I’ve used Microsoft Word for years. I’ve worked with it for so long that I can’t even remember when I began using it. I never had formal training – I just learned how to use the various features…

As trainers, how do we ensure that we are assessing for higher levels of learning in the e-Learning environment? Formative assessments are tests or evaluations that take place throughout a course and provide feedback to the student in…

Identify the Components of the Word Interface Microsoft Word is a powerful, easy-to-use word processor. It can be used to create reports, letters, memos, and all sorts of different documents. If you have used earlier versions of Microsoft…

Key performance indicators (KPI) are the measurable parts of each step along a sales representative’s activity funnel. Each KPI naturally aligns with the activity a sales representative does every day. For example, “leads” are the direct result of…

Do you cause congestion in the workplace? Are you a bottleneck? Does not having control over every little thing that your staff works on make your skin crawl? Is the only way for things to get done correctly…

Now we will look at Assessment Nuts and Bolts. This is the final blog in a series that started with Assessment -- Some Initial Thoughts, and Some Assessment Vocabulary. Individual Assessment Instructors should work with students to develop criteria for…

I’ve seen it happen many times. Both of my daughters played hockey growing up, and I’ve seen their teams lose important games because the teams stopped acting like teams. It usually goes like this: the team is behind…

In April, I wrote a blog looking at the future of learning as I see it. At the end I said the Learning Management System of the future was going to be a Knowledge Platform. Today I’d like…

You’ve finalized all the eLearning details for your organization, except one: How to get employee buy-in. I’ve worked in offices where training was mandatory and accepted grudgingly and with plenty of grumbling in the classroom. You may be…

Understanding Self-Management Self-management is really about controlling your reactions.  Early in my career I remember being told that I would not be judged on my actions, but on my reactions.  Things happen all the time and many of…

The process of developing an effective and efficient sales system requires a clear set of selling steps that mirror the way in which a prospective client likes to make buying decisions. For example, a purchasing manager looking to…

It is important to get to know the vocabulary related to assessment, otherwise you may think things are being written in some alien language. This is the second blog in a series that started with Assessment - Some…

Excel 365 Online is the cloud-based version of Microsoft’s spreadsheet program. It offers many tools for managing numerical data, as well as the ability to add charts, shapes, and much more. Best of all, Excel 365 Online’s interface…

Think of your workplace as your backyard. You have heard the expression: a good fence makes good neighbors. It is a good contractor, however, that builds a good fence: a contractor that is trade-certified, experienced, talented, and motivated…

Here in the production department at Velsoft, lately we’ve been concentrating on updating the softskills courses that we’ve developed. This is because we want to offer the best available training courseware kits to our clients – trainers like…

The American Association for Higher Education (www.aahea.org) has developed Nine Principles of Good Practice for Assessing Student Learning1.   They are a good place to begin to explore assessment strategies: The assessment of student learning begins with educational values.…

When the LZR Racer swimsuit was banned after the Beijing Olympics, Speedo needed to create a replacement for swimmers to wear in competition and at the London Summer Games. To spark their creativity, the team employed a technique…

PowerPoint 365 is the cloud-based version of Microsoft’s powerful word processing program. Using PowerPoint 365, you can create professional presentations of nearly any type. You can also add videos, pictures, and much more. Best of all, PowerPoint 365’s…

Looking back at my nearly four decades of educational experiences, I realize that we can learn much about others' stories, cultures, struggles, and hopes.  But, we cannot take their stories and try to live them.  We can only…

Two Myths of Creativity What is creativity? When we think of creativity what often comes to mind are inventors such as Leonardo Di Vinci or Steve Jobs, or people who have created masterpieces such as Picasso or Bach.…

In the past, workplace health has been discussed in very limited terms, and rarely in connection with quality initiatives. But recently, and rightly so, workplace health is taking a more holistic approach. Occupational health and safety, employee assistance…

Before I begin to talk about the use of humor in the classroom, I’d like to start with a couple quotes from two of my favorite philosophers. The first is from Plato: “Do not train a child to…

Whether you’re an employer of one or an employer of a 1,000, investing in your employees’ health is not just a nice thing to do. It’s a sound business decision. You know all too well that healthy employees…

This course is intended to help users of Office 365 understand updates made in 2018. It focuses on six Office 365 offerings — Word (word processing), Excel (spreadsheets), PowerPoint (presentations), Outlook (email and calendars), Access (database management), and…

Studies show that severe stress is associated with heart disease, depression, and suppression of the immune system, which can lead to other health problems. So it makes sense to try to eliminate stress as much as possible. It's…

Which Came First: The Chicken or The Egg? This simple question from American folklore has sparked generations of debates, jokes and mental quests for the answer – or at least the winning argument. Did the first chicken simply…