Examining Innovations in Enterprise Learning

If necessity is the mother of invention, then opportunity is the mother of innovation. Well-executed new ideas make the world go around.

Being attuned to the new even helped you get where you are today. For those who do not recognize the value of new thinking, kindly step aside. You are about to be overtaken. The march of the new has turned into a stampede.

Mobile learning has quickly evolved from trying to cram existing courses onto a smaller screen to a more appropriate purpose: just-in-time training and just-a-bit-more training. Bryan Chapman, chief learning strategist of Chapman Alliance, is a leading adviser regarding which software to use and why. He cites several tools that take advantage of mobile’s benefits — the right-now delivery of learning chunks wherever you are and consistent post-course follow-up. For years learning leaders have known training that is spaced out and includes follow-up produces better learning and aids retention.

Might your company benefit by supplementing or delivering certain training in the following manner? Sign-up is available by texting or on a website. Small chunks of learning are sent to learners’ devices three times a week. If it is new-hire training support, content is tailored based on that employee’s start date. If learners need to take some action suggested in the latest mini-lesson, such as accessing a knowledge base, they will be prompted in a follow-up. They check each item off when completed.

A new tool to create training reinforcement provides a number of these features. Cameo from Yukon Learning allows an author to create time-based follow-up that is delivered by email to a device or desktop. Scenarios reinforce and assess learning and are followed by immediate and tailored feedback. Results are tracked and compiled for management.

Authoring tools to create learning apps are emerging, including Pastiche from LCMS provider Xyleme. Included are frameworks titled Read Me, Show Me, Quiz Me and Help Me, which are structured for the obvious content types. Apps created with Pastiche are pre-approved within the Apple App Store, saving time and effort and contributing to the vendor’s estimate of a 60- to 90-day deployment. The real power, however, comes from the XML-based content management system behind it that allows for delivery of almost any content type in almost any format.