsoft Word and PowerPoint, you need a course creation to integrate stuff easily. Content includes video, written pieces, audio and graphics, making your course entirely customizable. A majority of LCMS’ are very user friendly. The content creator creates an outline, in which you can add content sections for making a media-rich presentation. You can organize and adjust the content and then add quizzes, tests and review sections. The customizable content creation tool enables every instructor to add their own style to their courses.

LCMS can be used in combination with an LMS as well as a separate application for quick development and distribution of learning material.  Vendors usually refer to both, LMS and LCMS as a lot of programs include both. It is very important to know your requirements, what your are purchasing, and whether you are asking the right questions. If you want both content creation as well as content management, make sure you buy LCMS, or else you could end up paying more for courses which may not fit your requirements.    

In simple words LMS is learner centric, and LCMS is content centric. Learning Management Systems focus on e-learning management and content delivery, whereas an LCMS focuses on the creation and authoring of e-learning content. Each course is created by LCMS but delivered by LMS.

Are you looking for new LMS?

If you are looking to buy an LMS or learning management system, you would have surely come across Blackboard, Sumtotal, Moodle, Saba, eFront or Dokeos. You do not have a clear picture in your mind as to what exactly you require, and to top it up there are tons of solutions to choose from. So how would you choose an LMS that satisfies all your needs and meets your expectations?

Over the time we have interacted with a lot of potential customers, and generally we have a good idea of what people require. Most of the times people want to buy what they can afford, making the open source or free solutions option particularly attractive. 

On the contrary what people actually want is a solution rather than a price tag or technology. People are often unable to communicate their actual needs, which makes it easier to support a decision of buying a free product like Moodle, or a premium product like IBM. Eventually you buy a solution to solve your problem. But what if it does not fit your needs and organization? You are still left with the initial problem and on top of that a bad experience of the wrong purchase. Even if your selection fulfils a part of your needs, you still have the risk of suboptimal adoption or usage. Simply put, it means that your return of investment on the solution is around zero.

So how exactly do you choose? Personally I would recommend potential buyers and adopters to select a learning management system based on their core requirements rather than visual or functional enhancements. If you are buying a LMS for the first time be ready to deal with a lot of issues like content and convincing people to use the system. A piece of advice; don’t stress overly about selecting a learning management system at the expense of all other decisions. 

Make sure that your core requirements are absolutely clear, else take your time and reconsider you decision. A lot of people don’t choose a learning management system for their additional functionalities, because added features mean added complexity. I would suggest that let your needs evolve naturally rather than enforcing everything at once in your organization. To begin with go for a simple LMS, which is easy to maintain, visually appealing, and comfortable for the people who would be using it. Check for an advanced version or a better solution as and when your needs exceed the current LMS’ capabilities. Remember, taking two steps at a time will run you the risk of hitting the wall, and ruining a successful journey.

Introduction of Learning Management System

What is Learning Management System?

A Learning management system (LMS) is a software application for the administration, Documentation, tracking Reports of e-learning education programs or tool. This tool can help in

o   Manage and ability building through a efficiently framework

o   Make a learning structure through plans

o   Manage classroom training and schedule classroom activities

o   Making and Delivering online e-learning programs,

o   Analysis data and provide reports. This is not decision making tool But an activity   tool.

o   Individual lessons can be restricted so that they only can be attempted a set number of times

o   Individual lessons can be set only to be available when one or more other lessons have been completed or passed

o   Allows lessons created in KP, as well as other files, such as DOC, XLS, PPT, PDF, or SWF to be included as well

o   Records, times, dates, scores, status, total time in course, times lessons attempted, individual objectives within each lesson or quiz (if supported by that lesson or quiz)

LMS at a glance

1)      Competency Management

2)      Reporting and MIS

3)      Training needs and calendar

4)      Classroom Admin

5)      Online Courses

Basic Feature of LMS

o   Installs directly onto IIS servers - no DLLS or executables are required to be installed.

o   Can be fully tested locally before uploading.

o   Students are tracked on a name and password basis

o   For end users, no software or plug-in are required - runs directly in a browser.

o   Course displays in fully collapsible and expandable menu system

o   Individual lessons in a course can have time limits associated with them

o   Set up a search engine to search the data in the lesson in your LMS.

o   Group users into departments

o   View user results or lists, one at a time, all up, or by department

o   Add and remove users

o   Appoint sub administrators

o   Create courses that can be run from CD-ROM, and have results recorded.

What can we do with LMS?

Training plans for office employees to improve the performance.

Manage classroom and online training.

Track learner progress and tracking certification.

Information on click through effective reporting.

If you are searching for tools like learning managementsystem, I would like to recommend Red Chip Solutions. You can also visit the site.