Online Training, Learning Management System, Blog. Litmos

mLearning Myths & Misconceptions with @robgadd4 #mLearnCon

2010-07-23T08:00:00.000-07:00

Session 601 at mLearnCon was called 'mLearning Myths and Misconceptions' and hosted by Robert Gadd (@robgadd4), Co Founder and President of OnPoint Digital. Here's a little intro from the mLearnCon website:

"Every enterprise Training & Development team currently considering its options for the design and distribution of mLearning efforts for their organization needs to make sure they avoid the most common mistakes that can delay, impair, or irreparably damage project success.[..]By recognizing the mistakes of others and the solutions that resolved these problems, you’ll be able to avoid the time-consuming and expensive detours others have taken."

Once again from my somewhat scribbled notes comes this list of myths and misconceptions, some of which I have patched together as I must have become so engrossed in the discussion I actually missed which number we were up to! Here goes:

10 mLearning Myths & Misconceptions

Rich media files are compelling but hard to prepare and distribute
- Truth - rich media files are some of the most compelling types of content that you can put on a mobile device. But Trainers / Course admins will need to know how to transcode the technology i.e. turn video and PowerPoint in to mobile friendly formats (Gadd mentioned Cellcast an OnPoint Learning product.).
Learners are excited about mobile learning. They love their gadgets, so learning is natural right?
- Truth: This is not always the case
All phones are built equal
- Truth
Mobile learning is not as effective as ILT or online
- Truth: Although mobile may not be the ideal method of delivery, many case studies coming out show measurable proof that a well designed and implemented mobile learning program can be just as effective as its ILT or online learning equivalent.
It works on the web - why not mobile? Especially with flash-based content.
- Truth: Until authoring tools accommodate for how things turn out on mobile we are going to have trouble. Flash-based content will not work on all devices.
Mobile devices can all handle SCORM SCOs
- Truth - are your mobile users connected or disconnected?
- Is your content Flash-based?
Mobile learning lacks enterprise security
- Truth - It's true that mobile security is a bigger concern because your mobile goes everywhere with you. However, there are ways to lock-down access by timecard plus, content can be encrypted.
Integrating Results is difficult
- Truth: There are many ways to get the results from mobile content back in to an LMS. Some options include importing templates to more sophisticated platform-to-platform interactions, including Web services/REST, API tool kits and even single sign-on connection. (As a side note, the new mobile version of the Litmos Learning Management System has these reporting capabilities via a RESTful API.)
Mainstream LMS platforms are mobile ready
- Truth - Only Blackboard, GeoLearning, Meridian, OutStart, OnPoint and SumTotal have all distribution and security features
All mLearning tools are created equal

* I just noticed that Robert Gadd has written an article in the Learning Solutions Magazine which expands on / adds to these myths, available for your reading pleasure here:

Top Myths and Misconceptions of Mobile Learning.

@Schnicker

New UK Report on Learning Management System Usage

2010-07-22T20:00:00.000-07:00

An April 2010 independent report from UK organization IMC (UK) Learning Ltd called "Learning Management Systems – are organisations making the most of them?" has some blog worthy statistics in it that I've outlined below.

The focus of the study was the use of a Learning Management System (LMS) or Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) in UK organizations. The research was conducted online by Spectrum Consulting amongst directors (21%), senior managers/heads of department (25%), operational staff (34%) and supervisory staff (20%).

The 101 respondents were from the following size UK organizations:

31% had more than 5000 employees
18% had 1501 - 5000
29% had 101-1500
5% had 11-1000
17% had 1-10

Use of Learning Management Systems (LMS)/Virtual Learning Environments (VLE)

66% already have an LMS/VLE
21% do not have an LMS/VLE and do not plan to
13% plan to use an LMS/VLE

Length of time respondents’ organizations have used an LMS/VLE

45% - More than 5 years
40% - 2 - 4 years
3% - Within the last year
12% - Don't know

Satisfaction with LMS / VLE

30% - said their LMS/VLE has worked well and they are completely satisfied with it
30% - voiced concerns that their LMS/VLE might not meet future requirements
8% - it has worked well but will definitely not meet future requirements
7% - it has not worked well and we plan to change it
8% - it has not worked well but its use is mandated by others in the organization

Frequency of Use of Specific Functionality - % that responded Frequently or Always

44% - Blended Learning / Course management
38% - Built-in content management tools
32% - ILT / Classroom management tools
30% - Management reports
25% - Built in collaboration tools
20% - Competency / performance management tools
13% - Talent Management
8% - Built-in eCommerce

I was quite shocked to read that 70% of respondents are not satisfied with their current LMS. I really hope that figure turns around in the next few years after clients have completed contract lock-ins or found more suitable solutions for their organization.

@Schnicker

Litmos a Finalist in the TUANZ Awards for Education

2010-07-19T22:55:00.000-07:00

While some of the Litmos team were up in the US attending mLearnCon, others were back down in New Zealand accepting a TUANZ finalist award!

We're proud to say that the Litmos LMS was selected as a finalist in the Education category of the 2010 TUANZ awards (that's the Telecommunications Users Association of New Zealand, in case you wondered). Dan Allen of Litmos is shown in the photo (center) accepting our finalist award.

We're up against a couple of heavy hitters - Kiwibank and CWA New Media - so we definitely have our work cut out for us, but we're confident that we have as good a chance as anyone!

The winner will be chosen following a short presentation by each finalist to a judging panel, and announced at another black tie event at the Langham Hotel in Auckland on September 2nd 2010.

Fingers and toes crossed!

@Schnicker

mLearning on Multiple Devices: A Practical Guide #mLearnCon

2010-07-15T20:23:00.000-07:00

Session 502 at #mLearnCon lead by Richard Clark (@rdclark) was focused on 'mLearning on Multiple Devices: A Practical Guide'. From the mLearnCon website the session guide reads:

"Unlike e-Learning on the desktop, where a couple of platforms predominate (Windows and Mac OS X), mobile platforms come in many different forms with differing programming requirements and user interfaces. Unless a developer is going to go for a simplistic “lowest common denominator” approach, he or she will have to find a way to create, test, and maintain the same application on multiple platforms."

Image from Judy Breck

On revisiting my notes for this session they are a little jumbled and scrappy, but here's the best of what I can transcribe in what appears to be doctor-like handwriting:

Key Questions to think about before diving in to mLearning:

Comfort level with technology
- You?
- The learners?
- You will need to provide some kind of introduction and/or a concierge service to coach users
Approach
- Direct instruction, performance support, gateway to existing, intro docs then link out to videos
On-line vs. off-line (+ sync issues)
Range of devices
- You may find you have to knock plans back to the lowest device you know you'll encounter
Fidelity to device convention

Richard mentioned checking out Instapaper - online / offline reading app for iPhone and iPad

Development Options 1:

Front-end / Back-end
- common data, built-in viewer
- common data, custom viewer
Cross Platform
- lowest common denominator
- no common denominator

If you develop on Mac and test with iPhone / iPad simulators you're probably 90% towards working on all devices.

If you are going to go with cross platform be sure not to favor the logic of one OS over another.

Development Options 2:

html5 + javascript
html + graphics + javascript.

Tools:

Appcelerator: great analytics embedded in the framework, lots of data on use / access of your users
- logic in javascript + user interface in html
Rhomobile logic in Ruby, programmatic UI in Ruby

Testing:

Unit testing using javascript, with program for bug tracking,
Simulator-based testing - with user interface testing product eggPlant (from Testplant)
- Automated test protocol which saves lots of time and frustration
Remote device testing - perfecto mobile
Manual testing vs. VNC-based tools

@Schnicker

10 Questions to Ask Before Adopting mLearning #mLearnCon

2010-07-06T23:05:00.000-07:00

Scott McCormick (@scottfloat) from Float Learning, took session 401 at mLearnCon which covered "The First 10 Questions Your Company Needs to Ask Before You Adopt mLearning". So yes, there were ten questions, but look out because then there are all the sub-questions!

Here are my session notes:

Why the heck are we doing this? (i.e. know your end goal)
- Because everything's going mobile
- Build a business case
- Identify learning gaps
- The investment must = benefits (time saving, cost saving)
Do you have a champion?
- Do you have someone with a passion?
- Do you have someone who will be an evangelist?
- Do you have someone who can assemble a team?
- Do you have someone who knows and understands your culture?
- Bonus: have someone who will take a thought leadership role and start a blog or other initiative
Are you prepared to not be prepared?
- Do you have the technical architecture - network, mobile devices, support team
- Do you have development capabilities? The skill sets?
- You will have to look at learning in a whole new way.
- What makes a rich mobile experience?
  *Ubiquity
  *Access
  *Richness
  *Efficiency
  *Flexibility
  *Security
  *Reliability
  *Integrity
  *Interactivity (collaboration, geolocation, gyroscope, mediated reality)
What is the current state of your learning?
- Can you take a complete inventory of your curriculum?
- Can you assess it objectively?
- Can you determine what is successful and effective?
- Can you re-design it so it can be delivered in a mobile context?
Do you know your audience?
- Do you know their needs?
- Do you know what they want? Use surveys.
- Can you anticipate their reactions? Spend time in their world and identify ways mobile can help.
- Can you ask the tough questions ahead of time?
Do you have a process?
- Define - establish objectives, understand learner requirements
- Design - functional, technical, GUI design, script / storyboard
- Develop - creation, programming, prepare assets, testing
- Deliver - implement solution, gather feedback, measure results
How do you and your company handle disruptive change?
- Can you deal with disruptive change in your culture?
- Can your learners handle disruptive change in their daily lives?
- Have you had a recent big change and what can you learn from it?
- Expect some resistance
What is the context for the use of mobile?
Examine and understand the 3 levels of context for your audience (see picture above):
- Activity (hand) - device, connection, interface, tasks, goals
- Environment (head) - sound, light, space, privacy
- Culture (heart) - economics, religion, social structure, law
Who are the stakeholders?
- Can you identify all of the silos?
- Why do they have an interest?
- Do you know what their interests (their 'hot buttons')?
- Learners / IT / Legal / Leadership / Marketing / Stockholders / Unions: You're going to raise a lot of interest and you need to know how to win hearts and know the answers before the questions are asked
What does success look like?
- Have you established metrics?
- Have you made any gains / savings in productivity, costs, scope, etc?
- Set up analytics for usage and audience activity
- Finally, you have to know how to celebrate!

The best idea is to keep replicating and refining the process as you move forward and hopefully, now that you've answered these questions, you will be much better prepared for what lies ahead!

Thanks Scott, this definitely gave everyone in the session a lot to think about.

@Schnicker

Context, Content and Collaboration: Keys to Successful mLearning #mLearnCon

2010-07-05T17:34:00.000-07:00

Clark Quinn (@Quinnovator) and Richard Clark (@rdclark) presented session 201 at mLearnCon on "Context, Content and Collaboration: Keys to Successful mLearning".

There was a lot of information covered in this session, but here are just a few of the takeaways:

63% of mobile workers prefer to use a smart phone for work-related tasks (iPass report on mobile workforces - Robert Gadd)
We 'learn' in order to accomplish things, it's not about learning but performance
Sales people are the most mobile but least collaborative due to the competitive environment they are in. In this case they may need an external contact or concierge.
It's always good to put together a formal introduction to any new tool, skills or tasks
MockApp has a free ppt / Keynote template for mobile course development
Mobile games are a powerful learning tool

My notes from this session:

Devices - what do they all have in common?

Input
Connectivity - bluetooth, wifi, GSM/CDMA, cable
Sensing - GPS, camera, audio, gyroscopes
Output

Cognitive augmentation

How do these support learning?

Role               Cognitive                  Mobile
Intro               Activate                     Motivating example
Concept      Reconceptualize        New model
Example      Recontextualize      Another example
Practice           Reapply                     A new problem
Feedback        Reflect                     Evaluation rubrics

Clark Quinn's idealized model for supporting formal/informal learning:

Quinn and Clark suggested systematically filling out this matrix as relevant to the audience:

Better User experience - PC vs. mobile

A point made here was that in the second diagram for hand-held, the word 'features' on the x-axis could be replaced by the word 'content' and still ring very true.

The final diagram in the session depicted the graph of Technical Elegance vs. Design Depth and instead of re-creating this time it is pictured above in the photo above with Clark Quinn.

You can find the full slide deck at learnlets.com

@Schnicker

Googlefy Your Life: Mobile Information in the Cloud #mlearncon

2010-06-27T23:00:00.000-07:00

I first met the presenter of this session, Michelle Lentz (@writetechnology), at DevLearn in 2009 and now again at mLearnCon, plus she has become a good friend in the Twittersphere. Michelle is a technology evangelist and she is a wealth of knowledge blogging on everything elearning, social media and technology related on one hand while maintaining a popular wine blog on the other.

This session was all about the pros/cons of Googlefying your life with Google apps. As with anything hosted in the cloud she covered privacy issues and security, plus support, mobile accessibility and all sorts of other insights in to how she uses the various apps. (Click here for the session description.)

In light of security, privacy and the reliancy on the Internet when you utilize Google Apps, Michelle talked about 'trust'. She has accepted that she's given up her privacy to use all the Google Apps she loves and said for her it's about trusting in the fact that 'my external hard drive may fail but Google Servers will not'. Here are some of the apps she mentioned in her session:

Google Mobile Apps - great for voice search / localized search
Google Goggles - search visually on Android, access to blog search and book search
Google Docs - collaboration with many people and accessible from mobile
Google Talk - on your iPhone
Gmail - native app on Android or sets up as normal email on iPhone

Reasons to go with Gmail: 7GB free storage, email labeling system, no permanent deleting

Google Calendar - run multiple calendars, share and color code, easy to add events
Google Reader - has a mobile version
Google Video for business
Google Mobile
Google Talk
Google Translate - one of my personal favorites
Google Earth
Google Voice - direct all calls to one number (US only)
Google Maps and Navigation

One good thing to know is that Google's privacy policy differs for every app so it's worth reading the fine print. She ended with a hilarious video parody from the Onion News Network which describes an 'opt-out' feature offered by Google:

@Schnicker

Litmos for iPad Demo at mLearnCon

2010-06-14T20:40:00.000-07:00

Today's little demo video isn't the greatest quality recording as we did it on the spot at mLearnCon. A big mobile learning conference taking place in San Diego over the next few days.

Anyway we're excited to show you HTML5 video running on a version of the Litmos LMS that is customized for iPad!!

We've only done the "trainee" view so far as you can't upload files via the Safari browser on iPad so we don't think it is really suitable for building courses but it presents an amazing experience for your learners.

So if you have an iPad please first login to Litmos via your desktop browser and upload some new videos and then pick the iPad and explore your courses as a trainee. Its awesome!

Enjoy!

Top 7 Takeaways from LearnX Sydney #eLearning

2010-06-10T23:59:00.000-07:00

The #LearnX conference was on this week (June 9th - 10th) in Sydney at the Darling Harbour Convention Centre and was keynoted/opened by Lrnchat's very own Jane Bozarth, which was a real treat.

I only attended the first day but found it to be action-packed with keynotes, breakout sessions and a great expo area. I was disappointed to see how few people there were tweeting, but I did manage to meet almost all of those who were. It just goes to show Twitter is indeed a very social tool! I recommend following these fantastic people: @ryantracey @rhysatwork @MarnieBristow @roseg @mdoriean @mylearningspace @Janebozarth

So, here are my top 7 takeaways from Day one of the LearnX Conference:

Dr Jane Bozarth: "Social Media for Trainers: Extending learning, building community"
- Environmental scans are great because people do not argue with their own data
- Traditional model of learning = structured events: It's vain and naive to think this is what makes a difference in an employee's career
- As much as 80% of learning seems to occur outside of the classroom
Adobe Team and Philip Roy: "Delivering engaging eLearning to your organisation with best practices learnt from experience"
- Massey University are migrating from WebCT to the Moodle LMS and are using Adobe's Presenter and Acrobat for asynchronous content design and Adobe Connect Pro for synchronous web conferencing with students.
Les Lisz: "Running L&D like a business"
- Ask yourself - could your people do their jobs the way you want them to if their lives depend on it? If the answer is 'yes' it's not a skills gap and you shouldn't be looking for a training solution.
Ian Whitehouse and Chris Toselli (GlobalNet ICT): "Design and development strategies for engaging programs, including m-learning"
- Design - use iconology, don't push the content out there let the participant pull, use rich and visually appealing content, make it personal, foster a culture of innovation and improvement.
Tania Tytherleigh: "Learning Leaders - Build and maintain learner connections"
- 'Connection' is most important to being a great trainer: likeability, being connected with your content and showing passion
- Connect with learners in session using music, props, matching body language, matching tone and language, experiences, skills, stories and beliefs
Rhys Moult: "DIY ID: Releasing your inner Instructional Designer"
- Explore and make use of free tools - Rhys mentioned Google Drawing, part of Google Apps
- Learn some html
Dr Helena Popovic: "The X Factor for Xcellence"
- Every event in our lives is neutral until we apply a label to it ie. a good event or a bad event

I'm looking forward to LearnX 2011!
@Schnicker

SCORM Demo: Raptivity content on Android phone

2010-06-10T18:45:00.000-07:00

It's demo time again!

Today we have been testing the mobile version of Litmos using a puzzle that we put together using Raptivity.

As with the our recent Articulate test this one is using Flash content which is running on the Google Nexus One phone. All of the results from the puzzle are being tracked back into the Litmos LMS and can be viewed in real-time via the desktop web -browser.

Building the content

The Raptivty content literally took 2 minutes to put together and publish and the great thing about this content was that we could adjust the Flash output size which enabled us to make it fit the mobile device a little better.

Another thing we had to do was add the following line of HTML code into the HEAD section of the .html file that gets published by Raptivity.

<meta name="viewport" content="width=320; initial-scale=1.0; maximum-scale=1.0; user-scalable=1;">

By adding this line of code the content opens at the right size for the mobile screen rather than it being small and us having to zoom in.

Mobile Learning Success - Keep it Simple

2010-06-03T19:34:00.000-07:00

This post is part of a mobile learning series by Litmos Founder Rich Chetwynd (@richchetwynd)

The sure fire fastest way to make a mess of your mobile learning project is plan for a full featured large scale program with all the bells and whistles that might come in handy one day.

We've been down that track before and know that all this over-planning leads to is project scope creep, missed deadlines and extended budgets. Worst case scenario is that when your Taj Mahal of mobile learning projects actually goes live you get poor user adoption! #FAIL

If you're developing for mobile learning its fair to say you're living on the edge. Its the wild west out there with new vendors, platforms and most importantly mobile devices popping up almost daily. The last place you want to be is 6 months into a large scale mobile project when something revolutionary like the iPad rolls out and starts to change the game.

The key to keeping up with mobile technology and running well adopted, successful mobile campaigns it to keep it simple. Its easier said than done but to get started you really need to filter down to the single most important feature or concept that you need to make your project a success. A great way to do this is to list all of the ideas you have for your mobile project and then ask the question "If we could only do one of these things what would one would it be?"

A great example of this (that I must say has nothing to do with mobile but I like the general approach) is a new coffee guy that opened up near the Litmos offices recently.

This guy opened up shop in the back storage entrance to a hardware store. Foot traffic is great around that area but he didn't have any signage or seating and it really did look like a dirty old doorway. The one thing he did have is a coffee machine and the skills to make a kick ass coffee which drew in the crowds and earned him a reputation. Project success! After many iterations over the past 6 months this guy now has seating, signage, shelter and it actually looks like a coffee shop.

In the software world we call this Agile development and you will often hear the term "release often, release early". What this means is that rather than plan and release a huge project in one hit, you focus on updating your project in many small iterations. To get started you focus on the smallest piece of core functionality that you need to get moving, build it and release it. Even if its not 100% how you envisaged, you have something out there that people can use and provide feedback on. The key benefit to this methodology is that you can make changes to the direction of your project in a snap, whether it be related to newly available technology or just from user feedback. It doesn't matter because your project is agile.

So keep it simple. Do you really need GPS location features and that awesome interactive course schedule or could you make do with a simple course list?.

Get started now, release updates to your program often and early. Let your learners guide the content and usability that is best suited to mobile learning in your context and you're sure to achieve a successful result.

Have you implemented a mobile project recently? Was it a success or did it fail? I'd love to hear about your experiences.

How to launch a successful mobile learning strategy

2010-06-01T17:27:00.000-07:00

This post is the introduction to a mobile learning guest post series by Litmos Founder Rich Chetwynd (@richchetwynd)

According to Gartner, mobile usage is set to explode in 2010 with over 1.2 billion getting hands on with web capable handsets.

The implications for mobile based learning are huge and there is certainly a ground swell of companies looking at setting up some form of mobile learning content. The problem is for many companies turning a great mobile idea into reality can be costly, complicated and often set to fail before they even really get off the ground.

In many ways going mobile is the new frontier and while there are new mobile learning conferences and experienced mobile learning experts out there, in general terms this really still is an unexplored world.

In this series of blog posts, rather than explore mobile learning theory or instructional design for mobile we will focus on some ideas to help make your mobile projects a success with wide user adoption. I will also help you filter down your grand plans for world mobile learning domination to something more achievable and provide some ideas on how you can increase your chances of executing a successful mobile campaign.

Mobile learning success - Keep it Simple

Mobile learning comes to Litmos

2010-05-24T19:07:00.000-07:00

This is a preview of the new mobile version of the Litmos LMS running some Articulate QuizMaker Flash content on the Google NexusOne phone.

What makes this video so special is not only that we are starting to reveal the new mobile interface for Litmos but we think we're one of the first LMS vendors to demonstrate SCORM tracking of Flash content on a mobile device.

This is something we have been planning for a while but we have been waiting on the recent release of Android 2.2 which is Google's mobile operating system.

What can you expect in Litmos mobile?

The first release which is scheduled for June 2010 will focus on making content available to students on-the-go. Later on we will release admin features for monitoring reports etc.

Currently it is possible for students to:

Listen to audio/mp3
Watch videos
Complete SCORM packages

And as you would expect all of the content is tracked back into Litmos.

What phones will Litmos mobile work on?

We haven't finalized our list of supported mobile devices yet but we've tried to keep it as accessible as possible for all phones with modern web browsers. By making Litmos mobile available via the phone's web browser rather than it being an installed "native app" our goal is to make your content available to a large range of mobile devices.

What's next...

One of the main issues we have had so far is looking for mobile-optimized content but we think this will become more available as the mobile learning revolution strengthens. Over the coming weeks we will be continuing to search for and test various content so that we can offer more video demos and put together a guide for building awesome mobile courses.

We will also be adding other Litmos modules like surveys and assessments, adding offline access and looking in to using the mobile devices GPS location features to provide courses based on location or at least track where students are when they are learning on-the-go.

Stay tuned for more..

- Guest post from Rich Chetwynd

'Health e-Working' - UK Healthcare eLearning Initiative

2010-05-20T21:32:00.000-07:00

Today I read about a cool program in the UK called 'Health e-Working' developed by e-Learning for Healthcare. It is a resource made possible by the UK government's Health, Work and Well-being initiative to protect and improve the health and well-being of working age people.

'Health e-Working (which I think sounds quite catchy) offers six interactive eLearning sessions, each about 20 minutes long, to primary care professionals that cover the following topics:

Making the occupational link
Advising on fitness for work and supporting rehabilitation
The implications of the Disability Discrimination Act (2005)
Special situations and statutory requirements
Communications, relationships and trust
Worklessness and unemployment.

These sessions are aimed at improving the primary care professional's confidence, knowledge and skills when it comes to dealing with patient work and health issues.

Specialty Dean Director of the Northern Deanery says "...without e-learning it would have been a real challenge to deliver the Equality and Diversity training - clinicians' prioritise clinical work and extra time away would have been a further imposition."

Another win for online learning!

@Schnicker

Cellphones Used for Data not Calls #mLearning

2010-05-16T22:08:00.000-07:00

There was an interesting article in the New York Times this week called 'Cellphones Now Used More for Data Than for Calls'. It reinforces the idea that due to usage demands, many phones are no longer being designed for phone calls but instead for web browsing, emailing, apps, games and text messages. It definitely makes sense when I think of how many people I know who from the beginning said that if you're looking for a phone to make calls, don't buy an iPhone. It's not easy to make calls after numerous clicks to get to a contact list and make a call. Again with my NexusOne, it is more accessible to quickly browse the web or launch an app than make a phone call.

The future of mLearning is looking strong as more people make use of all the extra functionality that is built in to smartphones like iPhone, BlackBerrys and Android OS phones.

Here a few of the key points from this article:

Although almost 90 percent of households in the United States now have a cellphone, the growth in voice minutes used by consumers has stagnated, according to government and industry data
The number of text messages sent per user increased by nearly 50 percent nationwide last year, according to the CTIA, the wireless industry association
For the first time in the United States, the amount of data in text, e-mail messages, streaming video, music and other services on mobile devices in 2009 surpassed the amount of voice data in cellphone calls, industry executives and analysts say
Conversations have become shorter; the average length of a local call was 1.81 minutes in 2009, compared with 2.27 minutes in 2008, according to CTIA
More than half of American teenagers send about 1,500 text messages each month

If you're interested in more statistics there were also some surprising findings that came from a new youth media study conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation that I mentioned back in January, which you can find here: 10 Findings from a New Youth Media Study.

@Schnicker

Introducing Question Pools & Random Ordering

2010-05-11T00:17:00.000-07:00

A couple of long-requested features were added to the Litmos LMS over the weekend as part of an upgrade to our assessment or quiz module.

First up, we have upgraded our assessment module to include question pools which means you can now create a pool of say 100 questions, but specify that each student only be asked 20 questions. This greatly reduces the chance that any two learners will receive the same set of questions.

Secondly, we have released a random ordering setting which ensures that the questions you enter in to your Assessment module will always come out in a random order for learners. Once again this ensures that your students and trainees will always be offered a different version of the quiz so you can be sure that answers cannot be memorized for subsequent attempts.

We're rapidly checking off the new feature list that we put together after gaining your valuable feedback in our latest survey, so look out for more announcements inside your accounts and in our monthly newsletter - you can sign up at the bottom of our homepage.

The survey is still open for more suggestions and available here: New Feature Survey

@Schnicker

Which are the Favorite eLearning Authoring Tools?

2010-05-05T21:38:00.000-07:00

Here are some more interesting figures from a different Tagoras report this time called "Association E-Learning: State of the Sector" (my last post focused on a report about LMS costing / implementation time). This one was released over a year ago in March 2009 so the figures may have changed a little, but this time they are in relation to eLearning authoring tools and who's using what.

From the summary: The report is primarily based on a survey of associations from November 20 - December 19, 2008. Out of the 488 responses received: 61.1 percent were from individuals who indicated that their organization is currently using e-learning. An additional 26.2 percent indicated they plan to start using e-learning within the coming 6 to 12 months, while 12.7 percent indicated they have no plans to start using e-learning in the coming 12 months.

Anyway - on with the interesting figures that reveal who's using what to design their online learning content:

60.4% Microsoft PowerPoint
24.8% LMS/LCMS tools
13.5% Articulate Presenter
8.1% Adobe Captivate
7.2% Camtasia (Techsmith)
3.7% Adobe Connect
1.4% Lectora (Trivantis)

Looks like PowerPoint is still the favorite by a long shot, probably because Microsoft Office would be the all-purpose product suite of choice for most organizations - even before moving in to eLearning - so it's a natural extension. Plus, it is the base tool that many of the others listed above build on and also because of the familiarity we have with using Microsoft tools.

I see they have done a February 2010 follow up to this report but I couldn't find an update to these particular figures; it would be interesting to know how things are changing. Maybe it's time to put together another survey...I'll work on that.

@Schnicker

Stats on LMS Costing & Implementation Time

2010-05-03T21:47:00.000-07:00

I've just read the "Association: Learning Management Systems" report released in October 2009 by Tagoras. The report was based on the responses of 11 LMS vendors (Avilar, Blackboard, Digitec Interactive, GeoLearning, iCohere, LearnSomething, Meridian KSI, Peach New Media, Results Direct, WBT Systems and Web Courseworks) and it has some interesting stats pertaining to average LMS costings and implementation times that I thought I'd share:

The average first year cost for an LMS ranges from:
- $25,000 for 500 users
- to $193,500 for unlimited usage
Across 3 years the costs averaged out at:
- $59,000 for 500 users
- $435,000 for unlimited usage
Average Implementation times for an LMS ranged from:
- 19.2 calendar days for a simple implementation of the stock-standard LMS
- 47.6 days for a 'typical' implementation, as in the usual experience of LMS vendors
- 85.3 days for a complex implementation involving integration and custom development

I found it interesting to read these statistics and compare them with our own product to see where we sit in comparison.

Costing - First year costs at Litmos are no different from every other year so when you consider our Gold plan for 500 users is $699 per month, then the annual cost would be $8388 which over 3 years comes out to $25,164. For unlimited usage it's a little tougher to work out as we don't advertise an unlimited plan and custom build plans above 2000 users. But based on the 500 user numbers I would imagine it would be considerably less than those surveyed.

Now - implementation time. This was outlined in the report as: 'Assume the implementation clock starts when the contract has been signed and stops when end users begin accessing the LMS'. This one again is a little tricky because there are no contracts to sign with us, once you have decided to go with Litmos and upgrade your account, the system is ready for you. But to get some idea, I'll include our 14 day free trial period where most organizations use this time to load up content and begin testing on end users. Then before this period ends an organization will upgrade their account and make their first payment, therefore, sealing the deal. Now this all happens within a time-frame of 14 days - content uploaded, users accessing courses and reporting underway.

The report does make the comment that hosted systems generally translates to lower costs, and in our case I would say that is definitely true. The report does not discriminate between hosted and installed systems when averaging implementation time which I find very odd because there are some very big differences between saying 'yes' to a web-based LMS and waiting until a technician comes around to install an LMS on your servers.

All round a very 'enlightening' (and somewhat boggling) read when it comes to what's going on in the LMS industry.

You can read the full report here: Tagoras Association: Learning Management Systems Report

@Schnicker

Cool Accessibility Tools in Windows 7

2010-04-27T18:46:00.000-07:00

We're releasing some new color themes for Litmos accounts this week and so I was putting together a high contrast version for partially sighted people. After spending some time working out the right combination of colors needed I stumbled across a very simple way to do it which does not involve me creating a new theme at all.

In Windows 7 you can switch your whole display to high contrast mode and every website is transformed to give you the right view - how cool is that?!

This is how you do it:

Go to your 'Control Panel'
Then click on 'Appearance and Personalization'
Under the 'Ease of Access Center' select 'Turn High Contrast On or Off'
Scroll down the display choices and you'll find are a number of high contrast options for your screen. Pick one and your screen will automatically adjust.

Also in the 'Ease of Access Center' are features for low vision like a magnifier, screen narrator, text or visual alternatives for sounds, onscreen keyboard and other shortcuts to make life a little easier. It's cool to check out even if you have 20/20 vision as it gives you an idea of what it's like to look at your website or app through someone else's eyes.

@Schnicker

eLearning Technology Conference Not on Twitter - huh?

2010-04-22T22:51:00.000-07:00

I was really surprised to find that an eLearning / learning technology conference I'm attending in Sydney in June does not have a presence on Twitter. In fact, the very same event must have just announced the winners of their 2010 awards on their website but the only way I found that out was by doing a hashtag search on Twitter for the conference name. Luckily, a few proud vendors had posted their victories which then led me to the results page of said conference's website.

So I wrote to the conference's email address today asking if they plan to be on Twitter before June because it would be a great opportunity to get the word out about what should be an awesome, action-packed two days. Not to mention the wonderful speakers who deserve some build up and a little exposure. Plus, there's all the live session tweeting that can go on during the conference if there's already some kind of hype built up around it. I should note that them not being on Twitter won't stop me tweeting about it, but imagine the potential if they had more of a social media strategy in place and had been listening to the chatter online! Such a great way to get the inside scoop from your paying attendees before your event even begins.

Hopefully I will hear back as to why they aren't on there but these days it seems almost ridiculous that an Asia Pacific-wide brand would not have a presence on one of the largest social networks in existence. It's not really a big job running an event-focused Twitter account, someone just needs to check in once a day (if that) to answer questions, re-tweet a conference related tweet or put out an event update, a count down, speaker bios or some session titles. Then ramp it up a little before the actual event begins and voila! You will have some attendees who have already met online and organized to meet up at the event or at their hotels, attend dinner groups together to continue the session discussions and build lasting friendships. What a great opportunity to create community around an event and make it all the more memorable so that when the next year rolls around the word of mouth promotion kicks off without any help.

*They should take a leaf out of the eLearning Guild's book - these guys really know how to ramp up to a conference, months in advance and get everybody wishing they were going! Just search for the hashtag #mLearnCon on Twitter and you'll see what I mean.

@Schnicker

Health Care Industry Embraces Online Training

2010-04-20T21:51:00.000-07:00

Health Care is another industry that is really pushing forward with innovation when it comes to online training. In a 24/7 industry, a well-implemented online training system offers the flexibility to fit in with the learner's/ admin's schedule. Ultimately, it also benefits the organization by reducing costs and improving operations.

The Health Care industry is perfectly suited to online learning delivery as it encompasses a broad range of training topics, many of which are in-service and regulatory courses required by the US Federal agency Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). While reporting learner performance and results may not be the number one concern in other industries, it certainly is for this compliance-focused one. Plus, a recent Federal Communciations Commission (FCC) found that 99% of health care facilities already have access to a fast broadband connection, which means they are already set up with the primary tool needed to facilitate an online learning program.

Here are a few things that have caught my attention lately:

A 200% increase in the number of health care industry customers using Litmos in the last 12 months
Obama's focus on health care reform paired with increased funding for online learning resources
Over the past 1-2 years I've watched the Red Cross create a comprehensive and successful online training program which is now a US state-specific and country-specific initiative.
More recently the iPad has caused a stir in health care with the Washington Post claiming it may just revolutionize medicine

What have you noticed?

@Schnicker

Online Learning Perfect for Technology Providers

2010-04-15T17:46:00.000-07:00

Many technology solutions providers have a pretty small number of staff working in-house compared to the actual number of resellers and end users for their products. Plus, most technology products once delivered to resellers or end users, require some amount of product sales training. This is when an online training solution makes perfect sense. Being able to offer the training system online works in seamlessly with the ethos of the technology industry.

For example, we have a technology solutions provider with just over 100 staff on-site in the head office, but over 140,000 end users globally. With such a large re-seller network it's very important for them to ensure that each person involved in the sales process knows the right information and can therefore offer a consistent level of service when it comes to representing their technology products. In the past this was a very time-consuming and expensive process for them involving multiple trainers flying to the various global locations upon the launch of a new product, to get everyone together in groups so that they were all up-to-date on the new product.

This has not been a sustainable way to run product sales training for a while now. But having a centralized portal where everyone that handles the sales of your products can go and gain instant access to the latest product specs, advertising material, step-by-step guides and more, is very smart. Think about it, when you are developing and selling cutting technology products to make people's lives easier, don't you want to deliver training with the same benefit in mind?

If you already have a Learning Management System (LMS) but it's no longer working out for your specific needs, think about making the switch to a new system. There's a post on this topic here.

@Schnicker

Easily Upload an Articulate Quizmaker SCORM Quiz in to Litmos

2010-04-13T14:58:00.000-07:00

Here's a helpful video very kindly put together by Dave Mozealous (@dmozealous) at Articulate on how to upload and track an Articulate Quizmaker SCORM Quiz in the Litmos LMS:

Thanks Dave!

For more information on uploading different types of content, don't forget to check out The Litmos Help Guide.

@Schnicker

Switching to a New Learning Management System (LMS)

2010-04-07T23:07:00.000-07:00

The thought of switching to a new LMS may sound daunting, but it doesn't need to be. Plus, the advantages of upgrading to a more suitable system cannot be underestimated.

As I settled in to write about this topic I came across a recent blog post by Craig Weiss covering this subject in quite a lot of detail. His first post covers these questions: How do I exit, when do I notify, what is the method to find a new LMS and what happens if I notify to leave and my current LMS comes back with new offerings?

Then there is also a part two of the post that covers: methods of finding a new BFF LMS, what if they offer me lots of new features or promises to stay on, Go Live with your new LMS and how do I get my money back with my current LMS if I signed a multi-year deal and paid up front?

I recommend reading both posts as they give you a lot to think about. It's worth it, especially when the whole point of moving to a new LMS is to find a more suitable system for your needs, which will therefore make your life easier.

The New LMS
Some of the criteria for the new LMS will depend on the reasons for your move. Maybe you were sick of bad customer service or a frustrating user interface (UI), perhaps you had outgrown your current LMS or maybe it outgrew you and became too hard to navigate through all the bells and whistles? Make sure to write all these things down so that you don't forget and end up in the same situation again. For example - 'I want a clean UI, easy navigation, just core functionality and great customer service'.

Next up spend some time writing down all the features that are deal breakers, the functionality that you can't live without. Ask yourself these questions:

Do you need a system that supports asynchronous learning, synchronous learning or both?
Have you got your own content authoring tools or do you need integrated tools? If so, what kind?
Do you need some kind of collaborative, social tools or does that not matter?
Is Reporting a big part of what you do? (If not, consider whether you even need an LMS at all)
Do you have an IT team to support the system or would you prefer a hosted, supported LMS?
What is your budget? (Look out for set up & upgrade fees, some vendors have them and others don't).

Now write out all your requirements and fire off some emails to those hungry LMS vendors. A blog post like this one will start you off with a decent list of vendors to contact: Rapid LMS: eLearning Technology. Let them do some work for your business! Once you have narrowed it down a little ask for some demos and begin testing the systems out, most should offer a free trial - be suspicious if they don't!

If you're still not sure how to go about choosing an LMS, do some more reading in to what others have found useful. There are loads of blogs out there to help you out - here's one particular post that's helpful, especially for the user comments at the end: What Makes an LMS Easy to Use

@Schnicker

Litmos will be at LearnX Sydney in June

2010-03-31T22:39:00.000-07:00

I'm heading over to Sydney in June for the LearnX Asia Pacific E-Learning & Training Solutions Conference and Expo and it would be great to meet up with anyone else who is going to be there.

Keynoting Day 1 of the conference is the lovely Jane Bozarth all the way from North Carolina. I would thoroughly recommend coming along, even just to hear her speak. Jane is one of the ringleaders of the #Lrnchat group on Twitter so I've had the privilege of being part of many a heated discussion about eLearning, corporate training, ROI, course design - you name it, we've talked about it. Jane is one of the most knowledgeable yet down-to-earth eLearning gurus around with a wicked sense of humor to match, and I'm positive she will set the tone for an awesome LearnX 2010. You can check out her blog here.

If you are going to be at LearnX please leave a comment here or look out for me walking around - I'm friendly and would love to stop for a chat.

Nicole Fougère
AKA @Schnicker