Margie Herron has been providing clients with custom eLearning solutions for over 8 years. In a variety of capacities from business unit president to director of business development, her roles have always included key account relationship management. She has managed teams responsible for highly successful client engagements resulting in excellence in ROI and achievement of success goals as well as creation of numerous award-winning courses. Her clients are as diverse as the various geographies she has called home, from the rugged northern Great Lakes to the spectacular Northern California coast to the rolling hills of the lower mid-west.

Often when customized eLearning programs are initiated, the corporate stakeholders focus on the business and learning objectives, the corporate branding and tone, and the diversity and attributes of the audience. Rarely, is there a concrete discussion of the approach and whether humor or plain fun can be incorporated for a more compelling, memorable experience. And, if there is a discussion, it usually falls by the wayside as the other criteria are deemed more important.  There is an assumption that eLearning should not be fun or humorous because it may compromise the other objectives. This simply does not have to be the case. Consider using some of these techniques for customer service skills training or other online soft skills training. Work closely with your elearning content developer to create learning that is fun, compelling and effective.

• Use real-life narratives and scenarios. Add some humorous dialogue that can apply across cultures, regions and ethnicities or make it easily editable for the specific regional audiences.
• Create a thematic approach to a single module or series of modules. Get your audience ensnared in the storyline, eager for more.
• Create compelling custom illustrations or use clever photographic images that reflect the real-world experience but in a lighter, more memorable way. 
• Don't underestimate your audience. Humor and fun can be included with an adult flair. Think of all those email jokes and YouTube clips that fill your inbox. Do you open them? Why do you find them so irresistable?
• Make gentle fun of key managers, create caricatures in language or illustration. For example, for one of our clients we created a super hero figure based on the Director of the target audience. The Director loved contributing to the design of his character ( and, even went further with the humorous elements than would have been done without his input!) and the audience found it hysterical.
• Add unique interactivities that engage the learner yet convey the learning points.

  To see some outstanding examples of innovative custom eLearning solutions, contact Margie Herron at mherron@kmionline.com for a demonstration. In the appropriate context with the appropriate content, eLearning can and should be fun and effective.

   

So you have a custom eLearning project ready for kick-off. After careful evaluation of eLearning development companies, you have identified the best eLearning content developer and you are eager to start the development process. The problem is you don't know exactly where to find the content for this particular custom eLearning solution. Is it in the classroom materials you previously used for this course? Or does it reside within the mind of one of your colleagues? Will you provide a high level and/or a detailed course outline and script?
Frequently,  clients have just such a challenge: where and in what form will the raw content be provided to the eLearning company? Identifying those sources is essential to accurately scope any custom eLearning solution. As we discussed in previous blogs, the instructional design and related storyboarding effort is dependent on the raw content. And, the effort required is in turn dependent on the source of that content. Raw content can be provided in many ways and may or may not require the active participation of the selected vendor:

1. Written: this may be in many forms, electronic files or hard copy only and from a variety of sources, such as:

• Courseware from a classroom course
• PPT presentations
• Marketing materials
• Technical product, system or application tutorials
• Design document and outline

2. Oral:

• Interviews and collaboration with internal subject matter experts
  
• Interviews with external subject matter experts

3.Research

4.Topic specific training or product use

5. Combination of resources

Whatever, the source for your raw content, it should be openly discussed at the scoping phase. This will enable your custom content development company to more effectively scope the project for time and cost as well as to identify the best internal resources for the project.  The more detailed and specific the raw content, the simpler the instructional design and storyboarding effort.

For example, we created a highly successful course for an application training course. Since this content was for a new product for which no technical documentation had yet been written, the course raw content was provided as actual training of the instructional designer in the use of the application, an entirely hands -on process. Since no written content was provided, the instructional design and storyboarding effort required was a high level. 

So, an experienced custom eLearning development company will work with you and the content you provide, no matter where that content may be found. But, it is critical that the client and the vendor understand what the source of that content is so that both can adequately assess the effort required to translate that into outstanding custom eLearning courseware.

KMi has 10 years of custom content development experience. Let us put that experience in action for you. Contact Margie Herron at mherron@kmionline.com for more information.

After many years in custom content development for eLearning, I am convinced that there are as many successful ( and unsuccessful) approaches to instructional design as there are IDs! However, the one common thread between successful courseware is to consider the end user as a human being with many distractions, low motivation for training, a frenetic daily schedule, and the need to be engaged, all while juggling emails, meetings, reports, and other daily tasks. The objective of good ID is to connect with users to give them a short, concise, encompassing, and targeted learning experience that has clear learning points, outcomes, and professional impact.

How this is accomplished depends on the ID and their understanding of the learner.  KMi believes in a multi-disciplinary approach to eLearning, combining three distinct backgrounds critical in a successful project team: business savvy to fully comprehend learning content and the need for the bottom-line impact of training, instructional expertise to understand the fundamentals and nuances of the learning process, and web design mastery to exploit the full advantages of the power of web-delivery. Accordingly, the backgrounds of an instructional design team can be varied: graduate degrees in education and instructional design, marketing, advertising, professional coaching, skills assessment, organizational psychology, and classroom training. This diverse perspective can lead to innovative and compelling custom content development.

KMi has six questions that instructional designers ask themselves upon embarking on any given course.

• What is the user’s motivation for taking this course?
• Will the user see something within the first 30 seconds that will entice, excite, and draw in him or her?
• Would I want to take this course amid a hectic daily business schedule? 
• If a colleague asked the user about the course upon completion, what highlights would the user convey to the colleague?
• Are the key learning points prominent and effectively presented to ensure that the learner identifies, comprehends, and retains them?
• Will the course have an actual impact for the user at his or her job? (Is the connection between the training and the real-world job clear and compelling?)

It is only after thoroughly understanding the answers to these questions that we decide the approach that is best for our custom eLearning solution. We employ a number of principles and methodologies as the basis for instructional design. While these theories are not exclusively used to define rigid parameters, they do provide a system of basic recommendation in the creation of any eLearning content development. We may employ one of or a combination of these (and other) ID approaches throughout the customized eLearning project.

• ADDIE
• Formative Summative Model
• Cognitive Load Theory
• Morrison, Ross and Kemp Model

If you would like to learn more about the KMi instructional design approaches, our learning content development process, or our online learning platform, eLMS, please contact Margie Herron at mherron@kmionline.com. Be sure to check out our website at www.kmionline.com

Most people would agree that custom eLearning can provide a successful vehicle for training most of your supply chain. It is only recently, however, that many of our clients have embraced custom eLearning for their warehouse staff.  And, it has proved to be highly successful! Historically, online training for warehouse staff has been considered too intrusive to the daily routine of the staff members or computer access has been inconvenient. At KMi, we have seen a reversal on this perspective as companies realize making computers accessible and providing online training time for employees has resulted in better trained and better functioning staff.

Developing customized eLearning content for your warehouse teams results in:

• Just-in-time and on-demand training access. This allows your staff to participate in training exactly when it relates to their job need resulting in a higher level of learning as they apply the knowledge more immediately.
• Custom eLearning can be developed and deployed quickly as learning gaps are identified or new skills are required. This means that your training program is dynamic and speaks to the real needs of a work environment. It eliminates the training delay common with most other learning programs.
• Customized content speaks to their actual job function.  When you provide custom eLearning content curricula, you are presenting the content that relates to the staffs’ actual jobs, functions, and skills. There is no extraneous content to cloud and confuse the learning. It saves time and makes the learning more valuable to both the employee and the company.
• Increases skill level of the warehouse staff and improves productivity of the warehouse. As your staff understands that the training is truly valuable to their job success, they embrace the opportunity to participate. And, because the training is available continuously, it can serve as a refresher and knowledge bank, adding ongoing value.

In addition, the training can be tracked and reports generated through our SCORM conformant LMS, eLMS. This can assist you in understanding where your learning gaps are, how your learning programs effect your warehouse function and provide other metrics for evaluating your learning curriculum.

If you would like to learn more about how KMI can help develop your warehouse staff, please contact Margie Herron  at mherron@kmionline.com .

So last week, we presented the challenges  that faced one of our clients, a manufacturer and distributor of health care supplies and services. This week we will share the solution and resulting impact.  Remember, the challenges were identified as :

• Keeping workers safe.
• Training with greater efficiency.
• Boosting training effectiveness.
• Tracking and documenting training.

THE SOLUTION

• Adapt eLMS online training. In 2007 this company formed a partnership with Kibler & Associates  and KMi Inc. to adopt KMi’s eLMS online learning management system. The initial task was to move training and record-keeping to an online portal. At inception, it was accessible to two thousand employees in forty locations. Integration with the existing HR database ensures the user list is always up-to-date.
• Develop effective online content. The first courses were safety tutorials and refreshers for warehouse activities. These have been strengthened by dozens of custom courses covering all aspects of warehouse knowledge: from Forklift Safety, to Hazmat training, to Units & Measures.
• Devise custom tracking and notifications. The standard eLMS reporting tools have been extended in two directions. First, custom reports and metrics have been added that highlight training metrics and compliance reports that are mission-critical to this company. Second, custom notification tools do things like: email the admins in a warehouse when an employee fails a course twice in a row.
• Expand the tool-set. The classic LMS functions of online coursework have been strengthened with new tools. For example, employees can be tested to ensure they understand handbooks and safety documents, and a wage calculator helps employees measure earning potential in various internal career paths.

IMPACT

In its first two years of operation, the online Training Academy for this company has become a central part of the company’s training programs. As of February 2010, more than 2,700 employees have completed nearly 17,000 courses. In every quarter new online training has been added to a growing part of the company’s operations.

So far, the impact has been outstanding.

Safety

• Accidents on the job were reduced by 55% in 2009. And this was done with only a limited release of online training to thirty warehouses. More safety courses may reduce injuries even further.

Efficiency

• This company  retains their best workers. Those who left the company during the period had an online course failure rate more than 50% higher than those who stayed.
• Workers are learning their jobs faster. Managers in the field have reported a savings of two to five days in getting new employees up to speed.

Effectiveness

• Every worker is being trained according to enterprise-standard procedures instead of learning processes peculiar to a single facility or trainer.
• With testing uniform across the company and mandatory passing scores, this company can be certain all workers have understood the training.

Compliance

• In response to a pair of major accidents in 2009 the firm was able to immediately show that OSHA’s training expectations had nevertheless been met.
• A wrongful termination suit was easily countered by using eLMS training records to show the employee took thirty-four attempts to pass three courses. A well-documented training history was a valuable part of the defense against this EEOC claim.

CONCLUSION

This experiment with online training on the eLMS platform has been closely watched by this company. After two years of success, they’ve resolved to take it further and make it grow. More than a dozen new courses are planned for the next two quarters covering a broader array of topics: from lifting and bending safety to SAP tutorials. Employees are safer and better-prepared to do their jobs. Managers have reported increased productivity, and can bring training to their people 24/7. And these same managers can track training progress and verify compliance at the touch of a key.

This move towards effective online training emphasizes how this company continues to lead their market, and is better-prepared for the challenges ahead.

Can you imagine what applying these solutions might do for your company? KMi will work with you to understand your specific challenges and objectives, your audience, and the success metrics you wish to track and document. Please contact Margie Herron at mherron@kmionline.com for a free assessment of your needs and solution development plan.

Last week we discussed some of the reasons that a robust custom online training curriculum can enhance the success of your supply chain. This week we will look at a specific business case study to understand the challenges that such a program needs to address.

Client: One of America’s largest manufacturers and distributors of health care supplies and services

Company Profile: This company ships more than 100,000 products to health care facilities around the world. With nearly 7,000 employees spread over dozens of locations, they have a long-standing investment in employee training. One of their core values is to “create an atmosphere of growth and opportunity where all employees can reach their potential,” and they have sought innovative solutions to ensure their workforce skills are constantly improving. With employee training, they have a strong need to obtain the best results in the most cost effective way. 

Company Challenges:

• Keep workers safe. The most valuable outcome of effective training is to prevent injuries in the workplace. The question for this company is: how can training be improved to reduce risk?
• Train with greater efficiency. In lean economic times, there is pressure to reduce HR and training resources. Investment in training has to have the greatest possible result for dollar spent.
• Boost training effectiveness. Offline training puts a room of learners in front of one instructor. This training is difficult to offer to everybody, especially for firms with dispersed facilities and 24/7 operation. By its nature, face-to-face training makes it difficult to ensure every worker has the proper job skills and knowledge.
• Track and document training. Training across many facilities creates a formidable bookkeeping problem. Records have to track the initial and ongoing training of every employee. And good training records are mandatory for those daunting realities of business life: regulatory compliance and liability claims.

Sound familiar? At KMi we have discovered that most of our clients who have large, complex supply chains and warehousing and distribution facilities to support their business, encounter these same challenges. Next week, we will share the solution that KMi developed to successfully overcome each of the challenges using our outstanding custom (client-specific) content development team with our robust SCORM conformant LMS platform, eLMS.  If you are facing these challenges and would like to learn more about the KMi solution, please contact Margie Herron at mherron@kmionline.com.