E learning

E Learnig 2.0 going high

2009-08-06T13:58:00.005+05:30

One of the strongest, but least hyped, uses of web 2.0 technologies over the past couple of years has been e-learning.
We've covered this topic extensively on Read/WriteWeb - and so we're pleased to bring you this overview of e-learning 2.0, including the leading web apps and sites in this niche, and predictions for its future.
In August Steve O'Hear (now last100 editor) wrote an introduction to e-learning 2.0. He noted that teachers and students are embracing web technologies such as blogging and podcasting. Although not designed specifically for use in education, these tools are helping to make e-learning far more personal, social, and flexible.
According to Steve, the traditional approach to e-learning has been to employ the use of a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), software that is often cumbersome and expensive - and which tends to be structured around courses, timetables, and testing [examples listed below]. That is an approach that is too often driven by the needs of the institution rather than the individual learner. In contrast, e-learning 2.0 (as coined by Stephen Downes) takes a 'small pieces, loosely joined' approach that combines the use of discrete but complementary tools and web services - such as blogs, wikis, and other social software - to support the creation of ad-hoc learning communities.
Examples of e-learning 2.0 apps and websites

edublogs.org and wikispaces.com are two examples of blog and wiki resources for e-learning. Steve's post includes many other examples of edu-blogging, podcasting, media sharing and social networks. There are some interesting web apps for students popping up, for example a collaborative note taking app called stu.dicio.us and the ReadWriteThink Printing Press - which enables users to create a newspaper, brochure, etc.

For an in-depth look at one of the leaders in this space, Steve profiled Elgg - a social network for education. This is an excellent example of how web 2.0 is shaping e-learning. Elgg is social networking software designed especially for education - built from the ground up to support learning.
Described by its founders as a 'learning landscape', Elgg provides each user with their own weblog, file repository (with podcasting capabilities), an online profile and an RSS reader. Additionally, all of a user's content can be tagged with keywords - so they can connect with other users with similar interests and create their own personal learning network. However, where Elgg differs from a regular weblog or a commercial social network (such as MySpace) is the degree of control each user is given over who can access their content. Each profile item, blog post, or uploaded file can be assigned its own access restrictions - from fully public, to only readable by a particular group or individual. Click here for an insightful interview with Elgg's founders.
Note that this type of e-learning social network is similar to "smart" social networks, in which you can put access controls around your personal details, so that only people you trust can see them. Facebook, imbee, Vox, and Multiply are all examples of smart social networks.
Another great example of an e-learning 2.0 app is ChinesePod, which we profiled in November. ChinesePod teaches Mandarin over the Web. It uses podcasting, RSS, blogging - and other Web 2 technologies - to teach Mandarin Chinese. The business model is surprisingly simple - subscriptions to language-learning materials. This complements the free offerings - basically, the Mandarin podcasts - very nicely. For example, if you want to dive into learning Mandarin straight away: select one of the episodes, plus you can participate in the discussions. The first level subscription is called 'Basic' and gets you a PDF transcript of the podcast. If you want get really serious about learning Mandarin, sign up to the premium subscription service and receive learning resources such as Review Materials and Lesson Plans.
The community aspect of ChinesePod shows what can be done with web 2.0 technologies in e-learning. Check out the Community page - which has a forum, wiki, blogs, photos, rss feeds. All the usual pieces, but each has a practical purpose. The wiki has extra links and information, the forum is well-used by users, the photos are lovely (of China), and there are a lot of great rss feeds to choose from.

Google, Microsoft, Apple, IBM - active in e-learning 2.0

What else is out there currently in Internet-based education software? Well for a start, the Internet BigCos all have products in the e-learning segment. Google offers the free Google Apps for Education (includes Gmail, Chat, Calendar, Page Creator, start page). Microsoft has a range of education products (including live.com hosting/email and potential groupware for education), and Apple offers free podcast hosting for education (iTunes U). IBM is also a player in the education sector.
Google seems to be particularly active in education, amongst the Internet companies. It has Google for Educators, described as "a platform of teaching resources". Also its Google Enterprise Professional program has at least one education provider - Blackboard become the first member of the program to focus primarily on educational institutions.
Not to mention that online office products can be used to enhance collaboration in an education setting. Google Docs & Spreadsheets for example. In effect, the BigCos are able to leverage their current product range and promote them to schools.

Collaborative E-learning Systems
As well as blogs and wikis, there is a class of e-learning 2.0 software that is more of a platform product. These are referred to as collaboration systems and examples are Elgg, Nuuvo and Digication. As Digication's Jeffrey Yan explained in January, e-learning 2.0 tools are often promoted by educators in a grassroots manner. Which when you consider the usual hierarchical academic setting, is an interesting trend. Jeff told R/WW there is a community of users who support these tools and "their approval/disapproval with features, functionality and direction can make or break a [e-learning] company."
As for the near future of collaborative systems, Jeff Yan says that blogs, wikis and podcasts will start to merge with more educationally focused systems in 2007.
Traditional Learning Management System (LMS)
Also known as Virtual Learning Environments (VLE), examples are Blackboard, Moodle and Sakai (the latter two are open source) As we hinted at above, the big commercial software like Blackboard is very 'old school' and doesn't have much focus on the community aspects of learning. They're expensive and are generally seen as clunky and difficult to use - not unlike traditional Content Management Systems in enterprises (Vignette, InterWoven, et al). They also have a lot of features that most teachers and students don't want or need.
However there are some newcomers that are interesting - call them LMS 2.0 perhaps ;-) As well as Digication and Nuvvo, there is Chalksite and haiku LMS.
Conclusion
As this article shows, there is a lot of web 2.0 activity in the e-learning space - including from the big Internet companies like Google and Apple. The current era of the Web is all about two-way communication, collaboration and 'read/write'; and the classroom is an ideal place to utilize these technologies. In the comments, tell us some of the e-learning apps or experiences you've encountered.

Source : www.readwriteweb.com

Integrating Informal Learning with Web 2.0 Technologies

2009-08-03T17:20:00.005+05:30

It's Not An Easy Process. A Plethora of Determining Factors and Products Are Involved.

Can informal learning initiatives be successful without Web 2.0 technologies like wikis, RSS feeds and blogs? Not hardly.

Elearning! magazine assembled a roundtable of technologists to help outline the steps a company must take to successfully integrate informal learning with Web 2.0. Roundtable participants were: Dave Wilkins, senior director of product strategy for Mzinga; Jon Ciampi, vice president of product management for SumTotal Systems; Ben Willis, senior director of product strategy for Saba; and Jeff Whitney, vice president of marketing for OutStart.

And here’s what they said.

With more than 80 percent of learning in an organization occurring informally, more are investigating launching a private social network platform within the learning function. How has your LMS solution changed, given this growing interest?

Wilkins - It’s a broader shift than just integrating social networking. The real transition is from a model where learning content is primarily created and delivered by established company experts to a more open model, where the majority of learning is created by learners sharing their expertise in specific domain areas. Social networking satisfies some of this need, while social media technologies such as blogs, discussions, tagging, ratings, idea sharing and wikis address other aspects.

[Mzinga has] developed a thorough model across our entire solution set. Within our course authoring technologies, we provide an ability to directly incorporate live social media elements.

We’ve also incorporated social networking and social media into our LMS [so that] administrators can enable social media features around particular learning objects like courses, certification, curriculum and instructor-led events.

Within the LMS, we also enable social media and networking without an association to courses and learning objects. Learners can participate in social networking activities outside of any learning objects. We can further extend this basic model with idea-sharing, tagging, file-sharing and similar technology once a client is ready.

Ciampi - SumTotal was one of the first companies to offer collaboration centers and informal learning. Collaboration centers allow user collaboration at the course, class, domain and global level. Using the collaboration centers, users can participate in threaded discussions and search threads or ask experts.

In addition, we also offer capabilities to define experts, identify experts, show expert ratings and ask questions to experts. Additionally, we integrate with several collaboration tools such as Adobe Connect, WebEx and Interwise.

We continue to enhance the products to incorporate feedback from our customers about growing interest in peer-based experiential learning.

Willis - Saba has had social and collaborative capabilities in our product suite for a 2004 (the 3.x generation of our suite; we are now moving into the 6.x generation). Our native and long-standing social learning toolset includes wikis, communities of practice, user-generated content capture and exchange, discussion forums, Q&A, expert location, RSS’s, search-based learning and — significantly — Saba Centra, a real-time collaborative capability for Web-conferencing, e-meetings and virtual classes.

Our most recent social learning announcement, ‘Saba Social,’ is a robust enterprise social networking solution that uniquely combines a rich person profile, competency-driven expertise, real-time collaboration and a comprehensive Web 2.0 suite. It is a productivity tool designed to engage employees and customers, build connected corporate communities, and accelerate high-quality knowledge exchange.

Whitney - It’s a huge misperception that the LMS is the center of the learning function, and that a social platform is a subset of an LMS.

Don’t get me wrong, we market (and have won many awards for) our LMS, but each learning tool has its function: LMS for tracking and reporting; LCMS for developing, managing, maintaining and delivering learning content; and a social platform for enabling informal learning. As a result, we developed a social platform that works independently of, or as a complement to, OutStart’s LMS or any other LMS. We have customers who are very successful with either approach.

What are the critical considerations buyers should weigh when considering a blended LMS/social platform?

Ciampi - Make sure the LMS can adopt to your business processes instead of forcing you to change or migrate your curriculum workflows.

Ensure that you are able to profile and identify a very targeted audience for your training programs since ad-hoc training will not deliver ROI in a down economy.

Make sure the LMS has best-of-breed capabilities for blended learning. Without strong formal learning, informal learning may not be effective.

Identify clear business cases that could use social networking and deliver tangible business value, like community of practice, onboarding and training of virtual workforce, and on-the-job learning.

Focus your attention on key collaboration tools that will deliver direct impact and ROI in terms of ‘adoption and retention rates on LMS.’

Focus on solutions to business cases without getting caught up with buzzwords and technologies.

Evaluate your one or two high-value use cases, and then look for technology to solve the problem.

Define and measure clear success criteria, like adoption rate to LMS and retention rate.

Don’t forget the fun factor, which is essential for adoption and retention!

Willis - Two considerations stand out as critical.

First, to what extent are the social capabilities truly integrated into the learning process? Are they seamlessly woven in to add value to the core learning processes, or are they add-on capabilities? Social software tools and philosophies can be powerful enablers of true peer-to-peer learning and people productivity, but to achieve this goal, the platform must have social capabilities designed into each and every process in a seamless way. Adding social capabilities to your learning platform should add exponential value, not incremental value. So, for example, does the system surface traditional and social learning capabilities in a single search, or is the search for courses and certifications disconnected from the search for experts, wikis, communities or discussions? Can user-generated content be seamlessly incorporated in formal learning programs?

Second, are you buying a tool or a suite? Be sure to buy a suite that will meet your long-term needs. Wikis, blogs, communities, social book-marking, user-generated content, collective intelligence, and on and on. With so many new social tools and concepts to explore, be sure the platform you are investigating adds a suite of capabilities to your blended learning toolkit and not just a single new tool.

Whitney - First, since an LMS and social platform are separate, they do not need to come from the same vendor. With 80 percent of learning occurring informally, buyers owe it to themselves to carefully weigh the functionality offered and not consider it an add-on to their LMS.

Second, don’t try to solve informal learning for the entire organization. Buy the functionality you need to get started with a small (but important) initiative, learn fast and grow. Additionally, the system should have an automated system for identifying, requesting and capturing knowledge from experts as well as easily enabling peer collaboration.

Wilkins - There are four things buyers should consider:

>> Experience. Many companies will add social media and social networking technology to their LMS, but very few, if any, will have any real experience with community or social media. Given that the biggest challenge in this transition is change management and not technology, companies with real experience with community and social media will provide significantly more value to the buyer.

>> Moderation. Many companies live in a highly-regulated world where one wrong word to a customer, patient or investor could result in costly litigation. Similarly, one wrongly conveyed process could mean non-compliance with a government regulation. Strong moderation technology provides a mechanism to address these issues.

>> Strategy and services. Many LMS vendors will provide the technology with no accompanying services or strategy consulting. Very few companies will succeed in this transition without some level of consulting and services help.

>> The future. A lot of vendors are trying to do it all. At some point, something has to give. Talent management is about top-down organizational control: succession planning; skills and competencies; and compensation management. Social media is about empowering the organization from the bottom up. One of these strategies has to lead the other. Buyers should demand a clear explanation of how the vendor is going to prioritize these models and a clear roadmap of how additional social media and networking tools will be incorporated into the core LMS.

How is the network secured?

Willis - Your social network should be secured in a variety of ways. Many ‘private networks’ are in fact semi-private networks where the people invited to participate represent both employees of the hosting organization as well as select individuals or groups of people external to the organization. In fact, much of the value of the network is derived from precisely this mix. That being the case, the security of the network cannot simply rely on obvious methods such as being hosted behind a firewall or requiring a user name and password that is authenticated against a pre-defined directory of users or HRIS system. The user creation process itself must ensure security by validating these external users as they provision their own accounts.

Be sure your system is up to the task of screening your external users for you based on criteria you define. Once a user is authenticated, an effective social platform must support both ‘top-down’ (admin-owned) and ‘horizontal’ (community-driven) security models.

Whitney - A highly effective method our customers frequently use is the classic user ID and password approach, which enables access to informal learning from anywhere there’s a Web connection. A bigger question for our customers is how to validate knowledge. Most customers favor an approach where expert/official knowledge is clearly identified, while other knowledge contributors have their entries rated.

Wilkins - Mzinga partners with Level 3 Communications (www.level3.com/) as our third-party hosting center. Level 3 is one of the largest communications and Internet backbones in the world. There are multi-layer security control and monitoring procedures in place with Level 3 and Mzinga to protect our client data. The multi-layer security controls include locked access to servers in the Level 3 facility and access to client application servers and databases that is restricted to select Mzinga application hosting employees.

Additionally, all Mzinga employees with access to the operating system controls have passed background and security checks under standards that are consistent with financial services organizations.

Mzinga uses SiteScope to monitor system performance and activity, as well as a 24-7 page recovery process for alerts on site activity, such as outtages and dangerous application performance metrics.

We also use a number of encryption technologies to ensure that the data going into and out of our system is secure. These are consistent with the encryption used by most vendors securing HR and financial data.

Ciampi - The social network is secured using following mechanisms:

>> Basic (user name/password) authentication or single sign-on authentication to control general access to the system

>> security role permissions can control access to the collaboration centers

>> customers can also create collaboration centers associated with specific topics (like learning activities) and only allow users enrolled in those topics to participate.

Who among your current customers uses your LMS/social platform? What impact did it have on informal learning and collaboration across their learners?

Whitney - We have a wide range of customers using our social platform, ranging from sales and call center teams to engineers. The feedback we get includes:

>> more effective knowledge-sharing as best practices;

>> competitive information and sales strategies are more easily found and exchanged;

>> knowledge retention goes up because knowledge shared once is organically captured by the platform for re-use by users;

>> formal learning is enhanced and reinforced because it’s surrounded with informal learning; and

>> happier customers as they get better answers, faster from a more knowledgeable group of sales people, call center agents or engineers.

Wilkins - A number of customers are already using social media as a form of learning to support particular initiatives.

When Ford and Microsoft teamed up to create the SyncMyRide system, Ford faced a significant challenge: how to account for a huge and growing number of devices that support Bluetooth integration. They knew that they couldn’t possibly address compatibility and usage questions across all of the current, let alone future, Bluetooth devices that might synch with their solutions.

Ford turned to Mzinga to create an embedded message board that lives on the Ford site. Through this moderated discussion area, users support themselves. Some users post questions, and other users as well as Ford experts provide answers. While this is not an LMS sort of solution, it is certainly a social learning solution and one that has been a resounding success.

By integrating social media and networking into our LMS, Mzinga’s goal is to bring these sorts of social learning and sharing experiences into a more formal model, thereby enabling a broader view of learners’ varied experiences and the kinds of content from which learners derive value.

Ciampi - Citrix was able to create communities of employees, customers and partners. The key measures of success were the ‘adoption rate of employees to LMS due to the fun factor and community’ and the ‘retention rate of employees onto LMS due to the community effect.’

Citrix was able to achieve both adoption and retention successfully, which was essential for their fast-paced growth since they believed their employees were the most critical asset. The employees were also able to take ownership of their career growth and get the mentorship needed from the pool of respected experts.

Last month, Citrix did a Webinar for us focused on how they were using our platform for social learning. We’d be happy to provide you with the link upon request.

Willis - One of the U.K.’s leading financial services companies uses communities of practice within Saba to extend the value of its formal learning programs. It has 70 communities that encourage informal contributions from different organizations across the corporation, including a community set up for the learning organization itself. By building its implementation from the ground up as a system for both formal and informal learning, it is working to ingrain collaboration into every aspect of how its employees learn.

Most of the communities are based on business function or focus groups, such as cost efficiencies. If you are part of a department or business function, you might be required to join a related group. In addition, the communities increase morale and include under-served groups at the organization.

What best practices can you share with buyers interested in adding a social networking feature?

Wilkins - There are several strategic decisions and activities that buyers need to think through:

>> What is the desired state in the long-term? A workplace or learning community that includes LMS-like features or an LMS-like solution that includes community and social media features?

>> How will you measure success? Do not accept the notion that it’s impossible to measure the impact of social interactions or sharing. If you are trying to reduce turnover, you could possibly correlate social networking activity and turnover stats. If you are trying to improve close rates, maybe you could correlate time spent contributing and sharing expertise with other sales reps with close rates?

>> Think through moderation strategies. When will you use pre-moderation? When will you use watch words? Who will be responsible for post-moderation?

>> Establish ‘rules of the road’ for your social media and social networking. Will you allow personal content and interactions? Or is it purely work-related? What behaviors are not allowed? Will there be rewards for certain behaviors?

>> Lastly and most importantly: don’t continue to conduct business as usual with social media tasks layered on top. Participating in social networking and creating social media needs to become part of their job, not a side activity.

Ciampi - SumTotal has the following best practices:

>> Identify clear business cases that could use social networking and deliver tangible business value. Without clear business case, informal learning will be viewed as a cool technology without applicable use.

>> Look at the cases used by best-in-class companies: community of practice, onboarding and training of virtual workforce, corporate engagement, customer support forums and on-the-job learning. These will give you ideas about business cases that will deliver tangible value.

>> Do not get caught up with buzzwords and technologies like wiki, blogs, RSS and collaboration center. Evaluate your one or two high-value use cases, and then look for technology to solve the problem.

>> Start small with one or two critical-use cases. Demonstrate clear value and ROI before broader roll-outs.

>> Define clear success criteria, like adoption rate to LMS, retention rate to LMS, and increase in percentage of self-initiated learning (ownership of career growth).

>> Don’t forget the fun factor, which is essential for adoption and retention.

>> Measure the success criteria and their impact on business objectives (revenue, customer satisfaction, productivity and compliance) before initiating wide-ranging initiatives.

Willis - Understand that there are legitimate tensions between those that view these new notions as enabling productivity and transparency and those that view them as introducing risk and/or loss of control. Others may not embrace these new ideas as you have.

But don’t let that stop you, because — in the now-famous words of Euan Semple:

“The 100 percent guaranteed easiest way to do Enterprise 2.0 (Learning 2.0)? Do nothing. And then your bright, thoughtful and energetic staff will do it for you. Trouble is, they will do it outside your firewall on bulletin boards, instant-message exchanges, personal blogs and probably on islands in Second Life, and you will have lost the ability to understand it, influence it and integrate it.

“The second easiest way is to find ways of allowing this to happen inside the firewall, which can be as simple as sticking in some low-cost or free tools and then making sure your existing organization can get out of the way.

“The third easiest way is to do the second-easiest way and then engage those who would have done the easiest way and get them to help you.

“And the hardest way: You don’t need me to tell you that!”

Whitney - First, separate the social platform from its LMS. Each delivers highly independent value. Second, get started with an important, but contained initiative. Third, be prepared to launch and market the use of the social platform and reward users. This often can be as simple as recognizing people within the system for sharing quality content. And fourth, measure use and impact and make adjustments on a regular basis.

How has the economy impacted your business and prospects? What advice do you have to buyers of technology in this market?

Ciampi - We are seeing positive momentum in several strategic initiatives such as aggressive penetration into SMB market.

Our advice and five best practices to demonstrate ROI for your key learning and development initiatives:

1. Understand your business imperatives. Evaluate your company’s annual reports to pinpoint specific challenges that can be resolved through learning and talent development programs. After isolating those challenges and areas of focus, interview key stakeholders for those areas. Dig deep to understand their strategic objectives and pain points.

2. Identify high-impact initiatives. Next, look at your strategic corporate goals — such as revenue growth, reduction in customer churn, or productivity improvements — and determine which high-impact learning initiatives best will align to those objectives.

3. Link business goals with current pain points. Conversely, you also need to identify your current challenges, and show how they reflect your existing inability to meet strategic business goals.

4. Outline the measurable gains you expect your learning initiatives to deliver. Beyond recognizing the broader challenges you face, you must also identify the detailed, acute pains that training or other learning programs can help to solve. Then clearly delineate how any proposed training initiatives would deliver measurable gains that map directly to those specific pain points and drive the company toward achieving its business goals.

5. Demonstrate tangible expected business results and return on investment (ROI). These are the figures that hold real influence when building your business case. Eliminate abstract benefit phrases, such as ‘significant cost savings,’ and instead offer specifics about cost savings, revenue growth, or churn rate reductions. Calculate hard, meaningful numbers.

Whitney - We just closed our best quarter and best year ever and remain cautiously optimistic about 2009. We are seeing our successful buyers focus much more on communicating their business impact to senior management in three key areas: business agility; customer, partner, and employee enablement and ROI.

Business agility is all about providing the knowledge people need to understand and adapt to rapidly changing business requirements. Enablement provides employees, partners or customers with the knowledge they need to perform their jobs more successfully. And, our successful buyers are focused on showing rapid and significant ROI.

Wilkins - Interestingly, our current pipeline is at the highest level it has ever been, and we continue to close very significant accounts. We believe that social media and networking (and LMS’s that incorporate these features) may be at least partially recession-proof. Social media can reduce costs, increase sales, improve productivity and scale, improve relationships, and deliver many other very significant bottom-line results that are at least as valuable in a downturn as they are during boom times.

With reductions in budgets and staff, “doing more with less” is a business imperative; social media delivers on this promise.

My advice is to rethink basic assumptions. If training organizations are facing budget cuts and staffing cuts, maybe now is the time to rethink the overall organizational learning strategy. Rather than try to do more with less, maybe we should try to do more with more. By empowering the whole organization to be content producers, we can dramatically increase the size and scope of our “training” organization and simultaneously improve the training group’s strategic profile within the organization.

source: www.2elearning.com

Medicine and eLearning – Reaching Beyond Borders

2009-07-29T09:56:00.002+05:30

In Brussels, hands wearing surgical gloves make precise and skilful incisions into an abdomen. In Senegal, attentive participants of the “Demonstrations of Telemedicine” pre-conference workshop at eLearning Africa watch simultaneously on a big screen: The transnational videosurgery, carried out by Professor Guy-Bernard Cadière in Brussels for Senegalese medical students, was a great start to three days packed with topics concerning healthcare. The variety on offer – video conferencing on surgical matters, serious gaming for “Combating Yellow Fever“, malaria documentation, HIV treatment and much more – showed the level of quality, as well as the urgency, of innovative medical workforce training. On the African continent, where about one million physicians, nurses and midwives are lacking and basic medical services cannot be guaranteed, eLearning is seen as an indispensable means to develop human resources. At eLearning Africa, experts from all over Africa and abroad had the chance to learn more about new learning technologies and systems, technical requirements, sustainable content development and implementation strategies.

Health-related topics were one of the most prominent strands of this year’s eLearning Africa conference and sessions were every well attended. However, whilst elaborate telemedicine and telementoring projects gave an impressive overview of how to combine cutting-edge technology with medical expertise, many presentations addressed a more basic challenge. “How to apply medical knowledge to do high-tech science in low-tech environments” was the key issue discussed by deputies from government, universities, and leading healthcare and aid organisations such as AMREF; USAID; GDLN; Université de Lomé, Togo; the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Tanzania; Agence de Médecine Préventive (AMP); and IICD. Also, a particularly large number of experts from eLearning Africa’s host country, Senegal, were present.
How to manage large-scale implementations

There is an obvious lack of much-needed medical experts in most African countries. The continent, with 13.8 percent of the world’s population, is faced with the burden of 25 percent of the world’s diseases but accounts for only 1.3 percent of world’s health workforce (source: WHO). In addition to the crippling problem of HIV and malaria, the number of cardiovascular diseases is on the rise in Africa as a result of malnourishment, and like in developed nations as a result of a fat and sugar-laden diet. As there are many African governments in the process of implementing health-care reforms, the demand for cost-effective methods of knowledge-exchange and large-scale training projects is high. At eLearning Africa, several eHealth and eLearning solutions were explored and presented regarding flexibility, accessibility and portability. Tracking and evaluation were also topics of interest.

Caroline Mbindyo, who manages AMREF’s eLearning programme, for example, presented a paper in Dakar based on AMREF’s experiences on “ Implementing a Large Scale eLearning Programme – A Kenyan Experience” to help institutions that are considering introducing similar programmes in Africa. As most implementation guides have been tailored to the developed world, AMREF aimed to share lessons learned and identify critical success factors from implementing an eLearning programme in an authentic African setting. The outcome was a decisive implementation guide drawn from projects in Kenya and from replication studies in Uganda, Ethiopia and South Africa, which was in great demand by partner institutions, as a conference report from Tanzania shows.
“Keep it simple” works best

Many current trends in eHealth and eLearning for health could be observed at the conference. The variety of devices shown ranged from video conference facilities to social technologies to CD-ROM, DVD, VCD, not to mention printed documents and teaching by telephone. Wireless connectivity and mobile devices were seen as important new tools for managing patient care, electronic records and medical billing in telemedicine settings.

Despite the many high-end solutions, however, there is truth in the “keep it simple” maxim. Dr Daniel Tumaini Kisimbo from the Tanzanian Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, for example, addressed the problem of computer and internet coverage, particularly in rural areas and at sub-district levels. Although low-end video conferencing technologies are being piloted in some places such as Zanzibar, print-based distance learning is ranked as more effective and more popular in Tanzania. Thus, he advocated encouraging the use of simple technologies such as CD-ROMs, DVDs or audio tapes. However, the presenter also saw a bright future for high-end video conferencing technologies such as Digital Video conferencing, as fibre-optic cables are now being installed in countries such as Tanzania.

Célestin Compaoré, SOS/Jeunesse et Défis Burkina Faso, introduced a comprehensive virtual data bank he wants to build to track malaria. It is the first project of this kind in his country – accessible for all people concerned with the disease, including journalists. A successful large-scale blended learning programme, aimed at training those responsible for vaccination, was presented by Prof Joseph Aka, Université de Cocody Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.

Additionally, sustainable and cost-effective content creation and the use of Open Source tools received much attention. Here, a highly developed eLearning facility for Health Professionals training in Tanzania was presented by the German development institution InWEnt together with the Austrian eLearning supplier common sense eLearning & training consultants GmbH and the Tanzania Training Centre for Orthopaedic Technologists (TATCOT).

“Health is a predominant issue in Africa's eLearning arena: It is absolutely essential for the Continent as it helps to solve educational challenges, such as the education of thousands of healthcare workers and the provision of better healthcare for millions of people. Progress made in important fields, such as antenatal care, shows how important these learning opportunities are. For these reasons, we will maintain and increase health expertise in the eLearning Africa programme," says eLearning Africa initiator and organiser, Rebecca Stromeyer.
LINKS

* http://www.common-sense.at/tatcot/so/index.html
* http://www.globalhealthlearning.org
* http://raft.hcuge.ch
* http://www.epivac.org
* http://www.sosjd.bf
* http://www.amref.org/news/
* http://www.inwent.org

info from www.elearning-africa.com

M Learning

2009-07-18T14:34:00.000+05:30

The concept of m-Learning has been well established. But are we really prepared for the outburst that it can create? We are really at the fringe and there is much more beyond creation of beneficial content. Let us explore the immense new possibilities this can open up.
Mobile Culture
A new culture has been in formation ever since the mobile device was introduced. The device itself has been upgraded continuously and from an ordinary communicator has become something unrecognizable form its humble origins. This has thrown up new usages and new ways of action and thought.

Let us first look at the user. Imagine the old student in the public lab hooding over his/her desktop browsing away for information and piecing together information and collaborating with class over content. In today’s environment the same student is now carrying a mobile device on which content is streamed at intervals and he is able to immediately Google across to find a particular meaning or context to continue his quest. The best part is he is neither bound to his desktop nor to his class. His area of operation has widened considerably and he is no longer restricted by such mundane elements as time and space. He may well sit in the cafeteria and, across coffee and bagel, attend his class. This m-learning may well be directed at a small group or at a larger class, all dispersed over space and still engage in a common project. He may well be straddling across and still glued to his mobile is in sync.

This is truly the return of the nomad. With data streaming in wherever the recipient is he is able to research his area of interest on the World Wide Web spread across space. Research is now on the fly in motion. When the effort is collaborative the team is in all probability working in different spaces.

M-Learning
With bio-Wap facilities data now flows with the aid of the camera and video streaming of content adds richness and offers new depths of understanding. Imagine looking at a plant, sending its picture over to others and getting information

Where is the pedagogical connection in this cyberculture? If we are able to harness this then we would have truly raised the level of m-learning and it will be as useful as other learning methodologies.

A new Information Literacy is on the horizon. Social softwares like Meetup have been introduced and have created a swarming attitude. If this swarming can be extended to learning then a giant stride would have been made. The big question is the instructor also ready to join this swarm? This can play the role of a building block? Can the institutions use this opportunity and build upon it in a structured way?

The Future of m-Learning
There is an explosion in information and it is beyond the boundary of Places. It is available everywhere. Interactive web is creating new thresholds by the hour. Questions are now posed and posted literally at others’ doors and answers come from most unexpected quarters. Collaborators become groups and they turn into swarms. There is a contributory mood in the swarm.

There is a new philosophy in the offing. The human layer of the earth has now become a vast downloadable, searchable, writable surface. This is augmented reality in practice. With new mobile usability and capabilities the physical world is moving into digital spaces for first hand learning. The nomadic swarms are already invading the campus and the time has come for the teachers and the institutions to rise up to the occasion and change the face of pedagogy.

From : http://www.elearning-india.com/

E-learning in India

2009-07-18T14:32:00.000+05:30

About E-Learning :
E-learning or electronic learning in India is gaining prominence slowly, but indeed steadily. This is due to the fact that more than half the population of India today is below 25 years of age and the number of Internet users are growing continuously. The tremendous growth of the economy in the recent past has also helped in the growth of online education in India. E-learning in India is specially popular with the young professionals who have joined the work force quite early but still would like to continue their education that may help them move up their career ladder quickly and safely. They find
online education
in India very convenient, as the nature of the course work does not require them to attend regular classes. Moreover reputed institutes like Indian Institute of Management, Indian Institute of Technology, Indian Institute of Foreign Trade are today offering e-learning courses.

Thus e-learning in India makes it possible for the learners to pursue their education from reputed institutes without much hassle.
Online Education Scope in India
:

The scope of online education in India is actually much wider.

Apart from proper course works, some E-learning portals in India are also conducting mock tests for various competitive examinations like engineering, medical, management etc. For example, the Indiatimes group has introduced the Mindscape test center where one can appear for mock
IIT-JEE exams
online for making self-assessment.

The Gurukul online Solutions, apart from providing various courses, set up a Jobs and Careers Centre (JCC), which, not only provides job-oriented vocational education in a variety of domains, but also provides career enriching courses via eLearning. They also offer Live Virtual Classroom connectivity to over 175 cities across India. Some E-learning portals in India are also providing tutorials for school students. Thus the reach of E-learning in India has expanded from adults to teenagers.The future of E-learning industry seems to be very bright in India as number of Internet users is growing in the country

at quite a satisfactory pace and more and more reputed players are showing their interest in the e-learning business. In fact, if prices of computers become affordable and Internet speed becomes tolerable, e- learning can work wonders for the country. Therefore, on this page, we would be providing information about all the online courses in India and the key players that are providing e-learning solutions in India.
From: http://www.indiaedu.com

E Learning Trends

2009-07-17T14:35:00.003+05:30

The E-Learning Industry
With the cost of implementing e-learning tools falling, more governments, businesses, and schools have added online courses and other forms of distance learning to their organizations. By keeping an eye on the top trends in e-learning, meeting some of the most influential experts in the e-learning field, and asking critical questions about your own strategy, you can make important decisions about how you use e-learning tools in your own life and at your own organization.

Top Ten Trends in E-Learning
Based on research from the Gartner Group, the University of Pennsylvania, and other prestigious think tanks, we can identify ten vital trends that will influence the growth of e-learning over the next ten years.

1. Application Service Providers offer more quick start options. Governments, companies, and learning institutions that don't want to reinvent the wheel can lease or purchase turnkey e-learning systems. As e-learning processes become more standardized, clients benefit from shared research and development expenses, lower costs, and fast deployment. Even organizations on low budgets can implement open source e-learning platforms like Moodle on third party servers in a matter of hours.

* IBM E-Learning Systems
* KnowledgeAnywhere Corporate Solutions
* Moodle Hosting Providers
* Overview of E-Learning and Course Management Software

2. Companies integrate e-learning into their infrastructure. As more organizations deploy departmental or company-wide intranets to increase communication and productivity, savvy managers use the same tools to release e-learning programs into the wild. Professional development directors can easily integrate learning modules into staff communications, while human resources directors can add similar tools to web-based benefits and payroll systems. Not only does this emphasis on learning encourage workers to participate in more training, the modular nature of e-learning content allows employees to learn at their desks in smaller chunks.

* Innovative E-Learning Deployment
* E-Learning via Podcasting
* Self-Service Professional Development

3. Churning skill sets require e-learning initiatives. With job descriptions and daily tasks evolving faster than schools can produce qualified job candidates, many employers rely on constant, on-the-job training to remain competitive. E-learning programs help companies push new skills and critical improvements to line-level staff members quickly and efficiently, without the lag time of classroom or retreat-based training.

* Workflow Learning Gets Real
* Rapid E-Learning

4. E-Learning cuts the cost of high quality content. Ivy League institutions like the University of Pennsylvania once traded on their exclusivity to justify the high cost of enrollment. Today, even the Wharton School of Business understands the value of repurposing classroom content for distance learners around the country. By developing classrooms without walls, e-learning programs can reduce the costs of participation without negatively affecting the compensation for renowned lecturers, researchers, and presenters.

* Staffing and compensation issues at one e-learning university.
* Abandoning cookie-cutter courses.

5. E-Learning levels professional playing field around the world. Workers in niche industries once had to travel to specialized learning centers to discover the best practices in their field. Today, e-learning connects students in rural communities to urban experts, and vice versa. We are only starting to see the effects that quality education is having on business and industry in developing countries. Likewise, small businesses can access the same caliber of high-level information and insight that was once only available to Fortune 500 companies with large human resources budgets.

* Empowering Employees Through Training
* Supporting Learning in Small Business (.pdf)

6. Gamers bring interactive skills to e-learning. Human beings love to learn through experience. Many e-learning providers have discovered that they can use video game technology to develop fun, engaging, effective simulations. Industrial employers can train workers to handle sophisticated tasks without risking injury or production quality. Other types of teams can grow skills and learn best practices by participating in simulated quiz shows or treasure hunts. Fun e-learning programs help boost staff morale while reducing the time it takes for team members to integrate new skills and ideas.

* Better Training Through Gaming
* A Little Fun Goes a Long Way

7. Governments deploy e-learning at all levels. In addition to the obvious business uses for e-learning, governments around the world have discovered that e-learning programs can dramatically improve the quality of life for citizens while reducing the financial burden on taxpayers. Local schools in underserved rural areas or dangerous urban neighborhoods can rely on e-learning to offset the lack of skilled teachers in their districts. State university systems can keep talented students from crossing borders by importing highly specialized programs from other schools. Governments in developing countries have invested heavily in e-learning programs to build eager, talented, work forces.

* Government Departments Embrace E-Learning Systems

8. Partners and collaborators use e-learning to get everyone on the same page sooner. As conglomerates unbundle themselves into smaller, more tightly focused companies, the connections between these operating units determine the success or failure of projects and products. Strong e-learning systems allow team members at collaborating companies to understand shared objectives. Workers can quickly learn about the inner workings of technologies and techniques. As a result, outsourced call centers and repair facilities can serve customers transparently, while parts manufacturers can respond to end user demand with dramatic turnaround time.

* Adapt or die.
* E-Learning Return on Investment

9. Wireless technology helps e-learning initiatives "cut the cord." Until distance learning programs brought specialized skills and best practices to far-flung corners of the world, professionals often had to travel to urban centers to benefit from innovative research. Today's wireless technology allows educators and development specialists to reach even further into rural areas, farms, deserts, and rainforests. With radio, satellite, and Wi-Fi signals beaming two-way information from distant locales, people can participate in an almost endless array of learning opportunities.

* Wireless E-Learning Teaches Hygiene to Refugees

10. E-Learning's Movers and Shakers. Brian Alger wrote "The Experience Designer," one of the first comprehensive guides to modern e-learning, in 2002. Alger explores the connections between the way we learn through storytelling and experience and the kinds of technologies we can use to emulate the learning process online. To keep readers and colleagues up to date on current developments in e-learning research, Alger posts new findings and links to his Experience Designer Network weblog.

Amy Jo Kim has spent more than two decades of her career studying effective online community design. As the founder of her creative studio, NAIMA, Dr. Kim has collaborated on many of the e-learning industry's groundbreaking products and platforms. In addition to lecturing at e-learning conferences around the world, she continues to develop innovative new community systems for clients in the public and private sectors. Dr. Kim comments on her work and her industry on her weblog.

Kevin Kruse wrote a number of successful books about professional development and training in the 1990's before establishing himself as an expert in e-learning. After building and selling his own e-learning company during the dot-com boom, Kruse toured the country as a featured speaker and highly sought-after e-learning consultant. He chronicles the e-learning industry on his website, E-LearningGuru.com.

Found this in Some Artical from www.worldwidelearn.com

SCORM versions and Differences

2008-01-29T12:28:00.000+05:30

Hi,

After about LMS we will see about the SCORM versions and differences in between them,

The SCORM versions goes here:

SCORM 1.0

The original version. Proof of concept only. Introduced the notion of Shareable Content Object (SCO) and the API model in which the burden of managing communication latency across the Internet is handled by the runtime environment, not by the content objects.

SCORM 1.1

The first production version. Used a Course Structure Format XML file based on the AICC specifications to describe content structure, but lacked a robust packaging manifest and support for metadata. Quickly abandoned in favor of SCORM 1.2.

SCORM 1.2

The first version with a real conformance test in the form of a test suite. Uses IMS Content Packaging specification with full content manifest and support for metadata describing the course. Also allows optional detailed metadata tagging of the content objects and assets described in the manifest. Usually works well; both the delivery system and content pass the test suite without cheating, but lacks sequencing and some other desirable features. No longer maintained or supported by ADL.

SCORM 2004

The current version. Based on new IEEE standards for API and content object-to-runtime environment communication, with many ambiguities of previous versions resolved. Includes ability to specify adaptive sequencing of activities that use the content objects. Includes ability to share and use information about success status for multiple learning objectives or competencies across content objects and across courses for the same learner within the same learning management system. A more robust test suite helps ensure good interoperability.

SCORM 2004 Editions

* 1st Edition (January 2004) — versioning changed so each book could be independently maintained
* 2nd Edition (July 2004) — improvements regarding Content Aggregation Model and Run-Time Environment
* 3rd Edition (October 2006) — clarification of various conformance requirements and of the interaction between content objects and the runtime environment for sequencing; some new conformance requirements to improve interoperability.

Lets Talk about LMS

2007-11-08T14:28:00.000+05:30

Let’s go a bit detail about LMS which is widely used word Learning Management System or Learning Content management System (LCMS).

LMS is a platform where our e learning course is deployed. Basically LMS will work as a database engine, which track the user login, Course viewed time etc.,

Ideally LMS will contain the fallowing functionalities in it:

• User authentication
• Send Receive mails
• User data Track
• User time track
• Chat
• Blackboard
• Forums
• Blogs
• Calendar
• Progress Report Generator
• Report Card Graphical representation
• User Course progress
• User Course Time Tracking
• User Mark Sheet
Also another some functions in it.

Basically LMS will contain 5 Major functions which will communicate with course and LMS.
They are

• LMSIntialize()
• LMSGetValue()
• LMSSetValue()
• LMSCommit()
• LMSFinish()
With these 5 major functions LMS will communicate with our course. If we go in detail about a course structure. We need look after all these functions .

LMSInitialize() : This is the first call from Course to LMS. Whenever the user enters into a course the course will send a call to LMS saying that Course is started, but LMS need to receive this call. To receive this call LMSInitialize function need start at beginning of the course.

LMSGetValue(): This is the second function loads when the course is started , If any values already have been passed to LMS will be checked over here. If no value found in the LMS variable then the LMSGetValue() function will be closed.

LMSSetValue(): If you are about to leave the course in between or completed the course then you need to close the course window. Once you are done with it, Curse communicator will send the value to LMS. This value will be carried to LMS through LMSSetValue() function

LMSCommit(): Once the LMSSetValue() function Is send a value to LMS, then the LMSCommit() function will be set the variable value to LMS.

LMSFinish(): This will close the connection in between the SCO and LMS. Once this function called then the communication with the SCO and LMS are closed.

All these functions are available in a single JavaScript file ideally called APIWrapper.js

We will go further in later posts..
bye for now

Some standards

2007-09-26T13:03:00.000+05:30

Now we will take look on the development side of Elearning
As we know as of now, we need to fallow some standards to maintain the consistency of the media. So to maintain this consistency we use SCORM standards.
SCROM is the packaged data of various Learning Objects (LO’s). These Learning Objects contains various SCO’s (Sharable Content Object). These are again divided into various Assets.
This Asset is the main media of the elearning content. Asset is the combination of some media, text, voice, video etc.

Media can be in any type like image or gif animation or Flash animation. The development of these assets is depending on the level of SCORM standards we are fallowing.
Now days we are fallowing the SCORM 1.2 and SCORM 2004 level to develop the e learning content. Here we need understand the difference in the level of development of course and level of content development. Since Content level and Course developmental level are different.

As of now we have four levels in content development

Level 1
Level2
Level3
Level 4

These four levels indicate the content usage levels in the courseware. In Level 1 and Level2 we use the text and images etc. will be embedded in the asset page. There is no communication between the asset and the other pages. In Level 3, the asset page will be called in to SHELL (Shell is the player of the courseware), each and every asset is called into this Shell. The content is embedded into the asset page. The last level is Level 4, here the Asset and Text will be called into the Shell through XML.

If we fallow Level 3 and Level 4 content development standards the third user can use the content through XML and he can do the changes if he required.

So as of now we know about SCORM standards and Content Development Level’s
Let us look at some file types which AICC (Aviation Industry of Computer Based Training Committee) recommended

The AICC recommends the following standard formats for courseware elements:

Text ASCII

Graphics:
CGM Computer Graphics Metafile
TIFF Tagged Interchange File Format
PICT Macintosh Picture Format
WMF Windows Metafile
DIB (or BMP) Windows Device Independent Bitmap

Motion (Frame-based)

AVI Audio Video Interleaved.
MPEG Motion Picture Experts Group
QuickTime Apple format
FLIC/FLI AutoDesk Animator format
PICS Apple format

Audio

WAVE MS Windows audio
AIFF Audio Interchange File Format (Mac)
AICC Aviation Industry CBT Committee standard formats (DOS)

Logic

Logic elements can be stored in one or more ASCII text files per lesson. The text files may contain programming language code, a scripting language, or SGML tagged text.

The content, in whatever format, must be comprehensive and clear enough to enable a person with a good understanding (of the scripting language or programming language, etc.) to reproduce (without any other information) the exported CBT completely.

Some of the file types we can change upon our convenient or to maintain consistency.

Why E Learning ?

2007-08-13T14:28:00.000+05:30

As of now a day’s to learn the new things or new concepts or new subjects is more necessary for our own growth.

But who will teach all these things??

If any one teach us also, should we are able to spare 3 to 4 hours of our time to go that place and learn the things?

It’s a big question.

To overcome these type of problems, the new e learning concept has came into the industry.

Everyone (maximum) having internet in their offices and homes. So when internet is available why can’t we use internet as a tutor for us.

So internet will teach us about the new things which we don’t know. But who will develop such type of content for us to use through internet.

To get rid of this type of problems E LEARNING has came into the market.

E Learning works with LMS (Learning Management System). LMS is just like a blackboard in our traditional institutions, where the content is displayed.

If anyone makes the content that should be displayed in the LMS, but how come we know about which LMS will support our content.

So we need fallow some standards to develop the content. Those standards are called SCORM (Sharable Content Object Reference Module) standards.

SCORM is a combination of LO’s (Learning Objects). LO is nothing but a Module or Unit in our traditional books. Here each LO is divided into some SCO’s (Sharable Content Objects). Again SCO is the combination of Assets.

The Asset is the main page of our content which can be included like Text, Audio, video or Animation etc,.

So when ever we are working on a e learning course please try to understand the standards and maintain them to fit our content in any of the LMS’s.

E Learning is going high

2007-08-10T11:55:00.000+05:30

Hi Dudes,

Let us Discuss about E Learning, features of elearning and your growth.

let me tell you about the elearning first.

Electronic learning or E-learning is a general term used to refer to computer-enhanced learning. It is used interchangeably in so many contexts that it is critical to be clear what one means when one speaks of 'eLearning'. In many respects, it is commonly associated with the field of advanced learning technology (ALT), which deals with both the technologies and associated methodologies in learning using networked and/or multimedia technologies.

History about E learning:

The first general-purpose system for computer-assisted instruction from which e-learning evolved, was the PLATO System developed at The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.The Plato system evolved with the involvement of Control Data who created the first authoring software used to create learning content. The authoring software was called Plato. The Science Research Council then wrote the first CAI system of Math for K-6. Wicat Systems then created WISE as their authoring tool using Pascal and developed English and Math curriculum for K-6. The very first complete CAI classroom for K-6 students was set up at the Waterford Elementary School in Utah using the Wicat system. The first public CAI classroom with its own layout and design was implemented with the Wicat System by Baal Systems (later known as Virtual Systems) in Singapore as a joint operation between Wicat and Baal. It is from this design that all the computer learning centers globally evolved and which were the forerunners of eLearning.

Advantages and Disadvantages:

Key advantages of E-learning are flexibility, convenience and the ability to work at any place where an internet connection is available and at one’s own pace. E-classes are asynchronous which allows learners to participate and complete coursework in accordance with their daily commitments. This makes an E-learning education a viable option for those that have other commitments such as family or work or cannot participate easily e.g. depending on a disablility. There are also transportation cost (and time) benefits with not having to commute to and from campus.
The cost benefits of E-learning to large corporate organizations are difficult to ignore. When using E-learning to train users of corporate computer systems, normally achieved by way of simulation-based learning content, the learner finds himself in a software environment that is exactly like the real one but which does not carry the same error risk. Unlike classroom training, users may repeat the E-learning course without duplicating the cost. It is commonly accepted that the initial cost of an E-learning implementation is expensive (once-off development cost), but that the cost of training (per user) goes down exponentially as more learners use the E-learning course material. When using E-learning simulations to assess learning progress, the instructor is assessing the actual competence of the user to perform a transaction and not merely knowledge of the system.
Other advantages of E-learning are the ability to communicate with fellow classmates independent of metrical distance, a greater adaptability to learner's needs, more variety in learning experience with the use of multimedia and the non-verbal presentation of teaching material. Streamed video recorded lectures and MP3 files provides visual and audio learning that can be reviewed as often as needed. For organizations with distributed and constantly changing learners (e.g. restaurant staff), E-learning has considerable benefits when compared with organizing classroom training.
Disadvantages of E-learning include the lack of face-to-face interaction with a teacher. Critics of E-learning argue that the process is no longer "educational" in the highest philosophical sense (for example, as defined by RS Peters, a philosopher of education). Supporters of E-learning claim that this criticism is largely unfounded, as human interactions can readily be encouraged through audio or video-based web-conferencing programs, threaded discussion boards,of fact, many in K12 would support E-learning if it was not associated with the more extreme versions that attempt to cut out the directed teacher-student relationship.
The feeling of isolation experienced by distance learning students is also often cited, although discussion forums and other computer-based communication can in fact help ameliorate this and in particular can often encourage students to meet face-to-face, although meeting face-to-face is often not possible due to the disarray of student's physical locality. Discussion groups can also be formed on-line. Human interaction, faculty-to-student as well as student-to-student, should be encouraged in any form.
E-learning tends to work better for the student when the topic matter consists of self-learned items. When much group collaboration is required, E-learning can cause lag times in collaborative feedback if the students are not discipled. For example, some student's may only check their online agenda once a week, or even less, making it impossible to achieve goals. Web and software development can be expensive as can systems specifically geared for E-learning. The development of adaptive materials is also much more time-consuming than that of non-adaptive ones.

I will go indetail about e learning later keep clicking the blog for your future in elearning.