E-Learning Punk Archives - Page 3 of 4

Diversity is increasingly becoming a hygiene factor in our working world. We have arrived in a time where young people are specifically looking for employers that allow them to unleash their potential and to be themselves. Yet, that is not the only reason companies benefit from strategic diversity management. In the German imc E-Learning Inc. podcast, Mohanna Arzamandi, Chief Learning Officer at Microsoft Germany, recently announced: “Diverse teams are better at problem-solving.” Mohanna knows that the Diversity Management and Corporate Learning segments are closely linked.

This starts with training intercultural competences, encompasses barrier-free learning offers and involves illustrating diversity in the actual learning content. We discussed that last point with our E-Learning Content Project Manager Kenneth Littlepage.

Kenny: To me, that’s very much the same as saying: “People who have children cannot take advice from someone who doesn’t have kids.” So, if you don’t have kids, does that mean your opinion is not valid? You are not allowed to say anything? I believe that someone trained on the subject, or even someone very open to it can handle that without any issues. But, of course, it is far more authentic for the learner if the content illustrating diversity was developed by a diverse team. It is far more difficult to represent diversity and write about it when it doesn’t exist.

Our fourth Punky Talk is fully dedicated to the topic of virtual classrooms. After all, digital lessons are the best answer to the corona pandemic and the associated prohibition of contact in many places.

The article “Rock 'n' roll in the (virtual) classroom” already examined in detail what a virtual classroom is and how it works. It then goes on to present three providers of virtual classroom tools. Vitero is one of these providers. The highlight of the Vitero software is its user interface. It depicts a meeting room of sorts which is based on the real world and arranges lesson participants around a conference table. Nevertheless, Managing Director Dr. Fabian Kempf firmly believes that poorly modelled 3D avatars are not helpful in the virtual world. In this interview, he shares his tips for adding opulence and glamour to the virtual classroom instead.

Enjoy watching!

Virtual classrooms can help companies through the difficult corona period, and even save them from bankruptcy.
Since speed is paramount, Vitero had to adapt its processes and launched a quick-start offer specifically tailored to the current situation.
The crucial element for developing a close teacher-student relationship is regular exchange, rather than physical proximity.
Trainers should therefore focus on interaction and collaboration to strengthen the relationship.
Good training allows a trainer in the virtual room to respond to common complaints like “I cannot hear you” with confidence, and design interactive lessons that generate discussion.
LMS and virtual classrooms are a perfect match. A learning management system with web-based training achieves independence in terms of time, inclusion of a larger target group and longer applicability – the half-life of contents. A virtual classroom removes the need for elaborate content creation. Moreover, live communication means that any comprehension issues can be addressed directly. Combining the two tools creates synergies between their benefits and provides optimal support for the realisation of blended learning concepts.
Incorrectly modelled 3D avatars are rather difficult to navigate in the virtual room. A more effective approach is to limit 3D content illustration to specific points where this boosts visualisation.

“You are what you eat.” “If you have a balanced diet otherwise, you can totally indulge in some fast food once in a while.” “Nothing beats fast food.” – Different food philosophies split our society into camps with endless discussions flooding the internet, social media and TV – just like the digital transformation. The corona crisis is considered a digitalisation driver. Companies are catapulted into the digital future. Digital fast food features heavily on the menu. That also applies to human resource development. Everywhere you look, people are moved from the seminar room to virtual classrooms. How much of the current digitalisation efforts in professional development are really sustainable, though? That was the crux of the online panel discussion on “Digital Fast Food: Gambling Away Successful Digitalisation of Learning?”

The experts discussed the topic for almost 45 minutes, sharing their experiences and perspectives with the audience. One thing they all agreed on: Fast (food) or not, the output must have a lasting effect. After all, we don’t learn for the sake of learning, but to achieve something. “Learning is not an end in itself,” Sven R. Becker highlights. Of course, that throws up the question of how an effective learning culture can be created. Bianca Bauer shares the positive experiences Microsoft has made with role models. Role models can help to anchor learning in the company DNA by setting a good example. The reason this makes such a difference is that learning is very much linked to self-confidence. When asked about potential generational differences, Marios Karapanos emphasized that age was secondary. Rather, prior experiences matter, and offering precisely tailored options was key. Organizing your personal development efforts yourself is not something everyone is used to. Some employees need guidance and structure – including for their learning. Dieter Wallach calls on companies to eliminate barriers to learning. He firmly believes that UX design, in particular, can help to convey self-efficacy. After all, we all want to experience ourselves as being self-effective – Which brings us back to not learning for the sake of learning, but to achieve something.

Is social learning or social collaboration with tools like Microsoft Teams the “new” informal learning?

Becker: Let’s say: A good camera does not make a great photographer. Similarly, structured social learning most certainly needs more than simply using Microsoft Teams. However, providing a good tool for social learning is the first, important step in the right direction. The professional development organizers must then step up and look into the underlying concepts.

How should teacher training be designed to make the most of the opportunities offered by digital education?

Becker: A great range of excellent offers for teacher-specific CPD is already available. The focus must now shift towards curating this content and structuring it in line with appropriate curricula. This should be handled – and financed – centrally. In the long term, this whole process needs to start one step earlier, as part of the initial vocational training. Digital teaching and learning concepts should really be included in the degree course.

Why not structure professional development like Netflix? That could encourage employees to engage in continuous professional development and keep learning.

Becker: “Netflix-like learning” has been used as a synonym for the necessary change in learning experience for several years now. However, we must be careful not to set entertainment at equal with learning. Especially the side effects of Netflix, like binge watching, are not always useful or desirable for learning. We can learn from Netflix how to create incentive models. But we must also consider that increased consumption doesn’t always mean a better learning outcome. Quite the contrary, in fact: We need to learn the right thing in an appropriate dose.

What does the internal knowledge transfer at Ergosign look like?

Wallach: Ergosign uses various complementary channels for knowledge transfer. Thanks to this diversity, factors like the learners’ individual level of experience can be taken into consideration appropriately. For example, our internal and external specialists utilize workshop formats, live-stream Lunch & Learn lectures to all locations, and run practical kick-starter campaigns for 1-2 days at a time. This provides an introduction to basic topics and progresses to advanced UX design and development. A comprehensive and ongoing Ergosign guide provides answers to (almost) all questions about structures and processes in the company. Finally, onboarding buddies are allocated to each new team member to help them find their feet at Ergosign. After all, a quick chat at the coffee machine is often used as a welcome opportunity to clarify urgent issues.

How can I reach people of different cognitive abilities without making things boring for those starting from a good place?

Karapanos: Differentiation makes it possible. Two possible ways to approach this are to divide the learning group into sub-groups of homogeneous performance or by differentiating internally. Organizing school classes by year or dividing school kids into different forms of secondary education based on interests and achievement is based on the idea of creating sub-groups of homogeneous performance. In some countries, like Germany, kids even need to achieve certain marks to qualify for more ambitious secondary schools. As the examples show, homogeneity is relative. There are, of course, stronger and weaker students within a class, regardless of where the line is drawn. Internal differentiation strives to catch the differences within a learning group by differentiating learning offers according to the difficulty or scope of a task. Both approaches mean more work for teaching staff. For several decades, the hope that this additional effort could somehow be “outsourced” to intelligent adaptive learning systems that automatically tailor the learning path to the learner’s learning potential has persisted. Thus far, realization has been of limited success.

I really need configuration options like personal interface set-ups when using Zoom and GoToWebinar. We often use conferencing tools even though many interaction features are missing. Is a UX revolution our only hope for using it with our colleagues?

Karapanos: We should expect evolutionary development, rather than a revolution. However, UX will play an important role. The basic feature range is comparable across all video conferencing tools. None of them really offers more than the competition. Looking at it pragmatically, the providers are in a quality stalemate. To stand out from the competition, they can leverage pricing and service differences, and emphasize product use quality by addressing specific needs.

Virtual lessons are booming. The reason couldn’t be more obvious. Hardly an article out there manages to get around the topic of corona. It pays to remember though that online classrooms offer a range of benefits beyond the crisis. Lugging around heavy textbooks is not the only thing the digital sphere has made redundant. Flexible teaching and learning independent of location, joining lessons from anywhere in the world, acquiring digital competences as you go are all notable advantages of virtual lessons. So much so, that we feel compelled to take a closer look at the topic of “virtual classrooms” in this edition of E-Learning Punk. After all, digital teaching deserves a little extra opulence and glamour.

Zoom: especially in English-speaking countries widely used. Around 96% of the leading US universities choose Zoom for their virtual and hybrid classrooms. If you would like to try Zoom: Meetings lasting up to 40 minutes with a maximum of 100 participants can be held free of charge.

Adobe Connect: flexible, multimedia web communications and collaboration system that lets you create, hold and manage e-learning courses, online training courses and virtual seminars.

Vitero: emerged as spin-off from the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering (IAO). The highlight: The user interface of the virtual classroom is based on the real world, representing a conference room where all participants are seated around the central workspace.

Directly integrating the virtual classroom into a learning management system (LMS) will help you facilitate a holistic virtual teaching and learning experience. This way, the virtual room can be booked directly via the LMS and participants can enter from the LMS. The LMS allows transparent tracking of attendance and learning successes. Vitero, for instance, can be integrated seamlessly into the imc Learning Suite.

That is why we’ll be speaking to Vitero in our next Punky Talk, and find out their tips for adding opulence and glamour to the virtual classroom.

Needless to say, both immersion and virtual reality have become very relevant topics ever since the coronavirus crisis started. Just think of the number of people setting up Zoom or Skype meetings to stay connected and reduce the isolation that comes with social distancing as much as possible. Now think of the limits of these meetings when it comes to really making eye contact, branching off into one-on-one conversations, and even moving to a different room. That’s where VR can help.

Jennifer Fritz has worked as a learning concept designer, storyteller, and consultant for companies such as Virtual Identity AG and imc AG. Her passion is digital learning and teaching, and as a former member of the First German Business Association for Immersive Media (EDFVR), she knows that the future in this area belongs to virtual and augmented reality. In fact, she has seen a trend towards social virtual learning since the beginning of the coronavirus crisis.

Jenny: Well, as you probably know already, both are incredibly exciting new technologies. What’s worth pointing out is the fact that they’re finally seeing some proper development nowadays, and so there’s a lot of room still left for experimenting. When it comes to my personal life, I really like using entertainment applications such as Wonderscope, for experiencing stories in AR, and Beat Saber, which is a rhythm game.

In addition, I also work with these technologies whenever it makes sense to do so in my projects. In fact, I can’t overstate just how strongly I believe that AR and VR are both opening entirely new possibilities in terms of learning and storytelling.

Now, there are still many clients who are not too keen on the costs or the technology at this point, but I think it’s important to point out that VR in particular can really help us deal with the isolation resulting from social distancing during the coronavirus crisis and give us that sensation of “being there” that you don’t really get when working from home. And it goes without saying that an obvious application is daily VR meetings, but it can also extend far beyond that and include things such as professional development training and even onboarding. Moreover, the importance of this becomes more obvious when we consider that people have now been working from home for weeks and that new employees keep being added, which means that companies that have already implemented VR onboarding training have a clear advantage.

Jenny: Well, like you’ve said, VR is ideal for simulating dangerous situations and processes with valuable raw materials. But it’s important to keep in mind that VR training also makes sense when not enough training stations are available.

And once again, I can point out a good example related to the current coronavirus pandemic, this time derived from the fact that it’s a high-risk situation for medical staff. More specifically, a new VR training system has recently been used to train 17,000 doctors and nurses for the COVID-19 pandemic, which is something that would have been completely impossible to do with traditional training given the number of people. Most hospitals are overburdened and don’t really have capacity for urgently needed training, so a virtual space made it possible for the training participants to get their bearings in regard to the new coronavirus reality without having to put their own health, or that of their patients’, at risk. And on top of that, using virtual reality meant that valuable PPE was conserved. So if you think about it, this is a perfect example of every single factor in a single scenario: Compensating for insufficient training stations, conserving crucial raw materials, and providing safe training for a hazardous situation.

It’s also important to note that we’re seeing new scenarios that seem to be viable to various degrees arise on almost a daily basis right now. Needless to say, high-risk scenarios and limited capacity have been firmly established as cases where virtual reality training makes sense, but we’ll see others be confirmed as well with time. As I mentioned earlier on, social distancing makes it very likely that we’ll see – at least temporarily – areas in which VR training will replace what would normally have been in-person training, such as communication skills and sales.

Jenny: With the Oculus Quest’s launch a few months ago, we now have a headset on the market that offers full mobility in a virtual environment and that doesn’t need a PC or external tracking elements – all at a price of 400 euros. This saves additional costs that would normally be associated with equipment, and the head-mounted display (editor’s note: AR glasses) is easy to use. In other words, we have an affordable option for the HMD at least.

Now, in regard to content creation, it really comes down to what the company in question wants, and we’re talking from real 360° photos to highly complex 3D animations – I honestly think there’s an option for every budget out there by this point. Basically put, the market has stabilized. Of course, however, it’s important to consider that virtual reality training is really only worth it beyond a certain number of users, which is why it’s absolutely necessary for companies to sit down with the relevant service provider before beginning a project and analyse the target group, the specific needs, and the general conditions involved. This would then yield a recommendation on which format and which technology to use.

Jenny: Well, it goes without saying that it’s important to draw several firm distinctions here. AR is used on a multitude of devices ranging from smartphones and tablets to smartglasses, so the size of the device really matters. One thing that people should always do, however, is to make sure that their applications aren’t too difficult to use regardless of whether they’re using gestures or touch. Controls need to be clear and easy to use, and there’s hardly anything as frustrating as not knowing how to make progress when taking a training course. Another thing worth considering is that voice control and a generous use of audio and audio effects can be very good ideas for both technologies. In fact, even music can be ideal depending on how cinematic the end product should be.

Having said all that, there is one nugget of wisdom from “normal” e-learning that remains intact for these two new technologies too: Interactivity maximizes learning. In other words, it’s important to give the person taking the course regular opportunities to explore and try things out and interact with the course contents and the learning environment.

Jenny: I know as many “young people” without an affinity for digital tools as “old people” with that affinity. I think it’s less a question of age than of wanting to do it. However, incorporating a phase for getting used to things and a tutorial at the beginning of a training program is never a bad idea.

On top of this, it’s important to remember that HMDs weigh a certain amount and that the duration of the course should usually be shorter than normal due to this.
And finally, it’s absolutely crucial to make sure it’s not just a one-time gimmick to be all cool and cutting edge. If someone really wants to use XR learning, it’s important to make a long-term commitment and consult with a professional to identify the learning scenarios that make sense, the devices that should be used, and the way that implementation and maintenance should work.

Jenny: I think that’s happening by itself right now, to tell you the truth. The exigencies arising from the coronavirus pandemic have essentially made people much more willing to try out new things. In fact, Google Classrooms with VR are enjoying a surge of popularity right now, and we’re seeing less obvious solutions as well, such as people moving their travel plans to their VR headsets due to the lack of other options. And many others are now going to the museum or theatre with (web) VR applications. Now we’re suddenly doing things that would have been completely unimaginable just a few weeks ago.

Now, it’s worth mentioning that what has worked particularly well for me is introducing the new technology in a very relaxed and casual way. Simply bring the VR headset and let the person put it on and try out a couple of simple applications and they just usually realize right away that the technology can be fun and is nothing to be afraid of. And, of course, having an advocate team within the company that knows its stuff and can answer questions can be really helpful when introducing things.

Jenny: I think the most solid trend is probably that the coronavirus crisis has resulted in a new push towards joint virtual learning. And both social learning and virtual reality were already on every single trend list before the pandemic started, but now we’re seeing a move towards social virtual learning. I think we’re definitely going to see a bunch of new products hit the market in the next few months.

I also think that we’re going to see a greater integration of WebVR snippets into “normal” training courses, as that’s a great way to test the waters with this new trend.

Thank you very much for the exciting interview, Jenny!

Learning by quizzing: are you always looking for entertaining fun facts for your next small talk? We feel the same way. That's why today's E-Learning Punk article starts with a quick question for all the British Royal family fans.

The Queen…

A: celebrates her birthday twice a year
B: has already had a little plastic surgery
C: swears by yoga in the morning

You will get the answer at the end of the article. First of all we want to look at where the interest in quizzes comes from, how companies can make use of them in training and what needs to be considered.

Jeopardy and QuizUp are just two well-known quiz examples. Quizzing is simply fun, it activates the reward centre in our brain and provides flow experiences with the right questions. Companies can also take advantage of this and use quiz apps in professional development. The quiz apps combine the advantages of mobile learning and game-based learning.

Various game elements are used, which in combination contribute to the success of the format. Here are the three most important elements of quiz apps:

So now we know what elements make quiz apps so successful and at what point in the learning journey quizzing can provide a bit of fun and motivation. Finally, we have a few tips for you to make sure that the quizzes don't miss their effect and you don't get bored:

Limite the maximum number of games that can be played per day.
Do not use quizzes in an inflationary way. Instead, use them mainly for topics of strategic importance and with a manageable number of questions.
Pay attention to the flow channel when creating questions. A good question should not be too difficult, but also not too easy.
Provide small incentives that have a positive effect on the status of the winner, for example an exclusive meeting with the management board.
Leave the game as what it is: a game. Not a formal learning measure. Don't force your learners to participate.

The right answer is A, by the way.

The second Punky Talk focuses on game-based learning, quiz-based learning and AI . We are hosting Roman Rackwitz, gamification guru and CEO of Engaginglab GmbH.

Roman has been involved in game thinking and gamification since 2007. He has already been named one of the top 10 gamification experts in the world. He describes himself as a naive optimist who rebels against the mindset that gaming were a waste of time. He wants to break down barriers and make games a natural thing, even in a corporate environment.

In the interview with E-Learning Punk moderator Vanessa, he talks about why failure is so important for our personal progress, why content is king but context is god, and why rewards should act as feedback – not bribery.

The interview was recorded live at LEARNTEC 2020 in Karlsruhe (Germany).

Enjoy watching!

In our E-Learning Punk series, we publish a new article on current digital training trends each month. The last three months have been dedicated to the following three trends: video-based learning, blended learning and mobile learning. Now, in the first Punky Talk, E-Learning Punk editor Vanessa talks to Karlheinz Pape, founder of the German Corporate Learning Community (CLC), about these topics, but also about his favourite, self-directed learning.

With the CLC, Karlheinz has established a community network that drives new forms of learning. In our interview, Karlheinz appeals to the crowd to reject their prejudices against learning with video. He also explains why Twitter is his number one learning booster and why mobile learning is an artificial term for him.

Listen for yourself below.

The third Punky Talk is all about blended learning. We welcome our guest Katharina Kunz. As a learning strategy expert, Katharina Kunz helps companies link learning content, systems and people to create a working learning ecosystem. She is appealing to all learning and development managers not to limit professional development to invitations for 4-course meals, but also offer a 24/7 learning buffet.

In our E-Learning Punk interview, Malte had already compared a successful blended learning solution to a balanced meal. Katharina picks up the thread right there and takes it one step further. She explains why we should look at the bigger picture of blended learning – the entire learning offer, rather than just one topic – and why a buffet offers greater flexibility, enabling us to create customised learning experiences on demand.

Enjoy watching!

Saturday afternoon: I’m feeling like Houdini after learning a few quick magic tricks from YouTube, my nephew Tom’s birthday party is saved, plus I can use the money I’ve saved to take Tom out next week. Sunday morning: Tom’s relaxing after his party and, like every Sunday, watching an episode of Art Attack on the Disney Channel. This week he’s drawing dogs.

What do Tom and I have in common? We both learned something thanks to videos at the weekend!

What works so well in our free time is now becoming more and more popular in organisations. Although YouTube and how-to series have been around for a while for anything from boiling an egg to installing a dishwasher, video-based learning is the new black in continuing education. Or as Josh Bersin says: „Video is the next text.“

Humans are visual beings. In the Stone Age we learned to pay attention to movements and thus to recognise enemies and dangers early on. Even today, moving images attract our attention. Videos also help us to understand and process information more quickly - more precisely, 60,000 times faster than text messages. And finally, learning is information processing.

The memory masters show the way: If they want to remember long chains of numbers, they usually link these verbal messages with visual images in their mind. This activates different brain areas to increase memory recall and ultimately better learning results.

Finally, for those who would like to bring a little Hollywood glamour into their training, here are a few tips for creating learning videos:

keep it simple, stupid (KISS). Keep your learners on their toes with short, sharp videos
don't lose sight of your objectives and target group
combine visual and auditory stimuli for maximum learning success
but: don’t forget subtitles, most videos are played mobile without sound
give your learners control over content selection with meaningful titles and playlis

We hope you will conquer the hearts and minds of your learners with our tips. The next issue of eLearning Punk next month will be dedicated to "Blended Learning".

A plea for diverse learning content

Why you shouldn’t neglect diversity in e-learning projects

“The diversity you want must also be reflected in your learning content.”

Hello Kenny! What does diversity mean to you?

You are project manager at imc, looking after clients like the UN, UNICEF, Lufthansa and PwC. How much do your clients really bring up diversity?

Is there a difference between public institutions, national and international companies?

What specific options are available for realising diversity in content projects?

How important is it that the content fits in with the real world? For example: If 90% of the managers are white and male, does presenting a multicultural learning environment not come across as dishonest?

What other challenges do you come across? What do you pay special attention to?

“Diverse teams should be involved in developing diverse learning content.” Do you back that statement?

How important is diversity education? Is more learning content on the topic needed?

tips for creating content that reflects diversity

Observe your environment

Sometimes, more is more

You are not the standard

Education is the start

Train the right topics

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Punky Talk #4: Dr. Fabian Kempf

The specialist for virtual classrooms firmly believes: “Poorly modelled 3D avatars are not helpful in the virtual world.”

Summary of key points from the interview

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Digital rebellion in L&D or digital fast food?

Why fast-paced development can quickly rack up costs

On the panel: Four learning gourmets and digitalisation gourmands

Sven R. Becker

Bianca Bauer

Prof. Dieter Wallach

Marios Karapanos

The discussion: real learning & solid tips

Questions and answers: answers to questions from the audience that haven’t been addressed yet

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Rock 'n' roll in the virtual classroom

Let blackboard and teacher's desk shine in new splendour

What is a virtual classroom?

How does the virtual classroom work?

Real-time communication

Interactive whiteboard

Virtual “hand raising”

Group rooms

Additional communication options

What should I pay attention to in the virtual classroom?

Well-trained instructors

Preparation

Didactic structure

Which providers offer virtual classrooms?

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Is coronavirus bringing immersive learning to the forefront?

Jennifer Fritz explains the potentials that virtual reality offers as the coronavirus crisis continues

A key observation by the concept designer, storyteller, and consultant: “Now we’re suddenly doing things that would have been completely unimaginable just a few weeks ago.”

Hi Jenny! How would you describe the role of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) in your day-to-day routine?

You mentioned concerns about cost earlier on. Aren’t AR and VR learning methods incredibly expensive in terms of hardware and content creation? How can someone decide whether it’s really worth it?

What are some important considerations when designing VR and AR experiences? Do you have any specific tips?

What should we keep in mind when introducing AR/VR – in terms of the target group, for example? Would it be true that the younger and more familiarized with digital tools, the better?

In addition to a phase for getting used to things and tutorials, are there any other tips you can offer for improving the willingness of students and trainees to use AR/VR learning applications?

What are some current trends in the field of immersive learning and where are things headed?

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The quiz show phenomenon in e-learning

Understanding why companies should rely on quiz apps in professional development

The success of quizzes depends on the mix

Avatars

Competition

Feedback

Quiz apps as a learning tool?

Areas of application for quiz apps in companies

Testing the state of knowledge

Consolidate knowledge

tips for the use of quiz apps in continuing education

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Punky Talk #2: Roman Rackwitz

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Punky Talk #1: Karlheinz Pape

The founder of a popular German learning community talks to us about self-directed learning

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Punky Talk #3: Katharina Kunz

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Watch out: Video-based Learning

So what’s the big deal?

Still not convinced on e-Learning videos?

more reasons why you need videos in your content library