As part of the Learning 2010 podcast series, Trivantis’ Executive Vice President Ben Contra spoke candidly with learning researcher and organizer, Elliott Masie, about some of the latest eLearning trends and challenges. With the past year’s technological and economical changes, the industry has changed dramatically, and Contra offered his opinions on the subject.

Masie: What are some of the key learning challeneges that you think organizations face as we move into 2011?

Contra: A couple of them right off the top are the decreased budgets, learning knowledge and travel restrictions, coupled with downsizing or right-sizing and the need for less people doing more.

Another challenge Contra mentioned was the increased number of platforms that are used to deliver information. Or ... [Read More]

For those in the eLeanring industry, a day rarely goes by without hearing about mLearning. Whether about the extreme growth or the multitude of benefits, people are talking about the latest learning phenomenon. The current “mobile” generation is the catalyst for mLearning’s success, and with the frequent innovation and ubiquity of Smartphones and other mobile devices, on-the-go learning appears to be sticking around.

“Mobile is outstripping television, the PC, the Internet in growth. There are 4.6 billion users worldwide today, and there will be 5 billion by the end of 2010. The mobile Internet is now over half of all Internet use,” said Tomi Ahonen in his keynote speech at MlearnCon 2010, a major mLearning conference.

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According to the latest Nielsen research, Americans spend nearly a quarter of their time online on social networks and blogs, up from 15.8% a year ago. The focus on social media in today’s professional and social environment is extremely prevalent, and it was inevitable when the phenomenon moved into the eLearning market.

Elearning thrives on tools that allow distance learners and their instructors to communicate easily and without delay. Because of this, social networks are often integrated in courses, or supplement lessons, to provid ... [Read More]

In recent years, eLearning has not only become widespread, but it has become mainstream in large corporations and organizations. Rapid, time restricted and cost effective training is a priority for those organizations that employ eLearning, and new technologies have consistently aided these necessities.

“The innovation brought about by e-learning does not follow the model of traditional, instructor-directed classes,” said James Kilmurray, a faculty practitioner with the University of Phoenix. “The opp ... [Read More]

This is a guest blog post by instructional design professional, Diane Elkins.

While many people come to the world of eLearning with an instructional design background, many more come from other backgrounds such as classroom teaching or multi-media development.  So, if you are creating eLearning without an instructional design background (and don't have the two years and thousands of dollars to get a degree in it), how can you make sure you are designing good instruction? 

One thing you can do is to use your common sense and put yourself in the shoes of the various project stakeholders.  Think about the questions and concerns they are likely to have on their minds and make sure you address them.  Here are some of the top questions on their minds.

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BlackBerry users feeling left out of the mobile learning phenomenon? Well, Research in Motion (RIM) has remedied this with the release of their latest software, BlackBerry OS 6, which “drags RIM into the 21^st century,’’ according to Bloomberg News Columnist Rich Jaroslovsky. The Operating System will debut on their latest Smartphone, BlackBerry Torch, and boasts modern features, making it comparable to other contemporary Smartphones.

The new OS features an upgraded and efficient WebKit-based browser that renders HTML web pages, which is a major breakthrough for BlackBerry users hoping to view eLearning coursework from their phone. Lectora allows you to publish your training content directly to HTML ... [Read More]