Change your LMS pain to gain
You’ve made the decision – it’s time for your business to embrace eLearning. Okay, so now what? The first step is acquiring an LMS – a learning management system. You can’t deliver eLearning without one, so that sounds…
User-generated content in learning expected to rise
One-quarter of respondents to a recent poll say they expect learning with user-generated content (learners creating and sharing their own learning materials or content) to increase. In addition to user-generated content being used for learning, it is also…
Take a Giant Leap in Learning with 1 Micro Step
When Neil Armstrong landed on the moon and made his famous ‘one giant step for man’ quote, it resonated throughout the world. It was also dissected by teachers, scientists and critics alike. It became, and still is, a…
Are digital badges worth it?
I’ve been thinking a lot about digital badges lately. And I have some questions. Are they good? Bad? A fad? I guess my questions boil down to: what is their value? Compared to traditional means of showing academic…
A fool-proof guide to creating a culture of workplace learning
A culture of workplace learning. We’ve all heard the term, but really what is it? Simply this: a workplace mindset that encourages learning, development, inquisitiveness and self-improvement. It may be easy to define, but is it easy to…
Drowning in data? This will help
“Lies, damn lies, and statistics” is credited to Mark Twain, Benjamin Disraeli, and others; regardless of where it originated that sentiment can be held by a business owner drowning in data. Data can anchor your business, but is…
Breaking the faith, what’s to be done?
We’ve seen it all before, it’s a favorite story line of movie makers and novelists. The main character loses the faith of his companions and has to rebuild the relationship, with it often becoming stronger than it was…
How learning is like a pot-luck dinner
Everything we do these days is shared, so why not learning? I teach you, you teach me, and we all learn together in collaboration. Everyone has something to offer, a viewpoint with value. I’ve often taken the stance…
How do you compare to this vision of learning?
Where does your organization fit in the worldwide framework of learning? I have asked myself that before, and now, after a bit of research, feel that we are on the right path through the global learning landscape. During…
The secret ingredients of a succession plan
If you plan to live and work forever, then you don’t need to read any further. However, if you are a business owner or executive and would like to retire at some point, please read on. You need…
Did You Watch?
We are consumers of mass media here at Velsoft. We like our websites, music, ebooks, and TV shows – especially TV shows. (I’m not even going to mention the hold that movies have on some staff members, that’s…
Have I ever told you about…?
Let me tell you about the time I almost got eaten by a shark. Or the time I escaped a burning office tower. Or about the time I won $5 million in the lottery and how I spent…
What is SCORM?
SCORM, or Sharable Content Object Reference Model is a collection of standards and specifications for eLearning software products. In other words, it is a set of technical standards to which programmers are encouraged to write their codes for,…
Measuring Training Results: Kirkpatricks 4 Stages of Evaluation
Each week, I try to pick an interesting, useful or informative topic to write a blog about, but this week I thought – why not see what our readers have found interesting, and write something related to that.…
A Positive Customer Service Experience: Approaches and Techniques
From time to time I’ll go through our courses and pick a topic that I think would be interesting, informative or helpful to others. Through doing this I’ve realized that we really are a company that is called…
Blended Learning: What is it and why all the fuss?
In 2014, 29.1 per cent of training hours were delivered through blended learning methods, and since then, that number has continued to grow. In this blog, we are going to explore what blended learning is, as well as…
5 Steps to Consider When Creating your Website
As a predominantly online business, with customers all over the world, Velsoft's website is essentially the home base for our business. Like many other businesses, we rely on our website to link our social media pages, newsletters, and…
Providing Effective Feedback: 6 Key Characteristics
We know that giving effective feedback can be tough. You want to be able to provide constructive feedback, that helps the individual learn and grow, while avoiding insulting, belittling or punishing them. Feedback is essentially commentary on how…
Conducting a Training Needs Analysis: 3 Initial Steps
We know that introducing training can help improve employees' skills, but it also helps businesses to reach their overall objectives and goals. In this blog, we will explore the process of how to conduct a training needs analysis -…
Social Learning: What is it and Why do it?
As I was pulling together information about social learning for this piece, I quickly realized how closely it relates to a blog I wrote a couple of weeks ago about user-generated content, which is essentially content generated by…
Should you Hire for Personality or Job Specific Skills?
Whether you're in charge of hiring, or determining what to highlight on your next resume, it’s important to decide what skills are the most valuable. However, what talents are most valuable to a job is debatable. The debate…
An Inside Look at Intrapreneurship
Do you know someone in your workplace who’s a little more motivated to follow their own projects than regular tasks? Someone who always has ideas for advancing the business, new ideas to streamline processes, or another money-making idea?…
Is eLearning Right for Your Organization?
How many times have you heard someone in your office say they’re swamped or too busy to get something done? They don’ t want, or can’t afford, to take time away from their work schedules and sit in…
What Kind of Measuring do YOU do?
I don’t know about you, but as a trainer, when I complete a really great workshop I always read the evaluations. I pore over them looking for ways that I can improve training, get more engagement, provide experiences…
Going Beyond the Bottom Line with Corporate Social Responsibility
Do you know of a company that goes above and beyond to protect its workers at home and abroad? Do you work with an organization that protects the environment while growing its bottom line? Or perhaps you’ve read…
Are you ready for Social Selling?
Hello? Bueller? Bueller? Anyone? Anyone? Maybe I'm dating myself with a movie reference to “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” but I remember the teacher in that movie taking attendance at the front of the room, and how he tried…
The truth about hiring Millennials
In the brave new world of hiring, Millennials are often interviewing a potential employer as much as they are being interviewed. Why should we hire you? often becomes why should I work for you? Traditional recruiting is not…
Don’t let your work become your life
Everything in moderation - that can apply to eating or drinking or working. Yes, working. If you find yourself slaving away for hours without end each day, there comes a point where either you will resent your situation,…
These steps keep your message from getting lost
TLDR. This bit of online jargon stands for Too Long Didn’t Read. You definitely don’t want that applied to your emails, business or otherwise. It could lead to lost sales or, in extreme cases, getting your business emails…
It’s good to break the Golden Rule sometimes
Look around your office. Is everyone the same? I doubt it. There is a likely a mix of genders, races, ethnicities and backgrounds. But they all have to work together. It’s great that we can all work together,…