Bursting the myths of instructional designing in e-learning.

Every day we come across many myths related to various fields including health, lifestyle, weather and many others. The most common myth is you can lose the weight by starving yourself. Well, no one can convince you in a better way than me that it is totally a false thinking. I took this way to reduce the weight and gained more 10 kg which I am not able to lose till date. So, one must not starve themselves but eat sensibly and do ample of exercise to lose weight. Similarly, there are many myths surrounding e-learning industry and especially instructional designing. So, let us have a look at them and also know why these are the myths and not facts.

  1. Anyone who creates a course can be an instructional designer

If you think so, then it will be a biggest mistake. Instructional designers are trained to understand the needs of a learner and also identify the learning gaps. They can work on a variety of topics, but their goal is not to focus on the topic but to bridge the learning gaps. So, only a formally trained person can be a good instructional designer as he/she can design the course based on various instructional designing theories and make the course more useful for the learner.

  1. Instructional designing means creating PowerPoint presentations

Most of the people have misconception that making a storyboard means gathering the content and putting it into a PowerPoint Presentation. However, this is not true. Instructional designing is much more than this. Instructional designers have to understand the content and then they analyze it. This is important in order to differentiate relevant and irrelevant content and also to find out the gaps.  Then they have to describe what the learners will gain after the completion of the course. Hence, they fix the learning objectives. Their next step is to arrange the content by maintaining the balance between audio and the OST. Apart from this, they have to provide the production team with relevant images, they have to decide on the flow of the course design as well as different strategies of designing, animations and several other things related to the course they are about to develop.

  1. Instructional designers cannot beat classroom trainers

It is a famous myth that when it comes to engaging and operative coaching, an instructional designer cannot compete with classroom trainers. However, by taking certain useful steps this myth can be proven wrong. One needs to make use of certain interactive elements such as clickable objects. You can also make use of scenarios which help in improvising critical thinking ability and problem solving skills of the learners. Animated graphics is also a great way of keeping the learner engaged throughout the course.

  1. Authoring tools can replace instructional designers

The invention of various authoring tools has made many people from the industry think that now there is no need of instructional designers as courses can be designed with the help of these tools. However, the fact is that authoring tools totally depend on the creative thinking of an instructional designer. These tools contain many built-in features and work as a medium to insert objects, shapes, colors to the course. But, it is an instructional designer who needs to plan which objects are to be used and how, which effects should be given to the design in order to make it more engaging and learner friendly. So, it is not any feature of the authoring tool but the skills of an instructional designer that play a vital role in bringing the course design alive.

So, these are a few myths busted here proving that Instructional Designing is a vital element of e-learning industry.

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Everything you need to know about off-the-shelf training courses

Every organization has some unique as well as some common training needs. These common needs can be fulfilled by making use of off-the-shelf training courses. One just needs to find a reputed e-learning company and get these courses deployed. But, what are these off-the-shelf courses? Why should we choose them? How to choose them? Keep on reading to know the answers to these questions.

The competition in the corporate sector has grown a lot in the past few years. In order to survive in this competition, your workforce needs to be developed professionally. This has made it mandatory for the organizations to invest in good employee training programs that will help not only in the development of the employee but also in the overall growth of the company. But, it is not an easy task to get the best-suited training program. You have the option of getting the course designed as per your requirements or you can go for off-the-shelf courses available in the market. These off-the-shelf courses prove beneficial for your general learning needs.

What are off-the-shelf courses?

When you decide to adopt e-learning for the training of your employee, you will come across the option of customized course. However, in order to get the course customized for your organization, you will have to invest a large amount of money and time as well. So, these courses prove beneficial only for the unique training needs of your company. When it comes to general needs, off-the-shelf courses come to your rescue. They can also be called as libraries already created by the e-learning companies and are ready to use. Most of these courses cover general topics like team management, communication skills, decision making, stress management, prevention of sexual harassment and many others. The team of experts including subject matter experts, instructional designers and developers work to get these courses designed. You can get all types of off-the-shelf courses in various formats that can run on any platform; whether desktop or mobile.

Why to choose off-the-shelf courses?

While choosing the e-learning courses, most of the companies often face the dilemma of whether to get a personalized course designed or to go for off-the-shelf solutions. So, let’s have a look at a few reasons why you should choose them for your common training requirements.

  1. Budget-friendly- One of the most important factors while choosing an e-learning course is the budget. Here, off-the-shelf courses get an edge over customized ones as these courses are less expensive. There are lots of options available in the market and hence, you can easily choose the one that fulfills your requirements and fits in the budget. Additionally, these courses do not need separate L&D team to work on their design, development and testing. So, your money to be spent on these resources is also saved.
  2. Standard content- Off-the-shelf training courses cover generic topics like time management, communication skills, customer care, team building, decision making and many others. The content of these courses is standard and can be applicable for any organization with a few or no changes.  The subject matter experts work on the content carefully and the courses are developed considering the common training needs of the organizations.
  3. Time saving- If you have urgent training requirement, then building a customized course is surely not going to help as you need to spend a good amount of time on the process starting from finding out a good e-learning company, then discuss your needs, make the things work out accordingly and get the final, ready-to-use version. On the other hand, off-the-shelf are available in the market at any point of time and are ready-to-use. You just need to purchase and deploy them to your system which is again a very easy task. This saves you a great amount of time that can be utilized for other important activities.
  4. Easy to maintain- As mentioned earlier, off-the-shelf courses can be deployed easily without any hassle of changing the code of the company’s system. At the same time, these courses are built in such a way that they run smoothly on any device and any operating system. So, you need not to worry about having a particular type of device or operating system.

A few tips for choosing the best off-the-shelf course

Now that you have got familiar with the nature of the courses and their benefits, you must be thinking of using them for your organization. So, here are a few tips for choosing the best off-the-shelf course suitable for your requirements as well as budget.

  1.  Know your audience- The focus of the training program is on the learners. It is important to see what knowledge the learner gains rather than how the course is designed. This means that, while buying the course, first you need to know your target audience in a better way. Consider their age, position in the company and depending upon that focus on their learning requirements. Here, it is important to note that, the younger employees are more familiar with internet usage and hence, they will not have any difficulty even if the course is online or offline. However, the older generation will take time to adjust. So, the course you are implementing must be comfortable for the both type of employees.
  2. The course should be mobile friendly- The usage of smartphones has increased significantly in past few years. It is better to look for courses that are mobile friendly. This is will provide you and the employees with an added advantage as they can be able to access the course at anytime from anywhere and you will not have to allot special place and time for the training purpose.
  3. Choose the right service provider- There are many e-learning development companies available in the market that provide off-the-shelf courses. However, you need to be watchful while making the choice. Read the reviews about the company you are about to choose in order to be assured of their reliability. When you meet them ask them many questions to know more about the type of courses they provide and the technology they use. Also, see if they are ready to make the changes as per your needs and provide the quick service if something goes wrong in future.
  4. Take the trial- Ask the provider for access to the trial version of the course you are going to deploy and present it to a small team of employees including managers as well. Once they go through it, take their feedback and convey it to the provider in order to get the changes done. This will also help you understand if the course runs properly on your Learning Management system or not.

If you follow these steps, you will surely get the best off-the-shelf course as per your requirements and you will be able to achieve your learning goals seamlessly.

This is all about off-the-shelf learning courses. If you are looking for off-the-shelf courses based on POSH (Prevention of sexual harassment), Stress Management, Giving Feedback, Decision Making, Communication Skills or any other generic topic, visit us at https://www.posiviewtech.com.

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Pros and cons of e-learning for corporate training

E-learning industry has grown remarkably in past few years and the main reasons behind this is the increased usage of internet and large number of businesses going digital with their training process. E-learning courses are designed in such a way that they fulfill the explicit learning needs and help in the development of the organization. These courses endowed with interactive videos, info graphics, assessment quizzes and several other things make the training process interesting and hence, the learner can learn even the difficult things very easily. There are several advantages of e-learning which attract people towards it, while there are still some people who are happy with the traditional learning methods. If you are in the dilemma of whether to go with advance technology or stick to the traditional methods for learning purpose, here are some pros and cons of e-learning which will help you understand why e-learning is the best learning solution in this technology-driven world.

  1. Lower cost- The most important benefit of e-learning for the business is it reduces the cost of training. If you make use of e-learning courses, you don’t have to hire instructors and pay high salaries to them. You also don’t have to arrange for a place for holding the training. There is no need to purchase items like books or any other equipment. You just need to find one of the best e-learning companies near you and get the course designed as per your requirements and budget. This approach proves beneficial for not only the small companies but also for the companies with thousands of employees as it reduces training cost per employee.
  2. Flexibility- With e-learning, you don’t have to follow a particular schedule or attend the classes at stipulated time. You can access it as per your own schedule. You don’t have to dedicate your entire day for the learning purpose as you do in case you opt for in-house training. Most of the e-learning courses are divided in the form of modules and you can study them according to your own schedule.
  3. Mobility- As e-learning courses can be accessed through mobiles, laptops and computers, people can learn from anywhere. Whether the learner is travelling in the train or sitting comfortably in their bedroom, he or she can go ahead with learning process. They don’t need to travel to the training venue or spend extra time in the office for this purpose.
  4. Access- This is one more important advantage of e-learning. E-learning can be accessed by a large audience. These days, companies are using cloud computing and hence, they can provide the employee with training tool anywhere, anytime. It is primarily beneficial for multinational companies because e-learning has made it possible to provide the same training to their employees spread across different continents. Employees get same content irrespective of their location and time zone. 
  5. Engagement- E-learning courses increase interest and eventually the engagement of learners as it makes use of social as well as collaborative tools like online chats and forums. This not only make the learner to involve in the process with more interest but also help them to remember what they have learned for long.

As we all know very well, everything has its pros and cons and e-learning is also not an exception. So, let’s have a look at some of the cons of e-learning.

  1. Lack of control- Self-paced learning is the advantage of e-learning, but there are learners who are low of motivation and hence, if there is no deadline set to complete the course, there is high possibility of them lagging behind others. This means that, it completely depends on the learner.
  2. Approach- Some of the learners don’t enjoy e-learning. They are happy with the traditional learning methods or they may have different inclinations like video, image, text, and many others. So, a single course cannot be enjoyable for everybody.
  3. Technological issues- The compatibility of your devices is a crucial factor and hence, it is imperative to know about the technological requirements in advance. Otherwise, you may face problem with the device like computers, mobiles, laptops not being compatible with the course.  

These are the pros and cons of e-learning. If you have a closer look at them, e-learning has the advantage over traditional learning tools. Although, there are a few cons, they can be avoided with a few effective steps. So, hire a reliable e-learning company and get an interactive e-learning course designed which will fulfill your training requirements while making the learning process more exciting and fruitful.

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A few effective tips for finding the best e-learning development company

Today, the world is taken over by the internet and people are willing to do everything online. This is the reason why the learning process has also become digital and most of the organizations, whether educational or corporate are turning towards e-learning tools for their training programs. When you decide to go digital with the training process, you need to develop a good interactive e-learning tool and for this purpose, you have to hire a professional service. However, it is not an easy task especially when you don’t know about what to look for in the company and which questions to ask them. It is important to choose a company that understands your objectives as well as requirements and challenges of the designing process. They must come up with the ideas you have never considered and provide you with the best solution in your decided budget. So, here are a few effective tips that will help you to find one of the best e-learning development companies.

  1. Do good research- When you decide to adopt e-learning for your training process, you must do good research to find out the reputed e-learning development companies in your area. You can visit their websites and check what type of work they do. You can also read the reviews about them written by their previous clients to get an insight into the quality of their work as well as the customer service. You can also ask for the references from your fellow businessmen and friends who have already used the e-learning solutions.
  2. Look for their skill set- A good e-learning company can let you know about their skill set exactly. Their team must include professionals with specialized capacities like instructional design, content writing, graphic design, various technologies and project management. You must also check for their experience and track record.
  3. Ask for work samples- If you are already using an e-learning authoring tool, ask for the samples from the company using that tool. This will help you hire a company that has developed samples on the platform you use. Don’t be satisfied by just looking at their list of clients and screen-shots of the work they have done. Dig deeper and check their portfolio to make sure they are able to handle your requirements.
  4. Insist on transparent pricing structure- E-learning development is an investment that required continuous and careful monitoring. Therefore, it is important to hire a company with the transparent pricing structure. This is because such companies plan the project to run in such a way that it will not exceed your decided budget.
  5. Collaborate with the development team- This is crucial to develop the e-learning materials that include what you want your employees to learn. The e-learning company you are about to hire must have collaboration in place for every phase of the process.
  6. Require varied experience- Developers with the experience of working with a particular industry are the experts of that industry only. While if they have worked with different industries, you can say that they are e-learning experts. You must check if the developer can develop technical as well as customer service training courses. They must be knowledgeable enough to work on K12 as well as many other modules of various industries. Even if you are a software company, you will require a developer who can produce the courses to train your marketing and sales team, accountants and many others.
  7. See if they have experience working with various interactive content- You are not hiring an e-learning development company to create a simple slide-show. Their team must be able to integrate videos, simulations, scenario-driven or any other interactive content. This content must be custom-made for the industry you are related to so that your workforce can learn about how to act in real scenarios they may come across.
  8. Check if they have a sales representative- He or she must be a productive member of your team while understanding the learning and development process. The person should effectively communicate in order to help you determine the right solutions for achieving your goal.
  9. Seek training and support and request for course prototype- The e-learning company you are about to choose must train your employees to handle the module and also provide you support for smooth execution. They should be available for troubleshooting whenever required.

The e-learning company should also provide you with a course prototype. This will help you to check what works and what does not work. You can also check what improvements can be done to enhance the learning experience.

By using all the above-mentioned tips, you can surely find a right e-learning development company that can help you train your employees in an effective way and permit your organization to be lively and progressive in the competition.

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Importance of video learning for the training in the manufacturing industry

These days, the video is being seen as the perfect medium for instruction for the classroom as well as online training. Many industries are also turning towards it, citing the fact that human can learn the things that they see very easily rather than what they read or listen. As we have seen in the movie ‘Drishyam’ that visuals generate a greater impact on the minds of the people. By using these visuals in the training process we can enhance the learning experience. E-learning and videos are like a perfect couple walking hand-in-hand. Learners understand what is being taught by means of videos as this type of learning can be done at learner’s own speed. Additionally, the learning process becomes more interesting when done with the help of videos. The best e-learning companies in Pune put the extra efforts and add videos in the courses they develop to make the course interesting and impactful.

Videos are considered as a resourceful tool by various industries including the manufacturing sector for their training needs.  Process training is the basic element of this sector and videos play a really important role in displaying the instructions for operating a device or tool, various procedures and products. These videos work as the best option for large manuals dictating the process as they offer visuals which cannot be forgotten easily. They prove beneficial to the employer as they save a lot of time and resources to be used for training the employees about the process. Let’s have a look at the importance of these videos and understand how they prove beneficial.

  1. Summarize and analyze the process- It is not easy to document the entire production process. This involves the creation of a large instruction manual that needs to be updated from time to time when any new step is brought up or the process is changed. So, it is recommended to develop videos demonstrating the production process. This work can be done by the e-learning development companies. You just need to record a video while the process is going on and provide it to the company along with other necessary details. They will develop an e-learning video based on the same. Additionally, these videos can be updated easily and quickly as soon as the change in the procedure occurs.
  2. Help in preserving the knowledge- When old employees or the ones with years of experience leave, the organization suddenly runs short of knowledge. This is because, those who have left have gathered the knowledge about the working of certain procedures, know the tricks for immediate on-site repairing and fixing of issues related to the failure of certain equipment through many years of experience. This information can be collected in the form of videos and added to e-learning course in order to access those processes and pieces of advice whenever required.
  3. Show operation complicated machinery- Some of the manufacturing companies make use of very complicated machinery in the processes. For the employees of such companies, videos can be very useful as they train the employees about how to operate such machines in an effective way. E-learning companies develop animated videos exhibiting step-by-step procedure and also provide details about how various parts of the machinery work. This helps the workers in operating these complex machines proficiently.
  4. Assist in following safety standards- Manufacturing companies make use of various machines, tools and materials and hence safety training is very much essential for the safe handling of them. As per the law, employees are required to be trained for workplace safety. E-learning development companies make videos on how to prevent accidents at the workplace, how to use personal protective equipment and how to perform complex operations while managing risks. These videos can be considered as the best choice for providing safety training to the workforce.

Day by day, the processes are becoming complicated, advanced machinery is being introduced and roles of the workers have become more complex. This has resulted in training being more intensive. So, rather than making the employees to read the heavy manuals or organizing boring classroom training sessions, it is better to hire a reputed e-learning development company and work with them to develop interactive videos demonstrating the complex procedures in a step-by-step manner. This will not only make the training process interesting but also make your workforce more efficient.

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Time: A Priceless Resource

“The trouble is you think you have time.”  –Lord Buddha.

And we tend to waste it. We waste it in the most ruthless manner. We waste it mercilessly.
In the face of cut-throat competition, we wish to be the shining star in the market but do not understand the value of this precious resource: TIME.

Many of us are so good with our finances but then why do we fail to acknowledge the gravity of ‘time’ and misuse it? Is it because of our general lackadaisical attitude or because it comes free of cost? Did it ever cross your mind that whatever you receive free of cost comes without any warranty period?
Even before you start cherishing it, it will be gone for good.

In the age of globalization, there is this constant urge to be the best amongst all. Factories are equipped with state of the art machinery; laboratories with sophisticated equipments and companies have the latest software installed to enhance performance and bring out the best out of its workforce.

Even technology with time will succumb to wear and tear. Technology that is new today will be declared old-fashioned tomorrow; a much sought after software today will become outdated tomorrow. With the significant development of science and technology all across the globe, we need to make optimum use of what we have today, for tomorrow it will cease to exist. It is imperative to understand the pivotal role time plays in the optimal management of technology.

Again, there is a specific timeframe or deadline attached to tasks that must be adhered to. For most advantageous utilization of time, each day at work has to be planned keeping in mind the tasks that need to be accomplished during the limited time span. The earlier we realize the fleeting nature of time we can handle time wisely and be more productive. Proper utilization of time can only be possible from rigorous self-management and self- discipline.

Each day is different for each individual. For some, there are deadlines to be met, for another there could be a medical emergency that needs to be taken care of and to yet another, it could be a red letter day of some sort. Since it is not feasible to predict the future we can to the best of our knowledge, organize ourselves and plan our day from ahead. This will enable us to gear ourselves better to face challenges that might just saunter in.

Time management and self management go hand in hand. There can be nothing more satisfying than a day well spent. It is futile to run after time. Lost minutes, hours and days cannot be bought back with a dime or a million dollars; the penalty we have to pay for lost time is heavy. Time is priceless and the most expensive resource we have at hand. We need to respect it and master the art to control time.

Revisiting eLearning

I belong to that generation where I witnessed the transition from reading a novel out of a book to reading it from an iPad or Kindle. And it was not a step by step gradual process but its influx was with a big bang. This is not a sudden realization that dawned upon my mind one fine day but rather an honest confession of a mind who loves to read, learns and researches a lot on a daily basis.

The pleasure from reading out of a book can never be substituted by anything else. Being an avid reader, I agree to that. BUT, it is not possible to plan life situations every time as per our will.

With the availability of online books, one can have access to anything they are looking for in the most trying times. A student appearing for competitive exams might need to look up formulae and he is unable to find his Class IX mathematics text book! A click on his laptop or a quick search will do all the wonders; an entire module will be up on the screen.

An adult might need to brush up his English language skills and the book store may be out of Wren and Martin. Well, today the information is all available at his fingertips.

A new employee might need to look up something in a jiffy or be educated on a new subject; with the click of one button he will have a plethora of information available to him online.

This is where the concept of ‘eLearning’ and ‘learn on the go’ makes an entry in style. Both are synonymous to each other.

The thirst for knowledge of a working professional can be met if he has access to smart phones, tablets, laptops and the like. He can plan his learning schedule as per his convenience. The visuals along with the online tutorials can provide a sense of gratification to anyone not being able to attend a classroom lecture but has access to the internet. Moreover a company might find it cumbersome and cost intensive to organize training sessions at an Institute located further away from the workplace. There can be chances for the on the field sales people to lose out on potential business as they will be missing out interacting with their clients during those days. A simpler and pragmatic form would be to guide them through an online course which the sales team members can look through at ease and educate themselves on, without putting their work in jeopardy.

In short, with rampant globalization and proliferation of transborder data flow, eLearning is a boon. The world today has been transformed to what Marshall McLuhan says a ‘global village’. He need not restrict himself to information imparted by subject matter experts from his own country but can view informative sessions from experts all over the globe and can choose topics pertaining to his area of interest or need. The interconnectivity and overflow of information are sure to quench the thirst of an eager learner.

Project Planning – Key to Projects’ Success

Success or failure of a project largely depends on its planning. A good detailed project plan can successfully drive a complex project to completion and a bad unclear project plan can even cause the simplest of projects to fail.

All project plans are governed by milestones. Every milestone carries a deliverable and a date. All the activities, processes, resources, and timeline revolve around these milestones. Projects run on milestones.

Every Project is exclusive because it has a particular set of operations designed to accomplish a goal. A Project is considered as a temporary entity as any project that starts has to end.

A project is said to be successful if
– all milestones are met as planned and
– the final product is delivered as per the scope and the clients’ expectations.

This calls for meticulous planning and execution.

All development activities are categorized into the following four phases of a project lifecycle:

  • Initiation Phase
  • Planning Phase
  • Execution Phase
  • Monitoring, Controlling & Closing Phase

Here we are discussing the planning phase in this blog. The planning phase covers a major part of the whole development process. It starts with the output of the initiation phase and ends by providing input to initiate the next phase i.e. the execution phase.

The most important step in the planning phase is creating a WBS i.e. Work Breakdown Structure. Detailed working at the WBS stage will help to successfully execute a project.  Based on the WBS one can be in a better position to define activities, plan schedules, align resources and commit a timeline.

In any project the most critical job is estimating the work effort and planning the resources to execute the tasks.

The first step will be to calculate activity duration. Once we estimate the number of work periods (weeks/months) required to complete the individual task with estimated resources we can work on how much time an individual task will take to get completed. Accordingly, based on the activity duration and scope, the resources can be categorized i.e. Fixed / floating resource and allocation on task/project.

Second step will be planning and aligning the resources on different task/project based on their skills vis-à-vis the project type. If the project is having scenarios then a resource with illustration skill has to be allocated, and if the project is of branching logic in HTML5 than a programmer with JavaScript skills has to be assigned on the programming task.

While planning the resources, the spotlight should also be on the longest path of the plan (Critical Path), which is going to use more time and money.

The next step will be to create a schedule where one has to analyze activity sequences, resource requirements, duration and schedule constraints. Three main factors need to be taken into consideration:
– Duration
– Task dependencies
– Constraints

On completion of this stage we will get to know the start date and finish date for each task.

The last stage of the planning phase is Control Schedule. At this stage the status of the project activities and processes are regularly monitored. If required, the schedule is updated accordingly and communicated to the team and client.

Finally, the Planning Phase ends here and Execution Phase begins. In the next blog we will discuss the Execution Phase.