We recently moved our blogs to our own software application. That's right, you're looking at the blog tool that's integrated into KMi's best learning management system, eLMS. Blogs are only one of the recent and near future enhancements that we're implementing. We've added or are adding LinkedIn-like profile pages, a course based comment/discussion tool and much more. eLMS is really becoming the ideal hosted learning management system for associations, professional groups, and any organization that wants to support communities of learners.

OK. So, I'm one of the owners of an online learning company, I've been involved in web based elearning forever and KMi does sell the best learning management system out there. So, how did I miss this...

It is a continuing surprise to me to see that there is still an ongoing debate about the viability of online learning as compared to classroom training. How long are we going to beat this horse? Whether we are discussing  behavior -based training such as sales training or  technical training such as computer application training, the answer is still the same. Good training is good training no matter the delivery method.  Yes, individuals may respond better to training matching their particular learning style. But can they still learn from another delivery method? I will say absolutely! However, the training must be well-designed and executed. And, even further, why does one even have to choose between the delivery methods?

It is so amusing to read the learning discussion boards and have classroom advocates identify all the distractors for online training: surfing the web, responding to emails and on and on. I can recall so many times being in a classroom setting forced to listen to mind-numbing lectures or to watch dull, dull, dull Powerpoint presentations. Was I engaged? Was my mind wandering? Was I learning? NO! 

It still comes down to effective learning development and execution. You must know your audience and your content and effectively weave a compelling story. In most cases, this can be done in either a classroom setting or in online training. And, sometimes the best solution is a combination of the 2 delivery methodologies.

So be wild, look at all the learning delivery options, look at the needs of your audience, your business needs and learning objectives. And, for goodness sake, look at the type of content! Not all content is equal. Your required compliance training is very different from customer service skills training or sales training. Then, look at how you will communicate this training. Are experiential examples best suited for computer application training? Are real-life scenarios more effective for customer service skills or sales behavior training? Can these different instructional design models be effectively executed in a classroom setting or are they better suited for an online training solution? Or would you engage your audience best by a combination of delivery methodologies?

For example, I worked with a high-technology client who had a very sophisticated and complex custom sales process. They wanted a global program to share with their distribution partners. We assisted them in developing a program that included job aids, resource documents, marketing kits and an online video-based scenario narrative for role playing, followed by personal coaching and then online follow-ups. The program was so successful in generating new sales that the program was expanded to include the corporate direct sales force. It was a creative approach that included a wide-variety of learning tools and delivery methods.

At KMi we will explore and advise on all custom content development forms using our expertise and creativity to create the most compelling learning programs for all kinds of content. Additionally, our SCORM learning management system, eLMS, will provide training and events management, reporting and tracking and collaborative social networking tools.

Learn more about the KMi LMS, eLMS at http://www.kmionline.com/more_about_elms.htm. 

And if you need help with formal learning programs, review our custom course demos at http://www.kmionline.com/services.htm 
and take a look at the KMi Whitepaper on Custom eLearning at: http://www.kmionline.com/offer_whitepaper.htm
And for even more information, contact Margie Herron at mherron@kmionline.com.

KMi provides a wold class SCORM learning management system - and has been for several years now. We call thiseLMS.

As with any technology product, the features, functions and user interfaces are constantly being updated to assist ease of access and to ensure the technology being used is current and affective.

As mentioned in my previous post, one new addition/change to KMi's hosted learning management system, eLMS, is the introduction of an AJAX based, RadControl Event Calendar. This calendar will be easier to read - it provides daily, weekly and monthly views; it will also be easier to navigate within a given date range or across a large range of weeks and months.



The new calendar look will replace the existing Events Calendar by the middle of April and will be widely available (as an option) to the rest of our clients toward the end of May. 

The intention of updating this calendar, is to drive more traffic to our client specific online webinars. This, in turn, will provide our clients with improved and more frequent customer contact as well as increased opportunity for targeted marketing efforts. 

This new calendar will be a big improvement for eLMS, will give administrators more access to vital information and provide users with a more intuitive interface for finding the best learning events available.

So you finally have a budget for training and development. As part of the learning program, you want to incorporate custom online training and you have no idea where to turn for a qualified online training provider. The learning program will encompass a variety of topics and content areas from HR standrads like onboarding to highly technical subjects such as computer compliance training and sales skills training. Just how do you go about finding the best vendor partner? Oh, and it would be nice to find someone who can provide a SCORM conformant hosted learning management system as well!

There are a number of ways you can find excellent potential custom eLearning/ LMS company partners. But there are a few things you should do first:

1. Identify your stakeholders and key decision makers
2. Obtain approval for and quantify your budget for the key elements.
3. Identify exactly what your requirements and objectives are.
   • Use many of the tools available such as
     • eLearning Discovery/Scoping Tools
     • LMS Requirements Checklists
     • ROI Tools
4. Identify your timelines for the implementation of any SCORM LMS and development of the courseware.
   • Confirm that these are realistic

After you have completed your internal due diligence, then you can proceed to vendor research. And, yes, this can be an overwhelming task but it certainly is easier today with all the tools available through the internet. Use those tools! And use your connections, whether it is through industry associations, training and development organizations, personal connections, or tools like LinkedIn and Plaxo. And find out who created the eLearning that you have taken and found compelling. People are usually very willing to share this information.

Once you have identified potential parters, ask them to assist you. If a potential partner is hesitant to offer that help, spend time with you, share helpful tools and information with you, cross them off your list. Implementing a learning management system and creating custom eLearning courseware is a "high touch" process. You want a partner who will provide that support and views it as a core competency, core value and core service.

You have found just such a partner in KMi! 
Learn more about the KMi LMS, eLMS at http://www.kmionline.com/more_about_elms.htm. Also, review our custom course demos at http://www.kmionline.com/services.htm  and take a look at the KMi Whitepaper on Custom eLearning at: http://www.kmionline.com/offer_whitepaper.htm
And for even more information, contact Margie Herron at mherron@kmionline.com.

Hi Folks! I missed the past few weekly posts and am now trying to get back in the swing of blogging :-)

Interestingly, the name of this blog provides the best explanation of why I was not able to post the past few weeks for the blog.eLMS on the Ground.

One thing, we at KMi pride ourselves on is the responsiveness of our supporting cast. Everything from the KMi helpdesk to its implementations managers (and even chief officers) is setup to be nimble and highly responsive. The past two weeks have been full of exciting changes for my clients and I. And these changes really highlight the full custom-ability of KMi's LMS learning system. 

• New features to help display course content previews are under development
• New calendar views and display options are under development
• New user comments sections are under development, etc.
• Lots of changes geared toward end user ease for using LMS software

Anyhow, over the next few weeks, I will highlight how these new functions are improving user retention rates, bringing more user traffic to the sites and how client administrators are using the tools to hone messages for users.

I'll also be wrapping up my Converging Trends for Learning Management System Providers series.

In the meantime, I encourage everyone to read the blog posts my coworkers have been adding - there is lots of useful eLMS specific and general LMS information and ideas here! And be sure to checkout the KMi website for an in depth look at what KMi can do for you!

You online learning platform has learners. It has content experts, administrators or various kinds, course providers...Who are all these people? 

Once upon a time, it didn't matter. You were using a very simple LMS. Your users got a link to a course, they took it, and they were finished. But the eLMS is different. If those platforms are 98-pound weaklings, the eLMS is a well-trained athlete. We've added features for interaction, like onsite blogging. Other projects in the works create blog space for easy communication between subject experts and learners. We're also integrating the eLMS to social networks like Facebook. And we have more ideas up our sleeves - ideas that will make the eLMS a learning community.

The problem is, if every user is anonymous, it isn't much of a community.

The solution, to us, is obvious: allow sophisticated user profiles for all the folks in the learning community. You can allow users, experts, and admins to add detail about themselves: their experience, qualifications, brief bios, and even photos. User profiles are optional, of course (your choice!), and the amount of information shared is up to you. This feature can be adapted perfectly to your privacy requirements, since we know every customer has a unique balance to strike between nifty features and privacy.

The advantages? The site features will be more personal. When implementing LMS features, we want to help bind your learners to the site with something more than just the raw content of the courses. A community is always a more interesting place to learn. And discussions flow more freely when the people talking have some sense of identity, and personality.

It also enhances the credibility of your experts and course providers. Book publishers have done this with dust jackets for generations: giving a photo and a short bio of the author. It lend credence to the author, and creates a familiarity that disposes one to take the person seriously - as an authority.

Online learning solutions have come a long way since the days of popping a CD into a dedicated computer, and printing out a report after the course was finished. You'll not only offer training, but you'll build a learning community that will multiply the value of your investment in courses. If you have any questions making the eLMS the best learning management system for your learners, contact us for a demonstration.

Recently, a client came to us with a challenge. They not only had a a very cutting edge program in sustainability but had a corporate philosophy and culture around sustainability. They wanted the impact of this carefully constructed program to change employee behaviors, not only in the office environment, but in their everyday life. Unfortunately, it was evident that even some of the basic recycling behaviors were not exemplified routinely or across the global population. To encourage these behaviors, excite the population and to instill a "natural" compliance with the sustainability guidelines, the client and KMi decided to produce some simple game-like interactivities. These activities would be tracked with registration and scores recorded through our SCORM compliant LMS, eLMS.  And, the daily results of the "games" would be posted with the daily high scorer being entered in a raffle.

Games or learning activities can be as complicated as multi-media with branching scenarios or built simply on a drag-and-drop exercise. Each can be compelling and incite the competitive nature of your audience. And, further, these interactivities can be applied to almost any content. Do you want to make a lasting effect on behavior change? Then it may be time to consider a contest -based learning activity for your online customer service course, your computer application training,  customer service skill training and even sales training.

Do you want to provide online application training? Then , perhaps, you should consider a  learning activity for the training. Not all training needs to be contained in a lengthy module. Sometimes the best approach is a learning activity that demonstrates by doing:
 

Do you have a need for training for a specific skill? Then try a game-based online solution:


But even if you have more complex behaviors and concepts for which your audience needs education, you can still use a learning activity. For example, online sales and customer  service courses, usually require a more rigorous style of interactivity. Simulations and role plays are a terrific way to provide this training that is engaging and memorable:


So whatever your content, learning activities can be incorporated in your training. They provide your audience with an opportunity not only to learn skills, behaviors and concepts, but, they make the learning fun! And, with a SCORM ( Or AICC) based learning management system, you can create a competitive environment with rewards attached. Who doesn't love to win something!

Get in the GAME! We are the real professionals when it comes to training content development and learning management systems. Learn more about  KMi eLMS at http://www.kmionline.com/more_about_elms.htm. Also, review our custom course demos at http://www.kmionline.com/services.htm  and take a look at the KMi Whitepaper on Custom eLearning at: http://www.kmionline.com/offer_whitepaper.htm
And for even more information, contact Margie Herron at mherron@kmionline.com.