In his interview, Paul emphasized the importance of social learning in associations, as this peer-to-peer engagement is critical to fostering strong relationships between association members. By capturing the highly relevant information shared through such social learning, LMS solutions like Blackboard can help associations meet their constituents’ needs while unifying the group towards their common goals.

You can listen to Paul’s entire interview with Tagoras by clicking here, or visit our website to learn how Blackboard can help foster social learning at your association.

As expressed in the infographic, the overall trend found in Cisco’s study is that “the majority of college students and young professionals value social media access, device freedom and a mobile work style as much [as] or more than money.” When looking at the specific findings of the study, some of the most interesting points include:

· 2/3 of current college students will ask about social media policies during job interviews · 1/3 of students will prioritize social media freedom and device flexibility over salary during their job search. · 71% of college students believe corporate devices should also allow for personal use, including access to social networks · 3/5 of students believe they have the right to work remotely with a flexible schedule

These facts highlight that young professionals are entering the workplace with expectations not seen in previous generations:  they demand access to social networks when they are on the job, and believe they have the ability to be just as productive, if not more so, when they work outside of a traditional office environment with devices of their choosing.   It will be incredibly interesting to see how these expectations impact the workplace, especially as trends in mobile, social, and online capabilities continue to grow.

To view the full infographic from The Social Workplace, click this link or view it below:

Blackboard Learn for Sales Launch: An announcement of our exciting partnership with salesforce.com for the ultimate integration of sales and training!

What Will Army Learning Be Like in 2015? Online and Mobile:  Soldiers will soon be utilizing smart phones, tablet PCs, and other online and mobile technologies as a part of their training.  In this post, we discuss the advantages these capabilities will bring to the US Army by the year 2015.

5 Myths about Informal Learning:  How should professional educators define informal learning?  And how can informal learning impact results across your organization?  We explore these  and other questions in this much-discussed blog post.

Infographic: Online Students vs. Traditional Students : A blog post featuring an infographic that highlights the fast-growing trend towards online and blended learning across institutions of higher education.

From my perspective, these top posts show that our blog generates interest on a wide range of topics, from ways to enhance sales training to thought leadership on informal learning.  But are there any topics you want to see more of on the blog in 2012?  What types of posts interest you most?  We appreciate any feedback you have on the Next Level Learning blog, so please feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments section below!

If you are already spending the time and money to leverage online tools such as Salesforce to enhance your sales efforts, whywouldn’t you include an integrated training component to dramatically impact your business results?  Salesforce without this focus on training can be a real train wreck!

That’s why we developed Blackboard Learn for Sales: the first fully-featured sales training platform that is fully integrated with Salesforce.  It has already received a tremendous amount of press and acceptance in the market, and we are looking forward to watching it have a significant impact on sales in 2012.

To learn more about Blackboard Learn for Sales, including ways to measure the value of training to your sales pipeline, be sure to check out the video below:

Much of this conversation hinged on a question from a commenter who asked about our definition of informal learning.  He asked, if informal learning is defined as any learning that occurs beyond a classroom setting, then isn’t it just a normal part of our daily interactions, instead of it being a new strategy used by professional educators?  Is it really something that can be directed, quantified, and oriented towards a larger goal?  And can a LMS really aid this informal process?

In our response, we began by explaining our understanding of informal learning.  Even though it is not something newly invented, informal learning is something that is finally labeled and defined in the professional learning community.  If one defines formal learning as traditional classroom learning, you can indeed argue that any education that occurs outside of the classroom to be informal.

However, there are certainly more structured forms of informal learning than others (i.e. water cooler conversations vs. online discussion boards or communities of practice). We believe it is certainly worthwhile to try and measure this type of learning when possible in order to illustrate its impact on business.

As for the point about whether or not an LMS can foster informal learning: We would begin by saying that we aren’t a traditional LMS, but that Blackboard is a social LMS. Our Blackboard Learn product facilitates social and informal learning both within a formal training course and outside of one.  So, you are covered on all bases! Within a course, Blackboard Learn offers platforms for wikis, blogs, groups, and discussion boards to ensure your learners are communicating informally with one another and the instructor.

In addition, our solutions also promote information exchange within the broader organization. Blackboard’s community module allows you to establish communities of practice where like-minded individuals can gather to ask questions, network, and socialize. While Blackboard solutions still manage course content like a traditional LMS, our integration of these important social and informal tools is what sets us apart as a social LMS.

We’d definitely love to hear thoughts around the label ‘social LMS.’ For those of you familiar with Blackboard, does that description ring true? If not, do you consider us to be a traditional LMS?

Corporations and Associations:  One interesting trend in corporate education this year was the integration of social media into workplace learning. Mobile education expert Gary Woodill has noted that the enhanced collaboration from social and mobile learning tools can benefit companies that adopt them early, especially by allowing employees to share best practices and ideas in real time.

Career Colleges:  Students at professional and career colleges often pursue their education while balancing commitments such as holding full-time jobs or raising a family.  Considering their busy lifestyles, these students depend on their schools’ online learning and mobile capabilities to take classes on-the-go. For-profit colleges have the ability to offer highly accessible education largely because of their emphasis on the importance of IT.  Not only do they have a tendency to invest more in IT, however, but career colleges are also better at implementing student feedback into their online and digital offerings.  This ability to tailor e-learning courses to student needs is an important and growing trend, especially since the demand for online courses has exceeded the demand for traditional courses across all institutions of higher education.

Government:  Mobility is also an emerging trend within the U.S. government, as federal agencies are embracing social media and developing apps for mobile devices.  One of the more notable trends in government mobility has been the advent of government telework policies.  According to Federal Computer Week, teleworking has led to increased productivity, reduced costs, and even higher employee morale within those agencies that have adopted it so far.  We are definitely interested to watch this growing trend, especially as it influences federal employee training.

Military:  Earlier this year, we wrote about the U.S. Army’s selection of Android for its future smartphone operating system.  The Army is developing a specially designed mobile device to host the Android framework, and plans to create a suite of apps that could allow warfighters to access key information and data on the ground. In addition, the Army also plans to implement mobile capabilities into its training regimen in the near future.  As is outlined in the Army’s Learning Concept for 2015, mobile and digital technologies will be vital to the future of training and continuous learning for its soldiers.  This will allow for enhanced peer-to-peer and social interaction in Army education, ensure that learning is not “location-dependent,” and will even create opportunities for learning outside of mandatory training.

From my perspective, this “trend” towards mobile is more than a just trend, but instead represents a significant change in the way we will learn and work in the foreseeable future.  Take smartphones as an example: many of the devices we use every day are essentially handheld computers, and the phone function seem like “just” an app on that device.  In other words, many of us have a very powerful mobile tool with us wherever our lives take us, and those mobile capabilities will become more and more integrated into our daily routines in the coming years. Read how Blackboard can help your organization go mobile in 2012, and get ready for another year of new developments in workplace learning and training!

The article lists these three mechanisms that can help support remembering:

·         Aligning the learning and performance contexts

·         Providing retrieval practice

·         Utilizing spaced repetitions

According to Thalheimer, practicing these three strategies provides learners with chances to utilize their new knowledge in realistic scenarios, further improving their ability to retain what they have learned.

This emphasis on long-term memory and knowledge retention is something we highly value at Blackboard.  Our solutions such as Blackboard Learn provide the tools your organization needs to minimize forgetting and improve remembering of critical knowledge.  Blackboard provides a continuous learning environment that can empower your employees to engage in social learning, reach back to re-familiarize with course material, and even create custom learning plans to ensure that learning is relevant and effective.

What ways do you think you can minimize forgetting and improve retention within your organization?

However, when you look at the modern organization, it is moving to a model of constant change, whether through mergers and acquisitions or as quick-start web-enabled networks. For the human resources department, the question becomes one of preparing people for jobs that don’t even exist. For example, the role of online community manager, a fast-growing field today, barely existed five years ago. Individual training for job preparation requires a stable work environment, a luxury no one has any more.

Jarche argues that social learning, which embraces the full benefits of the collaborative process, is the most effective way for professionals to exchange ideas and reach solutions efficiently.  Another important benefit is that of capturing the knowledge and retain it for others to continue the legacy of others. Training should not happen in a vacuum nor should it be forgotten.

How are you taking stock? Jarche’s blog also caused us to ask how organizations can take stock of the information being exchanged through social learning. The web enables connections, or constant flow, as well as instant access to information, or infinite stock. Because of this connectivity, the Web is an environment more suited to social, just-in-time learning than the outdated course model. With social learning becoming a key facet in the professional learning environment, it is important to empower the sharing of knowledge and experiences.  This not only allows for a more efficient way of accessing information on-demand, but also for adapting to what information is most relevant in an ever-changing environment.  As Jarche points out, “Change is continuous, so learning must be continuous.”

The continuous learning environment Jarche uses the term “perpetual beta” to reflect the constant change and development occurring in today’s workplace.  He believes that organizations will be most successful when they embrace this dynamism through an adaptive learning process. For the future of workplace learning, this means that organizations must focus on creative response and innovation in order to stay ahead of the times.  Learning can no longer occur in a strictly top-down, classroom-style environment to be effective. At Blackboard, we believe that a continuous learning environment is the best way to foster this type of organic, self-directed learning.  Through products such as Blackboard Learn, individuals can close personal learning gaps while developing emergent practices with their peers, empowering them to take ownership of learning to best achieve organization-wide goals. To sum it up Jarche compiles some of his key posts on a single page, which includes a link to his Working Smarter Fieldbook.  Author Daniel Pink says that the Fieldbook will turn “your old notions about training, work, and learning upside down and inside out…”  I’m intrigued already!

Here are some of the most common myths about informal learning, followed by discussions that demystify the concerns they reflect:

Myth #1: It’s too unstructured Some may argue that informal learning may be a distraction from the goals of a training session, or may go off-topic due to the organic nature of the conversation it generates.

However, when informal learning comes with clear instructions and desired outcomes are explained ahead of time, learners will be more likely to stay on task and work towards the goals set out during training sessions.

Myth #2:  Learners will not retain the information they need Due to the fast-paced and ubiquitous nature of many informal learning tools, it may be difficult to see them as a legitimate means for building a broad base of knowledge.

This concern is overcome through the continuous learning and knowledge sharing that comes from informal learning.  Tools like wikis allow users to create a database of highly relevant content, while discussion boards and blogs can allow employees to store and exchange lessons learned from on-the-job experiences.  And, since all of this information is stored online, your employees can re-read relevant materials when they need it most.

Myth #3: Results can’t be measured There may be a tendency to believe that, because informal learning is so dynamic, it is difficult to quantify the impact it has on an organization.

Just because informal learning might occur outside of a traditional learning environment, however, doesn’t mean that impact on business can’t be quantified.  By measuring individual employee performance against what training has been received, it is possible to see what learning techniques have driven results for your organization.  Customizable learning plans can then be created for each employee to fill in gaps and build on strengths found in the learning process.

Myth #4:  It’s always a liability Since informal learning encourages organic and honest discussion, employers may be concerned about reputation damage or leakage of confidential information online.

Though these concerns are legitimate, managing online learning through both policy and active monitoring is the best way to ensure that your employees understand the consequences of what they say online.  And furthermore, I also hear that some trainers would RATHER conversations be out in the open so that they can personally address them and set the record straight.

Myth #5:  Only my younger employees will like it Many informal learning tools, such as social media networks, are mistakenly thought of as trends that are only used by young adults.

However, statistics show that nearly 60% of Twitter users are over 30, nearly three quarters of Baby Boomers have a Facebook profile, and LinkedIn is dominated by people over the age of 35. Though there may be a learning curve for some who did not grow up in the age of the Internet, you may be surprised by how many of them are already taking advantage of online learning tools.

At Blackboard, we have the tools you need to leverage informal learning for the benefit of your organization.  Collaborative learning systems like Blackboard Learn ™ provide an intuitive and efficient platform for tapping into the potential informal learning to engage your professional learners and help them reach their goals during training and beyond.

Connectivity in professional learning Though a grand majority of connected learners reported that social media is indispensable in their workplace, only 14% of professional training offered to this generation incorporates some form social media.  This means that corporate trainers are missing out on an opportunity to engage connected learners with educational tools their generation enjoys using, especially when it involves collaboration with peers. This absence of social media makes it difficult for connected learners to feel engaged during professional training, meaning that they will be less likely to retain the information needed to be successful in their careers.

How can I engage my connected learners? Traditional LMS systems, which don’t allow for highly interactive learning, fall short of driving true engagement with connected learners.  However, collaborative learning systems like Blackboard Learn ™ provide an intuitive and efficient platform for tapping into the training potential of social media and the informal learning it facilitates.  With the ability to host dynamic and customizable content, Blackboard Learn provides tools from wikis to webinars that will engage your connected learners and help them reach their goals in professional training and beyond. How can you best engage connected learners in your workplace?  Watch our online presentation and see how collaborative learning systems can benefit your organization: http://bit.ly/oVdMMk