Achieving effectiveness in the learning organizations requires to move beyond just managing training delivery and controlling the cost of learning activities. It crucial to achieve a high rate of LMS adoption, since technology is such a big part of the learning experience – and that demands a user-centered learning portal or website.
When implementing an LMS, most training managers say their major goal is to deploy and measure training and increase user return visits. Though, in reality, most LMSs are too cumbersome for the typical learner. This can be solved by delivering information in the flavor, format and context that appeal to younger audiences for whom training is often designed. This can be done by developing a learning portal that acts as a front end to your LMS, offering the relevance, immediacy and usability of a Web 2.0 website. This also facilitates bringing out the hidden values of the learning systems deployed and to make the complete utilization of the technology.
In addition to increasing user friendliness, learning portals offer other advantages. Portal technology means reduced support load on your IT staff, and decreased cost of ownership for the business.
A portal also improves the user interface of the system at the front end, while providing administrators maintain a high degree of control at the backend. Although the objective is not to provide everyone with all information, it is to make the right information more accessible, when and where it’s needed. Even for a centralized learning system, it’s important to take a role-based approach to user access. This allows for capabilities such as informal learning. Thus, LMSs will increasingly move from playing the role of mainframe systems that hold and track registrations to providing formal and informal learning with the addition of portals.
In recent discussions with leading CLOs and Training Directors, Expertus asked, ‘What are the top learning challenges when you don’t have a learning system portal?’ The answers ranged from poor usability, inefficient search capability, unfriendly user interface, slow registrations, and sporadic customer training (check for the case for customer training portal development), to expensive and unnecessary customizations.
Though, one important recurring response was the need for learning organizations to cater to new modes of learning delivery and informal or corporate social learning.
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If you need advice on how to increase the training efficiency of your learning organization, feel free to contact me.
Tags: corporate social learning, learning 2.0, learning portal, LMS implementation, training efficiency
