Dec 22

Written by: Chris Osborn
12/22/2010 3:20 PM  

I just read an interesting article by Paula Ketter at ASTD called – “Six Trends That Change Workplace Learning Forever.” It’s a good article, and I recommend reading it. Ms. Ketter provides a very good, high level overview of some important trends.

Here at BizLibrary, we interact with small and mid-sized organizations all over the US each day. So we are seeing things a little bit differently. We are seeing some very clear trends in the training and employee development in our market segment that we believe will have significant impacts on the way organizations educate, engage and retain employees going forward. So – here is my take on two big trends in employee training and learning management systems heading into 2011.

Web 2.0 Comes Home 

The impact of social media, social networking and Web 2.0 tools on the Internet, organizations and individuals is well-documented. Not surprisingly, individuals, and frequently younger members of the workforce, have led the way with the adoption and use of these tools in their personal and professional lives. Many organizations have made the plunge into Web 2.0 and it’s clear social media is not just a fad or a trend anyone in business can ignore.

The trend in employee training we are seeing is the way Web 2.0 tools and ideas are finding their way into enterprise-wide applications. BizLibrary is in the online training and LMS business, and the industry is undergoing rapid and profound changes right before our eyes.

We understand just how important informal learning is to the overall employee training and development. In fact, I think a great case can be made for the importance of informal learning to broader organizational effectiveness. Organizations now have tools at their disposal to bring informal learning into the spotlight and facilitate much broader sharing of information and learning. What’s interesting in the online training world is the role an LMS can play in this emerging drive to encourage, facilitate informal learning, and then capture the knowledge and share learning experiences among employees.

For instance, here at BizLibrary we recently launched a test and survey tool that’s integrated with our LMS. We are also close to launching other Web 2.0 styled collaboration and communication enhancements to our LMS, and mobile learning (smart phone enabled) is a very short ways in the future for us. Les Wight, the Chief Technology Officer at BizLibrary, offers this perspective:

"We can’t wait for senior leadership in our client organizations to all climb on board the informal learning and Web 2.0 bandwagon. We have to find ways – right now – to engage the employees who use our LMS in ways that mirror their broader web activity. Tools and resources that tap into this willingness to be engaged in and involved with communities, share information and ideas, comment on posts and converse with wide audiences have to be a part of the LMS experience, otherwise we’re ignoring the way people actually work, live, behave and learn."

We here at BizLibrary believe it is safe to say nearly every new feature or enhancement released in 2010 and planned for 2011 will be inspired by Web 2.0 tools – regardless of vendor.

The Rise of Web-Enabled, Streaming Video

Interactive e-learning is a critical piece of the entire online training world, and we continue to sell a lot of interactive e-learning. We are also producing quite a bit of custom developed content. But are people willing to spend 2-3 hours in a course, when they need an answer to an immediate problem? Might they prefer looking at a 3, 4 or 5 minute video?

Online training in a streaming video format might be the answer to making on-demand, just-in-time learning more effective. After all, people are used to gathering information and being entertained by 2-3 minute clips on YouTube. Is it fair to assume that form of information delivery and knowledge sharing could be effective in a workplace learning environment? Debbie Williams, VP of Operations at BizLibrary manages relationships with training companies that produce streaming video courses, and she agrees.

"We are seeing real growth in the utilization of our streaming video training content, and it’s not an accident. Our clients tell us these short video courses are perfect for their busy and hectic work environments. The short length of the videos fits into schedules easier, and many employees find the ability to “watch instantly” the content they want to make learning more effective than traditional classroom styled training."

We see a rise in the demand for quality, short, topical video tools organizations can incorporate into their employee training efforts. These tools might be stand-alone training pieces, or videos for use in classroom sessions, or a series of short videos an instructional designer or trainer can put together into a more complete “course.”
Short videos have many great advantages, and instructional design principles are now routinely applied. With LMS delivery of video, learners can now be tested and quizzed on the content. Watch for more organizations like us here at BizLibrary to find ways to deliver training and knowledge based content in shorter segments using streaming video.