From business case to Mature Product: A step-by-step guide to using Moodle in your business. A presentation prepared for Midwest Moodle Moot by Penny Mondani. http://pennymondani.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Using-Moodle-for-Business-by-Penny-Mondani.pdf Source: http://pennymondani.com/tag/elearning-for-small-business/  

All learners, irrespective of whether they attend online or onsite training have to be motivated and committed to the learning process. However, as online learners, we need more than that! Based on my experience, here are some points to consider…

While adaptation and change are necessary for continued success, neither organizations nor individuals find them easy. Information, communication, and learning technologies offer assistance, although no single solution fits all organizations or all individuals. Author Clark Quinn explores e-learning, information portals, and e-communities in a quest for a coherent understanding of the options and a schema for effective deployment.

The report provides a framework of the diverse e-Learner profiles found throughout the tertiary sector, taking into account: Demographics. Learning orientations (learning styles). Readiness for e-Learning, and Experience of and attitudes to e-Learning.

This report was commissioned by the Ministry and undertaken by Massey University in collaboration with the Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology, The Open Polytechnic of New Zealand and Otago Polytechnic.

In the current evolving economic environment, it is important for organisations to effectively implement and utilise e-learning applications, strategies and techniques to up-skill their workforce so that they are more productive, higher performing and competitive in regional, national and global contexts.

Now, more than ever, industry has an opportunity to develop the people they already have in a way that is cost effective, and highly customised. E-learning provides an ideal means of addressing specific skill shortages. Employers who are serious about taking charge of their own future, and proactively addressing the barriers which are preventing profitability and growth without waiting for others to act, should be grabbing e-learning with both hands.

Recommended reading, this webpage from the Ministry of Education (New Zealand) summarises key issues and findings from the full report (also available for download). The content is succinct and includes some excellent graphics clearly depicting the process of elearning industry, elearning as it occurs in large companies, and in small or medium businesses, and a model for examining elearning effectiveness. This is an excellent summary of key e-learning issues in the New Zealand workplace, but many of these factors have wider relevance. It also glances towards the future…

When planning for e-life, empower trainers and learners to engage in e-life. Concepts and methodologies of elearning will have to take into account the needs of the small business environment and its learners in order to achieve a wider learning application. A learner driven pedagogy rather than a product driven one could be experienced as the real challenge as it may confront equal opportunities and the democratisation of learning environments, be it blended learning approaches or others.

Executives today know that business depends on well-skilled and knowledgeable employees who make the right decisions, work effectively and efficiently, and keep their skills up-to-date. Especially in today’s economy, executives want to make successful financial investments when deciding what methods to use to keep staff well trained. Therefore, they demand to know the data and case studies that support new learning approaches like eLearning. This document addresses five key questions that senior executives ask about eLearning benefits and challenges.

Recommended reading, this is part one of a two part post suggesting some ways to use elearning to enhance relationships with your customers. In some ways it would be better titled “12 ways to use an LMS…” as some of the ideas – particularly in part two of this post have very little to do with e-learning as such.