LMS Essentials: Best Practices for LMS Owners

Editor's Notes

• #3: I’ll introduce your presenter for today. As the Lead Learning & Development Specialist at Lambda Solutions, Erin works closely with out clients prior to launching their LMS, to ensure they’re well trained and knowledgeable on their learning management system. Thank you Erin, for presenting for us today.
• #4: Let’s go through some housekeeping items. We tested the audio earlier, but if you experience issues with the sound, just let us know in the chat box. This is an interactive webinar, so we do have some poll questions throughout the presentation, we’d love if you would participate. We will have a question and answer period at the end of the webinar, so ask your questions as they come, and we will go through them at the end. There will be a post-webinar survey at the end, where you can provide your feedback!
• #6: A little bit about Lambda Solutions: We are LMS experts and a complete solutions provider – we offer everything from the technology, to training and services. Beyond just the technology, our solutions help you see when, and how, eLearning is achieving goals. We’ve developed a reporting and analytics solution to provide deeper insight into your learners, and learning programs. We have 12 years of experience, over 600 customer implementations, and 1 million active user accounts across most industry sectors.
• #7: We work with some amazing industry leading clients such as TOMS Shoes, Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin and Kodak Alaris to improve their training programs, enhance performance, and reduce the cost of their learning and training management. One of our Moodle clients we like to highlight is Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin. With the custom Moodle reports we build for them, they were able to save weeks of time, and significant costs.
• #9: This is a great infographic we like to use, because it really highlights the many components of your learning management system. When thinking about getting an LMS, people often think about the items ‘above water’ like who the users will be, and what kind of learning they will be doing. They might not think about the essential elements to successfully implement an LMS that are below the surface, like reporting, and training.
• #11: Understanding the business model: Coming from our model: open source products with an open source spirit of you us supporting you making it happen for yourselves. You do the work, we show you how. This gives you (being the client) the agency to manage your site, your LMS. Know your business model, know what you want to accomplish, know your outcomes, know your audience. Based on experience and client feedback, we continue to refine our model and this is what we have now.
• #12: Change your organization’s learning philosophy The first thing to go should be the content-first mentality. It may be hard to flip this traditional mindset, but designing a training program around what information you think your employees should know is all backward. Instead, you need to start with understanding the objectives business leaders want to achieve. Then, you need to figure out the training content to help them get there. This is what will drive your organization’s success. It’s what will also drive your workers’ and your training program’s success. When you identify the behaviors that your employees need to exhibit to be successful in their jobs, and the knowledge they need to have in order to consistently practice those behaviors, results will definitely follow. https://www.learningsolutionsmag.com/articles/2121/?utm_campaign=lsmag&utm_medium=email&utm_source=lsm-news&utm_content=link Here talk about the human element: the needs of the learner. Return to this later with the online. Here we are also talking about higher level procedure. Later, more details. Training is package deal with us and you work with one person throughout and that trainer will get to know you and your needs. Our philosophy is: Know the platform first. During this process, we get to know you and your needs and the training Q&As are geared towards you. However, at this point many people don’t have any questions because they don’t know what to ask yet. So we fill the bucket for you. Also, we have training first because more often than not, I hear “Oh, wow, I didn’t know you could do that.” So we take a note of that and return to it in more detail in the setup and configuration. There is then a Hand off from Order Processing to training where our team takes over. We want you to know your LMS inside and out, starting with fundamentals and site setup, then when you are comfortable moving on to more advanced topics. We have Training and Setup and Configuration. I’ll start by focusing on Training, We do training first, because Training has 2 main components: Online learning and Live Q&A sessions led by an expert with you and your team. (Deeper dive: More details in the next slide)
• #13: Lambda Learning Space is our Online Basedon current best practices in adult learning and corporate training, we have designed our online learning to be: modular, searchable, context-driven, practical and hands-on. Incorporate science There’s also a bounty of research out there about how the brain works, and you don’t need to be a neuroscientist to use it. This brain science looks closely at how people learn best and helps lay out which techniques are most effective for training. Much of the current science challenges traditional learning methods—people just can’t remember most of the information after sitting in a classroom for hours at a time. What does work? Microlearning, spaced repetition, gamification, repeated retrieval, and confidence-based assessments. They all show great results when it comes to boosting employee brainpower and translating that knowledge to the job. https://www.learningsolutionsmag.com/articles/2121/?utm_campaign=lsmag&utm_medium=email&utm_source=lsm-news&utm_content=link The training is modular in that you can either follow the training from beginning to end (which we recommend the first time around) or you can choose the pieces that you need to know, right now. The training consists of video content and our average video length is 7 minutes and each video is task-based and arranged in the logical workflow of building out your LMS. Each video is then matched with a hands-on task that you can try out safely in your ‘training sandbox’, a basic, out-of-the-box LMS that we provision for three months. We think of Training as “this is what your LMS can do” We are planting seeds for use of the LMS
• #14: The training Q&A sessions are where you get to spend time with an expert. While the intention is that you’ve completed some training and have questions, often—and especially if you are new to using an LMS—you might not even know what to ask. So, our experts will review key areas during which questions will be asked to initiate discussion. At this point, these questions are designed to plant seeds of possibility for your use of the LMS or points of discussion to be taken up with your team offline. This also continues the human element, which is essential for us. Our calls begin with time devoted to discovery on how you will be using the LMS and your experience level. This knowledge drives the rest of the session as, depending on your answers, different key points will be emphasized during the training as well as different kinds of questions.
• #15: Series of live Q&A sessions based on a logical workflow Guided by critical questions that are provided to help teams do their work. There are points in the setup and configuration that require either knowledge of or sometimes, rethinking certain organizational structures. Included in the setup and configuration package is “offline time” where certain workflows may need to be tested prior to moving forward, or more information may need to be collected. Our resident experts will do this work, capture the details and bring the conclusions to the next call. Setup and configuration is different from training in that this is a direct consultation for you and your organization’s needs. Build a course
• #17: Serving clients who have higher needs, who are beyond the fundamentals and want to grow into their LMS and the features it has to offer. Review.
• #18: topics of Why Training Matters
• #19: Next slide: topics of Why Training Matters
• #20: Stakeholders: Project Managers will be happy to see things move along. Employees will feel more empowered knowing what to do, so they can spend their time focusing on doing quality work rather than struggling through how-tos; in many cases, the LMS is part of an individual’s workload so the additional stress of not knowing how to use it can be overwhelming Example: I got a ticket from a client who hadn’t gone through training. They had migrated their site and so having already worked in it for years didn’t take advantage of our training package. She said she had spent three days manually inputting all the new students for the new school year (the LMS was being used for one faculty at a major Canadian university. I gently let her know that there are faster ways to do this and to please let us know next time you need to add users to the system. We can complete this task in minutes, not days. With training, this wouldn’t have been an issue. In fact, a lot of what is highlighted in training comes out of common how to requests from the Support Desk.
• #21: Make information accessible on demand It happens to all of us. We’re in the middle of doing a job when, suddenly, we need to look up something we don’t know or can’t remember. While there’s critical information we need top of mind to perform regular tasks, sometimes there’s other information that we need to reference only once in a while. The problem is, most companies don’t have an easy way for employees to access essential information. So, employees either make incorrect assumptions or waste hours of time conducting endless searches for documentation. By creating a central repository where employees have “anytime, anywhere” access to the tools and resources they need to do their jobs, you can boost productivity and performance significantly. Our Response: Design online learning to meet today’s need for “just-in-time” learning. Our videos are modular and searchable as well as contextual and task based. Hands on practice in the sandbox Start each new client training with discovery: who are you? What’s your experience with this platform? What skills do you bring to the table? What’s your role?
• #22: Training can not only make you a more efficient user in a platform you may already be familiar with, it can also close the skills gap for those new to it. New system: decision makers bring in the new system: teams have to change the way they work and learn a new system: can result in extra work, steep learning curve, high expectations can equal resistance & frustration In a previous position, we had a new database system implemented. They called for mandatory 2-day training for the entire staff. About 15 minutes out of the 16 hours was relevant to my position. The training was not directed at any team or at all contextual to our work or tasks and because it was not relevant, people tuned out. It was a colossal waste of time for the organization. We needed the skills and we needed the training to be delivered team by team and task by task, with hands-on practice. Rather than leading us to do our work better, it alienated the entire staff. This was a great motivator for me to build a learning system that teams can use as a learning opportunity that inspires work. Our Response: Start each new client training with discovery: who are you? What’s your experience with this platform? What skills do you bring to the table? What’s your role? Hands on practice in the sandbox
• #23: Lambda Learning Space is our Online Basedon current best practices in adult learning and corporate training, we have designed our online learning to be: modular, searchable, context-driven, practical and hands-on. Incorporate science There’s also a bounty of research out there about how the brain works, and you don’t need to be a neuroscientist to use it. This brain science looks closely at how people learn best and helps lay out which techniques are most effective for training. Much of the current science challenges traditional learning methods—people just can’t remember most of the information after sitting in a classroom for hours at a time. What does work? Microlearning, spaced repetition, gamification, repeated retrieval, and confidence-based assessments. They all show great results when it comes to boosting employee brainpower and translating that knowledge to the job. https://www.learningsolutionsmag.com/articles/2121/?utm_campaign=lsmag&utm_medium=email&utm_source=lsm-news&utm_content=link The training is modular in that you can either follow the training from beginning to end (which we recommend the first time around) or you can choose the pieces that you need to know, right now. The training consists of video content and our average video length is 7 minutes and each video is task-based and arranged in the logical workflow of building out your LMS. Each video is then matched with a hands-on task that you can try out safely in your ‘training sandbox’, a basic, out-of-the-box LMS that we provision for three months. We think of Training as “this is what your LMS can do” We are planting seeds for use of the LMS
• #24: If you don’t have the skills to complete a job, time is wasted, self-confidence can be lowered and the employee or team can be weakened and the project may drag on and perhaps fail to get off the ground With the proper skills and guidance, enthusiasm for the project increases as employees are empowered to do their work and gain new skills. One of my favorite parts of this job is getting off a call with people who are excited to get to work and start building their site. I can see their enthusiasm in their sandbox as well as they build out things. Improve the situation Employee confidence can take your company to the next level (come back to this idea later)
• #25: Most valuable learning often comes from each other, so building in social learning opportunities for your learners is a great way to encourage people to come together. Y Tap into collective wisdom Traditionally, training has been top-down—starting with L&D. But there is tons of company knowledge that either gets lost or fragmented in departmental siloes. Instead of letting this information remain hidden, open up the channels of communication to create a common pool of knowledge that’s accessible to everyone. By enabling employees to share, you’ll not only strengthen any formal training programs you have in place, but also allow them to take advantage of the collective wisdom of the group so they can do even bigger and better things for the business. ou become a hub. https://www.learningsolutionsmag.com/articles/2121/?utm_campaign=lsmag&utm_medium=email&utm_source=lsm-news&utm_content=link
• #26: From the previous example, after training was completed, they brought on a new eLearning Specialist so those who had completed the training were able to help the new person find their way around. This is actually really common situation. People move in their work. Ask yourself as you set up your training if those who you are training will be training other. How can you set this up? Share knowledge with team: Many of the participants in our training are the main administrators who then teach and provide support for: New staff Managers Course Creators Instructors End Users Since we don’t provide support for end users, it’s really important that you know enough troubleshooting issues that will let your team do this work. Lambda provides and connects you to resources that make learning easy and available. We are constantly building new materials and resources to help our clients better use their LMS
• #27: A team with a project manager who knew nothing about Learning Management systems or learning, a marketing professional with a background in teaching and two eLearning specialists. The realisation of the skills gap and frustration arose in one of our calls as high tensions, so we backed up, found out the needs in skills, met those needs and then moved on when everyone was ready.
• #28: Our goal is your success: we develop our training with efficient use of time and resources in mind because we know how busy you are. We also know that many LMS projects are run off the side of people’s desks: that this isn’t their main task, so it is even more important to have streamlined training. One of the mottoes our company works on is ”Win as a Village” in that not one of us has all the skills but together we do. If you have a need that exceeds the trainer’s own knowledge, then we our in-house bring experts onto the call to ensure that you get the best service for your needs. Word of mouth: See how they use the site for competencies in trades and another industry picked it up See a client’s site and want one as well We’ve had clients who are so happy with the training and setup and configuration process that they have brought in other clients in similar industries because they KNOW that our system works and that we will WORK to ensure that you have the skills and knowledge to thrive—not just survive—with your LMS.