As I try to settle down in the newly created e-learning training environment, I often come across new things that keep unfolding with every passing day. Sometimes it is the reaction of people who are using e-learning and sometimes it is the contentment of senior folks who see a huge cost saving in the process. All in all it is truly a mixed bag of emotions that I go through sitting on the ‘Hot Seat’ of the training head, who also happens to be the agent of change for my organization.
While e-learning has really enticed me over the past few weeks it has also provided a substantial learning curve to me. I came across some really interesting terminologies and lingoes. Some of them I already knew, while others were totally new. So, I thought of sharing it through the medium of my blog. So in future if anyone wants to implement e-learning in his/her organization, he/she can have an intelligent conversation with the vendor using these terms.
So here are few most commonly used lines by the Masters of the game:
Custom (Bespoke) Courses: Custom courses as the name suggests are courses which are created specially for you based on your business requirement. The content used in this is created specifically for your usage. For example, if there is a new product that you have launched and want to train your team, then the training material will be custom created for you.
Off-the-shelf Courses: Off-the-shelf courses are the standard courseware written and provided by subject matter experts. For example, these could be your Java courses, .Net courses, Communication courses etc. As these courses do not have any new business specific content specially created for a particular organization, these are called off-the-shelf learning courses.
Learning Management System (LMS): Learning Management System or LMS is a platform on which courses are launched. This is nothing but a software through which users access courses and undergo desired training modules. LMS also helps in tracking users and course related data such as the usage, tests taken by the user etc.
Scorm/ AICC Standards: Now this one has some sort of history attached to it. In the past everyone used to create e-learning content which at times used to fail to run on a LMS. This was primarily because there was no standardization in the way the content was coded making it incompatible with the LMS. So in order to ensure compliance in all the training material that is created; Scorm/ AICC standards were created. A courseware that is Scorm/ AICC complaint can run smoothly on any standard LMS.
Behind the Firewall: Though it sounds like a term straight out of a Harry Potter flick but in reality it has no connection to it. To run any e-learning training program it is essential to have a LMS. This is sometimes also purchased by the customer. Since purchasing an LMS is like purchasing software, the organization also has to invest on hardware and other support things. These include purchase of servers, computers, getting a team to manage the LMS etc. It makes the entire learning happen within the company on the intranet. Thus, making it ‘Behind the firewall’ learning. This kind of solution is used in organizations which have proprietary information, work on products or have an internet bandwidth issue.
Hosted Solution: Hosted Solution is just the opposite of ‘behind the firewall’. In a hosted solution, a third party takes care of all the hardware investment and back-end support. This reduces the cost phenomenally making it a much cheaper training option. The third party uploads the course on its LMS and the same is accessed by your user through the internet.
Software as a Service (SaaS): This is also hosted. But SaaS is sold as a service. In this the third party takes responsibility of providing an end-to-end solution to the customer. This includes training people on how to use/ access e-learning, hosting content, providing usability reports to the organization etc. In SaaS, the third party also continuously updates the content servers ensuring a minimized in the downtime.
Learning Path: Learning path as the name suggests is a custom path which is devised by the organization for growth of an individual based on his as-is and to-be competency level. The learning path is made in order to facilitate the individual to do his job better.
Blended Learning: Blended learning is an amalgamation of two different types of learning solutions to achieve organizational training goal. The two type of learning solutions are Instructor led training (ILT) and e-learning.
A blended model works in two ways:
A) When ILT is the primary mode of training and e-learning works as a support to it. In this case e-learning is looked at as a medium to provide a continued training after the ILT session is over.
B) When e-learning is the primary mode of training and ILT works as a support to it. In this case there are some one-on-one interactions with the subject matter experts are organized to contextualize the session basis the requirement.
Well, for now this is all I have come across. Hope the information comes in handy to you for your future e-learning endeavors. I will keep sharing more as and when I come across interesting, less known terms.
Till then you can use these to e-mpress your people and vendors :)
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Monday, July 13, 2009
My Brush with Technology - Virtualization is for real!
The current economic environment opens my eyes to a new technology or training methodology everyday. May be it is because I am in a situation where the need of the hour is innovation and alternate methods. With a bottom line message from the management saying “Cut the cost and upgrade my people”, there is hardly a moment of respite for a poor training guy like me.
While doing my daily job of surfing through the Internet and checking out new technologies and topics of discussion, I came across something known as ‘Virtualization’. I am sure many of us must have heard about it and some may be working on it too. But I realized that there will surely be a group of uninformed souls like me who would be completely unaware of a revolution called Virtualization. So in the interest of those I am trying to put together a few things that will give them a sneak peak into this futuristic technology.
Virtualization as the name suggests is something that is not real. Through virtualization one can create applications and also servers which are there without incurring huge infra costs. The latest in the field of virtualization is Storage servers. Now, let’s do a deep dive into it.
Basically, virtualization as a technology helps in removing dependency on the hardware. For example, any operating system (OS) or application will have to be binded to hardware in order to make it function. Like the Windows OS that we use currently will need a machine to which it will be attached or binded. But through virtualization, one machine can have multiple OS or applications running, simultaneously and on same physical box which is your computer. Not only that, all these virtual applications will use their own virtual hardware too i.e. virtual memory, virtual CPU etc. Fascinating, isn’t it?
Now how does this help us as Managers and organizations as a whole? Well, here are few things that Virtualization can do for you:
1. Server Consolidation: Any organization will require multiple servers to keep its data. These servers will be something like Messaging server, Web Server, Application Server etc. I am sure all of us must have heard these names in our organizations from the mouth of our technical geeks. All these servers come with a huge infra cost and also the space that it occupies in our server rooms turns them into a maze which looks impossible to get out of. Through virtualization this can be eliminated as all your servers will be on one machine only.
2. Server Underutilization: Like any business we also presume that we will grow year on year thus the servers that we purchase usually have much higher configuration than required at that point of time. This essentially leaves the machine under utilized in the current scenario. But with virtualization you can upgrade as and when required and also utilize required space on the virtual server. Thus, reducing the overall acquisition cost.
3. Reduction in Manual intervention: Whenever we have a new joinee in our organization, a guy from our technical support team spends at least 2 -3 hours setting up his machine. For that time, the employee has no machine to work on or is left at someone’s mercy who’s been kind enough to be on leave that day. With virtualization, you can create a standard template of things such as applications, OS etc that you may require in every machine as a standard. This enables a new machine to be set up in approximately 5 – 10 mins. It makes your organization look smart and more ready for the new guy who has walked in. Smart, isn’t it?
4. Overall Cost Reduction: We normally keep two servers in our organization of a similar kind. By this I mean, there will be two application servers, two web servers etc. This is primarily to keep a back-up of the data and also to handle situations of maintenance shut down. This in turn increases both infrastructure and manual cost. Through virtualization this can be addressed as these servers are on a virtual platform and therefore one individual from one machine can maintain all of them simultaneously. Now this makes you cost sensitive too.
Now after listening to the multiple advantages of virtualization as a technology I am sure you will agree with me when I say that virtualization is the future. To further cement my thoughts I would like to bring your attention to point no.4 and the current economic situation. So, I feel that in today’s scenario anything that can save you money is something to go for. Having said that, I would also like to warn you that its implementation doesn’t comes at a very cheap price. It is a futuristic technology and thus expensive too but you can look at it as a one time investment which will eventually give a higher ROI.
Lastly, just to give you a few statistics, India was ranked No.5 in the world in the Virtualization space. Many organizations are using virtualization technology in India to name a few are: IBM, WIPRO, HCL, CSC & Orange.
You can read more about virtualization from - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platform_virtualization
There are also many organizations that can provide you insights and training on Virtualization. Some names are – VM Ware, Citrix and NIIT etc.
So before the technology leaves us far behind, let’s hop on to the bus.
While doing my daily job of surfing through the Internet and checking out new technologies and topics of discussion, I came across something known as ‘Virtualization’. I am sure many of us must have heard about it and some may be working on it too. But I realized that there will surely be a group of uninformed souls like me who would be completely unaware of a revolution called Virtualization. So in the interest of those I am trying to put together a few things that will give them a sneak peak into this futuristic technology.
Virtualization as the name suggests is something that is not real. Through virtualization one can create applications and also servers which are there without incurring huge infra costs. The latest in the field of virtualization is Storage servers. Now, let’s do a deep dive into it.
Basically, virtualization as a technology helps in removing dependency on the hardware. For example, any operating system (OS) or application will have to be binded to hardware in order to make it function. Like the Windows OS that we use currently will need a machine to which it will be attached or binded. But through virtualization, one machine can have multiple OS or applications running, simultaneously and on same physical box which is your computer. Not only that, all these virtual applications will use their own virtual hardware too i.e. virtual memory, virtual CPU etc. Fascinating, isn’t it?
Now how does this help us as Managers and organizations as a whole? Well, here are few things that Virtualization can do for you:
1. Server Consolidation: Any organization will require multiple servers to keep its data. These servers will be something like Messaging server, Web Server, Application Server etc. I am sure all of us must have heard these names in our organizations from the mouth of our technical geeks. All these servers come with a huge infra cost and also the space that it occupies in our server rooms turns them into a maze which looks impossible to get out of. Through virtualization this can be eliminated as all your servers will be on one machine only.
2. Server Underutilization: Like any business we also presume that we will grow year on year thus the servers that we purchase usually have much higher configuration than required at that point of time. This essentially leaves the machine under utilized in the current scenario. But with virtualization you can upgrade as and when required and also utilize required space on the virtual server. Thus, reducing the overall acquisition cost.
3. Reduction in Manual intervention: Whenever we have a new joinee in our organization, a guy from our technical support team spends at least 2 -3 hours setting up his machine. For that time, the employee has no machine to work on or is left at someone’s mercy who’s been kind enough to be on leave that day. With virtualization, you can create a standard template of things such as applications, OS etc that you may require in every machine as a standard. This enables a new machine to be set up in approximately 5 – 10 mins. It makes your organization look smart and more ready for the new guy who has walked in. Smart, isn’t it?
4. Overall Cost Reduction: We normally keep two servers in our organization of a similar kind. By this I mean, there will be two application servers, two web servers etc. This is primarily to keep a back-up of the data and also to handle situations of maintenance shut down. This in turn increases both infrastructure and manual cost. Through virtualization this can be addressed as these servers are on a virtual platform and therefore one individual from one machine can maintain all of them simultaneously. Now this makes you cost sensitive too.
Now after listening to the multiple advantages of virtualization as a technology I am sure you will agree with me when I say that virtualization is the future. To further cement my thoughts I would like to bring your attention to point no.4 and the current economic situation. So, I feel that in today’s scenario anything that can save you money is something to go for. Having said that, I would also like to warn you that its implementation doesn’t comes at a very cheap price. It is a futuristic technology and thus expensive too but you can look at it as a one time investment which will eventually give a higher ROI.
Lastly, just to give you a few statistics, India was ranked No.5 in the world in the Virtualization space. Many organizations are using virtualization technology in India to name a few are: IBM, WIPRO, HCL, CSC & Orange.
You can read more about virtualization from - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platform_virtualization
There are also many organizations that can provide you insights and training on Virtualization. Some names are – VM Ware, Citrix and NIIT etc.
So before the technology leaves us far behind, let’s hop on to the bus.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Training in turbulent times
The year 2008 surprised everyone with high impact global economic downturn. The organizations that were witnessing a growth of 50 – 100% year-on-year suddenly started experiencing a road block. Not only the business available in abundance earlier shrinked; but the employees too started feeling jittery with the current situation.
This resulted in huge attrition, lay-offs and cost cutting leaving very little for the organization to do for the development of its employees. All the training methodologies suddenly started looking like jewels which are good to look at but very difficult to buy.
All of us in the field of training must have experienced a situation like this at our rrspective organizations and businesses. So, what do we do? Do we wait for the situation to improve or look for avenues to address this challenge at our end?
I decided to go by the latter. In the process I came across a very intresting, easily deployable and cost effective solution called e-learning. Like many of us I too had a tremendous mental block of choosing e-learning over classroom training. It took the vendor almost 2 months of effort before I finally gave in. I must admit, i wasn't very confident of my decision but as an employee i had a few targets which were to be achieved and the current market scenario was not making it happen in the traditional way.
So, here I was, taking my organization on a new path. A path which we had not walked before. A path which was still unexplored in the coutry to that extent. But most certainly a path which showed a lot of promise. A path which was the answer to upgrading your workforce in the current economic situation.
Now, 3 months down the line, when I look back I feel really proud of myself for going the e-learning way. This transition not only saved a lot of cot that my organization was incurring on training but also gave a different dimension to the training methodologies in the organization. The employees in my organizations at various levels have actually come up to me and appreciated this method of learning.
Well, I do agree that it is too early to form an opinion about e-larning as a training tool but the experience so far has been nothing less than wonderful.
I will keep sharing my experiences and challenges through my space as often as I can and would appreciate your thoughts and questions also.
Important Insight: There are many players who offer e-learning in the market today as everyone wants to ride this wave of change. But be very careful while choosing your training partner. Here are a few things that you must consider:
1. What are the various training libraries that they offer?
2. Do they have training courses to offer to all employees working in different roles in your organization
3. Is the course content approved by industry experts
4. Do you get any certification post the course completion?
5. What are the other value adds that they offer?
With these tips I sign-off for now. Will be back with more training insights till then keep reading.
Good Luck!
This resulted in huge attrition, lay-offs and cost cutting leaving very little for the organization to do for the development of its employees. All the training methodologies suddenly started looking like jewels which are good to look at but very difficult to buy.
All of us in the field of training must have experienced a situation like this at our rrspective organizations and businesses. So, what do we do? Do we wait for the situation to improve or look for avenues to address this challenge at our end?
I decided to go by the latter. In the process I came across a very intresting, easily deployable and cost effective solution called e-learning. Like many of us I too had a tremendous mental block of choosing e-learning over classroom training. It took the vendor almost 2 months of effort before I finally gave in. I must admit, i wasn't very confident of my decision but as an employee i had a few targets which were to be achieved and the current market scenario was not making it happen in the traditional way.
So, here I was, taking my organization on a new path. A path which we had not walked before. A path which was still unexplored in the coutry to that extent. But most certainly a path which showed a lot of promise. A path which was the answer to upgrading your workforce in the current economic situation.
Now, 3 months down the line, when I look back I feel really proud of myself for going the e-learning way. This transition not only saved a lot of cot that my organization was incurring on training but also gave a different dimension to the training methodologies in the organization. The employees in my organizations at various levels have actually come up to me and appreciated this method of learning.
Well, I do agree that it is too early to form an opinion about e-larning as a training tool but the experience so far has been nothing less than wonderful.
I will keep sharing my experiences and challenges through my space as often as I can and would appreciate your thoughts and questions also.
Important Insight: There are many players who offer e-learning in the market today as everyone wants to ride this wave of change. But be very careful while choosing your training partner. Here are a few things that you must consider:
1. What are the various training libraries that they offer?
2. Do they have training courses to offer to all employees working in different roles in your organization
3. Is the course content approved by industry experts
4. Do you get any certification post the course completion?
5. What are the other value adds that they offer?
With these tips I sign-off for now. Will be back with more training insights till then keep reading.
Good Luck!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
