by Andrew Turner

Everything thing we do at Nelson Croom is based in our technology system Imago. Imago is constantly working to ensure every course is accessible, every report works and every learner can get the most from each course.

On the 13th of January Imago got a facelift and we have to say we are very happy with the results, she has never looked fresher or younger.

All in all we there are four great things to come out of this facelift, three which are immediately visible to all, and one, perhaps the most important, which is not:

1. A fresher more intuitive navigation panel– You will notice the menu on the left hand navigation panel has changed., In response to user feedback we’ve made the menu more intuitive and modern looking
2. A new Imago Manager – We have fundamentally redesigned Imago ManagerDon’t panic though, every report or tool  is still there, they are just presented in a different way. Instead of one long list down the page, the headings are attractive tabs across the top. When you click on them the list of headings appear in a left hand column. Select the appropriate heading and the reports and tools will appear. (See below)



3. A more attractive out of the box gateway page – So if clients don’t want to customise their gateway page we’ve made the out of the box version nicer to look at.
4. HTM5 – this is the change you won’t see but it is a major step to ensure continued compatibility with all browsers, the possibility of more exciting interactive design (without resorting to flash) and easier implementation of accessible features.

These are all important steps in keeping our technology current and up to date. If you have any questions or would like any more information, we’d love to hear from you.

by Alan Nelson

So the judging of the e-learning awards is finished for the year. This is the first time I have acted as a judge, so how was it? Well firstly, it’s quite a lot of work. Overall I had forty submissions to read in two categories, which took me more than a day. Some were good, some had flaws but all were interesting. There were three judges in each category and we talked through the entries to establish a shortlist. This was fairly straight forward. Basically if the project was noticeably good in some way and didn’t fall significantly short of the mark in any of the stated criteria, it tended to get onto the shortlist.

Next was judges houses. I want the groups. I want the groups. Only kidding. Next was two days of face to face presentations, one for each category. I turned up wondering what it would be like. I have been on the other side of the fence presenting submissions, but I hadn’t been in the judges’ shoes before. I had done my research though. I had practiced being Simon Cowell (“I don’t like this.....[long pause] I love it!”) and Louis Walsh (“This is just what the elearning awards are all about”). But I quickly found that such preparation was unhelpful. What we did, for those looking for tips on how to win, was to listen to the presentations and decide how we thought they stacked up against the stated criteria for that award. Nothing more mysterious than that. If you want to win outright, you need to be good on every count.

For obvious reasons I can’t go into much detail about the entrants and our decision making but I can say a couple of things:

• I was impressed by my fellow judges. They took the job seriously and thought deeply about how to arrive at the fairest outcome.
• The quality of the entrants was high. All the shortlisted projects had something about them that was admirable.
• I was impressed with the honestly and openness of the candidates. Straight questions got straight answers, even when they weren’t exactly what they would have wanted to tell us.
• It is hard for a project to be good in every way. Was the need properly researched? Did it have a strong theoretical underpinning to the learning design? Were the outcomes measured? Did the results demonstrate clearly that the objectives had been met? And once they had scored a yes in all of those, there remained the question of whether we thought it was an example of excellence in itself?

So well done to everyone. They can’t all win and while it is true that all the shortlisted candidates are winners, having been on the other side both successfully and unsuccessfully, I do understand that the former is infinitely preferable. But I will be looking forward to the awards evening in November and the chance to celebrate the quality and commitment of all those involved with the finalists.

by Andrew Turner

People learn best when they are engaged, interested and having fun. This was always true for me and it is clear, when I spend time with my young niece or watch my partner, who’s a primary school teacher, planning her lessons, that it is the case for children of all ages.

And this shouldn’t stop when we leave educational institutions. There isn’t an ‘off switch’ which flips when we no longer have a teacher in front of us. Why would our learning style change once we reach a certain age? Yes our interests and approach to learning are likely to be very different, but the fundamental aspects of how we learn are a constant throughout our lives.

This is something that e-learning can capitalise on by offering a ‘student-centric’ approach to adult learning, whether it be for CPD, qualifications or personal fulfilment. For many people the thought of being taught in a classroom with a teacher taking you through a topic, is not a pleasant idea. It’s unlikely to be fun, interesting or engaging. E-learning offers a unique way for learners to remain immersed in their learning. By putting them at the centre of the experience they are able to pick the route best suited to them and which provides the best results.

Not all of our learning habits are good though. I for one was always a ‘last minute learner’ staying up late to meet a deadline, with a week to complete a 12,000 word essay! I like to think pressure helped me perform but some of my friends said I was unmotivated and ‘lucky’ to get away with it. I’m sure I wasn’t the only person to work this way.

This is certainly born out each year as I watch professionals sign up to complete their CPD. No matter what good intentions we all have, in my experience, the majority of CPD is completed in the last two months of the year. That’s also where e-learning comes into play. How much CPD have you got left to do? How are you going to complete it?

With e-learning you can complete the courses when you want. You aren’t tied down to the dates when a learning provider could secure the hire of a suitable room, or when you can get time off work. All you need is a computer and internet connection and you can do the course when you want.

Of course this isn’t the way everybody learns, and e-learning isn’t just aimed at those who do this, it truly is there 24/7 365 days a year. But this is an added benefit of learning online, and another way that it caters for the learning preferences of those ‘last minute learners’, who like me, like a bit of pressure.