Choosing Elearning Authoring Tools

Significant Aspects to Consider while Choosing Elearning Authoring Tools

Today, the learning and development departments are under immense pressure to create interactive eLearning courses tailored to the needs of all. Interactive elements such as quizzes, scores, badges, and videos incorporate with training content for an incredible corporate training experience. Also, organizations make sure to utilize eLearning authoring tools to create interactive content for various audience profiles and training needs. To meet ever-evolving learning needs, the scope of using rapid learning tools is becoming a viable choice for course development.

There are various kinds of e-learning course development tools available in the market today. Before selecting amongst the best elearning authoring tools, you must consider several important aspects. These include:

• To analyze whether the eLearning authoring tool is compatible with the learning management software. Make sure that the training content can be easily uploaded on the LMS and effectively delivered to the intended learners at the point of need.
• You need to understand your learners and their training needs. Do they prefer video-based content? Do they want to publish content on YouTube or Podcasts? Also, do the learners prefer incorporating a game-based approach for an engaging learning experience. Based on these preferences, e learning tools are selected to mitigate overall costs and time associated with workplace training.
• If your key objective is to train the globally dispersed workforce, then choose robust authoring tools which are device dependent. As user interface (UI) of mobile devices is different from desktops/laptops, select an e-learning tool which helps driving impactful mobile learning experience.
• Deploy modern LMS which supports authoring tools useful for automated course tracking and reporting through Analytics feature.
• It is essential that authoring tools aid in developing a variety of courses, which are accessible via any browser and on any platform (Android or iOS).

Some of the popular SCORM authoring tools which align learning with organizational goals include Composica, Articulate, Adobe Captivate e learning tool, iSpring Suite, and others. With the right support of elearning authoring tools, organizations develop interactive courses to optimize workforce engagement, retention, and business productivity. The most crucial benefit of rapid authoring tools is that they save a lot of time and effort to create engaging content. Also, delivery of mobile-enabled courses helps learners to undergo training anytime and anywhere, from home, office, or on the go. Once you explore the top features of authoring tools which help to create immersive training content, then choosing the right one amongst them will not be a daunting task anymore.

Learning Management System Tools

Exploring the Topmost Learning Management System Tools

In today's fast-paced world, many organizations are leveraging the benefits of learning management systems to deliver engaging training experience. From serving as an online training platform to provide online courses to tracking learners' performance and delivering content on any mobile device, there are enormous benefits of using modern learning management system.

LMS Tools to Create Highly Effective and Engaging Online Courses

The intuitive LMS design also embeds different kinds of authoring tools to offer a personalized learning experience for globally dispersed audiences. Different types of learning management system tools are used to develop custom content, while PowerPoint based tools are used to host conferences and corporate meetings via the LMS.

The learning management system tools ensure to meet the personalized training needs of globally dispersed audiences and deliver a highly engaging learning experience. Let us discuss the top five eLearning authoring tools which can be used by organizations to stay ahead of the curve:

• Elucidat

It is an ideal elearning authoring tool to create custom training content for the LMS. Elucidat uses a pre-built template library to deliver an interactive experience for all. It supports a variety of options to customize training content as per the diverse learning styles, business needs, as well as review courses for all screen sizes. It enables the users to include interactivities by dragging and dropping text and media components to ecourses.

• Composica

A highly responsive and collaborative e learning authoring tool which helps to design eLearning courses, interactive games, and short quizzes using the browser. Composica also supports collaboration feature to allow users to interact with each other, share new ideas, and repurpose existing content. The robust SCORM compliant authoring tool gives the freedom to users to change the look and feel of the course as per their personalized learning styles and preferences.

• Office Mix

The LMS supports interactive content delivery by creating and sharing engaging presentations with the users. Office Mix also helps to embed voice recordings, polls, and simulations which can be viewed and accessed anytime through the LMS. It aids to control content accessibility, analyze how much time learners spend on each slide, and examine their overall progress.

• Articulate 

It is one of the most popular authoring tools which is used to develop training content for LMS portals. Articulate also supports a gamut of interactive and collaborative features to effectively create content, thereby driving optimal learner engagement and knowledge retention.

Technology is ever-evolving, so by investing your time and money in the latest learning management system tools, you can get the maximum out of the modern LMS to stay ahead of the curve.

Choosing Amongst Popular Learning Management System in India

Improving Learner Engagement, Retention, and Overall Performance

When it comes to training the modern workforce adequately, it becomes essential for organizations to choose amongst the best Learning Management Systems (LMS) in India. In today’s digital era, most of the enterprises utilize elearning management systems as a powerful platform to drive workforce engagement, retention, and enhance overall business value and reach.

Top Learning Management System in India

Organizations from different industry verticals can leverage benefits from modern elearning management systems. They deploy LMSs to facilitate training process, reinforce learning, and drive competitive success. In addition to corporate, even the higher education sector utilizes robust training platforms to train globally dispersed students as well as teachers. Litmos LMS, G-Cube LMS, Edmodo, Docebo, and others are amongst the leading learning management systems in India which cater to the training and development needs of corporate learners.

Highlighting Features of Popular Learning Management Systems in India 

While Docebo is a robust SaaS LMS which is used off-the-shelf as well as integrated with other systems. Its top features include Classroom Management, Blended Learning, Certificate Management, eCommerce, and more. On the other hand, Edmodo is effectively utilized by the education sector for student and staff training. Its top features include polling for students, track student progress, badges for good performers, mobile app personalization, and more. Litmos LMS is used by mid-market corporations to automate internal as well as external learning programs. The key features of this corporate LMS include- schedule live courses, intuitive UI, assessments, surveys, and more. When it comes to choosing amongst the most reliable, robust, and performance-driven learning management systems in India, G-Cube LMS serves as the perfect choice. Discussed below are some of the advanced features of this new-age e learning system used by multiple industries:

• Assessment engine

The powerful G-Cube LMS supports assessment engine feature which allows the admin to create a set of different types of questions including multiple-choice, true/false, fill in the blanks, match the following, and others. The admin creates an assessment based on varied job roles, styles, and preferences of learners to analyze their overall performance.

• Gamification

This feature enables the integration of engaging game elements (badges, scores, and points) with the elearning platform. As different training modules are accessible at various levels in the form of scenarios and quizzes, the overall experience becomes complete fun and engaging.

• Interactive User Interface (UI)

Users with varied roles- learner, admin, trainer, and manager access e learning systems to meet corporate training needs. An admin can customize the fonts, themes, and choose the language of their choice. The dashboard is interactive in a way that learners can log in on their personalized device and check the updated status on training completed upcoming training, progress report, and more.

• KPI-driven learning

KPI-driven automated delivery is one of the critical features of the new-age G-Cube LMS. The LMS seamlessly integrates with other existing systems such as Human Resources Management System (HRMS), Sales Management Systems, and more. Based on the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) fetched from these systems, the LMS creates performance metrics and accordingly assign courses to meet the personalized needs.

In addition to the above, the top learning management systems in India support other incredible features including elearning management and certification, mobile apps, automated reporting & tracking, classroom training management, collaborative learning, streaming video library, integration, spaced learning, and others. On the whole, the focus is to utilize a robust elearning platform as a strategic tool to boost overall learner performance, engagement, knowledge retention, and business growth.

E Learning Management System for Automobile

E Learning Management System Increasing Salesforce Performance and Driving Competitive Success

With changing dynamics of the new-age workforce, automobile companies are utilizing modern e learning management system to train the extended workforce, including sales employees, dealers, customers, and others. Today, the automotive industry faces ample challenges such as huge employee base, need to deliver practical know-how, and bridge skills gaps. 

E Learning Management System For Automobile Industry

                    

As most of the sales and dealer employees work from remote locations, it becomes imperative to deploy an e learning management system, which is robust, mobile-friendly, and easy to access. Several automobile companies utilize modern e-learning platforms to track their workforce progress, streamline training process, and boost overall organizational performance.

The automotive industry is one of the fastest growing sectors, where employee training is a significant concern. Discussed below are various challenges of traditional classroom-based training approach:

• The vast employee base of the organization makes instructor-led training costly and time-consuming.

• To cater to the evolving learning needs of extended workforce is a daunting task.

• The need to deliver training which helps the workforce to gain relevant knowledge, bridge skills gaps, and boost overall performance.

To address these challenges, the e learning management system leverage a gamut of benefits. These include:

• The robust e learning systems are utilized to deliver salesforce training on soft skills, time management, onboarding, sales enablement, and more.

• Online learning platforms are also seamlessly integrated with Dealer Management Systems (DMS) to deliver training anytime and anywhere. The e learning management system (LMS) analyzes employee data and creates Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to monitor the overall performance of sales professionals.

• Based on the KPI data, the e learning management system and elearning system automatically assigns the right kind of training course to the intended learners. KPI-based learning helps to boost the overall levels of workforce engagement, knowledge retention, and performance.

• The new-age e learning management system serves as an efficient learning and performance platform, e learning management system, which also organizes workforce upliftment and promotion programs to encourage the Salesforce to learn more and perform better. It also provides periodic online assessments and refreshers for Salesforce to take a quick review of content at the point of need and reinforce learning.

• Different types of training courses uploaded on the e learning management system and e learning platform align with the diverse job roles and preferences of individuals. The successful training delivery tailored to specific goals enables the workforce to learn at their own pace, bridge skills-gaps, and improve overall performance.

• Modern e learning systems also support effective knowledge management through real-time social collaboration and archiving. The workforce can easily access the repository comprising of documents, short videos, and conversations at their own pace of time and convenience.

Today, the automobile companies are deploying modern e learning management system to reach on the next technological curve and cater to the changing needs of customers who are mobile-friendly, time-conscious, and tech-savvy. Also, the new-age online learning systems are increasingly used to improve knowledge competency and workforce performance to meet individual as well as organizational goals.

5 Styles of Video-based Learning: Optimizing Learner Engagement, Knowledge Retention, and Workforce Performance

Today, videos are becoming a staple approach to deliver modern workforce training. Video-based learning is now the trending buzz and their shorter and engaging nature is transforming the way people learn. As modern learners have short attention span, short bursts of videos are delivered to enable learners easily digest new information. So, it is important to ensure that right kind of video content is delivered to learners at the right point of time. The incorporation of videos with e-learning courses is no more optional, but a basic training need. 

Organizations need to choose the best kind of video to cater to the pertinent learning needs of the new-age workforce. The topmost styles of video-based learning for varied learning needs are discussed as follows:

1. Demonstration videos

The process of recording demo videos holds the potential to guide employees on how to perform in real-life workplace scenarios. For instance, if training requires the workforce to bridge the skills-gaps, animated or recorded videos can demonstrate skills that learners imbibe. Video allow the learners to pause, play, rewind, or slow down the playing speed, thereby enabling them to learn at their own pace of time and convenience.

2. Contextual videos

The contextual videos fit perfect when the training content is theoretical in nature. These help to reduce the rigidity of text-heavy courses and increase overall engagement level. Also, such kind of video is useful when the training course is new or unfamiliar for the learners as going through a lengthy document make the learners feel bored.

3. Analogy videos 

Analogies aid learners improve their cognitive thinking skills to perform better in real life. These videos are more impactful when there is a need to explain new concepts or procedures. Also, while explaining multiple concepts within a single course, videos help to jump from one topic to another, resulting in improved learner engagement and knowledge retention.

4. Illustrative videos

Illustrations improve the clarity of training content, ensuring that learners have a clear understanding of specific topics. When there is limited bandwidth, videos created using graphics and illustrations are lightweight and easily delivered anytime, anywhere, and on any mobile device.

5. Learner generated videos

Internet can be utilized to facilitate knowledge sharing through learner generated videos. By uploading personalized videos, learners leverage the opportunity to collaborate with their peers, encourage thought leadership, and boost interest of different learners’ groups.

Undoubtedly, video-based learning goes a long way in providing effective training. By incorporating videos, e-learning courses can leave a great impact and the overall workplace training experience can be retained for a longer period.

5 Tips to Create and Deliver the Right E-learning Content- Utilizing the 'Goldilocks Principle'

With changing corporate training demands of modern learners, the need to deliver the right kind of training content is becoming evident. There is a fairy tale of a small girl named Goldilocks, who avoids the porridge bowls that are too cold or too hot. Instead, she prefers choosing the one which is just right and moderate. This concept is also applicable for workplace training where employees choose e-courses that cater to their pertinent learning needs.

• Too hot content: The text-heavy online training courses are very boring, resulting in poor learner engagement and retention levels.

• Too cold content: When e-courses lack relevant information, it gives a negative impact on the overall learner performance and knowledge retention.

• Just right content: Different learners have different training needs from onboarding and compliance to sales enablement, skills development, and more.  Therefore, it is essential to deliver the right content to the targeted learners which result in improved employee participation and workplace competency.

What is the Right E-learning Content? 

It is crucial for organizations to provide e-learning courses that meet their personalized needs. There are several tips for designing just the right kind of training content. These include:

• Understand the audience

The initial step is to understand the type of audience and their custom training needs. So, it becomes crucial for trainers and managers to choose the right topics for the right learners through surveys, group discussions, and assessments.

• Create digestible content

If you talk about applying the Goldilocks principle in e-learning, then creating an easy to access and quick to digest training content is essential. For instance, short and crisp chunks of information can be delivered across mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones, enabling learners to digest information anytime and anywhere.

• Design the content right

Sometimes, even a perfect training course is considered too hot because of its poor design structure. A clutter-free design is preferred while creating training modules which boosts the overall learning experience. Also, engaging elements such as avatars and tool tips are embedded with e-courses to aid learners easily access every module, engage better, and progress more during the program.

• Reduce choice overload

Once you choose the relevant topics of training, the next important factor is to ask the learners whether they are prepared to apply what they learned in real-life scenarios? Or whether the entire program focuses more on a specific module in comparison to others? The feedback from the learners helps organizations to bridge the gaps between the content created and training goals.

• Use additional resources

Additional resources are also added with e-courses, enabling learners to explore the content of their choice at their own pace. These may include videos, external links, tutorials, and more which maintain learners’ interest and avoid boredom through the entire course.

The above-discussed tips focus both on understanding the bespoke training needs and creating the content in the right way. Modern learners readily engage with the right training content, leading to increased levels of participation, retention, and overall learning uptake.

Suggested Further Reading: Using the Goldilocks Principle in Your E-learning Courses by Damian

Retail, Healthcare, Aviation, and More: Top Industries Adopting Simulation-based Learning Approach for Corporate Training

As the workforce is getting smarter and the business environment is becoming more dynamic, organizations are adopting strategies to upskill their employees and improve overall on-the-job performances. The modern corporate world is increasing focus towards delivering simulation-based learning solutions to develop employee skills, boost knowledge retention, and pave towards ways which boost business growth. Industries such as retail, healthcare, education, and more, are expected to drive the scope of simulations to train their modern workforce.

Let us discuss the benefits of simulation-based learning approach in various industries:

• Retail

With technological advancement, the scope of simulations to train the retail workforce is increasing. An immersive simulated training environment helps to improve the overall product awareness, customer retention, and business sales. Whether it is about seeking customer attention, training new hires or more, simulations in e-learning help managing real-life scenarios at the workplace. For instance, retail companies can easily showcase any situation to the new hires through simulations, thereby helping them to understand the new work environment, industry compliance, work culture, and more.

• Aviation

Undoubtedly, training in the aviation industry is costly, and therefore simulations serve as a viable solution, making learning more affordable and accessible. Airline companies utilize a wide range of advanced virtual reality technologies such as 360 degrees headsets, full-motion headsets, and more. These also aid to train the aviation staff on crew operations, aircraft maintenance, inspection, and more. The virtual environment helps employees to practice in a complex work environment and improve their overall workplace efficiency.

• Healthcare

Simulations in the healthcare domain help to replace the actual surgical scenario and replicate crucial aspects of the real world interactively. Highly interactive 3D elements help the learners to understand the content better. Learners can imagine themselves in familiar situations and can recall better, as well as assimilate the new learning process.

Simulations in e-learning are ready to shift the entire Learning and Development landscape of the corporate environment. L&D teams are now involved in creating simulated e-learning solutions aligned with evolving training needs. Simulations hold the potential to replace the boring classroom lectures with immersive communication. In a nutshell, simulations help the new-age workforce to learn from their mistakes, gain hands-on experience and enhance their overall performance. By using simulations for different scenarios, organizations help their workforce to engage better, retain for long, and achieve expected results.