Ladies and gentlemen, hold on tight because the latest release of Totara LMS is taking workplace learning to a whole new level. That’s right, Totara 17 is here and it’s packed with a host of game-changing features. It will transform the way your organisation creates employee development plans. Let’s dive into the new upgrades, developments and how you as managers can make the most of this awesome platform.

Introduction to Totara 17

Think of Totara 17 as the Swiss Army Knife of workplace learning – it’s got everything you need to supercharge your teams’ training programs and drive employee performance to new heights. And trust us, as one of the leading brands in learning management systems, we know a thing or two about what works in the world of workplace development.

Enhanced Competency Management System

With Totara 17, you’ll have access to an enhanced competency management system. The system makes it easier than ever to define and track the skills, knowledge, and behaviours required for job roles. You’ll be able to see, at a glance, where your employees stand, what they need to do to become experts in their fields and curate personalised employee development plans.

Driving Performance with Totara 17

But Totara 17 isn’t just about tracking skills – it’s also about driving performance. That’s why we at Webanywhere are excited about the new performance management system in Totara 17. This powerful tool gives you a centralised process for evaluating employee performance, setting goals, and ensuring continuous improvement.

Learning Environment

Of course, Totara 17 isn’t just about competencies and performance. It’s also about creating an engaging learning environment that encourages collaboration and knowledge sharing between teams. That’s why the new release includes multi-device support, customisable dashboards, and a social learning platform that makes it easy for employees to connect, learn, and grow together.

This new release has everything you need to supercharge your teams’ training programs and drive employee performance to new heights. 

Unleash the power of the beast with Webanywhere! Get in touch to elevate your workplace learning with Totara 17. 

Hey Development Managers! Are you looking to take your workplace to new heights? Look no further than Totara LMS!  Totara is one awesome platform for levelling up your skills and with Webanywhere’s personalised LMS solutions, you’ll be able to harness the power of this platform and supercharge your team’s employee development. In this article, we are spilling the tea on the best tips and tricks to make your workplace learning experience the bomb. We’ll show you why you should trust our dedicated learning solutions, how to master the tools, rock collaboration, stay on top of your game with organisation, and make the most of all the resources available. Get ready to level up your workplace game!

Toolbox Treasures 

Our learning platform has a whole bunch of ’em, from forums to wikis to quizzes and more. Make sure you know what each tool is for and how to use it to its fullest. For example, forums are a great way to chat with colleagues and work together on projects. And quizzes are a fun way to test your team’s knowledge and track their progress. Don’t forget to check out all the features each tool has to offer – like setting up notifications for forums to stay in the loop.

Collaboration Central

Our LMS gives teams plenty of opportunities to work together and create a dynamic learning environment. Get involved in forums and discussions, share your thoughts, and get feedback from your team members. For group projects, set clear goals, divvy up tasks, and establish regular check-ins.

Organisation Overlord 

Let’s talk about staying organised, yep, everyone struggles with this at some point or another but we have got your back. Our LMS system helps you set up a personal study plan with dedicated study time, a to-do list, and regular review of course materials. And you can use the calendar feature to keep track of deadlines and upcoming tasks.

Tailored Experience

At Webanywhere, we get it. Personalisation is key when it comes to e-learning. That’s why we offer custom solutions tailored to your organisation’s unique needs and goals. Our Totara LMS is all about giving each employee their own custom experience. Whether it’s a custom dashboard or a tailored study plan, we’ve got you covered. And the fun doesn’t stop there! We add a touch of gamification, encourage social learning, and even make sure our platform is mobile-friendly. All so you can have the best possible e-learning experience with us!

We also have a bunch of resources and support services to help your team along the way. From a user guide to online forums to interactive tutorials, make sure your team takes advantage of everything that’s available through the platform. And if you run into any issues, the support team at Webanywhere is always there to help.

So, that’s it! With the right tools and a positive attitude, you and your team’s employee development will be unstoppable on our tailor made LMS Solution. Let’s do this!

If you’d like to know more, don’t forget to get in touch! We love chatting about all things training and development solutions!

Introduction

What are the National Apprenticeship Reforms?

Under the National Apprenticeship Reforms, the Government wants to give employers in England:

• Control in designing apprenticeships;
• Flexibility of delivery;
• A simplified funding system; and
• More effective training for their apprentices.

To achieve these aims, some employers will be required to contribute to a new apprenticeship levy and there will be changes to the funding for apprenticeship training for all employers.

Perspectives: Why are the reforms happening?

Government research shows that economic benefits are generated when education and training helps individuals to achieve a higher level of qualification, increasing their employment prospects, productivity and wages.

Employers

82% of employers surveyed said they were satisfied with the apprenticeship programme and 70% reported that apprenticeships improved the quality of their product or service.

The cost of apprenticeship training pays for itself within one or two years of completion, through the increased productivity of the former apprentice.

Apprentices

Apprentices are also clear that their apprenticeships have increased their productivity and
prospects. 85% of apprentices said their ability to do the job had improved, and 83% said their career prospects had improved.

Taxpayers

Apprenticeships provide a typical return of £26–£28 for every £1 of Government investment in apprenticeships at levels 2 and 3.

In other words, the Government sees apprenticeships providing excellent value for money for the taxpayer.

As a training provider, how do I fit in?

Government

|

Skills Funding Agency (Digital Apprenticeship Service)

|

Awarding Bodies

|

Private training companies/colleges

|

Employer-provider training centres

|

Subcontractors

Employer-provider

So … if an employer wishes to be the sole training provider (i.e train apprentices themselves), they have to register on the register of apprenticeship training providers and enter into a contractual agreement with the SFA.

Other training providers

If the employer sub-contracts some/all of the training to another approved provider (i.e. you) they will act as the ‘main’ provider.

The employer will pay for the services from the funding released from the SFA for the training for the relevant apprentice.

Therefore, if you are:

• an employer-provider (i.e. an employer who is setting up their own training function)
• a private training provider
• a college,

you will be keen to meet the SFA requirements in order to release levy funding from the Digital Apprenticeship Service and get paid.

How Can I Meet The Skills Funding Agency Requirements?

In order to release funding, you will have to satisfy the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) reporting requirements.

These include monthly data requests regarding the apprentices in order that you can get paid and claim any incentives due (i.e. recruiting a 16 to 18 year old apprentice).

• Reporting duties will include:
• the details of the apprentice and the apprenticeship;
• the cost of the apprenticeship;
• whether additional support is needed;
• tracking the progress of learners and their outcomes; and
• when they have completed their apprenticeship.

Traditional methods have entailed compiling paper copy evidence of learner progress (i.e. classroom register checklists, self certification) for analysis.

Unfortunately, while this may provide a tracking snapshot of the status of any apprentice’s learning plan, it also has many drawbacks:

• It takes time and resource to collate the various records.
• Paper records can easily go missing.
• Can you rely on all your apprentices to self-certify their training honestly?

Ultimately, every training provider needs to engage, track, record in order to encourage apprenticeship to complete their training.

How To Encourage And Engage Apprentices To Complete Their Training

The Government is championing innovative solutions to upskill the workforce of tomorrow. eLearning has been highlighted as part of a blended learning solution which employers can use to train their apprentices.

In order for you to release funding from the levy, learners ultimately need to complete the requisite training.

Currently, it is expected that the target figure is a minimum of 62% of apprentices successfully completing their apprenticeship.

In 2018, this expectation will rise to a minimum of 65%.

A good apprenticeship eLearning platform will incentivise learners to progress and complete their training.

Conclusion

The apprenticeship shake up means that 2018 is a great opportunity for training providers to engage with the reforms and roll out effective programmes. However, if providers only take the minimum action on the key dates they will not fully maximise on payment opportunities.

The message is clear. Flexibility and innovation are key.

The Government has stated that employers can choose many methods to provide apprenticeship training by subcontracting (including those subcontractors subcontracting) some or all of the training. Therefore a collaborative approach is encouraged with an emphasis on blended learning (i.e. a program that combines the provision of traditional classroom methods with online learning).

Ultimately, apprentices need to be engaged with their learning in order to be motivated to progress and complete their training. If the provider does not think about the individual learner and how they learn then ultimately they will fail to engage, retain and more importantly, take the apprentice to the completion of their training.

It is only when an apprentice has completed the relevant course and the various requirements met to the
satisfaction of the SFA that a training provider will have been successful as a trainer and a business.

I’m always a little trepidatious whenever I have to do some elearning. Like most people, I expect, I’m doing it because I have to and not necessarily because I want to. Unfortunately, there is some dreadful elearning out there and it’s almost certainly guaranteed to make my eyelids heavy and I literally have to fight dozing off. When I reach the end, I ask myself if I enjoyed it, well, to be more honest, I ask myself this question all the time as I’m going through it. I want to enjoy it, I really do, but it’s like a fuel gauge on a gas guzzler and that “enjoyment” needle just keeps dropping. No, the real main question I ask myself is what did I learn and what – even more important – can I remember? You know you can read a paragraph or a page and then think to yourself that you haven’t taken in a single word? Well, that’s an elearning consequence too.

I think Elearning’s been a victim of a “pack it high and sell it cheap” philosophy, with little thought into what can be done to make it engaging. Just bung in the content, get that box ticked and we can all go home. Clearly, this is untenable, particularly when elearning is not cheap – although it can, and should be, cost effective.

So, here are my seven tips to transform this elearning dystopia:

1. Making it stick

Have an introductory sting that makes the learner sit up and think, “oh, this could be interesting”. Certainly, if audio is used, a very short burst of music can help to achieve this. (To prevent irritation – as overexposure can achieve, it could be played only on first entry into the course)

2. Aesthetics is essential

Have graphics that look the part, exciting, fresh and vibrant. Now, I know there’s an awful lot of compliance-based, financial elearning out there, and how many times can you show a pile of coins or a wedge of notes? But that is boring. Go for a completely different graphical theme. Why does it have to be images of money? Think outside of the box and find a better way to grab your learner’s attention.

3. The importance of video

Use animations and video to convey information and to help explain. It is quite true that a picture paints a thousand words.

4. New sound

Returning to audio as this is now so commonly used in elearning – make sure you use an “interesting voice”. That said, make sure the audio is interruptable. You will quickly lose your audience’s attention if they have to listen to too much. (There is another question, left for another day, of why, given that the majority of people read more quickly than it takes to listen to the same text, do we use audio in the first place; like I said, that’s a blog for another occasion.)

5. Engaging

Grab your learner’s attention with a meaningful challenge if you can. Get them to think about something, so ask or present it in a challenging way. Scenario-based elearning is great for this, as are “what would happen if…..” type questions.

6. Cram

Use the available screen space judiciously – never cram too much onto a screen so it looks crowded – maintain readability at all costs. Regarding text, keep the language friendly – I’ve heard it said that because the subject is academic, so the language must be suitably academic. But this, I think, is misguided, and it puts style over substance; I’m for substance any day of the week. Use a nice font – make sure it’s not too big or too small – it’s harder to read text on a screen than it is on paper. Causes eye strain. You could engage your learner by saying, “Right, that’s enough for now – grab a beverage and come back later”!

7. Keep learners hooked

After you’ve grabbed your learner’s attention, keep them hooked by treating them like a person and giving them respect. By this, I mean, don’t ask them a trite question or one where the answers are obvious. Interactions are all well and good, and a lot of noise is made about how there must be an interaction every few screens. But why? If the learner is engaged in the course, but there simply is no sensible interaction to ask at that moment, don’t include one just for its own sake. That said, I recently had to show a table (the sort with rows and columns), and I could have just shown it and expected the learner to passively read it, but I wanted the learner to actively engage with it, so I turned the whole thing into a row by row interaction. Get them to think for a bit!

8. Empathy

Here’s a free, bonus point – it’s a surprise as you were only expecting 7, and you’re possibly going to remember it all the better for it. Put yourself in your learner’s shoes – if you don’t find it engaging you, why should a learner?

Businesses all over the world carry out training in different ways. No matter which approach they adopt, the key trend within the cosmetics industry is that self-expression is encouraged in all areas of work, especially when learning. Whether this be in-store or in office, it’s no surprise given that these businesses are centred around creativity. What is surprising though, is the range of directions each company has taken this mantra in. From traditional training to blended learning, to the even more out-there approaches, cosmetics businesses are seeing one of the most diverse selections of corporate learning programmes in action.

MAC Cosmetics

At the more traditional end of the scale, MAC Cosmetics has been working with familiar styles of classroom training, and operates in light of a strong code of conduct. This makes for a more ethical stance on training, which is renewed every year for those in managerial positions to make sure their values are being maintained through learning. As one of the companies that pioneers self-expression above all else, it seems strange that they adhere to an older model. However, from reviews it seems that this approach is having a positive effect on workers; as the saying goes, don’t try to fix something if it isn’t broken.

Clinique

Clinique places consistent, ongoing training at the top of their list to ingrain learning into their every day. People speak of the emphasis on technical training compared to other cosmetics companies, implying a more thorough learning experience when you start working with them. This would equip employees with a better understanding of how their business is run, especially when paired with the daily support so highly reviewed by staff. In fact, with Clinique’s long and rigorous interview process, potential employees are encouraged to assess strengths and weaknesses, and begin learning before they’ve even gotten the job. All with the aim of moving towards success, Clinique maintains a persistent training scheme from day zero.

L’Oréal

Here we see a true blended approach to corporate learning, where L’Oréal are committed to providing the best development for their staff, regardless of their position or the country they’re in. According to their website, they’ve set out a goal to make sure all employees have at least one training session a year by 2020. It seems they’ll be on the way to meet this target, as the statistics show that 77% of employees was already benefiting from these sessions in 2016 with the help of their online training portal ‘My Learning’. Where their true innovation lies however, is in their digital Klaxoon box which allows for interactive learning during classroom training sessions.

Lush

It is ethical beauty giant Lush, however, who employ the most unique corporate learning strategy. Aside from the amazing rewards scheme is offers all employees to spur on knowledge and engagement, their strength really lies in their programme that turns managers into leaders. With their catch phrase being ‘leading teams the lush way’, it’s no surprise that Lush uses theatre based training- an entirely unique concept- to train their staff. One article how they simulate real life situations into theatrical scenarios and interactive workshops throughout the year so that employees can live values they endorse.

References:
Glassdoor.co.uk
Maccosmetics.co.uk
Esteelaudercareers.com
Sharingbeautywithall.loreal.com
Personneltoday.com
lush.co.uk

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Online learning continues to become the preferred option for learning and development professionals worldwide due to the multiple advantages it carries over traditional ‘class-based’ learning. However, the freedom and flexibility provided leaves many people without a done-for-you learning strategy that tells them exactly what concepts need to be mastered and the order in which this must be done. Based on extensive research and hands-on experience with multiple companies, professional education providers and government organizations, Webanywhere proposes a framework that professionals can apply to their development and learning strategy. This framework will allow one to consistently learn new information while staying up to date with the latest trends and innovations within their industry.

BACKGROUND

In the 21st century, there has been an exponential rise in the development and use of online learning courses by professionals seeking to gain a competitive edge. According to the Online Learning Consortium, nearly 6 million people are enrolled in online courses delivered by universities. This number does not factor in programs which are informally offered and taught by entities outside of academia. For example, Khan Academy is a non-profit educational organization which provides high-quality educational learning to learners in the form of personalised videos and exercises used to apply the lessons being taught. Udemy is another prominent global leader in the online learning industry, allowing accomplished professionals to create self-paced courses that teach users new skills at a low cost.

There are many different ways in which online courses are defined and discussed, such as the term “Massive Open Online Course” (MOOC). The Massachusetts Institute of Technology popularized this term – and the rise of online learning in colleges and universities – when they provided courses in the early 2010s which were freely available through YouTube videos or as downloaded content on iTunes. Due to the popularity generated by this decision, demand for online learning became extremely high and lead to the creation of several innovative startups, such as Skillshare and Udacity. The rise in demand can be explained by several factors.

Firstly, there are significant savings in costs for both learners and trainers. Recent research from the University of the Potomac reveals that the total average cost of an online degree is $30,000, compared to $85,000 for a traditional 4-year degree. It’s worth noting that the latter does not factor in additional fees such as residence living, purchase of additional supplies, food, transportation, and many other costs which a learner must typically cover. Learners can receive a high-quality education from the convenience of their computers, so long as they have a stable and reliable Internet connection. From the perspective of a trainer, many of the materials used for online courses (worksheets, videos, quizzes, etc.) can be continually repurposed for different learning contexts. This saves a significant amount of time and effort required to create online courses, and update them whenever new knowledge arises in one’s respective field.

Secondly, online learning allows for a more informal and interactive type of learning that allows for superior performance in comparison to those receiving traditional face-to-face instruction. This phenomenon can be explained by the classic “70:20:10 learning model”, which is defined as follows: 70% of learning is experience-based (i.e. on the job), 20% of learning is social-based and comes from peer-to-peer interactions, and the remaining 10% comes from formal “classroom” learning. Not only does online learning blend all three learning methods together, but it also places a far heavier emphasis on experienced-based and social-based learning. Online learning allows self-motivated professionals to directly apply their newfound and improve skills at a faster pace, as they have the freedom to choose how to do so. Additionally, online learning provides a convenient opportunity for peer-to-peer knowledge sharing. Information can be easily shared, and there are millions of people who have had to previously acquire the knowledge and develop the skills which one seeks. A learning professional can simply search for the information they seek, read through it and take immediate action on it.

Another benefit of online learning lies in the freedom and flexibility it provides to learners. Learners are able to access the course materials at any time and any place from multiple devices. Not only does this reduce the costs needed to travel or purchase new equipment, but it allows individuals to pick the medium that allows for maximum engagement and retention of the learning material. It also boosts worker productivity due to the fact that learning can be planned around a work schedule, instead of the other way around. This means less time spent away from productive work, giving employers the security knowing that employees can enjoy self-paced learning at their own convenience without falling behind on important work tasks.

Last but certainly not least, online learning is welcoming towards learners of different types and speeds. An individual may find that they need more personalized instruction, frequent interaction with other learners and more time to learn key concepts. This allows professionals to learn in a way that utilizes their specific strengths and their personal preferences. This adds greater motivation and positivity to the learning experience, thereby ensuring a consistent learning pace and successful application of the learning material into the real world. Thanks to the availability of videos, audio files and interactive transcripts, a learning & development professional can understand content quickly and easily using their preferred learning style.

HOW TO BUILD AN EFFECTIVE LEARNING STRATEGY

Despite the many benefits offered to professionals by online learning, it does not change the age-old problem of learner failure. When learners are directly asked about their reasons for failing courses and dropping courses, the top 3 reasons are as follows: Motivation, study habits and academic preparedness. From extensive experience involving direct work with several learning organizations across multiple industries, an effective learning and development strategy is the single-best tool for addressing all three reasons.

An effective learning strategy addresses the problem of motivation because it provides a specific and tangible target to strive for and hopefully achieve. It defines the type of information that must be gathered, how a certain type of learning will advance an individual’s goals while aligning with their needs (or those of the organization they belong to), and the timeline by which one will consistently engage with the learning material. This strategy is critical to develop before any kind of learning, as it will avoid wasting time and money.

Study habits are a major problem for learners because they are built and developed through consistency. A well-designed and executing learning strategy breaks down the learning process into smaller, manageable chunks. In doing so, learners will feel less overwhelmed by the learning process and find it easier to consistently do a set amount of work each day.

Finally, an effective learning strategy encourages academic preparedness by forcing professionals to gain control of their own education. One will come to the realization that the success they achieve in their industry is entirely up to them and no else. As such, they are responsible for the outcomes they set out to achieve, and the only way to maximize their chances of success is to always be prepared.

While everyone will develop and act upon their own individualized learning strategy that works best for them, it has been observed that there are some best practices commonly seen in effective learning strategies used by a variety of professionals. Webanywhere has compiled and presented these practices in this white paper, with the hopes that the reader will be able to craft a learning strategy which is specific to their industry, their learning preferences and their goals.

Best Practice #1: Setting Clearly Defined Learning Goals

One of the best pieces of advice used by highly effective talent managers is to ‘start with the end in mind’, also stated as ‘starting from the outside in’. We have personally found that this same advice is relevant to learning professionals when they start crafting their learning strategies. It involves looking at the specific outcomes you would like to have achieved in the near future, and working backwards to figure out how you can get to that future from where you are right now.

Here are some questions to ask when brainstorming your goals:

What exactly do you (or your organization) want to achieve? This can include greater revenue, reduced waste of costs and time spent on certain activities, more resources allocated to marketing and sales, better hiring practices, and so on.
What is the timeframe in which you want to achieve these goals? Make the date as specific as possible (ex. “I will improve my salesmanship skills and help double my company’s revenue in six months’ time from now, which will be December 21, 2017).
Why do you want to achieve the goal(s)? Specifically, how is it relevant to you (and/or your organization)?

If you find yourself stuck, a good goal-setting model to follow is the SMART framework, defined as follows:

• Specific – What EXACTLY do you want? Be as specific and detailed as possible. Use the 5 W’s to help guide your answer (Who/What/When/Where/Why).
• Measurable – What metrics will you use to measure and track your progress?
• Achievable – Is your goal realistic and possible for you to achieve? There’s a difference between being ambitious and aiming for the impossible.
• Relevant – Is your goal actually relevant to your needs? Will it help you achieve what you want, or what somebody else thinks you want?
• Timely – Do you have deadlines and milestones set in place that can be reasonably met? Your goal is only a dream until it is written on paper and committed to.

Avoid spending an excessive amount of time documenting the strategy. You should spend no more than a few hours putting this strategy together, as it will change over time with new information you acquire and a shift in perspective you could not have anticipated earlier. The most important part is to start with a rough plan, act upon it, see what needs to be adjusted after some time, and change your course. An effective learning strategy recognizes that there is a constant cycle of action, learning, and improvement that repeats itself many times.

Best Practice #2: Finding The Appropriate Resources

With learning goals properly set in place, it will become far easier and quicker for one to seek out the educational resources they need. One of the most common problems experienced by self-motivated learners is information overload. Although there is an overwhelming abundance of information published every day on the Internet, much of it often contradicts one another or ends up being outdated. Therefore, one most exercise selective attention on resources that are credible and relevant to their specific learning goals.

Here are some questions worth considering as you gather the appropriate resources:

• What skills do I need to develop in order to meet my goals?
• What new knowledge is required to achieve my goals?
• Which sources will I extract knowledge from? How will I ensure that I am only looking at up-to-date and accurate information?
• Who are the experts, mentors and coaches I should be speaking to?
• Exactly how much will it cost to acquire all the resources I need? Can I realistically afford this cost?
• How much time will it take to acquire the resources? Is this amount of time reasonable, or is too little (or too much) to get everything I need to start learning?

Some learning and development professionals may have the added convenience of working under employers who will gladly fund their self-education initiatives. However, being able to put together a well-written proposal that answers all of the above questions – while showing the return on investment that will result from additional learning – increases the likelihood that one will get the financial and moral support required.

Best Practice #3: Using An Organized System To Store Learning Materials & Notes

The U.S Army is a prime example of how one should go about organizing, managing and sharing any new knowledge acquired: “After every important activity or event, Army teams review assignments, identify successes and failures, and seek ways to perform better the next time”.

Being able to have a reliable process for the capture, storage and sharing of new knowledge acquired will be a helpful asset for learning professionals. More importantly, it will allow them to collaborate with other professionals and create an interactive learning experience.

To start, one needs to have a single location where notes can be reliably held. Whether this is in a program like Evernote which allows the user to create and store notes as they wish, or organizing them into a single well-labelled folder, it needs to be consistently used for all note-taking endeavors. Pointlessly searching for lost notes will only lead to wasted time and delayed progress.

Additionally, one should make backups of their notes on a frequent basis. Survey data from BackBlaze reveals that 1 in every 4 computer owners will lose all of their data if their computer crashes, or if it is lost or stolen from them. At least once a week, copies and/or backups of notes should be performed, and backups should be stored in a reliable place that can be easily accessed for instant retrieval in the case of an unfortunate accident.

Please note that this should not be a lengthy or complicated process. Spend just a few minutes deciding where you will keep your notes and how you will organize them, and then stick to it. Having a note-organization strategy that you can use and maintain with minimal effort and thought is an integral part of an effective learning strategy.

Best Practice #4: Plan A Daily Studying Schedule

Due to the self-paced nature of online learning, it is easy for one to fall victim to distractions and procrastination behaviours. According to various statistics on worker productivity, employees spend an average of 96 minutes a day being distracted and require 15 minutes to regain full focus after becoming distracted. Often times, this happens when a clearly defined learning schedule is not prepared in advance.

An effective, tried-and-true strategy used by successful learners in online learning courses is to consistently study for a set amount of time each day. For example, one might decide that 7:00am-8:30am will be the daily time period that is reserved for nothing else but learning. All distractions (email, phone, social media, etc.) are turned off and a specific outcome is defined for that daily time period.

You may need to allocate more time, and spread out your studying over the course of the entire day. The amount of time available to you will be dependent upon your current (and future) commitments, and the timeline by which you must finish an online learning course.

By setting up a daily studying schedule which you consistently stick to, you will develop the unbreakable habit of learning. It will not be a productive use of your time and effort, short-term or long-term, to have periods of exceptional productivity followed by periods of exceptional inactivity.

Best Practices #5: Maintain Good Health

A study published in the Journal of Nutrition & Food Sciences in 2015 regarding college students and healthy lifestyles revealed that a little under 50% of students sleep 7-9 hours a day, eat a healthy diet and exercise frequently. Maintaining good mental and physical health will be a key component of your success, as it will affect your ability to stay focused, comprehend difficult information and retain it in your memory.

While a discussion about healthy lifestyle habits is beyond the scope of this white paper, we highly recommend you find the habits that allow you to stay healthy. This can include drinking more water throughout the day to stay hydrated, eating healthy and nutritious foods at meals, and exercising for 30-60 minutes at least 3 times a week. Please consult your trusted physician and/or dietitian to see what options will work best for you.

Best Practice #6: Take Strategic Study Breaks

There are an increasing number of studies showing that it is detrimental to study for several hours at a time without any intermittent breaks. More specifically, doing so reduces one’s ability to concentrate or retain information they have read. A common strategy used by high-achieving learners is to take smaller breaks during a study session.

An example of this principle in action would be to study in a focused manner for 50 minutes, and then take a quick break for 10 minutes before studying for another 50 minutes. It will allow learners to be productive for the majority of the day, while taking opportune moments to refresh and recharge their energy levels. There are some variations on this rule, such as the Pomodoro Technique (work for 25 minutes, rest for 5 minutes). Find the optimal ratio of working to resting that works best for you and your workload.

Additionally, it is helpful to schedule larger blocks of free time in your week where you can socialize and engage in fun, relaxing activities. There is nothing inherently wrong with dedicating large amounts of time to studying, but one must also balance that out with periods of time for rejuvenation. It will reduce your stress levels and leave you feeling less anxious about the workload that lies ahead in the near future.

Best Practice #7: Set Aside Time To Implement What You Have Learned

In the corporate world, one of the major barriers to progress is the ‘knowing-doing gap’. It prevents executives and other employees within a corporation from executing on strategic priorities and initiatives. This same gap is present in learning and development professionals who struggle to achieve meaningful progress with their learning efforts.

Therefore, it is imperative that you think about how you are going to actually apply the information you are taking in. If you are going to spend a certain amount of studying, you need to spend at least an equal amount of time putting your studies into action. Albert Einstein was correct in saying that knowledge is power, but this is only true if that knowledge translates directly into action.

To avoid falling victim to the ‘knowing-doing gap’, pick a single idea from your studies that you are going to execute. Schedule a time to execute it, and make any observations about the outcome. You will then be able to learn what went right and what didn’t, and determine what improvements need to be made going forward. You have to learn, take action, correct your actions through further education, and then act again.

Things may not go perfectly as planned and this is perfectly normal. There is no way to anticipate in advance if something will happen exactly the way you expected it to. Paralysis through over-analysis will lead to learning for the sake of learning, leaving you with more knowledge while coming up empty on tangible changes made to your life.

It may feel slow and uncomfortable to execute on only one idea at a time, but over time it will end up being the fastest learning approach you can take. An effective learning strategy is one that is constantly re-optimized over time through a continuous cycle of planning, action, review and improvement.

Best Practice #8: Track The Results Of Your Learning

Building upon the previous best practice, you want to have a verifiable way for measuring the results achieved directly by the action you’ve taken as a result of your learning. In an article published by Training Journal titled “Build a winning L&D strategy”, one of the main factors discussed is impact. In other words, what is the exact impact you expect to see from the action you took? Are you expecting to see reduced costs, fewer errors made, reduced time to complete a task, increased revenues, or something else? In the same way you were specific in defining the outcome you wanted to achieve with your learning strategy, you must also be specific about the results you anticipate for the action you are taking.

Unless you are able to directly measure impact and provide real proof for it, you will find it very difficult to see meaningful results from your overall learning strategy. You may need to think carefully about the type of action you are taking and whether it can be measured in the first place. If you cannot measure the actions you execute on as a result of your learning, it might be a good idea to change the type of action you wish to take.

Best Practice #9: Stay Up To Date And Informed With Your Learning

Hermann Ebbinghaus was a German experimental psychologist who was able to successfully demonstrate the relationship between forgetting new information learned, and the passing of time. He found that this relationship can be expressed as a mathematical representation known as the ‘forgetting curve’:

(source)

The graph reveals several takeaways that are important for understanding the importance of regularly reviewing new information:

1. Learners find it easier to memorize materials that are meaningful or relevant to them than those that are meaningless or non-relevant.
2. The amount of time that learners take to learn dramatically increases with an increase in the amount of learning material.
3. Learners find it easier to relearn than to learn everything initially itself. Also, after each subsequent re-learning, learners take longer time to forget their learning.
4. Learners find learning more effective when it is spread out over time than when it is taken in a single marathon learning session.
5. Learners forget their learning most rapidly right after learning occurs. And, their forgetting slows down over time.

Based on this information, it is clear that an effective learning strategy must include scheduled time for regularly reviewing notes. Notes should be re-examined once a week under ideal conditions, and no less than once a month. A good time to do this would be at the end of the working week when one wraps up all work activities and makes plans for the upcoming week.

Additionally, a small block of time should be scheduled for educational reading. This means reading relevant publications, books and papers that provide up-to-date information on the developments in one’s industry. Attending educational conferences and seminars is also a good idea for professionals seeking to make rapid strides in their careers.

CONCLUSION

The key to creating and maintaining an effective learning & development strategy in 2018 is to follow the best practices that have been time-tested and proven to work in the real world. At Webanywhere, we have personally seen these practices lead to real changes and improvements for professionals who have the drive and the will to carve their own path within their respective sectors. We hope that you will be able to use these practices effectively and wisely in the creation of your own unique learning strategy.

ABOUT WEBANYWHERE

Webanywhere is an e-learning company based in the UK that was founded in 2003 to provide complete learning solutions to organizations worldwide. Since then, their operations have expanded to the US, UK and Europe. They presently employ over 150 people and have diversified to support over 3 million end-users around the world. Clientele include healthcare providers, businesses, not-for-profits and various government bodies. Learning Management Systems (LMS), Virtual Learning Environments (VLE), online learning platforms, and interactive apps for education and training are some of the services provided by Webanywhere.

To learn more about how Webanywhere can help you or your company take full advantage of learning technologies and e-learning solutions, email us at info@webanywhere.co.uk, contact us at 01535 604026 (US residents call 866-713-0496, UK residents call 0800 862 0131) or visit our website at www.webanywhere.com

Every year the non-profit organisation Towards Maturity releases their industry benchmark report on the world of Learning and Development in the UK, and this year’s findings make for some fascinating reading, particularly if you’re looking into updating or upgrading your system. Here are our top 5 findings from the report:

1. The Expectations are High

91% of Learning and Development Directors expect to improve their company’s productivity and engagement through their systems and plans. 88% expect to see improved business-responsiveness. These are the key, powerful areas that L&D is funded to improve, and are essentially how these departments justify their budget and resources. The fact that directors are assured they can deliver on these promises is a sign that we clearly have the self-belief within the industry that such improvements are attainable.

2. But we aren’t meeting those expectations yet

Of the 91% of directors who said they would deliver improved productivity and engagement, only 41% are actually doing anything about it. That’s a painfully high failure rate, with over half not being able to improve in the area that matters most to the business’s bottom line. When it comes to business-responsiveness the stats get worse, with only 24% achieving an improvement. We clearly believe that L&D can advance business, but achieving the results has proven to be trickier than simply knowing we can do it. Future L&D projects will need to focus around delivering results, rather than aspiring to them.

3. Those mastering L&D are reaping huge rewards

Looking through the report, you can see a drastic shift in how those considered to be in the top 10% are gaining so much more from their systems compared to the bottom quartile. A few stats show that the top L&D departments are:

• 3x more likely to say they are improving efficiency within their business.

• 5x more likely to state they’re improving employee-engagement and business responsiveness.

• 8x more likely to positively impact learning culture.

It’s plain to see that those ranked highly by Towards Maturity are gaining much from their plans, and should be aspired to by other L&D directors.

4. Some types of elearning are everywhere, but others need more support

90% of business use elearning content in their training which, while a great showing for L&D directors embracing technology, shows some lack of a full commitment to owning their elearning – only 79% are using an LMS. Having content is no match for a full system, and without backing it up with tracking, the weight of elearning’s strength is being lost. With other, more specialist features such as gamification and virtual simulation sitting at 31% adoption, there’s a rift between the things elearning can deliver and those willing to dedicate the resources to getting them in place.

5. The Self-Directed Learner has arrived.

One of the the best aspects of elearning is how individuals can take responsibility for their own learning and lead the way on their personal development. The modern worker is happy to embrace this philosophy too, with 88% wanting to learn at their own pace. Backed up with the finding that 87% know what learning they need to do, and you have a workforce awaiting empowerment – they just need to be told where the learning they need is in order to get it done.

Most readers will know that there are plenty of web tools and apps which are freely available to download. But while there are ever-increasing numbers of free resources, how many are actually of any use in making our lives easier, more productive or more efficient?

The irony is that while the supply of free resources is accelerating, the demand for these also seems to be growing in response to the need for more flexible, cheaper and on-demand applications. The problem is that even after hours of trawling the internet and reading numerous  blog entries (like this one!),  willing users may be no nearer to finding the right software tool for them.

One such example is the area of business presentation software. After the recent ‘Death by PowerPoint’ uprising, and the advancement of new web 2.0 tools, users are scanning the marketplace for solutions that not only extend their presentation capabilities, but provide real audience engagement and drive the changes in behaviour that are desired outcomes for most business presenters.

This is of particular importance for HR and Training Managers that use Learning Management Systems (LMS) within their organisation. Since an LMS is designed to track and report on individuals’ progress, sometimes it is beneficial to create learning plans that incorporate a variety of tools within the learning environment as opposed to repeatedly force-feeding a SCORM activity with the standard reading followed by a test or quiz.

Having considered this dilemma, I believe I have identified a useful solution option. It’s called Prezi, and is available at www.prezi.com. I’ve seen several free or low cost online presentation tools which enable the user to create Flash animations, but in this writer’s view, very few provide the invigorating presentation experience that Prezi does. Instead of the viewer being subjected to a long series of standard PowerPoint slides (which can sap the willpower of even the most enthused and dedicated audience), the Prezi tool delivers a dynamic interface which is all created in a single page that the PC or laptop screen tracks, in a similar way to a smartphone touchscreen.

Within the Prezi tool, users can also embed other Web 2.0 tools which include YouTube video, images, audio media files and even Screenr files (for on-screen demo recordings). This means your now-fully-interactive presentations can throw off the shackles of static PPT slide shows for good, letting you engage with the audience in previously unknown ways!

Training managers can even embed Prezi presentations using the HTML code within their LMS and link to them directly within individual courses. Although this presentation is not trackable (unlike a SCORM object) within the LMS, it can be used as an introduction to a topic, as a learning object which can be referenced from within a discussion forum or an online quiz.

That’s about all for now!

• If you are a content provider looking for an affordable way to create your own learning content and host it online to provide a new client service, please go to our website at www.traininganywhere.co.uk.

• To learn more about Prezi you can visit this website www.prezi.com

• If you are looking for some inspiration from a best practice example you can view the recent Coca Cola Prezi presentation.

Conor Gilligan, Head of Corporate Operations at Webanywhere Ltd