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ATD Links Archive - ATD Links

Although a learning objects approach offers tremendous possibilities to reorganize and improve educational practices, there are many theoretical problems and practical shortcomings that are usually neglected. Implementation of LOs needs a sound pedagogical grounding, and only using LOs according to the principles of contemporary learning th...

Problems Underlying the Learning Object Approach

Tech headlines for January 2014 take a look several trends in mobile learning. Mobile Learning Trends Highlight Impact Instruction Technology Report Trends in learning tech continue to move in a mobile direction, and not as slowly as some may think, according to results from Impact Instruction Group’s 2nd annual Learning & Development Technology survey.To get a pulse on the changes in L&D technology behaviors and trends, Impact Instruction’s survey tracks learning technology trends in five areas: categories of learning technologies that companies plan to invest in for 2014leadership interest in implementing new technologiesmaturity of corporate mobile learning strategiesstaffing plans for mobile initiativesbusiness units that are being considered for mobile learning implementations. Impact Instruction also compared the data from our 2013 technology report to determine the changes in trends over last year. As technology offerings continue to become more robust, so do our capabilities to offer learning in a way that makes it interesting and convenient for our learners. This report offers trends data on learning and development technologies, particularly in the mobile arena. Here’s a look at some survey highlights: Investments in mobile learning, games, and simulations increased by 17 percent over last year’s report. (Webinars and videos decreased by 12 percent and 7 percent respectively, although one-half of respondents still plan to invest in them. Virtual conferences made the list this year with 24 percent of our respondents planning 2014 investments.) Some 44 percent of respondents said that they have new mobile devices in their organizations, and now need a learning strategy to address their use by employees. Six (6) percent have fully adopted strategies; another 6 percent have strategies and plan to implement them in the coming year. When asked how their staff is going to address mobile trends, more than 0ne-third (38 percent) stated that they are going to train their current staff, and 21 percent already have the staff in place for mobile learning. For more survey insight and analysis, down load the full report from the Impact Instruction website. U.S. News & World Report Announces the 2014 Best Online Programs U.S. News & World Report has released its 2014 Best Online Programs rankings. Now in their third year, the rankings are a resource for students who are seeking online education programs for degree completion and career advancement. The 2014 U.S. News Best Online Programs include online bachelor's and master's degrees in engineering, business, education, nursing and computer information technology, as well as information on the costs of an online degree and tips for being a successful distance learner.The 2014 rankings evaluate information and data from nearly 1,000 online degree programs, up from 860 programs the previous year. Only degree-granting programs offering classes entirely online were considered. This year, the publication changed its selection method to incorporate additional data, further enhancing its analytically rigorous approach to and better reflect retention and graduation rates and required time to graduate. Moreover, for the first time all six rankings include peer review data based on schools' evaluations of each other. These changes are the primary factors behind why many of the schools moved up and down in the rankings. Best Online Bachelor's ProgramsCentral Michigan UniversitySUNY College of Technology — Delhi (NY)Pace University (NY)Pennsylvania State University — World Campus Best Online Graduate Business ProgramsIndiana University — BloomingtonArizona State UniversityUniversity of Florida Best Online Graduate Education ProgramsNorthern Illinois UniversityIndiana University — BloomingtonCentral Michigan UniversityUniversity of Houston (TX)Best Online Graduate Engineering Programs Columbia University (NY)University of California — Los AngelesUniversity of Wisconsin — Madison Best Online Graduate Computer Information Technology Programs University of Southern CaliforniaBoston University (MA)Virginia TechBest Online Graduate Nursing Programs St. Xavier University (IL)Medical University of South CarolinaUniversity of Massachusetts — Amherst Western Europe Mobile Learning Market Hits $885 Million by 2017 The revenues for mobile learning products in Western Europe reached $574.8 million in 2012, according to the new Ambient Insight report, "The 2012-2017 Western Europe Mobile Learning Market." The five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) in the region is 9 percent, and revenues will spike to $885.1 million by 2017. Forecasts for 24 countries are included in this regional report: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. "In some countries, the growth rates are breathtaking. Seven countries have growth rates over 25 percent. Lithuania has the highest growth rate, followed by Slovakia and Romania," says Ambient analyst Sam S. Adkins. There are two sections in this report: a demand-side analysis by country and a supply-side analysis by product. The supply-side section provides revenue forecasts for five types of mobile learning products and services, including packaged content, value-added services (VAS), custom content development services, authoring tools and learning platforms, and personal learning devices (PLDs). "Consumers are the top buyers in 21 of the countries analyzed in this report," comments Ambient CEO Tyson Greer. "Consumers buy educational apps, subscribe to mobile learning VAS products, and purchase personal learning devices. What is interesting is the unique app buying behaviors in each country." Ambient Insight report also identifies five major catalysts in the booming Western Europe mobile learning market. "The proliferation of smartphones and tablets in particular has created a huge delivery channel for mobile learning content suppliers," says Adkins. "Direct carrier billing is now fueling the consumer demand for mobile learning content. Microsoft, Google, Samsung, Nokia, BlackBerry, and Amazon now have direct carrier billing agreements with dozens of carriers in the region," he adds. To download the free report abstract, go to http://www.ambientinsight.com/Reports/MobileLearning.aspx. Implementing Effective Mobile Learning InfographicFind more education infographics on e-Learning Infographics.

Tech Headlines for January 2014

According to ATD’s research report Upskilling and Reskilling: Turning Disruption and Change Into New Capabilities, a third of talent development professionals have identified the need to upskill or reskill their employees—but have taken no action to do so. As the report found that strong correlations to better market performance and learning performance were associated with such programs, there is a great need for talent development to embrace upskilling and reskilling to develop employees.The report, sponsored by DeVry Works, defines upskilling as training designed to augment existing skills with new or enhanced knowledge or skills to enable individuals to continue to succeed in the same profession or field of work. Reskilling, meanwhile, enables individuals to gain new knowledge or skills to perform new jobs or enter new professions. These practices play a crucial role in helping organizations retain talent, engage employees, and meet changing business needs.For a closer look at what upskilling and reskilling might address and when they could be useful, this post examines programs at two organizations.Upskilling at Persistent SystemsOne of ATD’s member-only 10-Minute Case Studies describes how Persistent Systems, a global company specializing in software product development and digital technology services, developed an upskilling program. When Persistent Systems began focusing on a new market opportunity to help customers with digital transformation initiatives, its talent development team knew the organization’s software developers and engineers would need new skills in this area.Their solution, the Full Stack Program, was a three-month blended learning program containing virtual, instructor-led sessions as well as e-learning and collaborative learning. The program offered five learning paths for developers to choose from and two learning paths quality engineers could select from. Each path included a different combination of courses.Program participants attended two-hour course sessions hosted on the company’s collaborative platform twice a week. Some components of the courses were:hands-on activitieshomework assignmentsslide decksvideosquizzesonline group discussionsa five-week group project.These features gave employees several opportunities to learn and practice their new skills—an important aspect of any upskilling program. To learn more about the program, ATD members can read the full case study for free.Reskilling at Atrium HealthUpskilling and Reskilling describes how Atrium Health, a nonprofit healthcare network based in the United States, used reskilling to face an issue many employers and employees may struggle with in the coming years: job roles becoming obsolete.Unit secretaries at Atrium Health, responsible for tasks such as taking doctors’ orders and entering them into an information system, experienced this firsthand. “Every healthcare system has adopted the use of EMRs to meet Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services requirements,” says Rebecca Schmale, vice president of learning and organizational development at Atrium Health. “For us, that shift meant that the unit secretary job was literally going away.”In response to this, Schmale’s team gave employees in unit secretary positions the option to reskill to become healthcare technicians. However, the healthcare technician role required a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) credential.To help employees meet this requirement, the organization adapted its tuition assistance program to cover all costs for employees to earn the CNA certification. Through the reskilling program, which spanned a year and a half, employees could continue to be paid while they were trained.Because Upskilling and Reskilling found that offering tuition assistance for reskilling is a practice strongly correlated to market performance and better learning outcomes, the report recommends organizations consider leveraging tuition assistance in their reskilling programs.To learn about more best practices for upskilling and reskilling programs, read the full report.

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