NexLearn Simpact November '08

November 2008 Edition

Transitions can be difficult for employers and employees alike. Whether it’s the planned retirement of your CEO or a shakeup of your management structure, change in leadership means change for your entire staff. Training is one sure way to prepare employees for new responsibilities while informing and reassuring your staff about the change of guard. Immersive learning simulations can be especially effective in these situations.

As part of a succession plan, simulations can help secure the legacy of key members of your organization by capturing the essence of their core values and passing them on to new leaders. Well-crafted simulations can attain and pass on the knowledge of founding members and train new leaders to think the “corporate way” before they take the reins. It could be as simple as a virtual conversation with a mentor, structured as a Q&A session where new managers can ask their predecessor, “What would you do?” New leaders can take the course during their training and also have access to it at any point for guidance or refreshment.

A complementary simulation can help ease the minds of a staff in limbo during a big transition by reassuring them while gauging their thinking and beliefs. Assessment questions can help you determine if there is any discontent and can pinpoint problem areas. Immersive simulations can also show employees how new organizational structures will be implemented and how the changes will affect their day-to-day responsibilities.

The beauty of using SimWriter for these custom simulations is that they can be created and updated quickly in order to respond to personnel changes, either planned or unexpected. Plus, pre- and post-assessments can be used to track the effectiveness of both types of simulations. Immersive learning simulations can be a simple but valuable part of your change management strategy.

BlogBites
Interested in switching careers? Or are you just getting started in the workforce? Could instructional design be right for you? This month’s BlogBites lets you peek behind the e-Learning curtain to see how to get started in this fast-growing industry.

http://gminks.edublogs.org/
Instructional designer and self-proclaimed social media expert, Gina Minks, starts your instructional design “to-learn” list with her top four tips. She focuses on specific tools and learning theories to explore as you begin your new e-Learning career.

http://clive-shepherd.blogspot.com/
Clive Shepherd also tackles the question of how to get started in e-Learning. While Minks’ advice is decidedly technical, Shepherd takes a different approach, focusing on considering your skills and interests, then following up with industry networking tips.

http://manishmo.blogspot.com/
With 20 years of experience in the learning and content development industry, Manish Mohan gives seasoned advice for people who want to know what it takes to make it in the field of instructional design. He includes helpful links to relevant blogs, strings and websites.

If you have a great blog (or know of one) that you want to share, send us the link. We just might include it in a future Simpact edition. Send the link to our Expert.

On the Road

Talk with a NexLearnian

Nov 12-13
DevLearn
San Jose, California

November Survey

What’s your e-Learning strategy for 2009?

We plan to increase our e-Learning training

We are not going to change our e-Learning training

We're going to decrease our e-Learning training

Last Month’s Survey Results

Which component would you most like to incorporate into future e-Learning courses?

Simulations

Podcasts

Wikis

Blogs

Ask the Expert

Question:
I’m in charge of training implementation for our company. How do our employees access simulations once they’re built? How can we be sure they’ll work with our current systems?

Answer:
We work closely with our customers to ensure all goes smoothly when the rubber meets the road with our simulations. We design our modules to work with your particular Learning Management System (LMS), which is basically the software that your company uses to manage and implement its training. If you don’t have an LMS, our experts can help you determine the right one for your company. LMSs cater to different learning environments, so it’s important to choose the features that best meet your needs. For example, all LMSs have components that allow learners to access their assigned courses, but you may need elements that allow you to integrate performance tracking with your current management systems. Or, you may choose to group your learners demographically, say by their region, department or product line. LMS possibilities are expansive. Once you know what features you need and purchase an LMS, we’ll work with you to create courses that deliver the information you need within the confines of your system. And to make it easy for developers, SimWriter has a feature to create immersive learning simulations that are compliant with basic SCORM and AICC specifications.

Have a question about e-Learning or Simulation-based Learning? Send it to our Expert.

NexLearn SimWriter 2.0 Captures Brandon Hall Silver Award. Contact us today to experience the best simulation authoring tool available! Information at NexLearn

Multiple Tab Viewing

SimWriter provides easy access to three areas vital to the development of immersive learning simulations:

The Map Tab: Used to create the simulation architecture
The Write Tab: Used to write and edit content, as well add media components
The Design Tab: Used to control the visual elements of the simulation