Our new eBook, titled – The why and how of moving eLearning from Flash to HTML5, covers everything from establishing the need for conversion to analysing and selecting the right approach, and also provides fool-proof solutions to make the actual process of conversion smooth and cost-effective.

Download your free copy of – The why and how of moving eLearning from Flash to HTML5, now.

The post The why and how of moving eLearning from Flash to HTML5 (eBook) first appeared on The Upside Learning Blog.

As an eLearning vendor, how often have you heard your clients say this, or as an organisation, have had this thought cross your mind? Quite often than not, I bet!

With a dynamically evolving technology as the base, Mobile Learning involves careful consideration and detailed understanding of the technology itself, the learning need, target devices, amongst other factors.

While creating fresh content for mobile devices is a good approach to make the shift to mLearning, one of the relatively easier ways is to convert your existing (legacy) eLearning into mobile learning, especially when you have the eLearning programs in place. We had earlier published a blog, titled Converting eLearning to mLearning? 4 Steps to Set the Wheels in Motion on the same lines. Adding a dash of creativity to it and simplifying it further, we have created a presentation, titled Converting eLearning to mLearning.

Check out the presentation below!

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Click to view the complete infographic | Infographic by Upside Learning

The post Games vs Game-based Learning vs Gamification (Infographic) first appeared on The Upside Learning Blog.

We have been closely studying the eLearning industry, based on which we have compiled the Top 10 Trends in eLearning for the year 2015.

Read more about the trends in our previous blog posts-

1. Top 13 eLearning Trends for 2015
2. Top 7 eLearning Statistics & Facts

The post 10 eLearning Trends For 2015 – Presentation first appeared on The Upside Learning Blog.

Sales meeting between executives of a leading learning service provider and an organisation planning to outsource its learning content development.

Client: This year, for our Sales training program, we would like to have a game designed.
Sales Manager: What exactly do you want in the game?
Client: Just some simple achievement levels and awards maybe…
Sales Manager: Oh! You mean gamification.
Client: What is that? Is it a new type of game?
Sales Manager: No, no…It’s a concept of applying game mechanics and game design techniques to engage and motivate people to achieve their goals.
Client: Oh! So, that’s like Game-based learning, right?
Sales Manager: Well…not really! There is a very thin dividing line between Game-based learning, Gamification and Games. I could explain it to you, if you want me to.

Does this give you a sense of déjà vu? If yes, that’s because every now and then we come across these three terms – Games, Game-based Learning and Gamification – that sound similar but are different in their own ways.

So what are Games, Game-based Learning and Gamification?

The simplest definition of games would be ‘activities in which participants take part for enjoyment, learning or competition’, sometimes they can even discover promos for these games. The chief advantage of games in learning is the drive and engagement they create, and the fun-factor they bring in, that makes a boring task interesting. So, does that mean all games are a part of learning? Probably not. But, games can be designed in a way to deliver learning content, which essentially is Game-based learning.

Confused? Let’s break it down into simpler terms using an example.

Most of us are acquainted with the game Hopscotch. Wikipedia describes Hopscotch as a popular playground game in which players toss a small object into numbered spaces of a pattern of rectangles outlined on the ground and then hop or jump through the spaces to retrieve the object. This is an example of a Game.

Now, imagine the same game, but in terms of teaching odd and even numbers. Each rectangle contains a number, and players can use one-footed hops when landing on odd numbers and zeros, and two-footed hops for even numbers and symbols. The turn continues until they make a mistake, such as stepping on a line or hopping on an incorrect number. This is a classic example of Game-based learning.

Then, the next question might be, what is gamification? Take the elements of Hopscotch, and imagine it in an organisational level. For instance, the rectangles as levels, and the simple action of hopping as the task achievements. When an employee achieves a task, (s)he is given an award/badge and taken to the next level. In the simplest terms Gamification is the use of game elements, like rewards and achievement levels, in a non-game situation.

In context of eLearning, the differences are few and far between. Most of us recognise the name Minecraft, the video game that captivated thousands across the globe. The game has different elements, and allows building constructions out of textured cubes in a 3D world. The game also provides arena for exploration, gathering resources, crafting, and combat. Minecraft is a great example for games.

However, a few years back a New York City school teacher crafted a version of Minecraft for schools called MinecraftEdu. The elements of the classic game were enhanced to support the learning environment. Text blocks were added so that teachers could give students more context about whatever world that they created. Though the implementation has been restricted to few educational institutes, the power that Game-based learning possesses has been displayed and harnessed in real life too.

A popular example of Gamification is Deloitte’s Leadership Academy, which uses rank, rewards, missions and leader boards as one of the ways to encourage its employees and client companies to log on, take courses and continue corporate training despite busy work schedules.

To cut the long story short, here are the key differences:

#Note: Games can be directly used as learning modules for training on team work, and at times for mind exercises.

This is our understanding on Games, Game-based learning and Gamification. There might be some distinctions that we missed out on. What is your take on this? A penny for your thoughts.

The post Games vs Game-based Learning vs Gamification first appeared on The Upside Learning Blog.

The answer is simple – add a pinch of interest, a bit of motivation and a dash of Inspiration.

We believe that Inspiration doesn’t have to be big. It can be found in little things and in the rarest of places. At times, simple thoughts and few words of advice can act as a catalyst to fuel the flame of learning.

To rekindle your spirit and motivate you to ‘keep learning’, we present to you ‘35 Inspirational Quotes on Learning‘, a compilation of some of the finest inspirational sayings by thought leaders in different fields, from different eras supported by clever illustrations.

Be ready to be motivated!

The post 35 Inspirational Quotes on Learning – Presentation first appeared on The Upside Learning Blog.

Organizations are constantly on a lookout for learning solutions that don’t just bring about learner engagement but also offer ‘great’ quality, innovation, experience and expertise, and provide more value for each dollar invested.

In general terms, value for money is a function of whether or not an organization has obtained the utmost benefit from the product(s)/service(s), with respect to the investments made for acquiring it. However, many a time organizations keep looking for inexpensive solutions, considering only the immediate cost and ignoring the future costs, which is a myopic approach and may lead to higher costs (tangible and intangible) in the long run.

Achieving value for money is generally described in terms of 3 Es – Economy, Efficiency and Effectiveness. In the context of learning solutions, these 3 Es can serve as guidelines to get Great, Value for Money Custom Learning Solutions as below:

Economy

• Outsource – One of the main advantages of outsourcing your learning solutions development is the perceptible cost advantage. It enables you to reduce your fixed cost and leverage the scalability and diverse capabilities of the service providers. Learn more about why you should consider eLearning outsourcing and how to select a vendor.
• Set clear deadlines – And stick to those, as time is money. Whether you are outsourcing your learning development or doing it in-house, it’s important to plan the entire development process beforehand, create milestones with deadlines and then work towards achieving those.
• Use tools – There are a number of tools available which can be used for Custom Learning development. If you have a clear understanding about the advantages and disadvantages of the tools, and resources in-house that can work on those to produce the desired output, you can very well choose to spend your money on the right tool. Learn more about How To Choose An Authoring Tool For Your HTML eLearning Development.

Efficiency

• Leverage the vendor’s experience – One of the keys to making eLearning Outsourcing Work is to select a capable and experienced vendor. A team that has delivered a large number of projects usually has richer experience to contribute to your project(s) and can even handle unforeseen situations. Greater the experience, smoother the process of development, with value additions from the vendor’s past experiences.
• Quality vs. Cost and Time – Learning content produced in haste may cost you much more in the long run as compared to that based on sound instructional design, visual sophistication and digital interaction; even if the latter is costly (initially) and takes a longer development time (due to iterative nature of the process).
• Check for the vendor’s development processes – An eLearning development process, in addition to being mature and based on vendor’s past experience, needs to be flexible to accommodate the iterative nature of eLearning content development and work with your own processes.
• Streamline communication – With the vendor(s) you choose and work with, it is imperative and critical to set up a clear and streamlined communication and collaboration mechanism. There are a number of tools available which can help you do this – project tracking systems/tools, feedback sharing tools etc.

Effectiveness

• Visualize, plan, work – It is critical that all development be aligned with a well defined and clear business goal. Begin with a vision of what you want to achieve and why, then put a plan together to get there. Whether outsourcing or developing in-house, it’s crucial to set up a process that helps in maintaining a disciplined approach towards work.
• Use innovative approaches in development – Lookout for some signs of continuous improvement or innovation setup within the vendor’s company. Encourage discussions with your vendor/within the team to explore advances in the field and how you could take advantage of them. Also consider the aspect of technological upgrades in the near future, as the process of replacing old with new can interrupt your routine and productivity. Minimize such disruptions by carefully determining short- and long-term objectives and working with your eLearning vendor to develop learning solutions that evolves with the times.
• Think long-term partnership – The process of developing great eLearning is long and iterative, so be ready to invest your time, resources and experience in the partner/vendor. Carefully determine your short- and long-term business objectives and work with your vendor to develop courses that help achieve them.
• Get some metrics – While there is no clear and uniform way of calculating ROI of eLearning investments, it is still recommended that within the context of your business goals and go-to-market strategy, with the help of your other key stakeholders, define and derive at a list of key parameters (tangible and intangible) that can be used to evaluate the success/ effectiveness of the eLearning initiative.

These are some of the guidelines that we have been following, and succeeding on for the past 11 years. Here’s a video that highlights how we ensure Great Value For Money for every Custom Learning Solution that we create and deliver.

We don’t stop at good. We #DoGreat.

The post The 3Es to Great Value for Money Custom Learning Solutions first appeared on The Upside Learning Blog.

For us, quality begins from the very onset of the project. From the instructional design approach to the project management process; from visualisation to the total User Experience (UX); from project conceptualisation to learner engagement, and beyond. It is the culmination of clear expectation setting with meticulous thoughts, followed by standardised procedures, process compliance, and thorough QA.

To understand better, let’s take an analogy of well cooked food. Follow the recipe and you get the perfect dish. The key however is to ensure that the quality is maintained in each step, from choosing the ingredients to serving the dish, in order to get a tantalising taste. Similarly, in context of Custom Learning, ensuring ‘great’ quality is a 5 step recipe, of which the very first is gathering the ingredients.

Step 1: Requirement Gathering

The key ingredient is client’s requirement – understanding, analysing and setting expectations accordingly so that everyone (your team and the client) is on same page. The very nature of Custom Learning makes it important to customise the process as per the client and project; so each may have its own specific process.

Just like we seek out and choose the best quality ingredients for cooking, it is important to take inputs, feedback, and have the queries addressed by the client, for an in-depth perspective on the overall requirement, before selecting the best quality designing and development approach.

Then comes the chopping or in our case discussing with the leads/SMEs about the requirement, brainstorming with them to come up with the best possible solution and estimating the effort and time.

Step 2: Project Initiation

This step is quite similar to having all the utensils and other necessary kitchenware and condiments at hand.

Appointment of a Project Manager and team allocation, followed by formal introduction of both the teams and a walkthrough of the overall project development process plays a pivotal role in establishing a level playing ground for all stakeholders. This, in turn, facilitates a flawless operational mechanism.

Step 3: Prototype

Though this is not much of a prototype, at times we check the heat and make a small portion of whatsoever we are planning to cook and check the end result before cooking for a large gathering. In case of content design, prototyping saves the time that might be spent on redesigning, in case the final product is of unacceptable quality or doesn’t meet the client’s expectations. An excellent idea is to invest time in brainstorming. Such sessions help all team members involved in the development of the course, namely Graphic designers, Instructional Designers, Programmers, Testers, Project and Delivery Managers, to see the bigger picture and together decide the correct approach and course of action in line with the client’s requirements.

Having a clean and well planned storyboard for the prototype negates the chances of post review changes. Prototyping also assists in listing the specific customisations/additions required for the course and plan resources accordingly.

The process of self-review ensures that the established standards are maintained during the course of the development and increases chances of first time right output. Internal issue solving, followed by the random testing, and then the review by the testing or QA team ensures the efficiency of the prototype and guarantees minor or no change requests from the client end.

Step 4: Development

This is where the magic takes place. With the required ingredients, instruments and a well oiled methodology/strategy at hand, the actual process of development is simplified to a great extent.

While cooking, just the way it is necessary to follow a particular sequence while adding the ingredients, it is crucial that standard steps be followed during development.

Valuing the client’s involvement by lending an open ear to the feedbacks given to the prototype and accommodating changes/requests, so as to incorporate them in the final project adds value to the final content designed. This also helps in debunking any assumptions that your team may have about certain aspects of the project.

Storyboarding is usually an iterative process, with reviews and modifications. Such changes if made in the early stages, reduces the problems like lack of clarity, grammatical and spacing errors.

Based on the storyboard, preparing a graphics development estimation chart and having them reviewed, eases the process of preparing (doodles) rough sketches for the screen for identification of graphic templates. Once the drafts are finalised and necessary changes made. Graphic templates are created which gives the assurance that a style is maintained throughout the project.

Having a first time right output approach while programming saves time and minimises issues. Once the programming is done, self review of all the functionalities, interactivities, transcript and integration is advisable before handing over to the QA team for testing.

Quality means conformity to certain standards, i.e. compliance, quality parameters as a part of the development design and programming. Quality Analysis (QA) is done to ensure that process standards are followed, and to check the efficiency of development.

Testing should be done at the unit level (page/module depending on the project) with bug density reports and other QA audits being generated at pre-set milestones. A log of all the issues should be maintained. It is important to note that while a bug-free course will help in delivering a good experience, it’s only a course that has ‘quality’ in its DNA that will deliver a ‘Great’ Custom Learning experience with high learner engagement and retention.

Step 5: Delivery

What do we do once the cooking is done?

Serve it!

Presentation is an important part of serving. In the case of Custom Learning solutions, the content can either be delivered via an LMS or sent as separate modules. Checking the course for the system specifications given by the client is necessary to ensure seamless rendering.

Close all the issues before packing off the final product. The finished course should be sent to the client for a trail run before final implementation.

In the words of W. Edwards Deming, “Quality is everyone’s responsibility.” This couldn’t be more true.
It is the responsibility of each and every member of the project team to ensure that standards and benchmarks are met along each step. Only this will complete the recipe for Great Quality Custom Learning Solutions.

Bon appétit, dear friends. Can you think of any other ingredients for delivering high-quality learning projects? Do leave your comments below.

The post The Recipe for Great Quality Custom Learning Solutions first appeared on The Upside Learning Blog.

Ensuring high usability is a challenge in eLearning course development. For a multi-device course even more so as you need to account for a wide range of devices and the user behaviour for each. With desktops and laptops, there is an abstract layer of mouse and keypad, whereas with touch-based mobile devices, we use our fingers in different ways to achieve different results.

There are many Common Misconceptions About User Experience Design. In light of these misconceptions and characteristics of multi-device/responsive courses, below are some questions that you need to ask yourself to ensure a good User Experience across a variety of devices:

1. Are you leveraging the power of ‘touch’?

Of the many affordances that tablets and smartphones offer, one of the important ones is response to ‘touch’. So while leveraging the ‘touch’ capability, it is important to ensure that the interactive elements are both large enough and far enough apart to be comfortably selected.

With touch devices, there also arises the possibility for gestural navigation. So, in addition to providing buttons, it is essential to code for a swipe gesture on tablets and smartphones.

2. Is it easy to navigate through the course?

As the device sizes reduce, we also have to decide on how to handle the global navigation. Since all navigation controls aren’t required for smaller devices, it is advisable to implement a responsive menu where controls get grouped and positioned based on the device size. Hence, controls are hidden or displayed based on device or OS. For example, most of us are used to using our tablet’s or phone’s audio controls, so audio controls need not be included in the menu on mobile phones and tablets.

3. Is the text readable?

Text size varies based on device resolution – the higher the resolution, the smaller the text. A solution here can be to use a relative sizing unit like “em” to dynamically set font size and line spacing for optimal readability across devices.

The “em” takes its size relative to its parent unit. So assuming the browser to be the overall parent, we can set 1 em to be equal to the browser’s default font size – which in most cases is 16 px. From there on, depending on how you structure your page, you can set relative font sizes in “ems” for texts in different containers.

More on font sizes, types and icon fonts detailed in Design Challenges and Considerations for Responsive eLearning

4. Is there consistency in representation?

Since a multi-device/ responsive course will be accessed from desktops, tablets and smartphones, consistency in representation is of prime importance. While designing, keep the key elements (navigation, interactive elements etc.) consistent in their appearance and position so that navigating the screen is as intuitive as possible.

Also, use the same design, fonts as well as the page layout consistently over the whole eLearning course.

5. Is there clarity in learner instructions?

Multi-device content is most likely to be displayed on both, touch and non-touch devices. In such scenarios, instructions play a crucial role. When writing the action-specific instructions we can either have conditional device-specific instructions, i.e. ‘Click OK to proceed’ for desktops/laptops and ‘Tap OK to proceed’ for touch screen devices. The other option is to keep action-specific instructions generic, i.e. ‘Select OK to proceed’, for all devices. Task-based instructions, on the other hand, being task specific have to be self explanatory, i.e. ‘Go through each example to know how to ensure data security’.

6. Is there clarity and consistency in element labels?

Shifted labels can be a major setback in multi-device learning where content layout changes based on device dimensions. It’s important to check that the same meaning has been retained across all devices and layouts. We need to ensure that the labels point to the corresponding elements, and also that the sequence of appearance (i.e. visual preceding the text/ following it) is maintained throughout.

7. Do the interactive elements look clickable or touchable?

This is all the more important on touch-based devices; since these do not support hover effects, you need to design in such a way that users can easily recognise where interactivities are available.

8. Does the design degrade gracefully or enhance progressively?

With so many phones, operating systems, screen sizes, interface capabilities, sensors, etc., along with multiple platforms and significant variance of hardware and software features, the trick is to design in such a way that the content can support ‘Progressive enhancement’ (Mobile first approach) or ‘Graceful degradation'(Desktop first approach). Images for instance can be designed based on the fundamentals of fluid layout, wherein images can be tiled or stretched depending on the orientation of the device.

9. Does the course allow accessibility?

Ensuring an optimal user experience for people with disabilities, including people with age-related impairments, so that they can perceive, understand, navigate, and interact with the course and contribute equally without barriers, is an important part of usability design. By utilizing the device specific accessibility features, we can help them improve their learning experience.

10. Has the course been optimized for UX?

Considering that the bandwidth on mobile devices is usually not the same as desktops, it is important to ensure that graphics and all elements used in the course are optimized. This reduces the loading time, improves performance thereby impacting the overall experience.

In case the scene is heavy and would take more time than usual to load, it is important to set the expectation right by allowing for ‘Time-outs’.

User Experience design is not the role of one person or department. Varied cross-functional teams are required to design and develop a quality learning experience. It’s unrealistic to expect Instructional Designers to take ownership of the learning experience. While, we agree that they do drive the design of the experience. The actual design and creation is still left to the development team; creating good user experiences is about teamwork, cross functional competence, and a clear vision of the learner experience sought to be delivered.

The post Multi-device Learning – Designing for Usability first appeared on The Upside Learning Blog.

Our latest, free eBook, titled ‘99 Tips for Great Custom Learning‘, draws upon our 11+ years of experience in designing, testing and delivering ‘great’ Custom Learning solutions to 100+ clients across the globe. The 99 hand-picked, top tips across eLearning, mLearning and Responsive/ Multi-device Learning will make it easy for you to adopt and benefit from your Custom Learning initiatives.

Key Topics Covered:

1. Tips for ‘great’ eLearning
2. Tips for ‘great’ mLearning
3. Tips on Designing and Testing Multi-device/ Responsive Learning
4. Tips on designing for UX/UI

If you aspire to #DoGreat in your Custom Learning initiatives, download your free copy of the eBook – 99 Tips for Great Custom Learning, now.

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The post #DoGreat Custom Learning with our New eBook first appeared on The Upside Learning Blog.