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Learning and Skills Group Member’s Conference #2
Posted Thu 17 Jun 2010Last week, this blog reviewed the Learning and Skills Group Member's Conference. We mentioned the keynote session from Jay Cross. This was, as usual, about social learning. We’re delighted to see our comments sparked off some lively discussions and debate. That was the good news. The bad news is that Jay feels we ‘put words in his mouth’. Naturally, we are sorry if we misunderstood him. The post was intended as a summary of the whole day’s discussions, not to directly quote Jay’s keynote session. Anyway we’re delighted to discover he feels there’s still a place for the humble old LMS.
Even so, to our selective hearing at least, Jay’s session still seemed to be a continued critique of the role of the LMS. Few facts or figures, but more reassurance of the value of social learning and tales of (and we paraphrase here) the great discussions upstairs at the last Learning Technologies conference while downstairs, at the exhibition, vendors were still just selling the same old software.
This is irksome. Today’s learning management systems have evolved dramatically in the last ten years. They are based on what organisations actually do want - matched against what new technology enables us to offer. e2train is far from alone in placing high value on its user community. Customer surveys, market research and product suggestions all go towards creating a technology solution that responds to market demands – not just dreams of what might be. And whilst compliance and certification training might not be sexy, they matter. As David Wilkins, in his recent ‘A Defense of the LMS’ article explains, ‘I’m not sure that critics of LMS understand how big a deal this is. This is not a nice-to-have. It’s not a “do it because we have to” and therefore, “spend as little as possible” kind of issue. This is a “do it right or jeopardize your company” kind of issue.’ The features of Kallidus LMS are not there because of some wilful fancy. They are there because they are essential.
Within that, of course, we absolutely embrace social learning - both from a philosophical and a product angle. There’s little question that it will continue to grow. But how far, nobody seems sure. There seem to be few references to help us understand what kind of learning it facilitates. Certainly not compliance. Nor health and safety. Or, indeed any certified course. For our users at least, these alone represent around half of all the training completed.
Equally problematic, a study by Robert Half Technology found only 19 per cent of companies allow social networking use only for business purposes. Meanwhile only 10 per cent of 1,400 CIOs interviewed say they allow full access to social networks during work hours. A recent report from industry analysts Bersin (UK Training and Development Factbook 2010) says only 14 per cent of organisations are using ‘communities of practice’, which they found to be the most popular social learning tool, for training purposes. That means social learning is only available as an alternative solution to between 5 and 10 per cent of all learning completed. Quite disappointing really, but at the moment these numbers are borne out by our own experiences.
We’re hoping future keynotes will give us insight into some other real-world learning issues. In case anyone missed it, we’re now working against a back drop of budget and staffing cuts. Already Bersin tells us UK training budgets feel by 4% last year. We’re now bracing ourselves for the upcoming ‘bad news’ budget. So is embracing social learning really the most important topic on the agenda?
One advantage vendors do have is that we speak to hundreds of organisations about their learning needs. Right now, they tell us of financial pressures on their learning and performance activities and the need for evaluation and measurable achievements. Most vendors know this – hence the rapid rise of learning and performance systems.
We recognise that social learning is here-to-stay. It’s kind of a done deal. But perhaps it would be good if our thought leaders (who we need and admire) could lend a hand here. Maybe give us all some new ideas as to how we can really prove the worth of our learning to the organisation. Right now, that might come in useful.
Learning and Skills Group Member's Conference
Posted Wed 09 Jun 2010Yesterday the e2train team attended the third annual Learning and Skills Group Member's Conference. As a sponsor of the Learning and Skills Group since its inception, we're always pleased to have the opportunity to catch up with the members, what the experts have to say and what the latest learning trends are.
As a provider of Learning Management Systems (LMS's) it was an interesting day to say the least! In the keynote session, 
'Working smarter through workscaping - informal learning at work' from Jay Cross and some of the other breakout sessions there was a lot of discussion around the emerging trend of social learning and how organisations harnessing the potential of informal learning is very much the future. And as a result, many of the speakers seemed to feel that this brave new world of learning leaves formal training and the LMS very much in the past.
However, they seem to have missed the fact that LMS providers like e2train have been keeping our fingers on the pulse and the development team have been working for over 18 months to embrace and embed social and informal learning into systems such as Kallidus!
Listening to the the Learning and Skills Group members after the sessions, the ovewhelming sentiment was that whilst they are keen to explore using social learning tools and technologies, the 'bread and butter' training remains critical, particularly in heavily regulated industries including finance, pharmaceuticals and policing. It seems that on the frontline of learning, the LMS is far from dead. In fact, with 45% of L&D professionals saying they would provide more comprehensive or more frequent reports to the board, if they had the necessary tools to do so* the reporting functionality of the LMS begins more crucial, not less so. And there is no reason at all why both social and formal learning can't sit side by side. Does the birth and growth of one have to mean the death of the other?
There was balance to the debate though and David Wilson, Managing Director of E-learnity, presented a look at 'Rethinking access to learning - how learning systems are changing' which examined just how learning systems are evolving to incorporate new ways of working and have an increasing focus on the areas of social learning and performance management.
The importance of continuing to align informal learning with more traditional training programmes was further underlined by Steve Wheeler, Professor at the University of Plymouth, in his session 'Collaborative and co-operative learning - the why and the how'. He discussed the impending impact of the 'digital natives' and Generation Y on training when they enter the workplace. The next generation of employees will have grown up with technology and will fully expect to use a range of sources, tools and technologies during their working lives. Wheeler explained that the Web 2.0 revolution has been all about the 'fluidity' of information and how we share it. With sources such as Google, social networking tools like Twitter and YouTube, and sharing information via wikis and forums now such an embedded way of doing things for these new learners, that traditional classroom training and formal e-learning courses alone simply won't cut it.
It's certainly an exciting time to be in learning, especially as 'we don't know what the future looks like and we need to work out how as learning professionals we prepare for that' - Steve Wheeler. Events like this provide great inspiration and food for thought for all concerned.
In order to help find out exactly where L&D is at the moment though, the event also saw the launch of the annual Towards Maturity Benchmark survey. This year, many organisations are under even more pressure to deliver more learning with less resources and need their learning technologies to work even harder. By taking part you will be able to benchmark your own progress and receive free personalised feedback and practical advice to help you accelerate the benefits of learning technologies in your organisation. You can click here to complete the survey now.
We are also running a learning and performance survey that takes only a few short moments to complete and all completed submissions will be entered into a prize draw to win a Dell Inspiron Mini Notepad! Plus you'll receive a copy of the final research report. Just click here for more details.
* Learning and Skills Group Survey, 2009.
Training Journal Awards
Posted Wed 02 Jun 2010e2train, in partnership with Gloucester Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, has been confirmed as a finalist in this year's Training Journal awards. We're delighted to have been recognised by the Training Journal judging panel as being short-listed for one of the awards is now nationally recognised as a mark of excellence in training.
Our bespoke content team has worked closely with the team at Gloucester Hospitals to create a fantastic e-learning solution that has created time and cost savings, whilst achieving best practice accessibility standards and high levels of interactivity and innovation. It's not always easy to balance these different challenges and it is great for these achievements to be formally recognised.
You can find out more about the solution by downloading the Gloucester Hospitals NHS Foundation case study here. And the winners will be announced at the Training Journal Conference and Awards on 21 September 2010 at the Commonwealth Club in London. Full details can be found on the dedicated awards website.
Performance Pecha Kucha
Posted Fri 21 May 2010With the current trend for Pecha Kucha style presentation showing no signs of abating we thought we'd get in on the act too. At the Informatology annual conference last month, an entire section of the event was taken up with these short sessions of 20 slides, with just 20 seconds allowed to talk your audience through each slide. The words Pecha Kucha are usually pronounced in three syllables as "pe-chak-cha", is the Japanese word for the sound of conversation. The equivalent term in English is "chit-chat". Presenting in this way is certainly a challenge, but it does really focus the presenter on their most critical points and eliminates unncessary posturing, waffle and the old 'death by Powerpoint' scenario.
So we chose to tackle transforming performance reviews for our first Pecha Kucha and have recorded it as a short video. It reveals how you can use technology to conduct competency based performance reviews, set objectives and manage performance in less seven minutes.
Kallidus Performance enables organisations to:
- Establish skills and competencies for job roles, groups and individuals
- Maximise the potential of their most important asset; their people
- Align employee targets and performance to strategic goals and objectives
- Conduct online reviews and appraisals
- Define skills and competencies
So you can check it out here: http://www.e2train.com/performance-reviews-free-video. Let us know what you think and if you have any ideas for future Pecha Kuchas, do post them in the comments section!
Learning and Talent Survey 2010 Results
Posted Wed 28 Apr 2010The results of the CIPD's annual survey are now in, with a focus on 'Learning and Talent Development'. The survey of over 700 learning practitioners provides data on 'current and future learning and talent development issues and trends' and this year explores 'the areas of employer support for learning, talent management as well as economic circumstances and training spend'. The results were launched at last week's HRD event in London Olympia.
The results make interesting, but not altogether unsurprising, reading. Two thirds of organisations surveyed (65%) say their economic situation has declined in the past 12 months, with learning and development budgets decreasing for around 52% of them. As a result of these decreased budgets, learning professionals have had to look carefully at their spend and try to get the most out of their budget.
As a result, e-learning is the learning practice that has increased the most with 62% of organisations saying they are using it more than in 2009, which is great news! However only 12% feel it is the most effective method of learning. This is intriguing as it would appear the tipping point might have finally occurred in terms of e-learning adoption within organisations, but in all probability that they are not getting the most out of it. If only 12% of respondents feel it is the most effective form of delivery, something is going wrong somewhere. Frustratingly the survey doesn't cover the details of the type of e-learning being used and whether any effort is going into enticing learners to access the e-learning in the first place. Learner focused front ends via the intranet or the LMS where relevant and up-to-date information and resources can be posted to keep learners coming back. We'd be interested to hear from you on how effective you feel your e-learning is within your organisations.
Also unsurprisingly as a result of the recession and cut-backs, is a renewed emphasis on the evaluation of training effectiveness, with 30% of respondents citing this as their key challenge over the next five years. A further 39% felt that improving skills to help their organisation achieve its strategic goals would be their biggest challenge. These figures highlight the need to link learning to overarching business objectives and goals so that everyone in the organisation is pulling in the same direction. It also re-inforces the importance of having an effective reporting function that can track more than just 'bums on seats' and percentage scores of learner assessments. Learning and development activity needs to be able to prove itself to be delivering value to the wider organisation as we move forwards. And with the average number of training days per person coming out at four days per year, it seems there is ample opportunity to do this.
Despite the talks of budget cuts, the report is largely positive. It's an exciting time in L&D with new developments in learning practices emerging all the time. There was no mention of social learning in the survey, which will probably change over the next couple of years as the online networking resources we all use both personally and professionally become ever more integrated into what we do. And finally, with nearly half (46%) of organisations agreeing that the major change affecting them in the next five years is to achieve a greater integration between organisational development and performance management to drive organisational change, it is clear that what we do as learning professionals is not just important, but potentially critical to the future development and success of our organisations going forwards.
Click here if you would like to download a copy of the survey. We'd love to hear your thoughts over the past 12 months, so please do comment and let us know how these results reflect your experiences.
Kallidus 8.3 released
Posted Mon 19 Apr 2010We are delighted that the latest release of Kallidus, version 8.3 is now here! Last summer's launch of Kallidus 8 was such a an exciting leap forward - new 'iGoogle' style web gadgets on the learner interface allow formal and informal learning, and social networking, to work seamlessly together. The new reporting platform tracks trends and results to deliver valuable business information to managers and the boardroom. And now the new release further enhances the user experience and functionality of the LMS and Performance. Many of the new features have been created as a direct result of feedback from the Kallidus User Group which is great to see.
New LMS functionality includes integration with SkillSoft's OLSA platform, which is particularly exciting as Kallidus users will gain access to extra features of SkillSoft content including more media rich learning experiences and 24/7 mentoring.
Other additions to the LMS include multiple evaluation forms with the new feedback functionality and a new import facility for importing historical accreditations data for your learners. In Performance, the new competency statement section enables managers to define whether or not an employee is competent to perform their role. And objectives can now be assigned to whole groups or teams whilst still being tailored to individual criteria or requirements, so each employee can have their own unique version of an overall group objective.
Kallidus 8.3 also sees the addition of Turkish as a new language translation, taking the total number of languages now available to 23, at a time when the importance of publishing software in local languages in central European was recently confirmed by Deloitte with its Central Europe top 500 companies list and analysis.
All this development comes as we prepare to launch our annual user survey. We're looking forward to seeing the impact Kallidus 8 is having on our user's organisations and, as ever, continuing the process of gathering their valuable feedback and input.
P.S: If you are interested and would like to see an online demonstration of Kallidus 8.3 or see the full details of what's new, just contact us directly on sales@e2train.com.
Good practice for great performance
Posted Tue 13 Apr 201028 - 30 April sees the second annual conference from Informatology, an organisation known throughout the industry for its Company Raids and really exploring what L&D departments are doing, what's working and what's not. Described as the 'Glastonbury of conferences' by the BBC's Nick Shackleton-Jones, it's quite a different type of event when compared with most other learning conferences and exhibitions in the calendar.
Held over three days, there are three different streams for attendees to choose from depending on their areas of interest. You can even pick and mix the parts of the event you wish to attend and avoid attending (and paying for!) those you aren't interested in. e2train will be in attendance and we are looking forward to the depth and variety of speakers and sessions. Stephen Citron of Informatology has done a fantastic job of putting together a rich agenda which includes a keynote from Professor Lord Robert Winston, as well as noted learning experts such as Jane Hart and Clive Shepherd plus insights from high level attendees such as Sudhir Giri, the Head of Learning Technologies at Google and Debbie Carter, the Editor of Training Journal.
It's great to see more variety in the programme and a focus on the different areas of L&D. To find out more about the event you can click here for the Informatology website and we look forward to seeing you there!
The importance of local versus global
Posted Mon 29 Mar 2010We've now added Turkish to the language line- up of Kallidus 8, which confirms it as Europe’s most commonly ‘localised’ commercial learning and performance management system. We're delighted that it's now in use in 26 different countries throughout the region in a wide range of languages.
Our presence in Europe has become even more important recently after being encouraged by several relatively favourable economic reports on the Central European region from organisations such as Deloitte. We've made a conscious effort to make sure Kallidus 8 is translated as widely as possible, both for Europe and across the rest of the world. Our research tells us that, although some VLE’s offer more basic translations, no other comparable corporate learning and performance system has as many options as Kallidus 8.
The importance of publishing software in local languages in central European was recently confirmed by Deloitte with its Central Europe top 500 companies list and analysis. The region, bounded on the west by Poland and Hungary, has 182 million inhabitants and enjoys 20% of the EU15 GDP. As such it is becoming increasingly important economically – Poland was the only European state which did not experience a recession and showed year-on-year GDP growth for the first and second quarters of 2009. Many of the organisations in the top 500 are multi-national names.
Our experience with multi-national customers such as Nissan Europe, O2, TeleAtlas, Brammer, Chubb Insurance and dunnhumby has taught us the importance of translations for both users and system administrators. For users it facilitates access and encourages adoption meanwhile for administrators it means they can deliver training to individual markets or countries without falling into the trap of creating data silos in separate systems. It's vital reporting and tracking of training can be done centrally, otherwise activity becomes difficult to manage and more work is often created for both technology and training staff.
The way Kallidus is set up means that learning can be deployed and managed across multiple locations and languages either locally or from one central point depending on the nature of the organisation’s set-up. Reporting can similarly be carried out for individual locations or countries, or for the organisation as a whole according to requirements.
So whilst it's important to think global as the world becomes an increasing small place in which to do business, it's still crucial to consider local implications and adapting to suit your different audiences.
Creativity and Innovation
Posted Thu 18 Mar 2010This morning I joined a webinar run by the Learning and Skills Group. The Group, chaired by Don Taylor, run a fantastic series of these online sessions throughout the year and they are always interesting and often very useful. Today's session was delivered by Nigel Paine and focused on 'Innovation, Learning and Survival'.
Nigel posited that in tough times such as these, being innovative can often be the key to an organisation's success; organisations must adapt or die. And does L&D play its part in being innovative within different organisational cultures? I would argue that L&D are often at the forefront of innovation - leading edge software implementations such as Learning Management Systems are often required by the L&D department, e-learning continues to evolve and become more innovative, whilst social and informal learning gathers apace. In my book this puts L&D streets ahead of the rest of the organisation!
One interesting question Nigel raised was 'What is the difference between innovation and creativity?' There was an abundance of different answers and I must admit I think it is a tough question. Indeed, can you have one without the other? I'm not sure you can.
Ultimately, the session concluded that innovation begins and ends with people. And it is the people business that L&D is all about, and perhaps it is this that keeps us trying different initiatives and embracing the new.
Pecha Kucha
Posted Sun 07 Mar 2010At last week’s eLearning Network (eLN) meeting, ‘Proven Recipes for e-learning Success’, the agenda included not only sessions from recent eLearning Award winners for excellence in e-learning, but also a Pecha Kucha. The organisers at the eLN events work hard to make their events interactive and as interesting as possible, and the insights and experiences of the e-learning professionals who have all created award winning solutions really kept everyone’s attention. But it’s always during that particularly notorious after lunch slot where everyone is a bit too full and a bit too tired to concentrate (especially as the food at the Holborn Bars venue is excellent!) when it can be a challenge to keep the audience engaged. But at last week’s event, this session was taken up by this Pecha Kucha.
Pecha Kucha is usually pronounced in three syllables as "pe-chak-cha", is the Japanese word for the sound of conversation. The equivalent term in English is "chit-chat". In a business context, it has been developed into a condensed presentation format allows speakers only 6 minutes and 40 seconds to make their point, using 20 slides of just 20 seconds each. The eLN has launched this as a competition for its members with 4 ‘volunteers’ taking part in the first one. There was no specified topic, so the speakers had free reign to discuss whatever they wanted. It was a very enjoyable session as all the presenters approached it slightly differently but all put in a little of their personality to their presentation. The winner was Matt Brewer of Chubb Insurance who did a fantastic job of the timing yet made his presentation humerous and interesting about what Chubb has achieved as a result of e-learning and what they hope to achieve in the future.
The approach reflects much of what we are trying to achieve in e-learning; break down the message – whatever that might be - into bite-size, manageable pieces that are easy for the audience to digest. Even if they have only just finished their lunch...
Call for user group members
The eLN has recently established a focus group for users of e-learning. It’s designed to be a community based around what’s important to users’ needs and a chance to pose and answer questions, share knowledge, attend webinars and roundtable discussions. They are actively recruiting new members so if you are in an organisation currently using e-learning (no vendors please!) and would be interested in joining the focus group, email usergroup@elearningnetwork.org