Learning Management System the Sustainable Franchise Training Route

In making decisions about company training methods and whether or not to employ a learning management system(LMS) to distribute training, sustainability is one top consideration. What makes a company training method sustainable?

To be sustainable, a training method must function smoothly without requiring a great deal of extra work. And as with any company procedure, those involved must understand the practices involved. In order for franchise managers, for example, to successfully train employees on standard procedures within a company, they themselves must understand those processes.

Unfortunately, this is one problem individual franchises often experience in training their employees; there are so many rules and regulations to keep track of. It's no wonder that training is often done haphazardly or breezed through without much thought or planning--the specifics can be a little hazy.

Of course, online training delivered via a learning management system is great for small organizations. Managers can create short demos and tutorials using course creation tools, and quiz their employees to ensure that the material has been processed. They often create the material itself, and are able to provide all the information needed for their employees to be successful.

And for managers running a smaller operation, it's simple to keep track of employees' progress using LMS student tracking tools. A learning management system automates many training processes to ensure that employees are gaining the information they need to do their jobs well.

But LMS-created training courses are perhaps even more ideal for large companies, for the same reasons and more (some of which were mentioned in a recent post). Online training for large companies is the future, for many reasons.

Using a learning management system, companies are able to create and deliver training to large numbers of employees across the globe. Uniform training grants franchises uniform policies and procedures, which ensures better business practices. It ensures, in effect, the ability of a company to survive and thrive in an increasingly competitive global economy.

Another problem that online training addresses in franchise training practices is the confusion that comes with updates and changes that are often unknown or misunderstood by managers. And again, if a manager is confused about a change, it follows that the employees will also be left in the dark. An LMS facilitates the rapid communication of these kinds of updates, so that everyone is clear on every detail related to their workflow, company goals, procedures, etc. It also enables companies to be more elastic, adventurous, and try new things, since training is easy to update and distribute to all franchise branches.

Design and syndicate robust courses and training with Coggno's Learning Management System (LMS) Online. User-friendly, powerful and affordable.

Create Online Training Videos to Prompt Group Discussion

With a little planning and forethought, anyone can make an online training video or other instructional video not only to supplement learning content, but to work with it as an integrated and vital part of the course material. Videos can work hand-in-hand with other formats of content in a course to make them an enriching and essential backbone of a course.

From training courses (including compliance and other kinds of training) to online high schools, including video is smart for a number of reasons.

In both online training courses and face-to-face courses and training programs, online training videos are able to engage the student and illustrate complex concepts using images and demonstrations. A video can bring a classroom to life and create interest for the learning content.

Another function of instructional videos in a face-to-face or group setting is that it can create a common experience for trainees to share and discuss.

Online training videos are convenient and allow for dynamic instruction any time. An online training video can be easily made up if a student misses a class, and it can be distributed via a learning management system (LMS) so that it is available for students to review any time they choose, at the click of a button.

Making a video is simple with LMSs like Coggno. Include webcam recording tools like BB FlashBack to create your own webcam video. Sound recording allows users to read a commentary at the same time as the screen is being recorded, using a microphone, microphone headset or other inexpensive hardware.
BB FlashBack is able to record high frame rate, high quality movies without affecting PC performance–even on lower powered PCs. BB users have successfully recorded large animations with which other screen recorders experienced problems. And finally BB’s robust annotation, editing and effects features allow Coggno’s LMS software users to frame and fashion movies just the way they want them.

Create and distribute engaging learning experiences with Coggno's Learning Management System (LMS) Online. Easy to use, robust and reasonably priced.

Integrate LMS Teaching Tools for New Generation Success

With less-than-desirable federal test results making the headlines, the call for public education reform--including better salaries for educators, more federal funding, and the inclusion of more technology such as online course options and LMSs--has become more urgent.

Surprisingly, while education should be and typically is a "recession-proof" area of work, it has not proven to be so in the U.S. during this crisis.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. economy lost 273,000 jobs last month. Of those lost jobs, 29,000 were in state and local education, making the total losses in that category over the past five months 143,000.

Obviously, this reflects a huge change in U.S. educational standards. These standards are ingrained in our cultural heritage and go back to the 19th century, when the U.S. owed its success to the quality and high standards of its education. In the beginning of the 20th century, even more advancement was seen in the U.S. when the "high school revolution" took place. And in the later half of the 20th century, the U.S. established a competitive position in higher education.

However, American educational success was greatly based on the quality of its public schools. These days, state governments, who are responsible for their own public education systems, are in dire straits. And at a time when practically any federal government spending is viewed in a negative light, it's time for schools to start thinking out of the box.

The need for cost-effective and efficient online tools like LMSs to help educators boost student performance is revealed in the recent math test results.

According to new standardized test results, New York's state elementary math achievement has fallen for the first time in nearly ten years. This year's fourth grade test results from federally funded National Assessment of Educational Progress reveal that New York's scaled scores dropped two points from 2007. The state's latest average score is 241, on a scale of zero to 500. (National scores have stayed flat, at 239.)

The results came as a bit of an embarrassment to some Albany officials, as it was apparent that even though federal tests of fourth-graders showed no gains in New York from 2007, the state's own tests show steady improvement.

Create and distribute engaging learning experiences with Coggno's Learning Management System (LMS) Online. Easy to use, robust and reasonably priced.

New LMS Business Courses to Fulfill Your Company Training Objectives

As more companies reassess their budget, more are also redefining their training needs and seeking more efficient training methods with learning management systems and other online tools. Successful teams and collaborative groups within an organization can determine whether or not an organization is destined to grow and compete.

For this reason, organizations that encourage and/or require collaboration between employees would benefit from teamwork training such as SilkWeb's Team Dynamics, a course that covers the stages of group development, communication, and conflict.

While most managers will claim to understand that motivation of staff is a critical element of managerial duties, many do not actually practice effective motivation, and are in fact clueless as to what kinds of strategies, techniques, and theories factor in. What kinds of motivation strategies actually work? This course Motivation in the Workplace reviews several popular motivational theories and methods for managerial success.

Another course, Project Management, helps organizations remain competitive and relevant in a time of perpetual change. It reviews project management processes, project and team cycles, and evaluation and improvement techniques. The objective of this program is to orient both staff and managers to the functions and tools needed for successful management.

Business Writing is a SilkWeb course that is also designed for both managers and staff, and which reviews styles, tones, bias, strategies, and uses of technology in business communication. And Creating a Professional Resume teaches users how to write a powerful and effective resume, based on one’s professional skills and abilities. The course Writing Reports trains users in the development of formal reports in the business environment.

Finally, Communication in the Workplace focuses on the role and different types of communication in the workplace, including communication strategies and tone, to improve the effectiveness of participant communication. Communication training can help both managers and staff become better communicators, and achieve organizational goals together.

Successful compliance and management training is proven to save organizations a significant amount of time and money. And when organizations adopt e-learning solutions through a pay-per-use learning management systems such as Coggno, the costs of training itself are significantly less than those of commercial LMS licenses and traditional training methods. For this reason and others, more organizations are finding online training solutions to meet compliance and management training needs.

Create and distribute engaging learning experiences with Coggno's Learning Management System (LMS) Online. Easy to use, robust and reasonably priced

Interactive Training Must-Haves Met with Coggno's Learning Management System

It's the natural law that many organizations considering a learning management system to deliver training are still digesting and trying to overcome: Tough times = tough clients.

But for companies seeking an edge in the competitive market created by the recession, online training can help tremendously with everything from cutting costs to training employees to be more professional and efficient.

Training program developers are using all the available on e-learning platforms like Coggno--and an increasing number of these tools are applications offered by e-learning platforms.

Applications exchange partnerships help courseware creation toolkit providers help organizations create more feature-rich and low-cost training. On Coggno's LMS, Blueberry Software screen capture software is one such app that now integrates seamlessly with the Coggno learning management system.

Course creators who use BB FlashBack 2.6 to make screen recordings can now integrate the recordings with their curriculum, using Coggno's simple course creation tools, and then deliver training through Coggno's LMS. The combination of Coggno's tools and Blueberry 2.6 offers a more versatile and multimedia learning experience for trainees.

With the inclusion of BB FlashBack in your course creation process, you are given total control over what students view, so there's no need to rely on stock simulations or outdated demo in a training program. You yourself create, edit and apply it to your e-learning course.

BB's Webcam Recording allows for the user to create his or her own webcam video. Sound recording allows users to read a commentary at the same time as the screen is being recorded, using a microphone, microphone headset or other inexpensive hardware.

BB records high frame rate, high quality movies without affecting PC performance--even on lower powered PCs. BB users have successfully recorded large animations with which other screen recorders experienced problems. And BB's robust annotation, editing and effects features allow Coggno's course creators to frame and fashion movies exactly as they choose.

Tough times don't simply mean tough customers and clients. Tough times are a chance for organizations to renew and improve their training, sales, and other procedures to stay in the race and move ahead.

Create and distribute engaging learning experiences with Coggno's Learning Management System (LMS) Online. Easy to use, robust and reasonably priced

Never be Asked to Try Again with Coggno's Learning Management System

Juggling all the different subscription, banking, social network, email, learning management system, and other account passwords is overwhelming. And it seems like more and more websites are creating increasingly complicated password requirements.

Your old stand-by password is suddenly no good anymore. Some sites want a mix of numbers and letters in your password. Some require more than 5 or 6 characters. Others want a combination of lower-case and capital letters, others a mix of both plus numbers, while the most horrible sticklers require a more-than-six-character mix of both cases plus numbers.

Some very efficient, clever, and/or über-organized people have found tricks for remembering passwords. For example, I read about one trick where you take the first and last letters of the website name, and stick your usual password in the middle, adding perhaps a number or two that you always use. I read about another trick too, but I've forgotten it. Just as I've forgotten the passwords to oh-so-many subscriptions, networks, and other sites.

I know I'm not alone. And that's why universal login, that magical feature that learning management systems and other e-learning platforms are beginning to adopt on a wider scale, is so smart.

For organizations and schools delivering e-learning content to large numbers of students, accessibility and ease are essential. And universal login provides this in a simple and logical way.

To aid organizations and all users in their virtual learning environment access, Coggno has recently integrated RPX with its learning management system. Accessing your training or other e-learning content is now so, so simple.

Coggno no longer requires users to create a Coggno account, providing instead a smorgasbord of login options. Through the RPX app, users can now access Coggno using identities from major sites such as Google, AOL, Yahoo!, Twitter, WordPress, MySpace, and Facebook.

Develop and deliver interactive training courses with Coggno's Learning Management System (LMS) Online. Simple user interface, potent and cost-effective.

Learn the Universal E-Learning Content Tenets for Successful LMS Content

If your e-learning content is prepared and ready to migrate to a learning management system listen up.

To ensure its success on the marketplace and/or its effectiveness with your own organization, consider a few simple key concepts.

As I've written before, strong learning material is grounded on extensive research as well as your own personal experience, and because everyone has different strengths and interests, learning styles, teaching styles, and so on, not every piece of advice offered to you regarding your online course will apply.

But one crucial and fairly universally important element of a good e-learning course is early and detailed communication with students. So what kind of information is essential to provide early on in your e-learning course?

Mainly, you'll need to provide some pre-course basic training on how to use the learning management system, e-learning course, and/or other online tools. If collaborative tools like wikis or discussion boards are involved, you should clearly indicate how you'd like students to participate.

Teach students about course navigation with the use of videos, taking advantage of the simple-to-use video creation tools that LMSs like Coggno offer. Video tours are an easy and fun way to reach students quickly and effectively with important information. And presenting this information in a visually interesting way will help ensure that this important information is delivered successfully.

Of course, the three basic tenets of human communication are gesture, speech, and visuals. So the online fusion of these three elements recreates the natural ways we humans communicate in face-to-face communication. Using these three aspects--especially the emotional signals of tone and voice--helps you to create a sense of trust in the virtual learning environment.

Another guideline to successful communication with students--and something that will help ensure their comfort and ease working with your e-learning course--is developing a clear course outline or syllabus. A syllabus provides a space for courseware developers and educators to break down into simple bites the course expectations and goals for learners. This information must be presented before any actual learning begins, to ensure best communication with students.
Develop and deliver interactive training courses with Coggno's Learning Management System (LMS) Online. Simple user interface, potent and cost-effective.

E-Learning Tools and Learning Management Systems for an Evolving World

E-learning courses hosted on a learning management system need to overcome the danger of students copying, giving unoriginal responses to questions, or simply reiterating the responses of other students.

From online training and learning content to the use of discussion boards and other Web 2.0 tools for educational purposes, there is a real possibility in many contexts that students are simply looking up the answers, copying and pasting responses, and learning nothing. Depending on the content, it may have a profound impact on the course's effectiveness.

Education in its online form must undergo some critical growing pains. One of the most common complaints I hear from e-learning students is that courses are simply too easy. Peer originality becomes dubious. And for educators, student effort becomes harder to monitor. Or does it?

What we really need is smarter e-learning design and deployment. It's not enough to create good content, get it out there, and expect students to be engaged. The effective use of Web 2.0 programs, learning management systems, and online courseware in an online learning context requires strategy.

This strategy can be built into the course, developed and maintained by a course administrator or educator, and/or enforced in a face-to-face learning environment if one exists. Tools like Coggno's Activities feature allows LMS administrators to track student activity. Another strategy is to build exams that effectively test student knowledge, rather than asking them to solve problems and post them on a board.

If you're choosing a learning management system for e-learning training or a virtual classroom, choose one based on its built-in solutions to an evolving world.

Design and syndicate robust courses and training with Coggno's Learning Management System (LMS) Online. User-friendly, powerful and affordable.

LMS Activities Feature Helps You Train and Protect Employees

It's something many LMS students often lament; depending on their position, they may need to undergo compliance training. However, greater complaints down the line can be prevented if compliance training is completed in a serious and effective way.

Compliance training may cover issues ranging from sexual harassment prevention, workplace safety, cultural sensitivity, or respect in the workplace. Oftentimes, to someone taking mandatory compliance training, a topic may feel like common sense, or not worth his or her time. This common attitude towards required training can lead to learning content skimming, skipping of entire sections, and ultimately, guessing on exams and retaking quizzes until the correct answers are guessed.

Students' lack of interest in a training topic is often due to a bland training course, as well as the sheer fact that the course is mandatory. This lack of interest can lead to students' failure to process the learning content, and to spend the time required to truly learn the material. But gaps in employee understanding on key issues (such as those listed above) which compliance training covers can end with trouble down the road. For this reason, supervisors are smart to ensure that trainees are completing course material correctly, and spending the appropriate amount of time on each section.

Coggno has responded to this problem with its addition of the Activities feature, which allows LMS administrators to track in real-time student activity on the LMS online course.

The Activities feature also helps educators integrate LMS courses and Web 2.0 into the classroom.

Unfortunately, online education tools for children and teenagers are sometimes avoided because of supervision issues. In some cases, mishandling and/or lack of supervision of online programs can even become a source of litigation against educators and schools. Because of the hazards involved with including Web 2.0 technologies in many LMS and classroom learning systems, educators who use them must take extra precautions, supervising the use of these technologies to ensure that students stay on track.

Coggno's Activities feature is one solution for the problems of supervision in LMS e-learning programs at school.

Design and deliver robust courses and training with Coggno's Learning Management System (LMS) Online. User-friendly, potent and affordable.

Set Your Own Pace to Success with LMS Online Exam Prep

One advantage LMS online exam prep has over face-to-face study groups or prep classes is convenience. Students can study wherever they like, whenever they want. Online prep courses allow students to prepare for the test at their own pace.

For those who have already completed a program or degree in their fields, taking the big test--be it a board exam or other standardized test--can be an enormous cause of stress.

Oftentimes institutions offer preparation courses and set up group study sessions, but these aren't for everyone.

For many people, studying for an exam is something that is best done individually. With online exam prep, students can set a timeframe themselves, and access practice, review and refresher assignments, and supplementary learning material to get them prepared for the big test. Some courses also provide tutorial support online, and organize groups using Web 2.0 interactive technologies.

No matter your circumstances, you always hold the power to examine your life and reassess your professional goals. LMS online exam preparation classes are effective and serve a practical purpose: helping people start their path on a new career without interfering much with their lives.

Design and deliver robust courses and training with Coggno's Learning Management System (LMS) Online. User-friendly, potent and affordable

Coggno LMS Now Offers Flash-Based Course Creation Tool

Have you been looking for robust, versatile and imaginative tools for your LMS online training or eLearning course? Coggno's feature-rich course creation toolkit just became even richer.

This week Coggno teamed up with Rapid Intake Unison, online software that allows course creators to build Flash-based eLearning courses.

Rapid Intake Unison's tools allow course developers and subject matter experts to capture, storyboard, develop, review, test, and publish Flash-based learning content.

But Rapid Intake Unison makes it exceedingly simple--users don't actually need to know Flash. All a user has to do is fill out form-based templates to create interactive Flash-based courses, tests, quizzes, learning games, demos and simulations.

Rapid Intake's tools compbined with the Coggno LMS platform will enable content creators to create richer learning with easy distribution and reporting.

Coggno's Applications Exchance partnerships reflect the consciousness within the eLearning industry that the parts combined are greater than one alone; joining forces provides the best solution. Working together works wonders.

The model of partnering and vending software solutions not only allows for fast and effective performance, but brings together the collective power of combined software skills and know-how. It's an LMS model that Coggno believes is the future.

Design and deliver robust courses and training with Coggno's Learning Management System (LMS) Online. User-friendly, potent and affordable.

Fresh New UI Offered to Coggno LMS Online Users

A easy-to-use, robust user interface isn't easy to come by in LMS online course creation.

A problem that continues to plague the software industry is that program designers are often masters of engineering and programming, but lacking in other areas, like human psychology. It's a sad truth that the industry is driven largely by profits and the ability to offer cutting-edge technology. Even if that technology isn't exactly easy to manage.

In times like this, even finding a user-friendly interface can be a challenge.

LMS online courses and course creation tools can likewise suffer from this quandary. Some LMSs are extremely well developed, created by people who understand how to design technology based on human behavior, and meeting high standards. But weak, unattractive, confusing courseware continues to prevent more effective and widespread online learning.

Luckily, some LMS online systems are perking their ears to the voices of consumers.

Coggno is an LMS online system and e-learning platform that serves as an intermediary for the transfer of knowledge. The goal is to facilitate the connection between trainers/courseware developers and learners.

Coggno's user-friendly, flexible, straightforward user interface is a breeze to navigate and you'll be walked through every step of your course creation.

Create and distribute engaging learning experiences with Coggno's Learning Management System (LMS) Online. Easy to use, robust and reasonably priced.

Stress-Free Online Training Courses: Breaking It Up

One major plus of online training courses is the flexibility they provide to you, the student. You can learn at home, at the library, or on the road. And with about 300 Municipal Wi-Fi projects in the making around the world, which will provide wireless access to entire cities, the possibilities will be endless.

The flip side of elearning's flexibility is the healthy dose of self-discipline it requires. In order to juggle all the activities in your busy schedule and create a stress-free elearning experience, some planning and strategizing are called for. Here are five tricks you can use.

First, practice distributed learning.

Study skills for online training courses are in many ways like exercising and eating habits. A healthy approach to exercise is to find ways to move your body constantly, rather than remaining stationary all day but at 9 pm squeezing in a trip to the gym. In the same vein, smaller, more frequent meals keep your metabolism stimulated and running smoothly.

When you're studying online course material, a healthy approach is distributed learning, or breaking learning up into small, more frequent study sessions. Just like the metabolism's response to food, the brain is stimulated by smaller installations of information. Your brain likes to recover and recharge between learning. In the periods between online courseware study sessions, the brain rests and digests learning material.

Second, develop a set schedule. This is an essential aspect of managing your time and reserving a chunk of your day for your online courseware. A good, well-planned schedule can help you in all kinds of ways. You'll keep track of your time and feel more satisfied when you've completed the work you need to do. But at its essence, a schedule is meant to save you time.

Having said that, it's important to remember that schedules should be created with the premise that they're flexible. If studying your online training course at 10 pm hasn't been working out after all--you get sleepy and zone out a bit--change the schedule. It's meant to keep you from wandering off course, and if you're doing that anyway while following the schedule, then it's time to revise it. Online training courses, remember, are designed for your busy life, and you're in charge.

Capture Your Screen Activity for Elearning Integration with Coggno LMS Software

Are you searching for an inspired way to create sharp and effective LMS software training and courseware? Try screen recording.

LMS and elearning course platform Coggno and its Application exchange partner Blueberry Software have teamed up to provide Coggno's authors an exciting and rich toolkit for course design.

BB FlashBack includes many exciting features that integrate seamlessly with Coggno's LMS software.

Webcam Recording allows for the user to create his or her own webcam video. Sound recording allows users to read a commentary at the same time as the screen is being recorded, using a microphone, microphone headset or other inexpensive hardware.

BB FlashBack's screen recording includes an incredibly simple-to-use interface, instant video creation, and easy editing.

Save movies in all the major video formats, including Flash, QuickTime (H264), Windows Media Video (WMV), AVI, or EXE. You can easily add text, sound, images, and 'zoom & pan' effects. Also, you are able to edit multi track audio and video, side by side.

BB FlashBack is able to record high frame rate, high quality movies without affecting PC performance--even on lower powered PCs. BB users have successfully recorded large animations with which other screen recorders experienced problems. And finally BB's robust annotation, editing and effects features allow Coggno's LMS software users to frame and fashion movies just the way they want them.

Create Harmonious LMS Online Teams

In designing and maintaining your organization's LMS online training, keep in mind its community-building capacity. The more interactive and collaborative, the more effective your course will be. Synergy is the bread and butter of today's globalizing economy.

These days, organizations are practically composed of a vast network of teams to meet all the goals and functions an organization has. An LMS can be not only a helpful way to organize employee training, but service teams can use them to keep track of customers and employee achievements. Service teams are an increasingly international group. They support customers or the internal organization, normally with a service or technical support role, 24/7.

Training for a role in a service team is something an LMS can take care of, with video tools, simulations, and audio tools like those used by Coggno, to create situations dealing with customers. Some LMSs are even multi-lingual, offering a variety of built-in languages to personalize employees' training experiences.

One problem virtual teams may experience involves the very learning system tools that are meant to facilitate group collaboration. Although cutting-edge collaboration and learning system technologies like Web 2.0 tools and even virtual worlds can help virtual teams achieve goals, the introduction of these technologies can also impose time-costing distractions.
The introduction of a real-time conferencing and collaboration tools may sidetrack members from their focus and draw them into a distracting cycle of tool experimentation. Or an interactive virtual world that is meant as a product-creation learning system, training tool or meeting space may take hours for users to get the hang of, and ultimately may not even function efficiently. The existence of a solid team base is crucial, greatly overshadowing the importance of the newest, fanciest

Engaging, Pocket-Sized Content for a Learning Management System

In a training course hosted via a learning management system, lectures can be presented in a number of exciting ways. Information can be laid out on a web page or in a downloadable packet.

But why not make it more interesting? One way to provide lectures in a convenient and optimally portable way is in audio or video format, via podcast.

Podcasts have an array of educational possibilities, and appeal to many learning styles. They are an exciting and convenient feature added to any course content. Podcasts can be used to supplement and reinforce course learning material, or renew learning activities.

They can be used as announcements, reminders, and updates to be heard by everyone using the learning management system. Podcasts can be used to distribute interviews and discussions, or to inform students what to expect in the next lesson.

They are easy to create, produce, and share, and listeners don't need an iPod to listen to them. Podcasts are typically in the form of mp3 files, making them accessible to all learners.

What are the criteria for a good podcast? Topics depend on the learning content of your course or the functions you've assigned to the podcasts within your learning management system.

Especially if the content is more technical or number-oriented, keep the podcast at 5 to 10 minutes. Many listeners who don't have an excessive amount of time to spare generally avoid long texts, courses, etc. Small installments of learning content are ideal.

Providing intriguing material that piques listeners' interest is essential to the success of any podcast. Otherwise, your listeners' attention will begin to slip. True, choosing material that's interesting is a matter of taste and opinion, but the way in which you present the information can make or break your podcast's effectiveness in a learning management system.